Boat Sculpture

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” 

 H. Jackson Brown Jr., PS I love You.
   

The subject of boats seem to raise their head every now and then in my art. My dad worked on and restored boats and it turns out I had ancestors who were Admirals in the Royal Navy way back in the day. So boats mean a lot to me symbolically. And I think the quote above speaks why a lot of us connect to them.

 Going to keep the colors very soft. Watercolor is my favorite paint medium. By far. Making my own masts from bits of wood.

 You can even see my finger prints in this face detail. How I love seeing the presence of the human hand in a work of art.

So today throw off the bowlines and sail.

View from the Bus

One of the best things about London is its public transport. No need for a car when you have such great bus and tube routes. This image is from the front seat of one of the iconic double decker buses. It's a great vibe with the build up to the Olympics.  Although the torch relay is supposed to be interrupting bus routes. Next weekend the bike races should snarl things as they're closing a lot of roads.

In the meantime, this is Regent Street approaching Picadilly Circus and as you can see it's all decked out with flags which really gives it a celebratory feel. It's nice to see the buntings and flags all around the city. Today on the agenda: buying new pedometers. After almost 10 years and on average 10 miles of walking a day (while in vacation), we have worn ours out. Tonight we'll be heading over to the Venue to hear my wonderful brother in law's magical sounds. (he's a FABULOUS sound engineer and more like a brother). Okay, get ready feet.

More Prague

This image was taken last night at Prague Castle. The spires of the cathedral looked so lovely from our hotel room so we just had to take a late night walk to get a closer look. Prague is quite picturesque.

One downer is we have discovered that a lot of the local restaurants prey on tourists. For example, they will bring a basket of bread to your table and even if you don't touch it or order it, you are charged for it. The same applies with almonds, pretzels so if they bring a serving of both you are charged for both. Some places even apply a cover charge without announcing. My advice is to beware, ask before you are seated, and check your bill.

Prague, Czech Republic

Day three in Prague, CZ. These images are day and night views of the city near Prague Castle. The city is situated on the Vltava River in the center of Bohemia and has served as the political, cultural and economic center of the Czech state for more than 1,100 years. Pretty amazing considering the USA only celebrated our 234th birthday on the 4th of July.
The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. During WWII the city suffered only a few bombings therefore most of the architecture is as it was hundreds of years ago.

The Leaving of Liverpool

Just back from a trip to Liverpool, England and my mind is swimming with Beatles songs. Nearly every shop you enter is playing The Beatles music. The Albert Dock is where you will find a good portion of Beatles shops such as the Fab Four and the Beatles Story. It is also the location of the Tate Liverpool,(which in my opinion blew the doors off both Tate's in London). We then wandered our way down to the Cavern Quarter and onto Matthew Street. This photo is actually Jody and I in the Cavern Club. Actually, this is two separate images of Jody and I and through the magic of photoshop, we are one.

The White Cliffs

Yesterday we went down to the coast, had dinner with family, and were given a tour of the surrounding white cliffs.

They truly are an amazing sight to see. The bright white chalk contrast strongly against the water, grass and sky. It almost looks as if someone took a big white cake place it on a cobalt blue platter and randomly sliced into it.

Close to the edge the earth is crumbling away from erosion. Those areas actually sink down lower than the rest, almost like an old grave. I kept thinking tread carefully, that would be a new grave if the land gave way. Trust me, it's a long way to the bottom.

George and Pilgrim Hotel

I had to post a picture of the hotel we stayed in while in Glastonbury, England. It is called the George and Pilgrim It was built circa 1452 and is located right in the town center. As you walk into the hotel there is the most fabulous lounge area. The ceilings are covered in thick dark beams and the floors creek and moan under the weight of your feet.
Speaking of floors, the floor in our room was so old and crooked that the bed actually was on a slope. I loved every crooked, creaking minute of our stay. So, if you are in Glastonbury, I highly recommend the George and Pilgrim if for nothing more than the aesthetics and the amazing history of the building.

New Sculpture - What Should I Name Them?

I have started making a new variation of my little bird people.

I have been wracking my brain trying to come up with a name for the new work. They are human and they are bird and they need a name. If you think of a cute name for the creatures, please let me know, and if I like the name I will reward you with a FREE sculpture.

Please excuse my work table, I know it is a mess. As you can see in the photo I have been very busy sculpting and glazing. The new pieces in the photo are not fired, that is why their color is so pale. A kiln is about to be loaded, so fire up your imagination and help me name my creatures.

Magically Delicious

I am putting this photo up because I love the rainbow and what better place for rainbows than Ireland. This photo was taken at Rosslare Strand, County Wexford. It is beyond Happy Days I tell you.
We fly back to London on Wednesday and begin painting in the Venue. When I have artwork to show I will upload the images. For now, enjoy life and chase rainbows. (it's magically delicious)

Howth Head

We are winding down the time being spent here in Ireland. It is amazing how fast the time passes. While preparing for the trip I remember thinking how will I spend my time? What if there is nothing to do, where will we go? And then you turn around and it is a month later and where did the time go?

The photo which accompanies this entry was taken at Howth Head. For those of you who don't know, the city of Dublin is basically located on a bay. Situated at top of the bay is Howth and the bottom of it is Dun Laoghaire. Another perfect day as we watched the Irish ferries cutting through the water returning to port.

Life is good. For those of you who don't remember how good it is try to take the time and do something for yourself. Otherwise you may turn around and find that while you weren't looking life has passed you by.