Thursday, February 16, 2012

Rust

For a long time now, I have been fascinated by rusting surfaces. I look at them, and think "modern art" - not to mention just how I could use any images as inspiration for some kind of fibre or mixed media work.

In places close to the sea, there is always a photo opportunity - the moist, salt air seems to act in a particularly vigorous way on the many metal surfaces around.

From last week's Cornwall trip, a few new ones for the collection:









This last is my favourite from this time out. Not just for the colours and appearance - when I dashed across a narrow street in St Ives to grab it, there was a young woman in the adjacent doorway also with a camera. I grinned at her, she grinned back, and said to me "Yes - it is a wonderful texture, isn't it!" I do love random incidences of kindred spirits.

We were stuck in traffic in Mytholmroyd yesterday afternoon on our way to Leeds for a night at the opera, when I spotted another great example of rust. I am going to have to be brave and go back with my camera and make a total fool of myself grovelling down on the pavement and cuddling up close to what I think was the base of a street lamp - and I still have the problem of how to use these as inspirations!

The opera was wonderful. It was Bellini's "Norma" which I have never seen before, and I was keen to. I am not the hugest fan of bel canto, but "Norma" has almost mythic status, not least because it was a Callas speciality. Well, that figures.....anyway, I did retain some reservations in the first act, although enjoying the lush music. But it caught fire (oh, please excuse me!) in the second act, when the eponymous soprano really took dramatic flight and swept us all along with her. Superb voice, used with superb passion. I don't think that I have ever heard so much applause at Opera North before.

Maybe a few more photos to come. Maybe a finally finished mitten, and maybe some investigative spinning. There's plenty going on.

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