Who in Middleport gives a shite about my sentimentality and whether my grandmother lived on top of that hill somewhere?
The pupils I will be working with arn't into perspective, foreshortening, projecting the angle of the shadows with a set square. They are not concernd if the knotwork boarder has two, three or even four strands. They are not concerned about trying to make a fish look under a ripple of water because when they are drawing them they are in the water with them. Looking at the patterns on their backs, chasing other fish, and the sea has become some kind of exstenion to the playground.
Thats what drawing fish is all about.
Here is the strange thing about this job.
I have family living in the region, not close family but cousins and their children, as well as a few Aunts. I only see them at weddings and funerals. But I feel like I have to do something, skillful and artistic, something that does not give art a bad name in the eyes of the general public.
Normally anywhere else in the country I feel relaxed enough to inflict what I want on the public. Though it is not my style to challenge people too far as this is sometimes irresponsible and can cause embarrassment.
I have this feeling of deference for the area, just because as a boy my father lived a few miles away and probably knows the area. An opportunity for me to leave behind something that was the best that I could do.
So I have revisted the fish pond as required by my brief and re done it. I will also design a version closer the pupils drawings as well for someone to choose between.
So what I was going to do was string 3 jobs into one blog and compare them as I went along as they had a common core. But I am not going to do that now, as one of them has been delayed fairly long term it seems.
So I am blogging one by one kind of serial blogging?
This Middleport job is the one with the fish pond I did 12 years ago…..its hard to start this.. as I came back yesterday from my public loos job really needing to research Victorian architecture/detailing/brickwork patterns or just patterns. William Morris is someone over the years I have flicked over looking at nice and very clever patterns, Kelmscott Press calligraphy loads of stuff I like him. I have been influenced by his leaf patterns before particularly in a previous mosaic in Wantage.
Now yesterday I hear trade union leaders on the radio saying 'if its good enough for the banks, its good enough for our Utilities' this is government ownership of failed private banking houses Northern Rock etc ….water, gas, electricity power generation in government hands then.
Like the old socialist days….William Morris I suddenly find out was very influential in the British Political scene and the Socialist Movement! I never new that, and all want to do is just read about him look at his stuff and learn more about him.
But I have to go back to the fish pond I already did, years back.
Still…. talking rubbish on here will get niether done. I signed a contract and time schedules drawn up by me should be kept to, so patterns on the surface of the water is what makes the fish pond. The fish …well I got some strange and beautiful ones from the school workshop, but not real which is the rub of this project.
The accent is from further north than Birmingham and comes from the potteries. My fathers accent, I dont really notice if people have yorkshire, jordie, scouse or scotish but a potteries or 'Staffy-cher' accent instantly brings back memories of childhood visits to my Grandmothers house and seeing my cousins. We visited once a year at Easter, for about a week.
I was brought up in saaaf east London and I only moved away from London in 2001.
Anyway I have to make a mosaic like one I made about 12 years ago. A little odd, as I dont have to find a design solution for this project. Cos it is a fish pond! And it is the one I made all that time ago. Of course I will have to re-design and modify it, which will mean drawing with pencils….eh…..that will feel some what strange, as I have spent all summer drawing with a 9" angle grinder.
I spent a day in a local school designing fish with two Primary school classes to incorperate into this project. The picture I have decided to upload today is the cover of a folded paper with an apology note.
Inside says;
ITo/ mrRoB
I am scoowey
Iand very Scoowey
From a boy who had a tantrum in the class room and had to be carried out and calmed down. I expect I will get to know him better as things unfold.
