At this point in January each year a sorry sight appears as unwanted Christmas trees are hacked up and bagged or simply cast out, ready to be disposed of.
Write a story or poem inspired by the idea of a similar undignified turfing out of a guest previously welcomed in, honoured and celebrated.
If you write or create something prompted by this, please send an email to judydarley(at)iCloud.com to let me know. With your permission, I’ll publish it on SkyLightRain.com.
Walking to Dylan Thomas’ home in Laugharne with Dad, November 2016
I’m thrilled that my poem Taf has been published in issue 3 of DNA magazine. I wrote it while visiting Laugharne in South Wales with my mum last summer. It’s a place we’ve often stayed as a family, and this was the first time I’d visited since Dad became too unwell with Alzheimers to travel.
The issue hinges on the theme Locations, so a poem written with such a strong sense of place felt like the right submission. The town, its woods and the tidal estuary are full of reminders that Dylan Thomas lived there for a while, and this time it felt as though Dad’s ghost and Dylan’s were strolling together through every view. It’s a strange thing to grieve a person whose heart still beats.
My poem aims to capture some of that emotional conflict, as well as the beauty of Laugharne. You can read Taf here.
My story Garden Shed has been published by the excellent New Flash Fiction magazine. It’s a deeply personal piece reporting almost verbatim from a dream about my father, who has Alzheimer’s Disease. I woke reeling with the discovery that all this time the man we’ve lost has been out there, safe in the shed, while the poor soul he’s become ambles through an increasingly confusing world.
You can read my story here: http://newflashfiction.com/judy-darley/
Weston Pier by Ruth Ander
I met artist Ruth Ander at Peter Ford’s beautiful Off-Centre Gallery and was immediately drawn to the cool, calm quality of her work. To me they feel full of clean air and miniscule water droplets. In fact, Ruth states on her website that her work is inspired by water, vapour and light. What would be more refreshing after a days of intense family time and over indulgence? Her paintings and prints offer a chance to stand still, breath deep and feel newly alive.
Sandbay Reflections by Ruth Ander
“For me it’s an emotional kick,” Ruth says of the urge to begin a new work of art. “Landscape, nature and the sea feed my emotions and inner life, and when the light and weather conspire to create those beautiful effects I just feel I have to express that somehow. I’m lucky that I’ve found a technique whereby I’m able to express that feeling well – though it took a long time to get there! I can create very thin layers of paint that can be equivalents to light and vapour, so now if a view inspires me, I find I will start deconstructing it into how I can convey it, Not sure if that’s a good thing though!”
As much as this may detract from Ruth’s own enjoyment of the views she depicts, each artwork provides a moment of peace for the viewer, captured through a process Ruth describes as painted prints, or printed paintings.
“Generally, I make pictures as mono-prints, which means a one-off print, a bit of a contradiction in terms.” She explains. “Basically, I’ll roll ink out onto a flat surface, manipulate it if I want to, then lay paper over it and press onto the back to transfer the ink. It can create wonderful unexpected marks and textures, but of course the downside is that once the ink is taken off the surface onto the paper, it’s gone for good and so can’t be reproduced as a multiple.”
Recently Ruth has had the chance to use the print facilities at Bower Ashton, one of the University of the West of England’s sites, as part of a scholarship programme. “This has been really exciting for me and allowed me to make etchings and screen prints mixed with my mono-prints to make, if not editions, multiples and variations on a theme.”
Ruth aims to reflect something universal in the scenes she recreates.
“I think light and weather are so fundamental to us as human beings that they’re bound to affect us,” she comments. “Certain landscapes in certain lights have an impact, and I don’t think I’m alone here, or I hope not anyway. Especially living on a wind and rain swept island, where the weather changes so dramatically and often. It does seem to be a Northern European thing to use the weather as a way to express feelings.”
The opportunity to spend a day making things is deeply pleasing to Ruth.
“Absolutely nothing beats being creative and playing in the studio all day with no restrictions – time or otherwise. Nothing at all,” she says. “It’s an incredibly satisfying and fulfilling feeling. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does I’m very thankful.”
Harbourside by Ruth Ander
Ruth’s work is currently stocked by Clifton Fine Art on Perry Row, Bristol and Tincleton Gallery in Dorset, as well as with Tinca Gallery in Portishead and Church House Designs in Congresbury. “Next year I’ll be opening my house for the Southbank Bristol Arts Trail and taking part in Dorset Art Weeks so keep your eyes peeled for more information.”
Find out more at ruthander.co.uk.
Are you an artist or do you know an artist who would like to be showcased on SkyLightRain.com? Get in touch at judydarley(at)iCloud.com.
I adore seaside locations out of season. This little hut is the entrance to a Westcliff Lift, which leads down to a Bournemouth beach, but only in summer. In winter, it’s locked up and abandoned. There’s even ivy growing through one window, reclaiming the space.
Imagine someone discovering this small building and taking shelter from the cold. Could this become their home, if only for a time? What might happen if someone notices their infringement? What will occur when summer returns?
