... of the seven deadly sins, the eighth and most horrid is emotional blackmail ... whilst for this blogger, the only sacred thing is life itself
he was sometimes commissioned to paint dragons ... and he may have seen the dragon as expressing an aspect of his own character ...
Hiroshige, Whirlpools at Awa, 1857
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45025
hiroshige, Whirlpool at Naruto in Awa Province, 1853
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/53783
Hokusai, Mountains and Water, Naruto Whirlpool, 1817
https://collections.artsmia.org/art/65613/whirlpool-at-awa-katsushika-hokusai
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_P._Horst
... and he photographed women so "intensely" that it never occured to me that he was gay ...
to be continued, as & when ...
twice ... on flights to spain ... i've encountered lightning
the first time, on a late flight, an ashen faced young woman in a polo shirt & johdpurs sat next to me and began to shake before the plane had even left the ground ... she'd never flown before ... as we made the long glide towards malaga the plane skimmed a hilltop town just as a storm began ... in the first flash, i saw the spaniards' washing on the lines
the second flight was in daylight, to madrid ... just as we were about to start the long turn at the west of the city, captain was told to wait because the runways were awash in a sudden storm ... we went into a holding stack, circling above segovia and the mountains to the west of madrid ... we flew in and out of enormous clouds which were sometimes illuminated with diffuse lightning ... between the clouds were vast chasms filled with daylight, but the clouds themselves contained the deepest shade of GLOOM
( Hmmm ! ... I wonder if any paint companies mix a shade called GLOOM ? )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning
hokusai
a japanese god of thunder
chen rong ... the nine dragons
laura knight
mother nature in switzerland
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_2020-3015-81?selectedImageId=1613746637
texas, 2025
... to be continued as & whenever ...
the "ARTIST'S STATEMENT" is a convention that isn't always helpful ... because whilst most art is perfectly eloquent, artist themselves are likely to waffle ...
people often ask why we choose to live in Wales ... why not ?
the heart has a long history as an icon in western culture ... mostly as we see it shaped on a playing card ... it is so familiar it might be the 27th character of the english alphabet ... and it is a universal symbol of human character & spirit ... i like to draw hearts, often in dubious circumstances ... hearts often come to us as shorthand in messages from friends... the three-legged crow is the messenger from the gods in some eastern cultures ... in Japan his name is YATAGARASU
i'm pretty sure that BOTTICELLI borrowed his VENUS from Welsh mythology ... well, he would, wouldn't he ?
Welsh Mermaids are always there, hiding in plain view, i assure you
I'm also quite sure that Wally the Walrus still dreams of Welsh Mermaids ... that was why he showed up, after all
Welsh Mermaids are an egregious hazard to navigation ... it is the duty of all harbour masters to repel them
Welsh Lifeguards are there to make our beaches safe ... and decent
I don't believe Schrodinger'sz Old Tom Cat lingered in that box for more than a second ... nowadays, Schrodinger'sz Little Tom Kitty embodies the true courage of scientists in their relentless pursuit of truth
There is an ancient myth that the Sun was stolen ... and brought back to us by a gigantic three-legged crow ... believe me !
Tenby Town's other motto ( unwritten so far ) might be LOVE ME, LOVE MY DOG
it is my firm belief that most of the world's stormy weather comes to the esplanade to be amplified and set free once more
there are some of us who conjecture that euripides was welsh
mae'r môr yn golchi holl ddrygioni dynion i ffwrdd
tenby has a greek motto taken from a play by euripides ... i'm not sure it was ever performed in welsh ... wally used to get terribly tongue-twisted with his attempted translations
os yw cerddoriaeth yn fwyd cariad ... chwaraewch ymlaen
as shakespeare might have said, had he been born in wales ...
but even so, why did shakespeare fail to mention CHINESE TAKE-AWAYs ?
pembrokeshire's social character is exemplified by the concentration of the beautiful and the damned in it's resorts ... i've often thought the jetty at tenby would be an ideal location for a tattoo parlour ...
if it didn't happen ... then it didn't happen here
students of federico fellini's fillums might be quick to recognize that dress ... our noble crew will be quicker to offer hot cocoa and warm towels
neutron stars spin faster even as they expire ... and they sometimes spin around other neutron stars when mutual attraction is prob'ly not their best option ... much like lovers, possibly, maybe ...
there is a story that the muses were approached by the nine daughters of a greek king and challenged to a singing match ... the cheek of it ! ... and it turns out those saucy princesses were poor performers and sore losers ... and were so bitter and insulting in their rage after defeat that they JUST HAD TO BE turned into magpies ... so even as we speak, they might be heading for an eisteddfod near you, seeking redemption
one of the most beautiful & funny people i ever knew was tormented by sudden imbalances of mood and rationality ... he is absent without leave, in perpetuity ... and i miss him terribly
this little scene started out as a re-imagining of the ultimate IRON MAN competition ... but then it reminded me of some of the beautiful men who haunted brighton when i lived there ... i never loved them even slightly ... but they were wonderful characters so i often miss them
i love the way that seaside life sometimes brings out the worst in girls ... but then they bring out the best in one another
i once came across a pair of gravestones by a church in suffolk that were slowly leaning towards one another after three centuries ... father & daughter ... the welsh know better than anyone that life and love are eternal ... and death can have no dominion
i've sent the messenger of the gods on a little errand ... to carry the news of spring to the north
few things are as magical as a glimpse of a person or a creature running through the shallows at the edge of the land
how to get home when there are no more buses, i guess
in myths, crows and foxes are the witty tricksters ... in myth, the only constant thing is the constancy of the human heart
if it were a hot summer night, then why not ?
angels carry glad tidings, but they don't always have time to stop
welsh mermaids are a glad tiding of themselves
welsh mermaids have no equal
welsh mermaids know best, and any argument would be futile
i'm grateful to narberth museum for provoking this show
and i'm grateful to the top team at TRADE CANVAS PRINT in Kilgetty for their help ... and for their patience ... cheerz'm'dearz !