I have been a fan of film director Lynne Ramsay for a long time with favourites being 'Morvern Callar' and her black and white short film  'Swimmer'. Absolutely stunningly shot under water bringing myth, legend, courage, narrative to the subject. I love water, I love immersing myself in water, fresh water is preferable to the senses.. As a lover of outdoor swimming, the weather has recently opened more chances to swim in fresh water and this has meant more experimenting with photography, for me, technically everything has to be right, the lighting - sun direction, colours, movement of water, mood, atmosphere. Chancing on a new, private and secret space to swim in Derbyshire, quiet, calm and in the early evening, 'Fluildity i' was born, of which since, I have had a request to repeat a similar photograph toward the Tim Andrews Project.

This brings me to my next exhibition, after my travel and holiday in Spain... as part of Brighton Photo Fringe Festival, Sept/Oct, I will be part of a group exhibition, exhibiting work from the Tim Andrews Project. I'm really looking forward to spending time in Brighton around other photographers and a creative vibe.  Hopefully I can also spend some time at the South Downs photographing in the fabulous space..


Space. I love space. I crave space; wide open space, mental space, physical space, vast forest wilderness space. Peace calm. There is so much human made  'noise'  around us now, mobile phones, traffic, shouting in streets. One thing is for sure, since having my natural setting studio space in 2 different spaces, I have most definitely become very aware of noise and of space. I remember when the shops on Sundays first opened all day, I was a teen but very much against it for the reasons of solitude and slowing down. Yes, Sundays back then, in my teen mind were boring, Sundays now in urban spaces and rural are full of noise, traffic. We are losing something very important to us as humans, the birdsong, the nothingness. The only day a year that here in the UK we don't have much noise is Xmas Day, unless of course, you live in the middle of nowhere  Imagine every week,a day with quiet, calm,solitude? 

The last forest walk I did recently, I saw not a soul for 3 hours,  given that this was an area where many folk walk, this was refreshingly liberating! It was raining, it wasn't a weekend.  The only company was cows, sheep in an access field and the sound of birds in the forest - the only sign of human presence? a wheel barrow waiting to be moved in readiness for its master. A forester somewhere doing their work, ensuring we, the people, benefit from these fantastic natural spaces. The lungs of our planet. 

It's been a fabulous few weeks in the UK with the sort of weather that we seldom are subject to, I love the long summer days in all their glory but for photography, I prefer autumn and the bleak winter time of the year, with this in mind, it's no surprise that I am enjoying creating some further still life photographs from wildflowers and different plants in their state of decay. The colours speak to me more as they lose their vibrancy, the changes in structure, form, and texture interest greatly. 

 In Preservation
July 2018
Nottingham 

ABC Art Trail Thanks

I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all who attended and or bought photographs at the ABC Art Trail event, it was a fabulous weekend with many visitors and supporters returning from last year, some as far as Scotland and newcomers recently moved to the area. It was lovely to talk about photography and the fine art experimental aspect of my work.

For the next few months, things are quiet on the exhibiting front but I am awaiting confirmation about a possible exhibition in Brighton, October, as part of the Tim Andrews Project, as and when I know I will post up here. 

Mid August I am taking a complete 'work' break and heading south to the mountains of south Spain, staying a night at the Cuava del Gato
http://www.andalucia.com/adventure/cuevadelgato.htm to photograph in the evening and early morning when all is quiet, I then head to one of my small favourite villages in Andalusia for rest, respite and of course some more photography. Next year I am looking forward to house sitting for a friend in the very same village for 2 - 3 weeks, a mountainside eco structure surrounded by olive trees. This will be a great opportunity for some documentation photography but also still life, experimentation and many other artistic endeavours. It will also give me the chance to live out my dream of heading south to experience certain areas of Morrocco.. More about that nearer the time and for now, enjoy the long days of summer and the wild nature all around...