I visited a sculpture exhibition at an old disused shoe factory on Oak St. / St. Marys Plain (Norwich). The exhibits were interesting (forgive me, I can’t remember the two artists) and yet, the space was equally so. The walls, doors and floors were just shells of a large industrial complex. I liked the peeling paint, the rotting window frames etc. I took quite a lot of photographs. Upstairs there was a glass roof skylight, running the whole length of the room. This was obviously for the benefit of the workforce. If you turn the picture forty-five degrees clockwise, you can gain a better understanding of the construct, with the red girder supports. I cut away the glass and put a photo of a wall full of peeling paint behind the frame (not to size); you will notice the paint running along the bottom too.
Strung Up Jumbled Down Nonsense
This picture is the result of the beginnings of three different projects that, through experimentation, amalgamated into the one you see. First came the external staircase/fire exit, which is attached to the Medical Centre at the UEA. The second set of photos were the rope and cleats, which were connecting some plastic barrels, stacked on the quayside at Yarmouth. I can only think they were improvised lobster or crab pots; I could be wrong! I isolated the rope from the barrels. The last item to be introduced was the Baroque front of the St. Giles House Hotel, on St. Giles St. Norwich. I have stretched the image to give the picture some ‘breathing space’. I eventually came to finished result after a lot of enlarging, extending and moving the pieces around. This took a long time and was exhausting, hence the tired and petulant title!
Broadcasting The Faith
This is a view of St.Peters church on the Holt Rd, near Corpusty. It is set on a ridge and has a panoramic scan down to the River Bure valley and beyond, northwards. I was attracted to the ploughed field in front, especially the way the sun was catching the furrows. I took quite a few photos from different angles, but settled for this one. I extended the canvas above the horizon, and inserted a different photograph of those clouds in a blue sky. The ‘seeds’ are of of different bushes and plants in my Mums garden. I cropped the images in a circular aspect and gave them depth and shadow. Of course they are repeated and sized appropriately. When one walks and casts seeds in a field for planting, one is broadcasting.
Fin
I bought a box of six eggs, which to my surprise were all double-yokers, (omen?). Not long after the next box were all white ones, (portent?). You might not think that’s extraordinary, but it’s not very common, we always get brown eggs, (Americans apparently get more white ones). Anyway… I got enthused and set up a white board across the kitchen sink and photographed them in a shallow white bowl. The light from the window in front crated a well lit scenario. I took a few different shots. Meanwhile I had the film ending credit bouncing around in my brain (?) and just added it to the picture. The resulting tenuous narrative sort of made sense. I just had to choose a typeface which suited. After a lot of experimenting I chose Gill Sans. I applied a filter to soften.
Preening 3
This is a good example of Object D’art. Also known as Found Object or Assemblage Art. I saw this rusting lifebelt stand/holder on Hall Quay by the bridge in Yarmouth. Obviously it was being used by workmen who were scrapping the aluminium electrical tubing and wire and storing it out of the way temporarily. I thought it looked stunning and fascinating. How to use it in a collage and create a narrative? I eventually came across a photo I had taken in an Air B&B in Liverpool a few years ago. I took away the glass, extended the floor and wall from the original photograph, and put the bottom corner of the pipe behind the A frame support. I eventually applied a filter to soften the picture – hence the number 3 in the title.
Connect And Reflect
I went to the Royal Norfolk Show ’25 with my brother Philip. We went to visit his in-laws, who had a display pitch at the show ground. They are the Nicholsons, who sell agricultural machinery, based in Stalham. After a couple of convivial drinks (to entice me to buy a tractor perhaps?) I took the opportunity to take some photos of the exhibits. The yellow item is the attachment arm of a Bender Swifter XO 4000F which is a cultivator – (but you knew that!) i.e. a plough. I was looking at the wing mirror of a Case IH 742 Farmlift vehicle – a forklift basically… I duplicated two bolt/rivets on the mudguard, to create visual interest. I of course put them together ( not sized proportionately). In the background is an arched roof covering at a garden centre, turned upside down. I cut away the panels to reveal my scrunched up bed sheet.
Skeyelight 2
This is a simple idea which looks quite striking. The frame is inside a huge display tent at the Norfolk Showground, looking up at the roof. I decided to ‘remove’ the sheet covering and replace it with something else. I decided to use lots of sky photos I have. Most of them were superfluous to a picture I created called ‘Beautiful Sky’. Each panel has been filled with different photos; it took a long time! I tried to give the whole montage some sense of movement and deliberately placed the cloud shots at the bottom. The title was a typo, but I kept it!
Untitled No.71
This is a photo I took in Malta. I was standing in Valletta, on the steps of Pope Pius V Street looking down on Republic Street at the bottom. This intersection is at the City Gate, looking towards Parlament Ta’ Malta (top left) and the City Gate Arcade (bottom left). The pedestrians looked like L.S. Lowry figures. I perversely looked for something to fill the gap at the top of the opposing steps. I eventually came across the cable drum (note the cut off end) which was on the quayside dock in Yarmouth. It fitted perfectly. I then put in a ‘new’ sky which was an evening in Malta, with the contrasting clouds and the moon rising. The picture looks like a ‘Satanic Mills’ scenario.
Flotsam 3
What started as an idea for the beginnings of a picture, ended up as something completely different (what’s new? every picture I do is a journey of exploration; coming up with something I find exciting and inspiring ). The loose stack of empty cardboard boxes was photographed in a garden centre a couple of years ago. I thought they looked quite sculptural/abstract. I added a derelict office block and some road markings. These were superceeded by the coil of rope and the dumped armchairs (see ‘Striking’). Walking along the seafront at Cromer, I was drawn to the sea defence wall which embraces the entrance to the pier. That was the last piece in the composition. I reduced the size of the armchairs, turned the cardboard collection upside down and inside out (?) and enlarged the coiled rope. I eventually applied some filters – hence the number 3 in the title. The Flotsam title was the original working name I gave the picture….I kept it.
Yellow And Blue
Looking down onto the Promenade Rd. from the top of the cliff on the England Coastal Path, on the Cromer seafront, I noticed the parking spaces. They created a pattern along the bottom of the view, with the beach and water at the top. I revisited this photograph later to compose this picture. I had been experimenting with the silver foil as a background to a project I eventually abandoned; so I used it to replace the sea. The wire tensioners were some from a previous picture entitled ‘Fenced Off Tension 2’. I also introduced the ring pull top and bottom of a (probably) tin of Salmon. These elements were arranged and rearranged until I came to the final result. This image was an exercise in creating something out of nothing and realising a harmonious composition.