Category Archives: Inspirations
On a damp and cold day in January, I was fortunate enough to experience a guided tour of the London Road fire station and Coroner’s court in Manchester city centre. The site is to be transformed into a hotel and apartments. In 1999 I visited the site as a possible venue for a group exhibition. At this time, the police cells were accessible but now the upper floors of the building are deemed unsafe. They have been left to rot during years of decision making and planning applications.
It’s fascinating when you realise the different reasons why people attend such tours. For me, it was to immerse myself in the degeneration and tired appearance of its interior; the peeling paint, wallpaper, once trodden floors and traces of forgotten generations. It is experiences like these which provide for me, excitement and enthusiasm and ultimately the ever expanding inspiration for my ever growing bodies of work.
After many failed attempts, I managed to visit the Vernon Mill open studios.
I was amazed by the vast range of art work being produced and in such an inspiring building. Lots of flaking paint, rust, layers, history all under one roof.
Once again, my reliable iPhone was on hand to capture some of the marvellous inspiration…..
I included my feet like David Hockney did, back in the day of his photomontages.
Still mesmerised by the environment of sunny Morecambe….
Whilst walking around, how often does the average person look up?
I never really looked ‘up’ until I was walking down Bold St in Liverpool c1994 when, by pure chance, I noticed the upper level of buildings. Surprised was not the word. Sheer beauty but not on eye level. Since then, I have always looked up, down, across, inside in order to see the ordinary become extraordinary.
This roof of a more or less derelict shopping arcade certainly will provide some inspiration to future work.
I was rather excited to visit an old childhood location, Morecambe.
Back then, I remember the sunsets, dolphinarium and open air swimming pool.
Now, my eyes focused on the ‘ordinary’, those elements which create the most textural and time based intrigue. Were these ever present back in the 1980’s and subconsciously, did my eyes view them?
Never rule out finding inspiration when you least expect.
Who knew this set of stairs could be so inspirational?
The textures and layers have been altered with the passing of time and the presence of human existence.
I can’t wait to explore these colours and arrangements.
A recent visit to London involved an exciting look inside and journey to the top of the Mittal Orbit structure, which is the U.K’s tallest sculpture and proudly sits within the Olympic Park, Stratford.
After taking in the panoramic view of London town, the descent of the 455 steps began and I noticed the little holes in their surface which allowed a variety of tones and colours to peek through.
There is somewhat of an optical illusion occurring should you look at the images for long enough. What inspiration these steps will be to my future work !!
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