#644 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn art, SerendipityLeave a comment

Yesterday I went back to the Arts University Plymouth to catch up on two exhibitions that I had missed during the Private View last Friday.  The BA( Hons) in Painting/Drawing/Printing and BA( Hons) in Fine Art. I have a BA ( Hons) in Fine Art. But it was the Painting/Drawing/Printing exhibition that I enjoyed the most and which inspired me to wind back the years and just do a traditional watercolour today. I was also reminded today on Facebook that before we had dogs I had cats as my painting companions.

Harry assisting thegardenpainter
The painting Harry was helping with. Private Collection.

Cats are very different art assistants to dogs. Cats are contemptuous of the creative urge and would not be involved were it not for the soft surgical drapes ( discarded unused from sterile procedures) that I used to protect the lawn and patio. Harry loved the warmth of a surgical drape but really couldn’t care about the art created as long as he remained undisturbed wrapped in plastic backed soft fabric.

The dogs rarely experience the calm of a traditional watercolour painting. I only ever do them on foreign holidays. So today was a complete surprise to them as I sat drawing for a couple of hours and then quietly painted sat in the same position for long parts of the day. Usually they feel actively involved as I move around the studio to find all sorts of different bits and pieces to add to an ongoing painting. Sometimes they can persuade me to cuddle them or find a treat. But me, just statically painting is something they never witness. Unlike Harry they were not prepared to curl up and sleep, involved but not involved. The dogs decided to sleep on my feet, alert to any movement I might make towards the kitchen. Almost unconsciously I then kept my feet very still. Which is fine until I needed to move and then they, the dogs were grumpy and my feet were surprised by the sudden return of blood flow.

We managed to avoid me tripping over a dog or two with feet barely registering my intended movements but it was close at times. The painting and the days chores were achieved. The blog is late, the only casualty of a retro art day.

The painting the dogs were helping with.

Thanks to Facebook reminding me of what a gentle art critic Harry was. And yes King William IV really did pose with a saucy leg position. See official painting below. Floodlighting is a modern addition.

#643 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Music2 Comments

Sunday started on a high note of good weather, good friends and cakes. It ended on many high notes with the televised Glastonbury Festival headline act. Elton John playing his last ever gig in England.

We settled down, still wrapped in towels from our evening swim, with hot tea and fruit crumble. To watch the last set of this year’s festival. At Glastonbury, without the tea and crumble, thousands gathered in front of the Pyramid Stage to enjoy a brilliant setlist.

Watching thousands of people, with beaming smiles, many of them wearing silly specs, singing music from a 52 year career had a proper summer vibe.

Every year at Glastonbury I try to find some new music to explore and enjoy in the summer months. As luck would have it, me and Elton have similar tastes and one of his invited guests was Jacob Lusk from Gabriels whose amazing voice has accompanied me in the kitchen all weekend.

A vision in pink, singing with the London Gospel choir he fulfilled my love of seeing a man in a well- tailored suit. Wouldn’t formal occasions be wonderful if all tail suits were this flamboyant.

One of life’s TV moments.

#642 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Friends and Family, SerendipityLeave a comment

This has been a week of catching up with friends, old, new and concurrent. And cementing a shared life with our middle granddaughter.  I have also, thank goodness finally got some paint effectively on canvas. Which is important. As Sunday approaches I feel like this was a week of effective planning and delightful serendipity.

Dryads Saddle

We found this fungus in an urban street tonight. When we left a friends house. Google lens suggests that it is a Dryads Saddle.

Which begs the question what is a Dryad and why might they need a saddle?

In Greek mythology, dryads, or hamadryads, are a tree-dwelling variety of nymphs believed to inhabit the forests, groves, and countryside of the ancient Greeks. Nymphs is a general term for lesser goddesses in the Greek pantheon, usually associated with the natural world and tied to places like streams, rivers, forests, and fields. As lesser goddesses, they did not wield the power of major goddesses like Artemis or Aphrodite. However, they were often described as influencing human emotions, evoking awe, wonderment, and fear as they looked at the natural world. Physically, they were believed to appear as beautiful young women.

No mention of needing a saddle, but maybe these urban Dryads simply catch a bus.

Mythology seems the way to go with this fungus because further investigation suggests that we could eat it and it would taste of watermelon peel. Which actually just sends me deeper down the rabbit hole. Whoever eats both fungus occurring on trees and watermelon and is able to compare and contrast their taste sensations.

As luck would have it we had eaten very well at our friends house and felt no urge to snack on a random fungus.

A late evening swim was required though. The moon was up and the sun was dipping below the horizon.

There was live music happening not too far away. A swim with the sounds of a Rod Stewart concert drifting in the breeze was an entirely good way to end the day.

Below, woman posing as a Dryad on a Dryads Saddle.

#641 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn art1 Comment
©paradoxd3signs

Yesterday we went to the Arts University Plymouth for their Graduation Summer Show. Unusually we knew no -one taking part, none of the lecturers and I was not writing an official ‘piece’ for any publication. The Private View of these things is not entirely about seeing the art. It is about people watching and catching snippets of conversations. Arts students are endlessly fascinating.  Creative young butterflies just emerging from degree courses that have allowed them to grow up and be who they want to be. At the Private view we get to see their parents and grandparents. For the most part normal non-arty people. Proud and excited that they have an ‘artist’ in their family. Puzzled and surprised by being surrounded by art and artyness.

In the bustle of a Private View it is often hard to appreciate everything about the work or the artists who interest you.

The poster at the top of this blog was the image of the night for me. High up on a wall, it was easy to see above the heads of people and the displays.

Like all good art, it makes you think.

