Category: art

#1614 theoldmortuary ponders

On By Juliet CornellIn art, London, Box2 Comments

I went to an art exhibition yesterday. I knew it might be tough. It was about the Grenfell tower fire. 71 people died in an entirely avoidable inferno. One of the victims and 4 of his family members died together in their burning home. He worked for twenty years in the same place never missing a day’s work until he did.

I also worked there briefly, we would not have known each other but would most likely have crossed paths and I knew some of his colleagues well.In a workplace that deals with death of all sorts on a daily basis. It can have an extra piquancy when a colleague is involved.

The tower block was also on our regular route from the South West to London. The first time I saw the charred hulk was a week or so after the fire, at dawn. I was on a trivial trip to deliver a piece of art to a London gallery. The theme of the exhibition was homelessness. Always a big subject in London, it was a huge thing, that summer, as the survivors of the fire were found short term, and then long term accomodation. The worst of reasons to make an art exhibition topical.

Years later I made a promise to myself to listen to as much of the Grenfell Enquiry as possible. It was not an easy listen.

So I was prepared that a film made by a great contemporary British artist, Steve MQueen would be an uncomfortable watch.

24 minute’s of exquisitely filmed footage of West London. Pastoral to brutal, detail and sensation picked out by the eye of a brilliantly creative and sensitive artist.

My heart and soul hurt and continued to do so long after the film itself finished.

Again far better reviewers than me have seen this film.

Source: The Guardian https://share.google/t49veMRyYMxLbXwbr

I don’t believe I have ever seen such a brilliant piece of film making. The film will be at The Box, Plymouth until the end of February.

#1611 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By Juliet CornellIn art, Colour, SerendipityLeave a comment

Here is the painting that has been waiting to get out of my head for two weeks. Important for two reasons. Memory and sensation.

Yesterday just after I finished it . I read an old article by Julian Barnes, in the Guardian, about memory. If a Nobel literature nominee writes about something that I would like to write about it is infinitely better if I share his words rather than offer my own ponderings.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/mar/16/we-remember-as-true-things-that-never-even-happened-julian-barnes-on-memory-and-changing-his-mind?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

The painting represents the sensations of just one cup of coffee in a roadside cafe. Part of a repurposed petrol station and garage in Etél, that has been turned into a community and small business hub.

The coffee was new to me and I was having a good day, taste wise. My sense of taste and smell are impaired and intermittently fail me completely since Covid times.

Everything about that one cup of coffee was full on. The environment, the chunkiness of the cup and the flavours dancing around in it. Cherry, orange and milk chocolate. I have not painted the home-made Pain au Raisin which was phenomenal.

I am mindful that the juice oozing from the cherries is exactly the pink of the marker pen on the coffee dispenser. Possibly a nod to my own little. ‘Pinktober’ project. I also included some coffee beans and my own Moka pot in the composition. This exactly represents my memory of that one gorgeous but simple cup of black coffee.

I just feel the need to trap good memories in any way I can. I hope you have read the Julian Barnes article. I have no meaningful contact with anyone who knew me before the age of 21. One schoolfriend and I see each other once a year. We were not even school friends, we caught the same bus and lived in the same village but as awkward teenagers with similar backgrounds barely conversed. Thankfully we are not those people any more so I get a path into my past when I am with him. Beyond him, tide and time have washed away friends, colleagues and relations from that era of my life *. My recollections of that younger era may be a work of fiction from my own,admittedly, vivid imagination.

Enough self realisation for one day. What about the painting?

The delay was not kind to my models. The over-ripe cherries went into a crumble on the same day. The oranges into a Spanish Chicken and Chorizo stew and the chocolate…

The chocolate forced me to eat it, shocking I know, even the coffee beans were ground to make more coffee. A terrible way to treat models who posed so beautifully. I was not remotely that unkind to the people who I knew from 0-21, life just floated me and them on different paths and into different realms.

*This summer I also met a school teacher, that was a really lovely moment too. Reminiscing is a delightful way to spend a few hours. He was my history teacher, I gave him a guided tour of Stonehouse touching on its remarkable history. I was not as sure-footed on the history as he might have liked, but eating cake in the exact location of a Beryl Cook painting may have glossed over those lapses. I was always better at art.

#1606 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By Juliet CornellIn art, Hybrid Printmaking1 Comment

Last night some freshly composed witches songs were out, out for the first time on the edge of Dartmoor.

