we, that’s Emma and I, went up to North Devon to Coombe Martin to visit the wolf packs who are tenants at the zoo/dinosaur park there. The rain drenched us, but it meant that there was noone else there and we had the wolves to ourselves.
We also met three young male lions who sat and languidly prowled around their vivid orange cage. If the lions went on their tippy toes they could have seen the sea down at Ilfracombe, otherwise they are stuck with a flaky mural painting of galloping zebras across the end of their enclosure.
A gabon (in another area next to the otters) whooped high pitched and loudly, setting off the wolves howling across the green fields, heard I’m sure by the farmer on his tractor. Erie and amazing. The lions were curious too, so this musical chorus can’t happen too often.
The rain came down too heavily to do any drawing, but I got plenty of photographs and footage of wolves walking. Emma was studying how the wolves are walking for the animation she is creating.
Trains – I am right into taking photos out of train windows. It seems to me you can’t get the same views from anywhere else. All those fields of waving grass, cows and sheep, industrial warehouses, terraced housing, back gardens, the M5. There’s a great view of the M5 around Taunton and Tiverton. The train races the cars. Its real close.
Its a challenge to get a decent photo. If a decent photo constitutes blurred greens and flashes of what not, could be something,.. then I am a genius. Otherwise out of approximately 4,668 photos taken I’d say I’ve kept about …maybe 15.
Flashing scenery and shifting rhythm. clean windows and no company.
that’s what I like.
Peace waiting.
Today Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, in response to UN calls for Israeli and Hamas civilians to be tried for possible war crimes committed during the 22 day war at the begining of the year: “I want to make it clear — Israel will not take any chances for peace if it can’t defend itself” he said.(From Yahoo News)
So I am trying to work out this statement. Surely this is a paradox; to be defensive while searching for peace. It doesn’t make sense. The nature of peace is that it can only come through openness. If you are on the defense you are confined, closed off. Is this then the crux of what makes peacemaking so challenging? That both protagonists are on the defensive and it is necessary for either or both either to open up, to become a little bit vulnerable to start the process off.
Emma and I met up last week and went drawing in the woods. Brilliant. Just to sit still and actually look. And feel. To look at the smallest seedlings, shoots of ivy, and great big fat tree trunks aside willowly silver birch.
I marker penned tree trunks and seedlings onto a bit of ply. It may be cut. I don’t know if my tools are big enough.
This week’s meet up got sucked away by meetings and work. Work really competes for space. Its a constant challenge of finding and making time. Luckily most tv is pretty c.r.a.p. and I get quite a lot done in the evenings after the kids are in bed.
I have been distracted by a couple of commissions recently. One small drypoint went by quite pleasantly. However, I agreed to a street scene lino cut thinking that if I agreed to do it small size it wouldn’t detract me too long from my stuff I want to do. But it’s not enjoyable on a small scale, so I will submit and get a larger piece of lino.
I’m not sure where I’m at the moment. Not a bad thing, as when I’m in the momentum of creating new work I can hardly think of anything else. Its emotionally exhausting. Plus there’s quite a lot else wot needs head space (job, kids, husband, friends, family and most definitely sleep).
Really though, I need to bite the bullet and get on with experimenting with the animations I keep thinking about.
