Subject: Landscape

Driving along the B1105 Wells Rd. from Fakenham, one comes across a group of cottages on the skyline. They stand out in the sunshine because they are painted pink with red roofs. They are situated on the crossroads with the Egmere Rd. which goes to Little Walsingham. I had to stop the car and photograph them. I have placed them on the horizon of some mudflats on the East Fleet river along from Wells Harbour. I have perversely put a lawnmower (made to look as though it has sunk in the mud) which I saw on the bowling greens at Yarmouth. These are on Marine Parade, next to the entrance of Britannia Pier. I added the blue sky and extended it vertically to give the composition more space. The title came at the end, as one could imagine someones exasperation in pursuing a nonsensical endeavour.

These chalk cliffs are viewed from the (famous) coastguard cottages at Cuckmere Haven in Seaford, looking towards Beachy Head (eventually). I somehow hit upon the idea of putting giant electric fans on the cliff top. So, one can suggest this picture is contrived. Anyway it took a very long time to process and achieve. I photographed the two types of fans in different positions in my Mum’s back garden, replicating the same time and direction of the sun in the landscape photo. The first attempt proved problematic because the background was of mixed interference and was therefore difficult to cut through every tiny aperture of the safety grille. So I hung a yellow blanket on the washing line for the second attempt, which gave me a better view of where to cut. As a result it took a very LONG TIME. Then I struggled to make the fans look convincing placed in the landscape with credible shadows. The sky at the time was clear, so I introduced the dramatic storm clouds from Port Macquarie NSW, where else? I’m still not happy, but I have left it as you see it. One day I might re-edit, if I have any enthusiasm……..

The ‘cliff’ you see is in fact Mosi-Oa-Tanya ( Thundering Smoke), also known as Victoria Falls. We visited the site during the dry season (late September) hence the lack of water, we even walked along the cliff edge. I have put some sail powered water pumps on the skyline. These were in Southern Australia, somewhere along Flinders Highway (B100) on the way to Elliston. There was a concentration of them in a field; I have montaged three different photos. In the trench below is a braid of rope (duplicated) which was expertly coiled by a guy named Graham who I met recently. He explained this chain Sinnet is a way to store a length of rope which can be unraveled at a stroke. What does this picture have to do with String Theory?….it doesn’t, but then again it might be everything…..

The view is from the A9 road, looking towards the Cairngorms National Park. This was part of the road trip when we lost the radio signal because we were on the roof of Britain (?). There was low cloud and mist, (I darkened the sky) with the sun struggling to show. I photographed the industrial mobile staircases because together they looked surreal. They ( collective noun?) were in a storage compound belonging to D. Utting & Son Engineering, who manufacture car spraying booths on Exeter St. here in Norwich. I introduced the horse and rider as a compositional connect, which works quite well. I photographed them at the Royal Norfolk Show. They were milling about with others in a paddock, waiting to perform in a show jumping/dressage competition. The staircase took a long time to isolate from the original photo, and the picture came about (as usual) by noodling around with disparate elements and connections. Out Of The Stalls – geddit?

This photo was taken somewhere between Adelaide and Broken Hill in South Australia (I think!). Here we have a large wheat field, recently harvested, with black cattle grazing. What I have done is taken two copies from the original photograph. I then cut through criss-cross sections and round holes from the top copy to reveal the underlying layer. I applied a drop shadow to embolden the image. I thought as an experiment, it had a strong visual impact. Hotch-Potch means a confused mixture. I’m not too happy with the low res thumbnail representation because it looks a bit out of focus……

This is a collage of four different flaked paint surfaces. I liked the colours revealed under the worn upper layers of paint. The top three strata were of boats out of the water by the river at Beccles. They were obviously dry docked for refurbishment. The bottom layer is of an old buoy which is a decorative exhibit on the quay at Kings Lynn, by the Customs House. The dilapidated lifebuoy was still on the wall of a derelict and disused Broads National Park building by the bridge at Beccles.

Working in the kitchen at Wiveton Hall Cafe, there is a suspended frame from which various culinary utensils are hung for storage, I just had to photograph it. Sitting outside the Pear Tree Inn, Unthank Rd. having a drink, I noticed the legs and wheels of some supermarket trolleys outside the store opposite. I thought they too, were worth a photo. The two items came together by experimenting, chance and readjusting. The landscape it stands in, is a view from the kitchen window. I was lucky to be presented with the dramatic skyline at the time; the dark clouds and the band of blue sky on the horizon; very surreal!  This concoction looks as if it’s had enough and is preparing to fight back…my situation at the time?

This picture is made from three different photos, and was created without any plan (as usual). It wasn’t until halfway through the process, that I realised the implications, hence the title. The ‘sky’ is a close-up of a metal panel, that is part of an old gate which was left in neglect. I liked the peeling paint and rust. I have included such features in past work, e.g. ‘Potboiler’ and ‘Wear And (S)tail. The tree is at All Saints Church in Swanton Morley, and the Crocuses were sprouting up on a grass bank, on the Dereham Rd. near Cadge Rd.