SEVEN WONDERS - The Rules
- It has to be seven things you've discovered in the last month
- It has to be seven things other people can find
- It has to be seven things that have inspired or caused a reaction.
- It has to be a paragraph on each
It doesn't have to be music, it can be a film, a play, a painting, a cartoon, a different take on the familiar etc, but it does have to comply to the rules.
Sometimes we'll have guest features, but we want your inspirations. Submit here.
Go seek them out
SEVEN WONDERS
Seven things that have excited Amy Goddard this month….
Amy Goddard, musician, artist, engineer.
Rocky Valley, nr Tintagel, Cornwall
We walked this in our wet suits, stopping to swim in the pools, much to the delight of our Labrador Cassie. Whole pack swimming is the best!
The jaw-dropping beauty of this place made me think of how this gorge was formed. A stream of consciousness followed. What did this place look like to the people who walked it 100s or 1000s of years ago? How could they have recorded it? Obviously photography is a relatively recent invention. Could people have drawn or painted it?
Then I thought that, particularly in decades past, art was the preserve of the wealthy, those who had leisure time. Did the people who loved and worked on this land have that time, or materials. How many potentially gifted artists never had the opportunity to draw or even write in those times.
There are few people in this country that cannot take a photograph or attempt a drawing with pencil and paper today.
Again, a stream of consciousness, how fortunate we are that we can still share art and music online during the COVID 19 pandemic. Yes it's tough, but what if this had been 100 years ago?
There may even be a song or two in these ramblings, it's often how my songs come about.
Hedgehog Lino Print by Martin Truefitt-Baker
Martin has been producing wonderful Lino prints since his retirement. Each time he posted a new image I said 'hedgehog next'. And eventually a hedgehog design came. It's absolutely stunning and makes me want to have a go at this style of printing again. I haven't done it since I was 12 and Martin was my school teacher.
A brief lesson in how this is done. A piece of flat material that a pattern can be carved into. In this case Lino but it can also be done with wood. The white areas of the print are removed from the tile. Then ink is applied to the surface and pressed onto paper. Like you did with a potato as a kid. Then the part of the tile that you wish to stay that first shade are removed from the tile. Again ink is applied (a darker shade this time) and the tile is pressed onto the same paper as before. Now you have white areas, a light shade and a darker one. Finally all but the areas of the tile that will be the darkest shade are removed. The inking and pressing process is repeated and you have 4 colour shades making up a print. As the tile is destroyed as each layer is cut it can never been reprinted. Usually many copies are made of the first layer and then the best ones at the end of the process will be numbered and sold. A fascinating and skilful practice.
While and Matthews 'Live in the Headshed' June 2020
I've loved all of While and Matthews lockdown shows. This one is actually a favourite because of the camera mishap. After they started the first song the camera angle started to slip and sink lower. They kept playing and tried to lean down to stay in the shot with more and more chuckles creeping into the song. Then the camera pivoted straight down to the floor so all you could see was carpet. The song dissolved into giggles. Seeing your musical heroes as normal people who have mishaps with technology is reassuring and endearing. I often remember live and online gigs for the banter and chemistry as much as the music. Of course it was a wonderful performance after the camera was fixed with gaffer tape.
Jackson's Akoya Long Flat paint brush
A paintbrush with extra long bristles. I'd never have thought of trying this. My mentor and friend recommended it and it's brilliant to use. It now seems to be my first choice of brush for most painting techniques.
I took up painting again during the lockdown. I haven't painted much since taking my A level in 1997. I found it very stressful, a total perfectionist I just couldn't ever be satisfied with my work and in the end I stopped. Hopefully this time I'll keep at it. I'm enjoying it so far, maybe I'm older and wiser... ha ha.
David Deamer and plein air (outdoor and from life) painting
These paintings look like photographs from a distance. When you look closely the brushstrokes are loose and very visible. As I understand it, if the colours and tones are right, our brains fill in the detail. This is amazing to me and is absolutely the type of painting I want to create. Just need another 30 years of practice. I particularly love how David captures water. He currently lives on the Isle of Skye where there is plenty of water around to paint.
Rewire Your Anxious Brain by Pitman and Karle
A fascinating read whether you struggle with anxiety or not, although I admit dealing with anxiety makes me, and probably most readers, predisposed to interest in the subject. This book explains the role of the amygdala as well as the consciously thinking part of the brain. What is most interesting is that reasoning with the brain (in the style of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy taught to many sufferers) isn't very helpful once the amygdala has been triggered. Other techniques are better at those times. For myself, it's nice to know what the amygdala is after years of autocorrect trying to change my name to Amygdala Goddard.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
This is an old favourite of mine. I'm including it here because I've just listened to the audiobook again. What I find remarkable is how well the humour has stood the test of time. This was first published in 1889. It's hilariously funny and often very insightful regarding life and human nature. I call this book and other old favourites my comfort blanket stories, ones I keep coming back to time and again. As an audiobook, even the familiarity of the voice is soothing.
As with a certain trip to Barnard Castle, rules are meant to be broken. Ed
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Corsair is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.
Folk Friday Radio
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