Another year gone by......

This year has been a struggle but easier than the year before. I squeezed out a small portrait of my neighbour's little niece Natasha, who lives in Africa. I had grabbed the opportunity and took a series of photographs as her Auntie sprayed her with the hosepipe one hot Summer Day. It was a scene that was spontaneously happy and joyful as the little girl squealed with delight running through diamonds of sparkling water under a transparent plastic brolly and a hot blue sky. It was also poignant for me as an observer because I knew her visit was nearly at an end and her Aunty would miss her. I wanted to capture this moment of childhood for the world, for Caroline. Because I was not emotionally involved, i.e. not a portrait of my own child, it was a refreshing change to be standing apart from myself and I enjoyed the process, exploring colour without being too precious. So here is the process, the decisions made and changed until it was finished.

and details.......

ALL THE PLACES I HAVE LIVED: 23 Frost Drive 1964-1981

23 Frost Drive,

Irby,

Wirral,

Merseyside

my bedroom

Mental Shelves, Mantel pieces

The Whichford Bicycle Company

Allotment

It has been a struggle for me this year to go to my allotment as my heart has been elsewhere. The garden has been left to survive and grow wild, largely on it's own, contending with lack of rain and a molestation of dandelions. I try to love their bright faces and pretty clocks. Despite my neglect, the effort I made in the Autumn to plant onion sets, has paid off  and I was happy today carrying back a heavy weight of handsomely huge onions with thoughts of platting them and hanging them in my kitchen. Perhaps they will see me through the Winter.

The artichokes I picked, I had for supper with a dressing of olive oil, cider vinegar, honey and mustard. They were delightfully 'meaty', more successful than last year despite the lack of rain but it is perhaps the extra spring sunshine we had, that did it. I need to  'catch' them when they are just before tennis ball size and not let them get bigger or flower. I like the greeny/grey/blue arrangement on my green striped plate, picked up from the dump and I would like to paint it.

Tennis balls are apt as it is Wimbledon, not that I am watching TV, but I have a continuous suppy of delicious strawberries which I pick freely and randomly and it gives me great pleasure as I pop one into my mouth and I am reminded of lying lazily between rows of strawberry plants when I was 16, on a farm in Longborough, not that far from here, knowing that the punnets we were picking were going to M&S but the biggest, choicest and most juicy were going into my mouth..... and that the money I was earning was taking me and my boyfriend to Greece. The simple pleasure and ambition of youth.

48 hours after mum died

P E O P L E , P L A C E S , I C O N S

Ending Soon!

Exhibition of paintings, drawings and photographs

3rd till 18th July 2010

Saturday and Sunday 17th and 18th, 12pm till 6 pm.

at

The Old PO

Whichford

Warwickshire

CV36 5PE