Abstract Art, Ubex, Urban Exploration, Photo montage, Photo manipulation.

 Hello world, here I am late with my blog post. I'm sorry to say that the continual messing about with the Covid regulations, by our idiot, half witted, prime minister, with his the repeated doubling back on, "His word" (HA!) has confused and depressed a LOT of people in England, including me. The public are confused as to what they are supposed to be doing. He's really good at saying, "This is what is going to happen next", only to announce a complete reversal of it, sometimes just a few hours later. The draconian laws he has put the country under, were supposed to be over, or significantly lessened, by mid April, (well, more or less). We are now informed that all this restriction of our isolation, misery, movements and freedom will carry on for yet another six months, when it will be reviewed, (every six months). I have a strong feeling that he would like to carry this on for a long, long time. Some of the new laws are turning England into a police surveillance state.  He never even got elected in the first place, what a situation! However, I've struggled with bouts of reactive depression of the, "What is the point of doing anything? I can't be bothered" sort. I keep fighting it off . Later, it sneaks up on me from behind. That's why I didn't post sooner. Anyway. I am trying to distance myself from it all and doing very well at it so far.  

So, my rant being over, I'll get on to the images in this post. This is going to be a mixed set of pictures. Having said I felt I couldn't be bothered doing anything, in my "clear" periods, I've been working out my frustrations in my art. I've created a great deal of it in the last three months, using digital techniques, photography and painting in oils and acrylics, (the latter are my all time favorite paint medium). Comments on individual pieces will be provided where needed.

I tend to feel that opening with a bold show of colour is alway good, especially in these strange times. The image below, "Moormires" is named after a place about half a mile from me (0.8 km). I often go for a walk down a place called Carr Hall Lane, then through Robber Dodge, which is a beech tree wood. Recently, I found a sign pointing the way to Moor Mires farm, I love the name. so I used it as it is on the signpost, not  in the way the farm is named. This walk is so lovely, except in very wet conditions, when it is incredibly muddy. It always uplifts me, so I decided to create an image which describes how it makes me feel - bright, happy and peaceful. This is it. 

Moormires

Colour Flow

Desert Threads

Emerging

Luminous Lizard

Excalibur Rising

Lyrical Dance

For those people who do not know, Ra was the name of the Egyptian sun God.  I was out on the moors one day, climbing a long, steep hill, in a remote place. I saw a track going off to the right. Following it, I discovered a small, stone building. The  area I was in, is a water collecting ground, feeding reservoirs. The building was constructed in an Egyptian style, probably late Victorian. There were no windows, just a small door. (Seen on the right). The shape like a door or window on the left side, had been sealed up a long time ago, judging by the style of the stonework. It was obviously a water board building. I couldn't hear any sound of pumping engines, so it didn't seem to be a pumping station. I couldn't hear running water either. I've no idea what it is for, or why they went to the trouble and expense of building it in this manner. It would have been a lot more costly than using the standard, utilitarian form the Victorians used. I decided it needed some dignity and created the picture below.

The Temple of Ra

I'm going to change the mood now, for a short while. I wanted to work out my dark moods and also, the mood of so many people around the world at the moment. The three following images are my response to Covid. The first relates to the sadness, isolation and deep uncertainty that many are feeling. The two that follow it, are my artistic impression of the virus itself.

How Dark Is My Life

The Plague Years

The Plague Years (Mutation)

Now for a few Urbex, (Urban Exploration) images. These were made using either photo montage, or computer manipulation. I injected some humour  into them with the titles.

After The Party

Ours Is A Nice House

The next one is a new technique for me, I've done two in this style. I'll show the second one in a later post. It was fiddly and time consuming to do and does not work with all photographs. Still, it was very rewarding for me.

