Watching the Sun Set

Looking South might have been another title for this post. That is not necessarily the direction these sentinels are looking but they are in Scotland where we had hoped to be this last Easter.

These are two more from that StillWalk Coastal Walk, Evening which you can see on the  Spring Walks page.

The images are available to buy at PhotoShelter

Lookouts

IMG_5440

Galloway Coast

Going North in Spring

This year we missed our usual trip north to Scotland and the other day I overheard the sound of Oystercatchers on one of my StillWalks videos playing in the background. It emphasised the loss of not getting to where they had been recorded.

At least I have the StillWalk to watch and listen to. Here are a couple of images from it. The video can be viewed on the Spring Walks page.

The images are available to buy at PhotoShelter

Oystercatchers

Oystercatchers

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

Digital Barbs

Working in digital print was, perhaps, a natural outcome of the fact that during the design and weave projects I ran with schools, I discovered that I was able to help teachers with some of the problems they had with their PCs when ICT (Information Communication Technology) was being pushed in the curriculum.

I bought a second hand Apple LC III computer in the early 1990’s and a new and exciting world opened up to me. To cut a long story short, it wasn’t long before I was running interactive digital media projects in combination with design and weave. These included communal large scale digital prints. This was something I had built up some skill with over a period of time and training as well as through liaison with printers.

The barbs kept coming back and in these two giclée prints on canvas, I was aiming to bring together a number of different thematic strands I have worked with over the years. Interpretation of the image and its different elements is entirely open.

These works are available for sale. There is only one other print of “Waves” and “Waves 2” is entirely unique. Anyone interested should contact me.

You can find further information on school projects and much more at Design Fibre ICT

Waves

“Waves” 95 x 125 cms Giclee print on canvas

Waves detail

“Waves” detail

"Waves 2"  100 x 130 cms  giclee print on canvas

“Waves 2” 100 x 130 cms giclee print on canvas

Climbing to the Top

Yesterday afternoon I had the need to get on top of things. Without going into details, the answer for me was to climb our local mountain, Graig Fawr.

Even on the lower slopes of the mountain you get a great view over the valley but as I climbed higher this view got better and better. Skylarks twittered above me and I got a good close view of a pair of Red Kites. Up on top the wind was exhilarating and, at least momentarily, my troubles were blown away. Seeing the land and the weather on this scale has a tendency to put other issues into perspective.

Despite its name (fawr means big in Welsh), the mountain is only small but for all that you get a great view over four or five counties in South Wales. I had deliberately not taken my cameras or sound kit as it was the walk and the climb that I needed. However, I couldn’t resist taking one or two shots on my phone. I have not produced a StillWalk on Graig Fawr yet but I think that time is coming soon.

Graig Fawr

Graig Fawr

Graig Fawr Triangulation Point

Graig Fawr Triangulation Point

Looking to Carmarthenshire

Looking to Carmarthenshire

Light and Dark over Wales

Light and Dark Over Wales

Great Ayton Walkabout – Birthplace of Captain Cook

We had a great walk round Great Ayton during our Easter visit to Middlesbrough. It is a village I have known for over thirty years but not visited for probably twenty or more.

The day was cold but bright and I took a few photos, including the obligatory one of Captain Cook.  One of my favourites was this one of the change of textures in the River Leven as it flows over a small weir.

Changing Textures

Changing Textures

A Visit to Middlesbrough – Sculpture?

Next to the Anish Kapoor sculpture, “Tenemos” (featured in yesterday’s post), are other “sculptures” which, although functional in their design, are fascinating and attractive in their own way.

The textures, colours and patterns of paint and rust are further enhanced by their juxtaposition with Kapoor’s work. And that, of course, is a part of the purpose of art – to help us see, understand and appreciate what is around us.

I wonder what it is like inside that crane?!

Middlesbrough crane

Tenemos and Crane

Tenemos and Crane

IMG_7369

crane

Middlesbrough crane

IMG_7383

IMG_7341

broken windows

A Visit to Middlesbrough – Anish Kapoor

Temenos by Anish Kapoor was erected in Middlesbrough about three years ago and I have been meaning to go take a look at it since then. As with Claes Oldenburg’s Bottle of Notes in yesterday’s post, there have been many photographs taken of this work of art – but these are mine!

It is an impressive structure which has the effect, as it should, of highlighting the sculptural appearance of many of the industrial structures around it (more of those tomorrow). In the background is Middlesbrough’s Transporter Bridge.

Temenos

Temenos by Anish Kapoor

Temenos

Temenos by Anish Kapoor

Temenos by Anish Kapoor

Temenos by Anish Kapoor

Temenos and Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge

Temenos by Anish Kapoor

Temenos by Anish Kapoor

A Visit to Middlesbrough – Claes Oldenburg and Haroon Mirza

The Bottle of Notes sculpture by Claes Oldenburg  is in the centre of Middlesbrough by MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art). There have been plenty of photos taken of it before now, but these are mine!

We had a short visit to Middlesbrough at Easter and managed, amongst other things, to see this, the MIMA exhibitions, the Anish Kapoor sculpture at Riverside Park (see tomorrow’s post) and had a walk round Great Ayton.

Bottle of Notes

Bottle of Notes

Bottle of Notes

MIMA

One of the exhibitions we saw at MIMA was Untitled Song by Haroon Mirza. I can’t show photos other than this wall in the gallery, but I did record part of the audio in the exhibition. Here is 30 seconds of it.

Haroon Mirza

You may not find the sound particularly easy to listen to – it’s not exactly popular music – but there was more to it than this sample and it worked well with the space and the sculptures by James Clarkson, some of which had been modified by Mirza.