William, Jane & John: Distillation

DISTILLATION

Distillation is defined as a method of separating a substance that is in solution from its solvent or of separating a liquid from a mixture of liquids having different boiling points. This chemical process has many applications but there appears to be some debate as to whether the first distillations were employed to extract the "spirit" in fermented honey for the production of alcoholic drinks, or for extracting essential oils for use in perfume and cosmetics.

Making these images is proving to be a fascinating and challenging experience. As I work, I find that I am guided by what I know of the story, but conversely, the story's nuances and poetic connections "reveal" themselves to me through the work process. Wearing my Genealogist's hat, I know that I must stick to what is known as interpretations can send a researcher up some very dark and murky alleys that lead, almost inevitably, to dead ends. The problem is that when I'm researching this story, my view of the events and each protagonist's part in them takes another turn with each newly uncovered fact and, of course, this is all the working of my overactive imagination. The complete facts will never be known and my inventions make me feel guilty and irresponsible. Sharing the story through imagery has freed me from such guilt. With each new image, the story takes on a life of its own. A myriad of meaning and secret messages can be hidden in an image and the shared story is far more mutable than it ever could be in a written history. However, as an artist, I'm torn between my instinct to create painterly, semi-abstract images the need, in this instance, to "illustrate" and provide clues. Furthermore, I want to keep the touch light and not overburden each piece with too much hidden meaning or anecdote. There are usually several versions of many of the images that I create (not just the ones in this sequence): an initial "clean" one and then several more in a gradual sequence of abstraction. I usually post one that represents a mid point in the process. Even so,there is a lot of detail in these ATC images (actually made at twice ATC size) which doesn't get seen at screen size and resolution. Perhaps the solution is to post two versions of each image alongside one or two close-ups...but then again, I personally enjoy the ambiguity of an image and the interpretations that each new set of eyes brings. This story is, after all, an only partially known mystery and so I leave to you, dear readers, to let me know if you become frustrated and confused rather than intrigued and engaged.

Northern Light

There is no reason not to expect the weather to turn on us here in England. It is, after all, only April and I for one will not be putting my lovingly nurtured vegetable plants into their beds and troughs until June, no matter how thuggish their behavior in the greenhouse might become. As the chilly air has indeed returned, I am revisiting my Lapland images.

William, Jane & John: Another Eden

ANOTHER EDEN

For some time now, I have been pondering how I might create a layout that shares a particularly intriguing story that I have uncovered whilst researching my family history, and I have finally decided to begin by exploring it in a series of ATCs. Each card will give clues to events but I won't be creating them in chronological order as I want to feel free to explore whichever episode interests or inspires me at a given moment. The cards may serve as provisional sketches for a final page or I may decide to let them stand alone as a "book". I don't know how many cards there will be or how long it will take to do them all as I will be making other things alongside them, but when they are all done, I will post them together in chronological order and perhaps provide some background information.
The story took place mainly in England from the mid nineteenth century to the early years of the twentieth. Not all the facts are known, they probably never will be. Feel free to invent your own interpretations and post them here. Remember, this first ATC is not the begining of the story...

Pierrots, Piers and Periwinkles

http://www.gallerystandouts.com/view.php/article/3948/finger-pointin-20-april

The next Sunday Postcard Art challenge theme is Pierrot. These two lovely young ladies have been sitting on my bedroom mantelpiece for some years now. The photograph is not dated but I'm making a guess that it was taken between 1900 to the mid 1920s. It is stamped with the name Richards, King's Road, Newark, but I display it in in a handsome brown card mount from the studio of H. Ricketts of Llandudno. My instinct is that the girls in the photograph were dressed up for a carnival rather than for a theatrical performance. I have decided to give them a new home in front of a backdrop and in a frame that reflects Llandudno's seaside setting.