If you write or create something prompted by this, please send an email to judydarley(at)iCloud.com to let me know. With your permission, I’ll publish it on SkyLightRain.com.
These days between Christmas and New Year often feel like a secret to be stepped into. Moments of quiet to be inhaled and exhaled, to be harnessed or released – sand through fingers, light over water…
We’re on the brink of an ending, and a fresh start, and for many of us this offers a wealth of possibilities.
What ideas does this time unfurl within you?
If you write or create something prompted by this, please send an email to judydarley(at)iCloud(dot)com to let me know. With your permission, I might publish it on SkyLightRain.com.
What an immensely complex year it’s been. So much change. My life has taken such twists and turns that this Christmas period I’m most excited about the hiatus from from every day life. I need to catch my breath, absorb everything that’s happened and take a moment to both appreciate all that, and look forward to the new year preparing to break its first wave on my shore.
Our little tree in Christmas 2016, apparently relishing a new, roomier pot…
Our little tree has had its own challenges to face. Early on in 2017, our wee spruce began to drop needles at an alarming rate, and no amount of TLC would revive him. So we sorrowfully planned to chop him up and bid farewell.
But the thing is, we’re both really busy. After dragging the tree and his pot closer to the house, we left him alone for a week or two.
In which time he began to sprout fresh green needles at the end of each bough. And while the boughs and stem remain skeletal and bare, each one boasts a green flourish – a hell yeah, I’m still here, suckers! to the world.
Zombie tree?
I’m concerned this year’s bedecking could mark the end for our fine, if confused, tree, but we’re counting it as a final hurrah for this feisty fir. Whatever comes this January, we’ll know he’s done us proud.
Our little Christmas tree 2015 – year 3.
So Merry Christmas, however you choose to spend your day. And as always, remember, however dire things get, don’t give up. You never know what a burst of determination can achieve!!
One of the loveliest things about this time of year is the excuse to reconnect with friends and family. Distant relatives suddenly bob to the surface of your mind with the help of a card or email, and some heartfelt Christmas greetings.
Imagine two people who haven’t been in touch for months or years, and the Christmas card that changes that.
Use this as the foundation of a story – who is the person sending the card? What has motivated them to reach out now? Who is the recipient? What has prevented them speaking for so long? Does the card have the desired result?
If you write or create something prompted by this, please send an email to Judy(at)socket creative.com to let me know. With your permission, I’ll publish it on SkyLightRain.com.
I’m always intrigued by the parts of things that we rarely see – the underside of bridges, backstage catacombs, caves…
The underside of boats are particularly beautiful when hoisted into the air for maintenance. Someone told me recently that this is a seven-yearly process, which is curiously poetic. Every seven years these hulls are hauled from water to be licked by breezes.
It seems to me that they carry with them the memories of navigations, stars and moons. The barnacles, rust and mottled paint are riddled through with sea shanties and myths. Some parts seem less than vessels than curious whales and other marine creatures….
What do they stir in you?
If you write or create something prompted by this, please send an email to Judy(at)socket creative.com to let me know. With your permission, I’ll publish it on SkyLightRain.com.
With an evocative sense of heat and botanical aromas imbuing every artwork, Grace Green’s paintings bring a hit of gorgeous colour to chilly days.
“I’ve always been preoccupied with colour, pattern and texture,” she admits. “As a child I was always drawing. Art is something that’s followed me through all my educational decisions, I took BTEC art and design instead of A levels, and at 16 I knew it was the only subject I wanted to pursue. Both my parents went to art college and my brother too, it’s almost as if I didn’t have a choice!”
Grace’s vividly fecund paintings are the result of hours of experimentation with different hues.
“I enjoy the way two colours sit with one another more than anything,” she says. “When I left college I went to India for three months, at the time I was unaware of how much it would influence my love for colour. Now I choose my holiday destinations by looking at how colour is used within a country. Nature is so vibrant and not afraid of colour either.”
Herbaceous Hot House 2 by Grace Green
It’s abundantly clear from her creations that the natural world is a driving force when it comes to composition.
“I appreciate the contrast between linear structures and organic plant forms, as a reminder of constraints that are placed by man over nature,” she comments. “I notice different patterns next to one another in everyday set ups and it reminds me that pattern is everywhere. When looking under the microscope at something that to the eye seems flat or single tone, you see its make up is so intricate. When I paint I let my minds eye imagine these shapes which allows me to free flow forms next to painted shapes that one can understand.” Continue reading
According to Kim Ann Zimmermann at Live Science, “Pareidolia is a type of apophenia, which is a more generalized term for seeing patterns in random data. Some common examples are seeing a likeness of Jesus in the clouds or an image of a man on the surface of the moon.“
It’s also the reason why a particular brand of breakfast food is known as ‘Sad Ghost Cereal’ in my household.
Imagine becoming convinced this was the truth – could you become haunted by your own snack? You can shift this phenomena to any household item. Just take a glance around and see what’s grinning or grimacing at you right now!
If you write or create something prompted by this, please send an email to JudyDarley(at)icloud.com to let me know. With your permission, I might publish it on SkyLightRain.com.