Silent Sunday …
‘Reasons to be cheerful’ and love to them!
Reasons to be cheerful; I have many. My life is 99.9% recurring, good. I have no reason to complain , but I do,100%, when the other .01% happens!
Yes, one could argue that those .01%s add up and seem like a lot of grief, loss and turmoil. Yet at any one moment life is good. So while I cannot undo those harsh feelings or make things better; I can remind myself that for the most part the pendulum hangs pretty much half way and for that I am truly grateful.
However, there is a reason to more cheerful; the pendulum swung over to 100% when the Christmas parcel arrived albeit so late with joy to Morro Babilonia.
All is well again, except my homework is to be done. For one class I am collecting ‘stuff’ for mixed media and the other is daily drawing on brown kraft paper or or me, brown paper bags. . Somehow I think they might become a bit confused and cause some distraction. Whether happily or not only time will tell …
Meanwhile love to my other reasons to be cheerful.
Friday’s snapshot from the library …
It was not until I began working in Special Collections here in the University of Reading that I noticed wood engraving. I have been working on the the Mark Longman Library and the section on wood engraving is bulging at the seams. I could post daily about the artists, their art and methods for ages, and I do! I am particularly interested the women of the industry, each week I think I will run out of resources. I have dined out on Patricia Jaffe’s Women Engravers for some months and I have almost exhausted her book. However, I this week I came across a pamphlet called ‘Shall we join the ladies?’ an exhibition of the 20th century wood engravings by women artists ; 13-27 October 1979 at the Museum of Oxford, St Aldgates, Oxford.
‘ … therefore I selected the leading women wood engravers to participate in the exhibition by showing the works of their choosing. Their response was immediate and enthusiastic, and the engravings so generously offered bear witness to their mastery of the meticulous and wholly delightful medium…’ by Betty Clark.
I was later able to track down the book that accompanied the exhibition in our store. So I am in a position to share one or two images; next week … some, I have not seen before.
However, before this came to light I researched one of the exhibitors Rachel Reckitt (b. 1908) she is unknown to me but I understand she studied wood engraving at the Grosvenor School of Art under Iain Macnab, and lithography at the Central School of Art and Design. Exhibited at the leading London galleries and the New English Art Club. These images are from London South of the river by Sam Price Myers wood engravings by Rachel Reckitt; They are lovely and among those in my top ten!
Alphabe Thursday K is for Kant and Kierkegaard
Among the philosophers who walked was Emmanuel Kant, he was frail but managed to walk daily around Konigsberg after his dinner. This was purely for exercise; his thinking was done by the fire while looking out of the window towards the church tower.
Soren Kierkegaard the theologian and philosopher, chose to walk and think around his city of Copenhagen, where it is said he studied human life. Although he had no friends it is said that he had many acquaintances. He never entertained in his home but considered the streets around Copenhagen his ‘reception room.’ Walking provided Kierkegaard with a wealth of casual contacts with fellow humans and facilitated contemplation
Woman Wood Engraver on Wednesday … Helen Lock
I am in awe of artists who can paint, draw or engrave flowers; not just blossom but those with particular names, such as a rose, lily, carnation or even those I cannot name. I was suitably impressed when I saw this wood engraved Hellebore by Helen Lock.
I have them in the garden even though there have large open faces, they turn them away under rather overwhelming foliage. So even if I could see them I could do them no favours with my pencil.
I know nothing of Helen Lock (1884-1967) but understand she was best known as water-colourist and studied at the Westminster School of Art and exhibited at the Royal Academy.
As a wood engraver she came to the attention of Stanley Lawrence after her death in 1967, when he was offered some of her blocks for sale. While some were unused and others were engraved, he bought these in particular in a bid to publicise her talents as wide as possible and establish her reputation posthumously.
Patricia Jaffe in her book Women Engravers says that Helen Lock may stand for unknown women engravers. She goes on to say women in the 19th and 20th century who learned the craft mostly remained unknown and yet to be discovered … I hope so!
Further Reading Women Engravers by Patricia Jaffe
Weekly Photo Challenge … Self-expression
I do not express myself easily. I am very self-conscious; also I came from a generation who were not encouraged to ‘boast’. Blowing your own trumpet was not considered attractive. I am in awe of those who can make their mark without shame and regret. So, with this difficult start, it was easy for me to remain hidden behind the facade of society; the well behaved daughter, wife, mother and even employee; not pushing out to many boats.
I did get a degree and even changed my career, as the children got older but I was not able shake of those early put downs of mother, teachers, now ex-husband, even a missing father was a rejection … etc.
Then; came the the opportunity to blog and I came out from my shell; almost, with an pseudonym so there is still a degree of fear.
When I began painting and particularly printmaking again after 50 years I was able to express myself more fully with colour and shape. However, it is not without discomfort and hard work
Last week I received …
Christmas was a bit of a washout for us this year. Not only was my beloved youngest daughter not nearby, but our Christmas gifts going in both directions failed to arrive in time. While some have not yet arrived; one failed to leave our shores for some unknown reason. I have for a while felt a little aggrieved.
However, this week several weeks late, a Christmas card, dated 8th December 2014, from Brazil, with lots of good wishes did drop through our letter box.
It did not fail to delight, especially as it did mean I could start my yearly ritual. I have cork boards dotted through the house. They are emptied on old years day and filled thereafter with ephemera and trinkets by way of memory, aide memoire and celebration.
So with this new addition the old year and its regrets have gone … let the new year begin.
Silent Sunday
Saturday … cleaning!
In the absence of a workshop or art class today I celebrate the opportunity to clean my house. Why do I not feel the joy of this?
Nonetheless, the dusters await.
By way of consolation, I bring the result of last weeks workshop. I attend a class where we attempted to make a bird in the style of Mark Hearld … here is my Lesser spotted, tufted, pied bird thingy!
Friday’s Snapshot … nice find!
Since the Collections Project in the library is all but finished, the delights in finding a little or big gems hiding in the shelves has gone. However, there are little pockets of opportunities, so me and another colleague remain hopeful and have an eye out at all times. There has been an element of competition between us and this week my friend found a Yellow Back, to the untrained eye, it is a shabby and insignificant little thing, but a gem just the same. Yellow Backs as they are called now, were never meant to be kept among the fine tomes usually found in Special Collections or Libraries. They were in the late 19th century, novels, poorly bound bought in railway stations at the beginning of a journey and discarded at the end when read. So at the end of their publication and their destruction they became rare and collectable. Not priceless perhaps, but a delight for me when the opportunities to find others are rare!
Coat Hanger Doll's House 