Photo on Friday #7

Iconic objects, I reckon this is one that apart from London you don't see very often these days. Not only do you not see red telephone boxes, you rarely see telephone boxes as we all have mobile phones.

But how many of us have memories of loitering as kids in our gang around telephone boxes on street corners? Making sure we'd got 10p's to phone home from town, or phone new boyfriends? Giving directions by telephone boxes (my husband got so confused when they took away the red phonebox on the main road in the village where I grew up as it was where he had to turn right to get to my street). And of course in major cities there would be postcards offering the services of "ladies" I have a feeling if you look closely at this picture there are some of those postcards!.

Nostalgia and memories, sometimes its good to look back.

Photo on Friday #6

Artists, we come from all walks of life and some of us have many artistic outlets.  Dennis Hopper is one such man.. Last year John and I went to see his retrospective exhibition of his photos take in the 60's.  He was certainly part of the "scene" and his gritty urban documentary shots of film sets, his friends, hippy camps, hells angels, the sidewalk and the peace protest movement had me enthralled.

So here is a picture of us and the great man Mr Hopper. 

Don't confine yourself to one artistic medium, try them all, dabble and don't be afraid.

Photo on Friday #5

Victorian railway architecture fascinates me, these lofty architectural palaces dedicated to travel, to  journeys, happiness and sadness, hello's,and goodbyes. So many stories and so much that could have been lost without visionaries such as John Betjeman (a big hero  of mine) to save these cathedrals of brick and iron.

I spend a lot of time when I'm in London on the Euston Road, either coming in at Euston from Northampton (home), going to the British Library or in this case heading towards St Pancras if I've come in from Luton (work).  Euston Road itself is very important in railway history as it marked the edge of the City of London and no main line railway stations were allowed in the City of London in Victorian times.

You wouldn't think it was a railway station would you, it looks like it belongs in St Petersburg or Moscow not London.  All those Gothic spires and arches reaching into the sky.

Who said functional can't be beautiful?

Photo on Friday #4

I've been at the seaside this week, Southwold to be exact  on the east coast for a bit of rest and recuperation after many weeks of being unwell. I've lost count of the the times we've been to Southwold as a couple, with parents, with family, but this time I went on my own.  Its the first time I've been away on my own for any length of time for pleasure, an adventure!

This was taken on a previous visit to Southwold, taken very early on the beach. The sun was just up and the light was so bright, cold and clear. Even with the glorious light I have added some filters to accentuate and deepen the colour of the crab. 

So why do I like this, what made me take a photo?  Well I like the shape of the claw and the ribs, the brittleness of the shell which is so fragile as well. That smoothness of the shell juxtaposed against the grains of sands and the colour of the claws in contrast to the whiteness of the ribs.

What do you like about it?

Photo on Friday #3

Texture and shape intrigue me whether its nature or man made.

These poppy heads were in my garden.  I have added some heavy filters on them to blur some of the features, add a grainy effects as an overlay and softened the edges. Colour wise I went for a monochrome effect, the contrast of light and shade.

This neutral palette allows the features on the top of the poppy heads and the fragile decay on the side would show up as the strongest elements of the photo.

What would you use from this photo to make art?

Photo on Friday #2

So Spring, has it appeared in your neighbourhood yet or are you in a completely different hemisphere and facing Autumn and Winter.

Haven't really seen much evidence of Spring yet, the primroses and primula's are out in the garden and there are some tiny unfurled leaves on the roses and plum and apple tree.  The dawn chorus is starting at about 5.00am which I always love to hear. So Spring is on its way, but its a bit shy, just peeping out, just checking whether its safe to come out and play.

This was taken last year one frosty morning. You can see the water droplets on the flowers and the frost on the leaves.  Yellow is a colour I struggle with, but this soft pale lemon with just a touch of acid green stamen, the flush of purple on the stalk and the variegated greens of the leaves, well it makes me feel happy.

The filters I've added give a softness, but also a sharpness and an intensity that makes those colours sing and shout SPRING IS COMING!

So what to create inspired by this photo?  A scrapbook page for the photo, a textured background using the colours, fabric to present the furriness of the leaves? All possibilities.

What would you create?

Photo on Friday #1

I like taking photos, I like looking at what nature has created, what man has created, seeing shapes, decay, texture and colour.  Not only do my photos record the events in my life, but inspiration for my art. 

This was taken on the Quay in Peel on the Isle of Man in August 2014.  Bars and bars of rusty oxidised iron weathered by the air and salt.  It has had some filters added to give the Bokeh (spots of light) effect and to sharpen the tone.  My favourite filters site is Pixlr but there are many others out there.  

This photo inspires me to think about how I might replicate the colour and texture using paint and mediums.  Which oranges and reds and browns?  The pale yellow, possible hints of greens and how to get the grainy feel and look using gel mediums, texture paste, embossing powders? 

In itself it is a beautiful photograph and could be used on its on as a focal point in a composition.  But it also conjures up heart-warming, secret little smiles on my face, nostalgic memories of our walk along the Quay at Peel, heading towards the castle, listening to the gulls and the sea. 

Seeing, hearing, touching, feeling.

What inspires you?