« June 2005 | Main | November 2005 »
July 07, 2005
Three spokes of the family wheel.
I wanted to put out a couple of images that are in my vision at the moment.
The first is a sketch I did of my Father maybe 15 years ago, that now hangs in the living room. I caught my Father in a pose that was typical, engaged in thought. It is always difficult to make a portrait of someone who is very close, as the artist must become a conduit for mass and light and not allow subjectivity to enter the process. This however caught something in my Father that a camera cannot reach.
The other image that I see every day while at my Fathers is this lovely shot of Barbara and Ursula that he now uses as his desk top on his computer. We have taken many thousands of photos since Ursula was born, and this had become just another shot in a file... I think it has resurfaced to once again become one of my favorites.
Posted by Andrew at 01:37 AM | Comments (2)
July 06, 2005
psst.. can you keep a secret?
My Dad found his 'appetite'.
;)
Posted by Andrew at 05:51 AM | Comments (1)
July 02, 2005
900 years over a lunchtime.
I was having a pint in the Stag Inn this lunchtime, the oldest pub in the village and had the fortune to meet Terry Clifton, the virger at St. James Church, Church Kirk. He was kind enough to open up the church for me to take a few pictures.
The church was founded by St. Oswald in 1100AD and is famous for the stained glass windows (Mathew, Mark, Luke and John) by the artist Burn-Jones. This is a poor parish, and each of the windows is valued at £1,000,000 ($2,000,000) If sold, the problems of maintaining this venerable old building would be solved for the next few generations, but of course that is not an option.
This is a breathtaking church, and the work left by the craftsmen could never be matched today. I was however distressed to learn that a burglar had recently broken in to the church, entering through the great east window, smashing ancient stained glass and busting carved stone tracery before making off with.... £8 ($16).
Terry told me that the thief had got away with the crime, but the karma that man loaded onto his tortured soul will surely never be repaid.
This is the font, also dating for 1100AD. I wonder how many of the village children have been baptised here in the past 900 years? Terry tells me that a child will be baptised there tomorrow. My love and warm wishes go out to this latest little twig on this old tree that is the village.
Posted by Andrew at 07:33 AM | Comments (2)
Growing with love.
When we brought Ursula over four years ago to meet the family, Barbara distressed at the state of the garden took it upon herself to endow it with some of her precious love and replant it.
Her legacy lives on now in this quite corner of the north of England. It thrives and brightens up the whole lane.
Thanks darling... I love you so much.
Posted by Andrew at 07:22 AM | Comments (2)