On the way back from a road trip to Scotland, I visited the National Railway Museum in York. It has a fascinating collection of locomotives in a very grand and fitting venue. The background in this picture is one of many landscapes I photographed in the north west of Scotland. In the foreground are two close-ups of the exhibits in the great hall, which was an engine repairshop. The coupling and connecting rods in the immediate foreground are from the steam train called the Evening Star. Beyond that is the winding engine from the Stanhope & Tyne Railway. It was used to haul wagons carrying limestone up the Weatherhill Incline to the blast furnaces at Consett. It stands in front of A huge glass window at one end of the museum. I cut away the window panes and some of the handrails. I thought the two objects fitted well together and are of course, not relatively sized. The title came at the end which I thought suited the demeanour of the image.
Lighting Up Time
Having a drink in the Plough P.H. on St. Benedicts, l noticed someone step out with a chair from a delapidated shop front opposite. It turns out to be The Arboretum, a pub cum antique/curio establishment run by Gregory Clark. He stood on the chair to light a candle in the old fashioned lamp above the front door. I immediately rushed across the street with my camera and asked for a photograph. The one thing he didn’t realise was, he would be on a grass verge on the Isle Of Skye. This is a view from the A851 on the way to Teangue, overlooking what is stated on the map as the Inner Seas Off The West Coast Of Scotland. I did this picture in one day (the landscape was photographed the week before) and quite pleased with the result. Thank you Gregory.
12.03.24. Cromer
This is a view looking from the white metal staircase, that runs down from Peddars Way and Norfolk Coastal Path, to the Promenade walkway. It was raining and deserted. I liked the configuration of the railings, and their reflection in the wet tarmac. The woman and her dog were walking on the beach, so I’ve moved her to the path. I put her deliberately where the picture leads to that focal point. I used a filter (Liquify) to create that wavy look, as if using one’s fingertip to drag the surface as if it was viscous. I experimented quite a few times to come to that satisfactory conclusion. I also used a filter to give the image a gritty grim weather look. Whether this picture is ‘Urban’….I don’t know.
Blast Ramp 2
This started with those upturned wooden pallets that were on the South Quay in Yarmouth. I was drawn to their colour and the light direction. They were like a sculptural installation. What to do with them? I then came across a photo I had of Cromer beach. A minor stream had been running down to the sea, and had worn the pattern in the sand. Then came the tail of an English Electric Lightning from the Air Museum in Norwich. I applied the jet blast flames and put the sun reflection on the fuselage and the tail. I realised the title at the end.
Hunstanton 7.3.24
This is a bleak and foggy March day in Hunstanton, looking out from South Promenade onto the groynes that stretch out from the beach. On the other side of the pavement is the Rainbow Amusement Park on Seagate Rd. What you can see is the upended track of a fairground ride. It is the monorail for the Sea Dragon Rollercoaster. I have perversely turned it upside down because it looked more dramatic, and would have got lost against the groynes. This way, it enhances the flow of the composition and creates a more realistic perspective. I lit up the lightbulbs strung along the ride, and introduced another ‘tripod’ hazard structure in the left hand corner.
Untitled No.61
This picture started with a shot of the Roller Coaster structure from the beach in Yarmouth. This is one of many I took. It belongs to Pleasure-Beach Co. who have an amusement park on South Beach Parade. The exterior cladding was obviously being prepared for refurbishment and repainting. I then introduced the Elevating Platform Ladder of a fire engine, that was being tested by the Norwich Fire Department, over the River Wensum. I ‘ejected’ the fireman who was in the basket because….well, because I could. I was looking for something to ‘marry up’ with the image, and after a long search came across the storage tanks – (liquid gas?). They were being dismantled on Malthouse Lane in Gorleston (Yarmouth); I had used another photo in a picture titled ‘Going Up, Coming Down’. Finally I duplicated the ladder twice and arranged them to balance the composition.
Incongruous Fit
When I showed this picture to my nephew Will, he said he was trying to understand what it meant. I explained that it was a visual poem which had no specific meaning but an open interpretation for the viewer (is that acceptable without being pretentious – moi?). This image took two bottles of wine and a late night / early morning slog and one can understand the dismal result…hmm.. It starts with the fishing boat, dry docked in Cromer (for repainting?), above it are the ‘sails’, which are a set of curved canopy/sunshades, which overlook the bowls greens by Britannia Pier, Yarmouth. I have stretched and convorted the two, and nestled them in an exterior stairwell at the Dar es Salaam railway station. Now do you understand what the picture means? Uhhh…no.
Oh No! Here We Go Again!
I did this picture a few years ago and I thought it reflected the madness which possesses the mindset we are hellbent on pursuing. Well. ….This is a photo I took of a re-enactment group who were parading on Yarmouth South Quay, celebrating the town’s history in its fishing industry. The drummer was in a different photo, as was the officer with his back to the camera. It’s an annual event that encompasses all aspects of its heritage. The guns I have replaced for heads came from a collection of militaria at an air show in Suffolk (I think it was at Old Buckenham). In the background is a view looking south from the beach in Yarmouth, with the monument to Nelson. The sulphurous sky has been accentuated, but the clouds were real. It pissed down.
Raining Questions
The landscape is of North Norfolk, on the road between Binham and Warham ( I think!). I liked the view, presenting a vista for miles to the horizon, and the threatening clouds. For me, this was an exercise in creating the question marks to look as if they were made of glass. Each one was made individually, which took a very long time! The text was created first. I don’t know why I came up with the idea – there’s a question!
WTF Part 2
Looking down into Anglia Square from the HMSO building, one sees the shadows cast by the glass and steel canopy covering, in the middle of the shopping centre. I thought it created a visual dynamic that looked very arresting. I have accentuated the colour of the paving slabs. The disposable shaving razors in my bathroom caught my eye,…so click went the camera! I will photograph anything that catches my attention, and usually not use, this time I did. The pipes and access ladder are part of a vacant industrial unit around the back of Barker St. I liked the way these elements seem to connect. As for the title,…. the image came out of the blue and I was stumped as what to make of it. I have created a previous picture, which I titled ‘WTF’ for the same reason, hence ‘Part2’ for this picture. So…..WTF?