Reading an article about the NATO phonetic alphabet which was introduced in 1956, I could only remember some of the designated call signs. I researched and found the complete list; some I had forgotten. I thought I’d create a montage with the words, and to make them interesting: different colours and typefaces. I arranged them onto a background which was/is the interior of a disused and run down shoe factory, why?..well it just looked fitting. I thought of introducing a giant telecommunications tower to give some narrative to the picture. That only made the image look like an overloaded and confusing mess. I eventually discarded the mast and put another photo collage on top (less opaque) which I thought gave the impression of a distant past.
Locomotive No.1
I visited the York Railway Museum and was very impressed with the space and exhibits displayed. I took lots of photos as you might expect, like this one of two that I took of the replica Locomotive No.1. Originally built in 1825 by George Stephenson for the Stockton And Darlington Railway, its considered to be the first commercial steam engine (travelling at 8 – 10 mph!). I cut away the background to reveal the complex rods and valves etc. I had recently photographed some fitted bed sheets drying on the washing line, which I thought looked interesting. I therefore hit on the idea of putting a montage of them , behind to create a dramatic and sympathetic backdrop….Steam clouds ..geddit? The funnel is out of shot , on the right hand side of the picture. I applied a filter to the engine to give a gritty look, and a filter to the sheets to soften and slightly blur them
Run Down Walk Up
As I was photographing the Acepella singing group, Fine City Chorus, I noticed the fire escape/stairs in a recess of a building opposite. I was at the Royal Norfolk Show 2025. The people on the stairs were judges (and a photographer), and they were going up to the first floor viewing room which overlooked the Grand Ring/Main Arena. I managed two photos, in which time the people were in different stages of ascent. I collaged the two images. I put the man and woman on the bottom step (they were in a different place), and merged them with the second photograph, which had the four at the top,…are you keeping up so far? The woman at the bottom is the same person proceeding through the door, top left. I wanted to change the brick wall behind them, so I cut that all away…a long job, and replaced it with the peeling paint (not to scale!) which features in another picture in Surreal – Pealing Paint. I applied a filter to soften the image. The title makes sense in the end!
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.
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.
Betty Creates Chaos
I went with some friends to the annual Strumpshaw Steam Rally and funfair. Here is Betty driving a car in the Dodgems attraction. She was reaching out to Grahams dog ‘Ruby’ who was standing on the steps by the arena. As usual I searched for something to place Betty in or against…. As by luck and fate, I came across the photo that you see. They were outside table/benches stacked up perilously because the restaurant had gone bust on St. Benedict’s St. (see picture entitled’Striking 2’ in Urban category). I had taken quite a few photographs; this one wasn’t used. Betty accuses me of portraying her as “a naughty girl who creates chaos” – which is true! ha ha. I put the image through a couple of filters to give the picture some dynamism.