Flyover

Urbex 1

The following three pictures are digital litho prints. By that, I mean pseudo lithography prints. I used some of my photos and manipulated them to get the look and feel of litho works. I used to do photochromic lithography in a studio and ultraviolet photolithography to make experimental silicon devices, as part of my job in Solid State physics. I've had a lot of experience with it, one way or another. I'm quite pleased with the result of these pseudo-litho images. "Ovenden Moor" (below) is my place of refuge. I go up there when the world becomes too big for me to cope with. I've said before in this blog, that there is a huge difference between loneliness and solitude. I love the solitude and peace I get from being up there on my own, even in rough, wet weather. I always come back home like a new man. The image below, is one of the peat bogs as it looked some weeks ago, when I was there. It was wet, with large areas of flooded ground. There was a strong, cold wind, blowing snow in my face. Wonderful rich, brown, deep, peat mud, sucked at my boots. It was as wild, bleak and somber as any good Yorkshireman could ask for. Oh, and I was the only person on the moor that day. It was Heaven!

Ovenden Moor

Blackley Hill, (below) can be seen down the valley, from the end of our street. I was pleased that this image did the hill justice, at least, as far as I'm concerned.

Blackley Hill

The piece titled, "River Bank" is from a photo of mine, of the River Calder, one mile (1.6km) down the valley from me.

River Bank

Now for some more experimental ones, on my part that is.

Candle in the Wind

Telescopic Tunnel

Over the last two months, I've been studying the art movement, "De Stijl". It was started in Holland by Theo Van Doesburg, Mondrian and several other artists. I've done a couple paintings in that style, which I call, "The Mondrian Style". I also produced quite a few computer generated ones in the style. In my next blog post, I shall show these. The image below is a photo manipulation of one of my "Mondrian" paintings and a photo I took on the Calder and Hebble canal, about a mile (1.6km) from me.

The Mondrian Stone

Recently, I bought a wonderful book of the painter Richard Mayhew's landscape paintings, titled "Transcendence". After looking through it twice, I was inspired to attempt a piece in his style. The image below is one of my results.

 

Autumn on the Canal

The last two pictures are the outcome of me using Richard Mayhew's work as a springboard for a new technique. I created the technique as I made the works. I've done it before, it's a sort of, "What would happen if I did such and such at this moment?" way of working. It's fun, but can result in some spectacular failures. I was lucky, I got some very nice results.

Under Alien Skies

Another picture using one of my photos of the Calder and Hebble canal. It's an endless source of  photographs and joy for me. 

Night on the Canal

Well, that's my first post on the blog this year completed. Tut, tut! I have most of the images for the next blog post ready. It shouldn't take too much work to get the stuff online. (Famous last words). *Smile*

Stay safe and look after each other.

Gordon.

Last Post for 2020. My latest art and one or two photos.

Hello world. A very merry Christmas to all those viewers of my blog who celebrate it.

The card below is one of my own designs.

Ok, here we go with the last post I'll put on the blog until 2021. I don't seem to remember very much about this year.

As always, I shall only comment on an image if I feel it needs one.

The first image is a self portrait of me travelling during lockdown.

Self Portrait. ( I know, too arty)

Now we have what is only the second guest artist on my blog. Anne, my wife, took the photo. I thought it was wonderful and asked if I could show it. Some of you will realise that the title is a play on words of the title of a famous painting.

Ophelia Among the Soapsuds

This is a tribute to a well known Victorian painter.

After Atkinson Grimshaw

DNA Rope

Human Form

Kneeling - Screen Print

Torso A

Indigo

I have to admit that I'm really pleased with the next one.

The Gardener

Talking Head

An Abstract Expressionist experiment which turned out very well.

Gorky

This one came out so well, that I'm thinking of putting it on my studio wall.

Street Corner

This almost became a Christmas card.

Spinning Prisms

It's time I put another photograph in. The shot below was taken in a burned out building. It's the starter electronics for a fluorescent tube. I liked it as soon as I saw it. Once I'd put it on the computer, it seemed flat and lacking. I spent a very long time thinking about how to get the best out of it. It took even longer to achieve the effect. The starter now seems to be 3-D, well separated from the background and hanging in free space. It's yet another image I'm thinking of putting on my wall.

Light Fitting Remnant

A Day at the Seaside

Mantra for Ganesh

Hellcat

Altarian Swamp Blossoms

Do The Hokey Cokey

Oil  Shale

Turning Lead to Gold 

Baseline

I told a friend of mine that I thought I could live with the next image in the front room. For some strange reason, he said that I might find it would haunt me. I find it quite restful, not at all scary or sinister.

