Yellow peril

Another in the Colour series, yellow this time. Although it's a cheery colour, I find I don't have much of it. For clothes, it's not a shade that particularly suits my colouring, and around the house it seems reserved for fairly utilitarian items - rubber gloves, dusters and the like. We did once paint our back door yellow, years ago, prompting my mother to warn that we'd be plagued with flies. I never really managed scientifically to prove or disprove that one! Anyway, it's the colour of spring and we've all been longing for spring, so this will help us on the way. 

Rhapsody in blue

And still it rains... and still I'm amusing myself finding 'colour' pictures inside. It's honestly not hard for me to find blue things! It has always been my favourite colour for clothes and I love blue glass. When I moved here, I felt drawn also to decorate with a lot of blue. It's peaceful and, perhaps surprisingly, doesn't feel like a 'cold' colour to me.  

Years ago as a young woman, I visited some friends and was charmed by their mismatched blue and white china plates and dishes, vowing I'd have the same one day. Then life happened...  I was gifted china when I got married and I was never bold enough to start my own collection. One day, many years later, the thought came to me that if I really wanted a blue and white china collection, maybe I should start acquiring some! So I did, picking up random pieces that attracted me in vintage shops and other stores. When I moved house recently and downsized, I kept the blue and white and donated most of my other patterns and colours. You've no idea how happy it makes me to open my cupboard and use all the pretty dishes and plates. I also discovered The Japanese Shop that sometimes has a pop-up store at RHS Harlow Carr. They stock some delightful, delicate, blue and white porcelain, so I've added a few lovely little bowls. 

Original orange

So. Much. Rain! I have been making myself go out for very soggy walks, but it doesn't lead to any inspiration for photography. No photos to play with equals no fun for me, so I resorted to looking for subject matter inside. I found myself drawn to the colour orange. (I can't imagine why! 😂 😂 Heck, someone's taking up too much space in my head rent-free these days!) Despite its current connotations, it's quite a cheery colour, good for brightening up these dark winter days. I look forward very much to a time when it's no longer associated with all that is at the same time both evil and comedic. 

Pavement faces

I came across this on my walk, and immediately saw a face. Can you see it too? He wouldn't have lasted long as it was extremely windy so I decided I'd immortalise him. 

He reminded me of one I took several years ago, but this one's definitely female! 

Artists' materials

We had a camera club outing to Cartwright Hall, Bradford's civic art gallery. I've been lots of times before and found you aren't allowed to take photos inside, which is always somewhat frustrating. (They sometimes actively stop you, even if you're just using your phone.) As a club we had a photography permit, though we were not supposed to take photos of the artwork itself (except incidentally) or identifiable shots of visitors. So really that ruled out 75% of the possible subjects! Still, it was a good opportunity to explore and catch up with the latest exhibitions. 

As well as there being a treasure trove of David Hockney's work in Salts Mill, the art gallery too has a room dedicated to his art and life, him being a Bradford lad and all that. Some of it was set up as if in an artist's studio. The pots of paint and brushes made a good subject to experiment on. 

Product photography

I seem to be running low on photos for some reason, so I thought I'd post one I took recently at a practical evening at my camera club. We had a guest speaker called Haydn Bartlett, who is a professional food and product photographer. He showed us how he sets up and lights his work, and then we took it in turns to photograph the set-up. (So I can't take any credit at all for what is shown, since all I did was press the shutter button on my camera.) I'm not sure that practical events work all that well in a big club, as all that happens is you queue for your 'turn' and then have to hurry to take the photo. With more time and thought, I'd have got a better composition. I did, however, end up with a cheery and inviting picture of a bowl of soup. To be honest, it's more likely to encourage me to make some soup than to take more food photos. I adore making soup, there's something quite magical about turning a few odds and ends of left-over vegetables (that might otherwise get thrown away) into a comforting, warming, nutritious soup. It's a kind of alchemy. 

Autumn still life

Following on from yesterday's posting, here's my own version: 

The canal is littered with fallen autumn leaves. In some ways you could see them as an eyesore, cluttering the waterway. Sometimes though, I stop and notice how they've fallen, their different colours and shapes occasionally contriving to create an attractive little 'still life'. 

Metallic

As I sat and sipped my coffee, in peaceful contemplation, halfway through my walk round Harlow Carr Gardens, I started to notice the details of the fallen leaves around my feet. The small ones are oak leaves, I think, but I'm not sure of the larger species. (Harlow Carr has many non-native trees that I don't know the names of.) They were about as big as the palm of my hand and the undersides, particularly, had prominent veining that had collected the dew. They were also quite pale in colour and had an almost metallic quality that I've tried to convey. 

The yellow chair

There's a story here, isn't there? I spotted this trio of chairs in the Sunday School room of an old chapel and was immediately attracted to it. I guess the paint job is more recent than the sturdy chairs themselves. That acid yellow doesn't have a whiff of Victoriana about it and yet it still looks as if it's from a bygone era. What do you think? 1970s? 1980s?  

Just for a lark, I googled 'the yellow chair' and found an interesting article about Van Gogh's chair paintings. (HERE) For Van Gogh, empty chairs represented the person who would sit in them so, in a sense, they are portraits. 

Let your imagination run wild.... 

