I was drawn to the empty branches against a grey sky, on an autumn walk. It was easy to cut away the sky, to leave a transparent background. I have collaged three branches, one at the top, and two at the bottom, and then meshed them together. I then overlayed a gradated blue sky, replacing the dark silhouette. All that was left to do, was slowly fill the gaps with “greenery’, making sure to keep each shade separate and varied.
The Bigger Sound
Set in the cloisters of Norwich Cathedral, but instead of a lawn; they look suspiciously like Australian clouds. I came across two young Salvation Army guys in front of the City Hall, who were going to, or coming from an event. I asked if i could photograph the Tuba one of them had, in the bright sunshine,..The young woman also a Salvation Army cadet was part of a Remembrance Day parade and was stood to attention. I developed the theme as I went along, to create the title!
GM Flowers
After a few glasses of wine, even the table decoration seems attractive! I was having a pub lunch in Darbys (Swanton Morley) with my sister Janie, and my brother in law John. If one duplicates the flower vase and the simple arrangement, and puts them in a field:; this is what you get! The view is from the Glastonbury Tor, looking down on the Somerset levels. I ramped up the colours, to match the vase.
Drilling Holes In Engines
Here are three photographs of tractor engines. These are the rusty old things that are parked on Cromer beach, for launching and retrieving the fishing boats. So if you can understand that the images are layered, one ontop of the other, I have literally drilled holes through, to reveal the underlying engine. I had a great time doing this, it was like picking the spots off, when you had measles, or pealing dead skin from sunburn!
Around About The Corner
I saw this childrens carousel/roundabout, in a deserted play section in Sloughbottom park. I do not frequent children play areas! this was a wet afternoon when there was no-one in the park. I liked it, so I photographed it, without any thought what to do with the image. The corner of a street, (Colman Rd./Muriel Rd.) which was being prepared to be renovated, had the markings made by engineers, to denote underground pipes and cables. I liked the cracked pavement, double yellow lines, manhole covers etc, so I started with this image. I tried various objects to include in a collage, but as soon as put the roundabout on,…it clicked! I have introduced some fictional coloured markings of my own, and I am very pleased with the result.
A Giddy Way Down To The Beach
The stainless steel railing, can be found running down to the Norwich Yatch Station, from Riverside Rd. I think the brick wall and steps lead down to the river in Norwich, probably near New Mills Yard. I have cut away what would be the grassy areas, to reveal the beach. The coastal landscape beyond, is somewhere in Queensland, near to the Whitsundays islands. Named by Captain Cook, when he discovered a channel between them and the mainland. They should have been called Whitmondays, he got the day wrong! Anyway, another surreal and unplanned picture.
Drum Stack
The rather contorted view of the wooden staircase, which leads down to an observation platform, for a view of the Twelve Apostles. A geological phenomena at the Great Bight, on the south Australian coast. Included in that clash, are a stack of tables. The sympathetically distorted, and arranged cable drums were photographed outside City Electrical Factors on Barker St. I think the picture looks a bit anaemic, but it seems to have a resonance. I worked towards that dynamic composition, which was eventually achieved. I had no clue as to where I was going with this picture. It was a case of throw anything in and let’s see what can occur.
Lasso A Damn
When I was doing my degree, I went on a field trip to North West Wales. It was the middle of September, and the weather was very mixed: mostly sunny, but when it rained,…it chucked it down. Anyway we visited a lot of spectacular landscapes and vistas. One of them, is this damn at Llyn Stwlan. The rope was attached to a boat, mooring at the Norwich Yatch Station, across the road from the railway station. I was learning how to distort the rope to the effect I subsequently achieved. The sky has been replaced with something more sunny!
Pipes And Tubes
The main component of this montage are the funnel and air vents, of a boat that is usually moored on the South Quay in Yarmouth. It is a boat for the public to visit. I liked the red and white checked flag, and the red interior of the ventilation intake funnels. There are the three big black water pipes, also to be seen on the South Quay. The white pipes were in a metal fabricators yard, ready , presumably for industrial purposes. Lastly at the back, is a stack of plastic pipes in another suppliers yard. I was interested in the basic colours present: black, white and red.
Untitled No.13
I like this image very much, which once again, came out from left field. The element that locked the picture, is the bark of a tree in the background. The spiral stairwell goes up to a flat above Randells Footcare, on the corner of Dereham Rd. and Heigham Rd. The upturned yellow and black stools were in a pub. I kept the asphalt forecourt below the stairs, as a base for the composition. You won’t be surprised to hear, the tree bark was in Tasmania!