Thinks: there must be something about the end of summer. Why? After a nice day walking the dogs, sharing a meal with friends and stuff, I lay in the garden hammock until the sun went down listening while to my iPod*. I had that feeling that crops up, the one about the close of the season, time to finish unfinished business, lament, take stock and look back on the time of year that makes us feel alive.
*iPod: I need to upgrade, it’s a real pain that this Nano has such restricted space (4Gb) so I am looking at the Classic (which now start at 120Gb) but are much more bulky and heavy. There are some odd stories on the web about reduced sound-quality over the Nano series; they probably relate more to the 2nd series though.
Revenge Songs; by Jacob Golden is getting rave reviews in the media, is that because of the record’s euphonic sound? I’m not really sure how long I will like this album, but for now I am playing it every day. I never ever play an album more than once in a day, I really hate doing that- it just ruins the experience. On the negative side, is seems a little naive in places, and the production is a bit heavy on the reverb (or whatever it is).
News: I get to keep the toaster and the kettle!
This is: the new me. Or at least I am back, after wandering in the mires; I have returned. I shall not be stifled this time.
My cold is nearly over, my legs have the urging fizzy feeling again, so I rode at race pace to work today despite my lungs not being clear, none-the-less, I am out of the slow country. I draw breath through flared nostrils and the air smells sweet. My heart pounds against my chest in the old way it used to.
Wyeth: much to think over here, the more I try to understand the visual language, the more I am drawn in. I have two problems to solve, one is my own lack of experience with tempera painting. The other is the desire to become more fluent in this visual language. I shall read on.
Jacob Golden: "Revenge Songs" is presented with a euphonic sound, simple songs with charm and energy in places. Other times the close miked vocals create an intimate contact with the singer which invites repeated listening. There is none of the bitter melancholy of Malcolm Middleton, but this chap is far younger- this is, after all his debut album. there is another which should be worth getting.
The other new purchase worth discussing is the Andrew Wyeth book: "Memory and Magic". His art is a natural step from Hammershøi’s paintings. Some bear very close comparison, if only to suggest further understanding of both. The book is based on a set of excellent quality plates and three main essays by; Christopher Crossman, Kathleen A. Foster and Michael R. Taylor. I confess I have only heard of the last one, and have yet to read any of them- the book only arrived yesterday.
Sketchbook in watercolour: it came out as I expected, but it’s just too close to post here: take my word for it.
Instead, a short line of verse that entered my head in the early hours:
Goodbye, but not for too long.
What a muddle: I left my sketchbook at home today, today of all days! What with a period five meeting, I needed that book. In the end I cut some paper in the art department.
The face was from a meeting, but the hand was drawn in Sch. Assembly this morning.
Micycle 