A few blogs will come out of this event but only when it is easy for us to concentrate on the actual work on show. I’m sure we missed some gems last night. I am unable to attribute this last image but will do so when I can. A gorgeous fold of wallpaper in the outstanding Interior Design rooms.

Of Course Good Girls Make History

Define Good

Define History

We all make History

As for snippets of conversation, I love this 2 second video. It is the essence of the evening.

#640 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn art, SerendipityLeave a comment

There is a new Muriel in town. This lovely mural depicting barrel rolling and sailing boats has been freshly applied to a local pub. I never fail to think ‘ Muriel’ instead of “Mural” when I see Street Art like this. My Welsh Nana found words that finish with a blunt end, impossible to pronounce correctly. Her Welshness required an uplift at the end of words. The extra syllable made the word more acceptable to her way of talking. So Muriel it is, but only in the privacy of my own head.

The pub has also renovated an old slipway which has been a sorry sight for the whole time we have lived here. It has been fenced off with safety fencing which has made the outlook ugly and uninviting. A shame because the location is a fine place to watch the sun go down. These waterside heritage sites of old boat builders yards or commercial wharfs once carried the names of men, famous around the World. Brunel the innovative engineer who built railways, bridges and boats, and less acceptably, Hawkins, cousin of Francis Drake, who was a favourite mariner of Elizabeth 1st but heavily involved in the Slave Trade.

How I wish I had photographed the first sunset without ugly railings but we were too busy discussing the potential of swimming from the slipway once it is extended. So to end this blog there is a ‘ Muriel in progress shot’ too bad I never caught the artist ‘ at it’ Nor do I know the artists name. Things to research this weekend, we may be forced to pop in to the pub!

http://thevot.uk/

Below is the Instagram account of the artist. Camilla Rose Signwriter

https://instagram.com/camillarosesignwriter?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

#639 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Firestone Bay3 Comments

Yesterday ended as it had begun. With a swim at the end of the longest day. People have been swimming at our Tranquility Bay location for at least 180 years, when the steps walkways and changing rooms were built for the Earl of Mount Edgecumbe,below his Winter residence.

Our evening swimmers look timeless if I turn the image into black and white.

Just a tiny blog today.

#638 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity, Stonehouse, Summer, Swimming2 Comments

Happy Solstice, 4:30 AM and the beach was quiet. Half an hour later and this whole beach was full of people who had had a fabulous early morning swim. Many of us will be back at 9:30 pm for the sunset swim. This was the warmest swim I have done since last summer.

Yesterday I hit peak procrastination. I had a painting to finish for an August exhibition I had every intention of spending the day on it but somehow was sidetracked by a painting that has waited nearly 10 years to be finished. The painting was for a specific place in the actual Old Mortuary, It was painted to hang in the stairwell and was not quite finished when our lovely builders hung it before I had put the finishing touches. It was in such an awkward place I never bothered to take it down to finish. Then we moved house and it found a new home. All the time hanging quite happily in its non finished state. I have no idea why yesterday became the day it was finished. I just whipped it off the wall and set about finishing it. Procrastination at its finest.

#637 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity, Van LifeLeave a comment
On reflection…

An early morning dog grooming session and good weather was the exact combination for breakfast on the beach at Wembury.

The usual term-time peace, on the beach, was broken by an entire Primary School moving lessons onto the beach. We found a quiet area behind a rock to catch some vitamin D and read books. Swimming was an unexpected challenge. Huge amounts of broken bits of seaweed were brought in on every wave. We were defeated not so much by the weed but definitely by the thought of the mess we would be in when we tried to leave the water. Also, seaweed captures tiny bits of Jellyfish which can give a nasty sting as you brush past. We have seen a few more jellyfish when swimming at home this week. So we argued ourselves out of the water and carried on basking and book reading.

The calm picture below is a bit of an illusion. Just out of the picture are many excited children tucking into their lunch at 11:30 in the morning. The arrow shows the pop-top of the van.

We met an interesting hiker from Perth, Western Australia who was walking the South West Coastal path. We pointed her in the direction of good snacks, on the way she noticed a sign post that showed she had another 206 miles to walk to get to Poole.

She admitted to missing out our home bit of coastal path by using the ferry from Mount Edgecumbe to Cremyl. No judgement there, we walk it every day so others don’t have to. I wonder if a lot of people do that as we don’t really see the number of walkers you might expect in Stonehouse.

Soon enough it was time to collect clean and happy dogs from the groomers. I realise, as I write this that I never take a picture of them at their crispest and cleanest. In the late Spring and Summer the beach is a no go zone for dogs which always disappoints them but it does keep them pristine for a little longer.

Next time…

Beach Treasure

#636 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Plymouth, SerendipityLeave a comment

A slow Sunday was had yesterday with no massive plans beyond getting all the tree sap washed off our campervan and righting a blogging wrong of the last month.

#624 theoldmortuary ponders

On the 28th May we accidentally went to a Cafe that a friend had wanted to visit with us. A link to that day’s blog is above. He was not impressed that we had gone without him, we corrected that error on Sunday.

The coffee and the food is wonderful.

Motorbikes that are displayed on the carpet are still intriguing. And Kevin, who was on a legitimate break from work, with his work phone casually dropped on the floor, was ready to talk for England.

Despite excellent company ( 3 women) he was fueled up and ready to natter, so we were forgiven for our earlier visit without him

The rest of our day passed with dog walks and Newspaper reading.There is a new mural being painted on a local pub.

And a neighbour is struggling to make a colour choice for their render.

Peonies bloomed under slightly cloudy skies.

And somewhat amazingly our first ice cream of the summer was eaten.