Is this Street Art?

I spotted this sign at a road junction about a mile or so from my house quite some time ago. It made me chuckle and I vowed to get an image of it at some point. Today was that day, so I parked at the local church and walked along the edge of the road to get this shot. It has not been edited other than to sharpen it a little.

I cannot understand what on earth is going on at that junction. There are no sidewalks on any of the roads leading to the lights and it is a fairly busy and dangerous corner. Quite why the local authority would think it sensible to put up a pedestrian controlled light and then a no pedestrian sign is anyone’s guess.

Having “visited” the place I can only assume it is some type of Street Art, perhaps making some deep statement which I am yet to discover…

~Richard

February 25, 2017 0

Ephemeral Art: Snow Warning

Today we had our first major snowfall of the season in Southern Pennsylvania. A few inches of wet, sticky snow. I took the opportunity to create a temporary piece of art on the lawn using the yellow paint left over from the yellow submarine oil tank.

This is not only a tribute to the late, great, Frank Zappa, but also a useful warning to all who pass by! Anyone watching be contort to get this sprayed without getting my feet in the way, and shaking the can in the cold air may also have considered this to be a one-off performance art too!

~Richard

February 9, 2017 0

#r2bcheerful35 – Health Service glasses

It’s been a long time since I lived in the UK and when I was there my eyesight was better than it is now so I didn’t need glasses for reading. However, it was nice to know the National Health Service (NHS) offered free glasses, at least to the young, old, and less well off members of British society. I checked on their website and it still seems to be the same, so that’s good. When the NHS was established, on 5 July 1948, during Ian’s childhood, it was surely a reason to be cheerful, as it is today, to be able to get your eyes checked out and glasses if you needed them courtesy of the good old “Health Service.”

170205_r2bcheerful_glasses
Yes, I know these aren’t NHS glasses, but to be honest they’re not too dissimilar from the old black-framed ones that used to be issued when we were kids.

~Richard

February 5, 2017 1

February 3, 2017 2

#r2bcheerful24 – Going on forty

Ian was born in 1942, so when he and the Blockheads wrote this song in 1979, he was the grand old age of 37 years old. Given he was at the height of his musical career at this point, after a fairly late start, I would think it fairly obvious that “going on forty” was a reason to be cheerful for him.

It’s been a long time since I was 40, but I was on a number hunt over the last couple of weeks for my photo site and did happen upon this great 40lb dumbbell in the gym which I offer as an interpretive image.

170124_r2bcheerful24_40
~Richard

January 24, 2017 1

What you feel, or why a painting is like a pizza

This is the first time I have composed a book review for this blog (I have reviewed hundreds of items on Amazon, but that’s another story), however, I felt compelled to mention this particular book simply because of the effect it has had on me, which has been little short of transformational.

I have been a photographer for several years and I maintain that the simple act of using a camera viewfinder and considering the composition of a shot has literally and figuratively opened my eyes on how I see the world. As someone with little formal art background and a career in a scientific world this subjective area of my life has always played “second-fiddle,” so to speak, to the practicalities of successfully raising a family in an ever-changing world.

Recently we visited MoMA in New York and I was amazed by much of the artwork and confused by much of the more abstract works too. I was fortunate to visit another gallery the following day (The Frick Collection) with an extremely knowledgeable friend and, importantly, I listened as he explained the nuances of many of the historical art pieces on display.

This outing spurred me on to visit my local library and the selection of the book, Why a painting is like a pizza, by Nancy Heller so that I may get to grips with contemporary art. I am so glad I did.

Heller’s introduction and simple comparison to real-world examples at the start of this relatively compact book suddenly made everything click into place. Working through the concise chapters and the color and monochrome plates I was drawn into the world of contemporary art through abstractionism and abstract art forms. I now have a much clearer understanding of these highly complex pieces of art and appreciate the why monochrome works and minimalist pieces can evoke responses in critics which appeared often insane to me, but a few short weeks ago!

To be honest, reading this single book, timed as it was with my gallery visits and friendly guidance, has been like an epiphany to me. Needless to say, I have now ordered a copy and I am sure I will keep coming back to it again and again. Heller’s work is by no means comprehensive, nor does it profess to be. It does however extend from painting to sculpture and installation art forms, and has certainly whet my appetite to explore more. I cannot wait to get back to MoMA and other art museums…

To paraphrase what I have learned from this small book:

“art is not what you see, but what you feel ”

~Richard

January 21, 2017 2

#r2bcheerful53 – Something nice to study

I don’t know about you, but I love learning new things, even as I get older. There’s something fulfilling about adding to my knowledge and skill set and it keeps my mind and body healthy.

Although I am quite happy using the laptop to scour the web for useful pieces of information I must admit that I do love a good, old-fashioned book to leaf through once in a while. There’s something fundamental about the tactile nature of the interaction and also the randomness of flicking through the pages of textbooks, or browsing whole collections in a library, or (even better) a secondhand bookstore with the added element of surprise around every corner…

As far as I am concerned having something nice to study is a great reason to be cheerful!

~Richard

January 18, 2017 2

#r2bcheerful8 – Jump back in the alley

This may seem an odd reason to be cheerful but I have had a few years to think about this and here’s my theory: When Ian and the Blockheads were writing the song back in Italy following the cancelled gig they were probably bouncing ideas off each other. The fourth reason to be cheerful they chose was the phrase “good golly Miss Molly” from the Little Richard song of the same name. It seems quite logical to me that “jump back in the alley” is another reference to Little Richard’s song, “Long Tall Sally”. In this case the phrase could mean listening to the song, or perhaps the fun that Uncle John is having in the original song!

Either way, they are both a good reason to be cheerful!

~Richard

January 17, 2017 1

#r2bcheerful58 – Coming out of chokey

If you are sane enough to be naughty (see #r2bcheerful23) you may end up enjoying some time at Her Majesty’s Pleasure in the chokey (prison). Getting out of chokey would then be a real Reason to be Cheerful!

This image is of one of the spur corridors at the now disused Easter State Penitentiary in the heart of Philadelphia. This is indeed a cold, grim place and one that any inmate would have been glad to get out of prior to its final closure in 1971…

~Richard

January 15, 2017 3

#r2bcheerful25 – No Electric Shocks

My understanding is this phrase was the inspiration for Ian writing Reasons to be Cheerful (Part 3). During a tour in Italy in 1979 one of the band’s roadies, Charley, was nearly electrocuted during a soundcheck at one of the venues because of poor electrical wiring at the gig. Thankfully, he survived but the show was cancelled and this song was written in the hotel that same evening.

Anyhow, we all know that although essential for modern living, electricity is dangerous unless treated with respect.

This sign is from an old disused rail bridge near to my home, and warns of the dangers. Not having an electric shock is always a reason to be cheerful!

~Richard

January 14, 2017 1

Category: photography

Is this Street Art?

Ephemeral Art: Snow Warning

#r2bcheerful35 – Health Service glasses

#r2bcheerful24 – Going on forty

What you feel, or why a painting is like a pizza

#r2bcheerful53 – Something nice to study

#r2bcheerful8 – Jump back in the alley

#r2bcheerful58 – Coming out of chokey

#r2bcheerful25 – No Electric Shocks

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