York Gate vignettes

There's one area in York Gate Gardens that, as a photographer, I especially love. There are some old potting sheds that were part of the kitchen garden and are now just used for display, full of dried seed-heads, old wood, wicker baskets and other such wonderfully decorative items. The muted neutral colours and gorgeous textures provide ready-made 'still-life' compositions. 

Red and rope

Having had three weeks of feeling a bit below par and thus not getting out and about as much as I usually do, I'm rapidly running out of photos. I might have to have a break from posting but, trawling through the last few months' images on my hard drive, I did find this trio of ropes and red boats. They were all spotted at different times and in different places but nonetheless provide a cohesive study of the textures, knots and coils to be found anywhere there is a boat. 

Serenity

Saltaire's vibrant and creative community means that people make the most of any space, either to create a little bit of beauty or to make a statement, one way or another. One house, without much of a garden, has nevertheless placed plants (fake) and various little statues in all the available space, including on a windowsill. I'm quite happy to see a serene and peaceful Buddha as I pass by, and the yellow flowers are quite uplifting too. 

Weston's quirky treasures

The late Tudor Banqueting Hall at Weston (see yesterday) is no longer used and is in a state of near dereliction inside. Photographically though, it was wonderful and I could have spent hours in there. It was obviously once a magnificent building, three storeys high and used for entertaining and socialising. It must have been like a gentlemen's club. There was a dusty old snooker table taking up one room, as well as relics of sports equipment. Interestingly the window glass was painted to resemble leaded glass, so I assume the original Tudor glass was leaded and has been replaced at some stage. In the 1600s it would have been expensive and difficult to make big sheets of glass so panes were tiny and held together with a latticework of lead. 

One of the doors, apparently original, was wonderfully heavy and studded. 

They don't make skis like this nowadays! 

Nor do toboggans come like this: 

There were also some pieces stashed in here that appeared to be old laundry facilities - a sink or wash tub and a mangle. 

And down in the cellar, a random anchor at rest on the windowsill. All very quirky. 

Elsewhere, in one of the outbuildings, was a crate full of oyster shells.  I presume somebody once thought they 'might come in useful for something' and decided to hang on to them. I've an attic full of stuff, kept for that same reason!  

In the potting shed

We had some horrible weather in February - wet and very windy - so that I didn't go out as much as I'd have liked. (Since the Met Office started naming storms, a few years ago, said storms seem to have got a little above themselves!) With the enforced time at home, I spent a bit of time playing with processing. This was a photo I took at Harlow Carr Gardens, in the little potting shed. I felt it needed 'enriching' a bit so I've added a couple of texture layers to it - and a gerbil! (Well, it was either that or a cow.... I find I don't have many 'animal' photos. The jury is out on whether that has helped or hindered! I can never decide, but it's fun playing. 

Sunday meditation: Rose

“There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A friend gave me some roses at Easter. As I wasn't inclined to go out much then (still freezing cold and rather windy) I spent some time playing with Photoshop layers and textures. A rosebud made a pretty subject. I've still lots to learn and need to continue to develop my creative eye for this kind of work but it is an absorbing way to pass a few hours. 

Sunday meditation: Hello Kitty

Does it happen to all parents, that you end up with a stash of minor possessions that actually belong to your long-flown-the-nest offspring? I've a couple of boxes of bits upstairs that I feel reluctant to throw away. One box furnished me with some material to construct a 'modern still life' recently, when I was playing around with the idea. A Hello Kitty (used to be a lip balm, I think) and a few bright tops from the tubes of Smartie sweets! Colourful, at least. 

For a few weeks I've been using Sunday posts as a meditation, finding quotes to go with whatever the picture suggests to me. There turns out to be not one single mention of cats or kittens in the Bible. That in itself is worth pondering .... 

Today is, however, Valentine's Day or the Feast of St Valentine in the Western Christian Church, a celebration of love in many parts of the world.  I did find a Valentine's Hello Kitty:

I'll give you a 'Fact of the Week' too: Smarties are oblate spheroids. (So is the earth... but the earth isn't a Smartie.) Now you know. 

Sunday meditation: Pearls

My online photo group had 'a modern still life' as its theme for November, so I was playing around with ideas. There's a cherry tree down the road that I noticed had really prettily coloured autumn leaves, so I went and collected a handful. Simply arranged, I loved the glow and texture of them. However, they didn't really look 'still-life-y' enough so I draped a string of pearls over them. It then looked quite sweet, I thought. 

I'm sure there's a metaphor for life in there, struggling to get out! I'm not sure quite what it says but it started me looking for 'pearl' quotes - and there are lots: 

“The world is your oyster. It’s up to you to find the pearls.” – Chris Gardner

“As a pearl is formed and its layers grow, a rich iridescence begins to glow. The oyster has taken what was at first an irritation and intrusion and used it to enrich its value.” – Susan C. Young

“Life is made up of a few moments all strung together like pearls. Each moment is a pearl, and it is up to us to pick the ones with the highest luster.” – Joyce Hilfer

 "The pearls weren’t really white, they were a warm oyster beige, with little knots in between so if they broke, you only lost one. I wished my life could be like that, knotted up so that even if something broke, the whole thing wouldn’t come apart.” – Janet Fitch

"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." - Matthew 14: 45-46