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Sharing is a lovely thing...I was introduced to these two poems last night, the first, I think, is thought provoking and genius. Written by Paul Adrian, 'Robin In Flight' won first prize in The National Poetry Competition last year. The second, by Josephine Haslam, titled 'Wish', won second prize in the same contest.

'Robin In Flight' by Paul Adrian

Let’s imagine for a second that the robin
is not a contained entity moving at speed
through space, but that it is a living change,
unmaking and remaking itself over and over
by sheer unconscious will, and that
if we were to slow down the film enough
we would see a flying ball of chaos,
flicking particles like Othello counters,
air turning to beak in front just as tail transforms to air behind,
a living being flinging its changes at a still universe.

This would require infinite alignments. Each molecule
privy to the code of its possible settings,
the capacity of a blade of grass to become
the shadow of a falling apple by pure force
of the tree’s instinct. Every speck of world with the potential
to become stone, dog’s breath, light twisted through glass,
filth under fingernails, the skin’s bend at the bullet’s
nudge the moment before impact,
the thought of a robin in flight,
the thought of the thought of a robin in flight.


'Wish' by Josephine Haslam

I give you my wish; my half of the bird’s
fused clavicle picked clean of flesh. I give
you its winged thinness and its seed head curve
to stand for everything I own and love.
And though I want it most to be the one
that brings you back as surely as the bird
that turns for home, it isn’t that.
Nor is it the unearthed bone from Grimm
that speaks the truth and knows its provenance;
but only what we’ve taken from the supermarket hen
we cooked for lunch. Still, it’s this
they say will bring you all you long for.
But if that doesn’t happen, know that every bone I have
is for you a wishing bone and every wish,
for you, the best there is. And if
when it comes down to it and we’re all done
the bone is all that’s left, I’ll give you my tibia
and fibula, the femur, knuckle, pelvic girdle, skull,
this finger with its ring on, spine that holds me up,
every part in fact of the empty cage that’s held
the inner workings of the heart, the breathing lungs.

Collage experiments...

Studio time brought some experimental collages today...not the greatest images in the world as they were taken on my Blackberry and they are not stuck in place yet, they are more 'work in progress' really, but here they are...

Held by the Sea

I have been reading a beautiful book recently written by Cornish artist Jane Darke called 'Held by the Sea'. The story documents Janes struggle to come to terms with her husbands death from cancer. Jane writes with such tenderness of their relationship, from their time together, her friends and families support and how she is trying to come to terms with the new beginning she faces without her soul mate. The book makes you take a second glance at close relationships and realise that what is important is the everyday 'being together', not taking each other for granted and really working at your life with one another.

I would highly recommend anyone to watch her film 'The Art of Catching Lobsters', which compliments the book beautifully and gives an honest view of her life with her husband, family and friends, all based in their home in Cornwall. They show lovely insights in to their relationship with one another, sharing time in their home, looking out over the beach or scouring the sand together in search of unusual seeds or lobster pot tags that have drifted hundreds of mile to wind up on the Cornish coastline. The gradual decline of Janes writer husband, Nick Darke, after a stroke and the onset of cancer is sad but beautifully depicted through his own commentary throughout the filming. His strength and lust for life cannot be dismissed. Overall this film is tender, magical and touching - a must see for anyone who feels like they need a reminder of how to love and appreciate every moment.

It's sometimes just the simple things...

Sometimes it's nice to reflect on all the things that make you happy and realise that they do not come from materialistic means but sometimes, in fact most of the time, from the everyday... what is already there right in front of your face. So here is a somewhat long list of the things that make me smile, laugh or just plain content!

Daffodils / Childrens books / Dancing until I can't feel my feet / Cosy nights in / Printmaking / Drinking hot tea outside cafes on a crisp Autumn day / Old fashioned romance / The smell of new books / The woods / Tulips / Live music / The theatre / Long walks / Lavender / Sunflowers / Christmas lights / Sun set / Moon rise / Suprise deliveries / The Sunday papers / Cats and dogs / The smell of paper / Galleries / Starry skies / Cold pizza / Late nights with friends / Sennen beach / 80's rock ballads / Paint brushes / The bunny and the ant / Poetry / Magazines / Bookshops (with stationary departments) / Bonfires and fireworks / Carving pumpkins / Sweetpeas / Forcing Hyacinth bulbs in winter / The smell of the rain / Open spaces / Freshly cut grass / Thunder storms / Castles / Silence / Warm country pubs in Winter / Feeding the ducks / People watching / The sound of the sea / Sketchbooks (preferably someone elses!) / Sleepy lie ins / Walking barefoot on the beach.....

I am sure to return to this list and add LOTS to it (I am assuming this is a positive thing...I didn't find this list hard to write and am constantly thinking of other additions to it....in fact Seeing the leaves changing colour in Autumn is an important one, so there you have it!). Despite modern cultures desperate attempt at turning us all in to materialistic morons I still find that most of what makes me content does not come from Tescos.

Cornish pondering.

Any one who knows me would say that the dream is to be in Cornwall, making art work, surrounded by the beautiful landscapes, open skies and fresh air of that magical county. Whilst the dream is not always easily accessible the monthly arrival of my 'Cornwwall Today' magazine makes life easier to swallow...

This month I opened the 'Arts' section and was greeted by an interview with an interesting artist who creates luminescent paintings that many have described as resembling 'everything and nothing' all at once. Katy Brown lives and works in Cornwalls 'forgotten corner', the Rame Peninsula, and is totally consumed in her practice. The under painting is key, layers of fluid, beautiful colour that creates movement and depth within the pieces. The thought that they are 'everything and nothing' rings true for me as they could represent a minute detail of the landscape, a snapshot of the gases and stars in our universe or, more purely, they could be representational of colour.

New Studio!

It is official...I have a studio!
I am now based at Moss End Garden Centre in Warfield, Bracknell, in a lovely little farm building at the rear of the centre. I am still organising the room, moving things in and making some fantastic discoveries in old boxes full of art equipmehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnt! Happy days!http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

I am now free to put all my ideas in to action and will be aiming to get all the new work on my website and blog as soon as it starts to appear!

In the mean time cast your eyes over Camilla Brendons website, an artist I stumbled upon recently. Camilla works in installation and mixed media pieces which explore the possibility of a 'different reality'. According to her artists statement she aims to create unusual textures and forms that will invite the audience to question our world and how we percieve it, playing with the human acceptance that what we are told is real....interesting stuff - I particularly like her 'Dark Moon' pieces.