Llandudno's 2,295ft-long Pier is the longest in Wales and the 5th longest in England and Wales. It took just over 1 year to construct and was opened to the general public on the 1st August 1877. Piers, originally built for elegant promenading whilst imbibing ozone, gradually acquired pavilions that offered diverse entertainment, including Pierrot shows that became essentials of the British seaside holiday for several decades. The traditional seaside Pierrot shows began in the late nineteenth century and in some resorts they were carried right through to 1939. Pierrots had their roots not in the pier pavilions, but in French pantomime. They wore white costumes with ruffles, pom-poms and skull caps. Their act usually consisted of comic sketches and rather sad songs, after which a hat was passed around for contributions. In Llandudno, Pierrot shows must also have been performed at the open air theatre (actually just a wooden stage with a canopy) optimistically named Happy Valley.

Making the shell frame brought to mind a marvelous childhood holiday in Bournemouth, during which my grandparents took me to the extraordinary and unforgettable Shell House at Southbourne. The Shell House was the dedicated work of a man named George Howard who created a magical fantasy garden where every object and surface was made or covered with shells. Mr. Howard's reward for his effort was the pleasure that it gave to all who saw it and the very large amounts of money that the Shell House collected for charity. Tragically, in February 2001, the Shell House was mysteriously and suddenly demolished to make way for a modern apartment block. Now it exists only in the fond memories and imaginations of those who had the privilege to marvel at its quirky, exuberant delights.

There is a website commemorating the Shell House here

You can find more information about British Seaside piers here

BROOD

BROOD

Eggs have been decorated in the Ukraine for thousands of years, first with Pagan designs which were believed to have special powers. They were sometimes buried in fields to help bring in a good crop or put on the roof of a house to protect it from fire. When Christianity was brought to the Ukraine in 998AD., Christians adopted Pagan symbols, including eggs. The Pysanka is the most widely known of the various types of Easter eggs in the Ukraine and the art of decorating Pysanky has been handed down from mother to daughter for many generations. Each pattern has a special meaning. Flowers symbolise love and charity and lines encircling the egg represent eternity. White is for purity, red for happiness and black for remembrance.

Thank You Alberta

FOR ALBERTA: A FIREFLOWER ANGEL

Through her blog Amusing Muses, Alberta shares her glorious and uplifting artworks and Creative journaling, accompanied by beautiful music. Her blog dazzles with colourful creativity and her energy is infectious. So, I'm deeply honoured that she has chosen me as one of eight artists to receive the Creativ Blog award. When I began this blog in January, it took me a day to pluck up the courage to make a post and another day to put together two sentences to accompany my artwork - I was THAT afraid of what others would think! It is because of the kindness of creative spirits like Alberta that I am slowly finding the courage to express myself once more after several years of thinking that I'd never be creative again. Here's what the originators of the award have said: "This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

Here are the names of the other blogs chosen by Alberta. They are all well worth taking time to visit and enjoy:
Artiphy the Heart
What's Up Roc
Bluebirds Living In The Meadow
Bulles Dores
Green Weeds
It Must Be Mice
Tumblefish Studio

and last, but not least, for those who have not yet vistited:
Amusing Muses

Make A Moo Or Two: Jigsaw Pieces

IF ONLY I COULD FIND THE MISSING PIECES
MAYBE I WOULD WORK OUT WHERE MY LIFE IS GOING

This week's Make A Moo Or Two challenge is to incorporate one or more jigsaw pieces into a Moo. Mine are from an incomplete vintage wooden puzzle, produced (probably in the 1950s) by the Great Western Railway Company, hence the title, originally meant as a light-hearted joke. It wasn't my intention to create something so sombre, but the Moo does reflect my feelings over last Christmas, just before I began this blog, so I'm happy to present it as a piece of miniature Art journaling and it's good to reflect how far I've come. The photograph was taken in about 1965 and the sullen expression on my face belies memories of a very jolly day trip to Rhyl or Weston-Super-Mare. These are places in Wales and Somerset where Black Country folk used to take their children for a day out. This was in the Olden Times when young people could still be kept reasonably amused by simple things, such as prodding their spades into dead jelly fish found on the beach. Had our mum and dad only ever taken us to Weston, we would have been expert Jellyfish vivisectionists but totally oblivious to the fact that going to the seaside actually involved seeing the sea, as the tide was always out by the time our Gliderways coach arrived there and invariably, didn't come back in until just after we had left.