Simon's Blog

So I have to try and relearn, if I ever did know too much about CSS and HTML etc,brush up or generally panic about what I am getting myself into. The catalyst for all this is the imminent closure of my original website which has been running more or less the same on a free web space for almost 15 years. It will be sad to see it go but we all must move on.

So it is , wait a minute I can’t see the hash(pound) symbol on the Mac bluetooth keyboard which is somewhat strange, back to design concepts, hash tags, classes and the like and see what comes out of all this confusion. Oh and by the way some content might help!

Sent from my iPad

I really didn’t know what to expect when we visited Hardwick Hall yesterday. I’d learnt about Bess of Hardwick, I think when I was a kid, but other than that I knew very little of the place. It turns out that the hall(s) is set in 100’s of acres of parkland which in itself is reason to visit. The two houses; the first is like the carapace discarded for the new house but still sitting there slowly moulding away; the second the Elizabethan masterpiece commanding the surrounding parkland both have their own distinctive charms. Of the two I actually liked the old hall slightly more but that was because I could use my building style detective skills to try to piece together which part was built when. Looking at the sketches I made I can see that I have really been influenced by John Piper. Now I am not claiming they are in Piper’s league, far far form it, but it is strange how concepts, ideas, styles and approaches can seep through the permeable layers of one’s sub conscious to bubble out in the most unexpected way. Strange how life works out.

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Over the past few months I have been trying my hand out at painting with varying degrees of success. As this process has developed I have become more and more aware of the fact that I don’t find painting in any way rewarding. This doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate paintings, far from it, it just means that I don’t have the same passion for painting as I thought I might when I started out this road of artistic discovery.

So what do I want to do with my art? Well the one constant that I always come back to is the human face and the joys and frustration of trying to capture a likeness on paper. However, beyond that I am not too sure at the moment – I guess I’m at a fork in the this metaphorical road. So where does this sketch of el Capitan a la Ansel Adams fit in all this? Well at the moment I am not sure apart from an idea keeps coming into my head about trying to do something about Deep Time. Deep Time is a geological term for, well, very old rocks and this idea has been an itch that just wouldn’t completely go away. I have thought of this as a photographic project but perhaps I should start to think outside the box a little and maybe include other art that I might create – indeed as I write this a recent exhibition of John Piper’s work called ‘The Mountains of Wales’ came to mind. Perhaps this is the path I might like to take and see where it takes me?

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Yesterday was just a day for drawing and sketching – as well as making the odd photo. One really positive thing I achieved yesterday was that I took the strapping off my ankle – boy was that starting to irritate my skin. The ankle is really a lot better – all thanks to the work that John did on Sunday.

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Over the past few weeks I have somewhat lost my artistic spark, such as it is. After a while an idea struck me…why not go back to what you like doing best? And this is the result – a quick portrait sketch of the indomitable Lwaxana Troi.

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Actually it is even if from time to time you injure yourself, as I have done today by spraining my ankle. The great thing is my good friend John is top sports physio so was able to treat it for me. Also he is my walking buddy so was on hand when I sprained it this morning. Oh the pain, the pain! Actually it does hurt that much but why let the truth get in the way of a good story!

Sent from my iPad