Saddle Up!
It’s been satisfying looking through old sketchbooks, finding scribbles of ideas that had fallen through the net. As ever, plenty of waves and surf related doodles and drawings.
It seems without warning an eagerness for either, photography, drawing/graphic design or collage will grab me. I try my best at being comfortable with doldrums or blocks so there is space to welcome fresh zeal, rather than to force things, taking away from the fun. And fun is vital to persevere through the mishaps, setbacks and frustrations before the reward of producing something that you are happy with.
My sketchbooks are full of old test photo prints, tickets, found scraps of paper, etc, taped or stapled onto the pages and then doodled or drawn around or on top of. All the textures have ignited a drive in me to work with collage. So it’s time to climb into the collage saddle!
It’s been a while so I’m familiarising myself with the papers, glues, inks and paints and how they all interact with each other, plus getting to grips with a few new techniques.
Everyone loves the sunshine
Late arriving but day after day of blue skies and sunshine have turned this spring into a keeper. It’s been great walking around and taking a few photos, although the magnet of relaxing in the hammock sure has a strong pull away from the art desk.
Still, out taking photographs is the perfect way to double up on being busy as well as being in the sunshine.
One afternoon in Hikkaduwa
The rainy season was fast approaching during my visit to Sri Lanka. Each day a little rain arrived in the afternoon but on this day, a lot of rain, along with loud thunder and close lightning made a real show of it. The storm passed within an hour, the humidity cranked up so the air was thick and still, turning the ocean surface to smooth silk. A pulse of swell marched shoreward and the fishermen headed out, they returned to the beach before sunset to share their catch.
There were more downpours and moments to duck for cover, but none with the same energy or calm immediatly afterwards. The roads stayed busy with buses and mopeds making their way through the rain and spray.
More photographs can be seen on the Hikkaduwa: 1987 & 2023 page.
A short Sri Lanka reel can be seen at Sleeplessink.blogspot.com.
Just One More Thing
Being a Colombo fan, I like getting the opportunity to use the sentence ‘just one more thing’ of which there are plenty in a surfboard factory. But on this occasion it is to include a picture from the 2023 Billabong Pipe Pro earlier in the year.
More photos from Hawaii can be seen on the North Shore (Oahu) page.
