July 20th

the clouds begin at

the mouth of the dull chimneys

spewing in drizzle

Ferrybridge Power Station (I think), Yorkshire. Taken on the Motorway, heading towards Leeds.

March 15th and March 16th

 

I’m publishing two days worth in one go today, the Haiku’s are so different, yet they seem complementary.  We’ve just been for a two day trip to London, where, interrupted by a wonderful visit to the theatre (The Ladykillers – very funny adaptation by Graham Linehan) we saw the exhibitions by two of the giants, in fact I would say, the top two British Artists spanning the of 20th and 21st Centuries. Namely David Hockney and Lucian Freud. It seems apt to publish the Haiku’s side by side.

Hockney’s exhibition at the Royal Academy is stunning in its colour and joy. Since his return to England from L.A he’s been painting every day in his native Yorkshire, capturing the change in the seasons. His work for Spring is just so heart warming and vivid.

(may blossom on the roman road 2009, 72in x 192in)

This painting captures the time of year Hockney calls “Action Week” where the transient Hawthorn Blossom appears and then swiftly disappears. It’s very poetic. This is a large painting, visually stunning.

My Haiku in humble appreciation of it, is below. I like the semi animalistic forms in the foliage too. And look at that sky. There’s something of the fairy tale about this work.

 

Hawthorn blossoming

Unbound spring bursts in the trees

Renewal brightness

 

Freud on the other hand, who divides opinion (I love his work by the way) has a retrospective of portraits at the National Portrait Gallery. This is the first major exhibition of his work since his death last year. I was discussing it with Debbie, but there is something of the instinctive, the animal in his work. And the capture of skin tone, it’s almost dead in pallor at times. But it feels real, raw and honest. I’ve used one of his own quotes in the last line of my Haiku where he talks about the importance of flesh in his work.

The Haiku itself relates to a specific self portrait “Self Portrait, Reflection 1981-82”. There is definitely something of the hunter about him in this, a bird of prey. His eye even looks like it’s pulled to the side of his head to give him a wider field of vision for observing his quarry.

 

Feral scrutiny

Tilted head hawk gaze devours

Paint to work as flesh

(from bridgemanart website)

 

Londoners or those in the region are fortunate that both exhibitions are running concurrently. I would thoroughly recommend both, for different reasons. They will be worthy of a proper post on my main blog in due course.

March 3rd

 

The art of seeing,

Shy colours revealed in light,

Patience rewarded.

 

Watched a BBC documentary about David Hockney, who is currently exhibiting some recent work of his native Yorkshire in the Royal Academy, entitled “A Bigger Picture”. He talked about the depth of colour in seemingly mundane scenes, somewhere which many would consider ordinary, not worthy of a second look.

All you have to do wait. And look. And that’s where the colours reveal themselves to you. He paints the same scenes throughout the seasons, in different weather and different light. Also at different times of day. The results are wonderful. I’m trying to do this myself too now (the “seeing” bit, not the painting bit!). We end up rushing everywhere, just a few minutes to take your breath and look and watch is so rewarding.

 

Hockney standing in front of one of his huge canvasses (actually 36 canvasses joined together!). Can’t wait to go later this month. Pic from the Telegraph website.

February 8th

 

Talon scored sandstone,

Dive point, inkblots unfurl, joy,

Slow ascent, again.

 

I’ve been in Wakefield for a couple of days, it was fairly miserable. Lots of stressed people getting ready for a go live, including me. Long days in the office. But I did get a good view of Wakefield Cathedral from the seventh floor. Crows were diving out into the air, then soaring back up to their perches around the steeple to repeat the process.