Jellyfish

It seemed a good idea to finish with a colourful image.

Middle Dean Street

That's all for 2020. See you next year.

Be safe, be careful and be kind to each other.

Gordon.

Beautiful Photos around Halifax.

 Hi all.

I thought I'd put another post of my photographs, to try and cheer people up. I took most of these images in my village of Stainland, or at Ogden, which is about 10 miles (16 km) away from me. We are very lucky in having wonderful scenery in our area. There are a lot of nature reserves, woodlands and rugged moorlands in this part of Yorkshire.

I shall group the images into two main groups; Stainland shots, then the Ogden photos. At the end will be one or two images of places which are a short distance from our village, as well. 

On this blog in the past, I talked about the way a border can either enhance, or detract from images. Since then, I've been experimenting more with borders. I decided that I would add a 300 pixel border to certain images, then add a digital frame. My idea is to give a feeling that you are looking at images in an art gallery. Most photographs seem to look right treated in this way. With digital artworks, many look good displayed this way as well. However, a border on certain images can detract from them. You may see examples of this in my next blog post, which will show some of my recent artwork. 

Right, the Stainland photos first. As usual, I will not add any comments, or titles unless I feel something needs one.

The snail shell below was found in our garden by my wife Anne. It was a perfect subject for a "mini still life". 

I can't imagine what the small piece of wood in the picture below was, or how big it was. It's must have been hanging there for a very long time, to rot down to what it is now. Many people will have walked passed it over the years, without seeing it. I love this photo.

Now for the Ogden photos. This moor is actually called Ovenden Moor. Certainly, you can walk to the Ovenden area on it, you can walk across to other places too, it stretches a long way. I've no idea how it got it's name, but it's my favourite place around here, as I must have said many times. I love to pack some dinner, a camera and binoculars and spend the day there, on my own. I never feel as free as when I'm on a large area of wild, rugged moorland. When I'm up there, I am feel at home, part of the open space and barren rocks. I'm at peace there, often, I feel I could fly. Being high up on a breezy moor, is like having a taste of heaven. The songs of curlews, meadow pipets, buzzards, skylarks and the occasional cuckoo in Spring, are all the company I need on the moors. 

Now for the photos. I've posted several photos of this moor here before, these are all new ones. Like every place where Mother Nature hold sway, it changes with the seasons. I find new things to photograph each time I go.

Back Lane, is one of the two paths on to the moor from Ogden. You would not chose to call it a lane. It's an old walled greenway, and a constant uphill walk. When there is a lot of rain, it can have a small, fast flowing stream running down it. The path is incredibly rugged, it can be almost as high as your shoulder in some parts and only about 10-12 inches wide, (about 25 to 30 cm) and too uneven to walk on at the bottom. Or, it can be reasonably flat on the bottom and about 2 feet, (60 cm) wide. It's a tricky place to walk. You could easily twist, or break your ankle, if you don't pay attantion to where you put your feet. Mountain bikers come down it, (a scary thought to me). I've seen horses foot prints in the mud. I can't imagine meeting a horse coming down it. In some places, there's not much room to get out of the way 

I was walking up Back Lane one morning when a lamb jumped up on the stones and stared at me. It was not timid, which was to me, unusual. I spoke quietly to it, it turned it's head on one side, listening. I spent several minutes talking to it. When it was time for me to move on, I told the lamb to find it's mother. It made one, "Baaa" turned and trotted off. It seemed to have enjoyed my company, It was a humbling experience. I took 5 photos of it, this was the best.

This bit of bent iron was jammed in the wall for no obvious reason, other than for me to take it's photo. I obliged.

Below; an interesting rock formation in Rock Hollow Park, Ogden.

Giant's Tooth Monolith, 

high on the moor.

Finally, three photos of areas near me.

 

I hope you feel uplifted after seeing these images. Getting out for a walk, and communing with nature, is one of the very best cures for depression. Especially in these difficult times. Get you boots on and have a go yourself.

Take care

Gordon.