A friend, Sian Jamison, has, inspired by a book, written a collection of music inspired by stories of Welsh witches. Inspired by her music I have started to paint contemporary images of women who live amongst us and who would in previous times have been considered ‘other’. Non-conformist, clever, opinionated, feminists. Women who change, support, and shape their communites without the entitlement or bravado of the masculine style of community engagement. My witches, unlike Sian’s are not quite ready to be out,out. Since starting this project I realise that you cannot rush a contemporary witch. She or they will take their own sweet time to emege from the music.

I am not a natural figure painter but for the last couple of years I have painted storms as people, Some benign and some absolutely with malign intent.Swimmers of all shapes and sizes and mermaids with more on their minds than attracting or engaging the matelots gaze or lascivious thoughts.Now I am reimagining witches. Not particularly, or at all as mythical or historical figures, and not as they are traditionally portrayed. My witches don’t wear black, my mermaids can be fierce, my storm bringers are unpredictable. They live the same lives as anyone else in the first half of the 21st century. Three of the witch pictures are ready to appear in the blog. I believe they are finished but until this project is complete I can never be sure.

Bog Witch. You can’t burn a Bog Witch.

Bella Fawr with little Betty.

Shape Shifting witches. Cat to woman/woman to cat.

In part it is easier to reimagine Welsh witches because unlike other places Wales did not persecute witches. They were seen as a benign and essential part of the community. Only causing trouble if provoked or disrespected.

My witches live amongst us, doing the school run, shopping in supermarkets, going on nights out.

They will have been amongst us last night on the edge of the moor.

#1602 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By Juliet CornellIn artLeave a comment

What does it mean to be a good person?

There must be many versions of what it means to be a good person. Way beyond my level of pondering. I think a good person needs a percentage of a bad person. The tension of bad in a good person provides texture and tenacity, creates balance and perspective. Too much goodness can be pappy, flimsy…. dull.

With no bad how can you even gauge goodness.

This water colour sketch works because the pristine white pebble is both cracked and reflects the colours that surround it.

Remove the crack and something vital is lost to the overall vibrancy of the image.

The image becomes pleasing but with less of something intangible.

A good person with no bad is the same . Pleasing of course, but with no tension to frame and enhance the good.

#1525 theoldmortuary ponders

On By Juliet CornellIn art, Hybrid Printmaking1 Comment

I went swimming with some neighbours about an hour before I took the photo that I based this image on. It was a memorable swim because the water was crystal clear with gentle waves and still warm enough, for staying in longer to swim and chat. 17.2- 17.9 according to satellite measurements. The air temperature was about 12.3, 5 degrees lower, which made changing a little chillier than we have become used to. The weather station is not too far, as the seagull flies, from where we swim. So I am able to get my science facts to sit alongside my experiential reactions.

Yesterday was the first time since early May that I had to hunt out a pair of socks to go for a dog walk after my swim. I may also have been feeling cooler because, after the domestic admin of the day I had been working on the painted layer of one of my hybrid images. Trying to represent the different energies of drinking mint tea in the garden of a bookshop. Located in the Gulf of Morbihan, 200 miles south of Plymouth 10 days ago.

We had anticipated cooler days but Brittany was experiencing a glorious Indian Summer which had us hunting out shady spots.

How will we remember the glorious, extended summer of 2026?

#1523 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By Juliet CornellIn art, Hybrid PrintmakingLeave a comment

I’ve been playing around a bit, with colour temperatures for prints created using photographs and digital manipulation as my practice place. This cool hued image above represents the early morning of a day that turned out to be the most delicious Indian Summer day in early October. But I stood in the exact same place searching for a breeze in the midst of the summer heatwaves. Looking at the actual photographs there is not a huge amount of difference but by changing the colour of a future print version I can get the essence of oppressive heat in an open space.

Similarly on a very hot day on our recent trip to Brittany. We sought refuge in a bookshop with a cafe.

This is what we got, but what we hoped for was more like the image below.

But sometimes there is no escaping extreme heat. And as October wends its ponderous way towards November I will be dreaming of those over-hot moments soon enough.

#1522 theoldmortuary ponders

On By Juliet CornellIn art, TravelsLeave a comment

What’s the best way to explore a new city?

Not ‘the’ best way to explore a city, but my way.

Without too much of a surprise I explore anywhere new with an urban environment, by heading to an area known locally for being arty and supportive of independant shops and cafes. If a visit can only ever be brief I feel closer to the heart of a place where Street Art, quirkiness and originality are the the first impressions. It is there, through conectedness, that routes into the more interesting facets of place can be identified. I am never interested in slavishly ticking off the top ten tourist destinations unless I am genuinely intrigued by something or someone connected to the top ten destination.

Somewhat more controversially I like to explore places after dark or in the really early mornings. There is nothing to beat watching a place wake up or to vicariously experience other peoples night lives.

#1511 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By Juliet CornellIn art, France1 Comment

Regular readers will know that some things will always interest me. Empty outdoor seating in beautiful places and colours. This picture represents two loves, an old style deckchair and an acidy yellow green, mist commonly described as Chartreuse. Rather cute that I found such a chair on a beach in the Gulf of Morbian. I also found a fairy tale castle/ chateau. Chateau du Suscino. The heatwaves of 2026 have scorched and parched the greenery around the chateau. All the publicity shots suggest lush and verdant greenery, but yesterday I could use one of my favourite colours to suggest greenery that is in bright recovery.

All made entirely possible by having such a packable sketch box which can easily make its way into essential packing for a camper van.

On a hugely positive note Google Lens recognised my painting as Chateau Suscino rather than any other beautiful old French Chateau. I will take that as a huge vote of confidence.

#1407 theoldmortuary ponders

On By Juliet CornellIn art, bloggingLeave a comment

If you had to switch lives with a fictional character for a week, who would you choose?

Absolutely and without a doubt, a privelidged and well educated male spy or diplomat. I want the connections, an elegant apartment in central London and most importantly I want an extensive tailored wardrobe. If possible I would like my week of being a privelidged sort of fellow to be a week off , so no actual spying or diplomacy are being done. Just a week of hanging with my equally elegantly dressed chums, doing chap stuff like watching a top level sports match in an exclusive box, whilst sipping or quaffing a drink or two, and still have a razor sharp mind for a witty or erudite conversation, about my latest motorbike adventure and the pitfalls of a damaged sprocket. I would take my mother out to dinner and actually spend time talking and laughing with her.We would travel on a London night bus in our beautiful clothes to prove how in touch we both are with all levels of society, and we would go to a delightfully retro all-night cafe, to top up on unsophisticated calories because our dinner choice was so beautiful, exquisite even, that it failed to fully satisfy us.

At the weekend I would go to the countryside wearing tweed or to the coast wearing quiet luxury, and meet more well connected friends.Mindful that I would be running out of time as an extremely lovely and likable Alpha Male impersonator. My Saturday and Sunday would be spent talking about anything other than myself, in order that my week-long research into being a very lucky man has been as well used as it possibly could.

Would a week be enough? Could I become addicted to a life of testosterone and privelidged living?

Would my vocabulary alter to use words like rusticate or flunk instead of chucked out and fail.

Could I possibly wear waistcoats more often in daily life? Calling the garment a ‘weskit’*

Obviously before my week away as a chap or chum I would do some homework. The Guardian article above would be invaluable.It is well worth a read even without a fictional adventure into manhood. Pull up a chair and relax.

What would be my takeaway from this tiny adventure. Without it ever likely to happen, it would absolutely have to be the clothes. I worry that the combination of privilege and testosterone might quite turn my head, and no self respecting woman wants to run the risk of being a knob. Thank goodness for all the lovely men in the world who prove that that outcome is not always inevitable.

#1402 theoldmortuary ponders

On By Juliet CornellIn art, autumn, Paintings, pondering, Procrastination, Scrag End of Summer1 Comment

I have had a surprisingly arty week. This should not have come as a surprise because 2 days were set aside to fill in an on-line application for an arts grant, that included a budget proposal. I was always going to find other things to do rather than knuckle down to admin of that sort.

Betond normal life my procrastination of choice was two pieces of preparatiry work for known future projects. A huge and colourful watercolour with fantasy fruits and flowers and a coven of laughing, giggling women. Neither of which have anything to do with the Ocean based, arts grant, I was filling in.

One so colourful and the other monotone.

In other painting news, I bought some nice fat figs to pose on a favourite plate.

Which in turn took me down, or up a very tight aperure in a fig and to the tragic story of Fig Wasps. Another known procrastination technique

:https://theoldmortuary.design/2026/09/12/1401-theoldmortuary-ponders-3/

Mentally entering a Syconium via an Oristole. Two words new to me yesterday which led me to a third new word, the utterly delightful ‘Foundress’ meaning female founder.

I suppose I am the foundress of theoldmortuary ponders and it is illustrated with my mistresspieces.

We should reclaim these lovely female- centric words.

Looking at these particular mistress pieces I sense that although my heart is hanging on to the scrag end of summer my head is definitely turning towards autumn. If I look at a few images created this week there is a definite autumnisation to my colour choices.

One last piece of arty news for Sunday. We went to a play about the Artist Beryl Cook. The actress Kara Wilson delivered a one woman show/monologue while painting a man in a turquoise thong. All in the fruity colours of autumn.