Burnt Out Car at Kings Norton, Birmingham

Last week I was in a panic I had a sort of writers block or even bloggers block. I was thinking it’s about time I posted but without just posting for the sake of posting I couldn’t think of anything meaningful to write about. There are a few rants and raves and observations that I had jotted down on the back of a cigarette packet but nothing more than a few thoughts to work on. Then as if by magic: not only was my editorial dilemma solved with one phone call but also a temporary (at least) relief of my concern that there just isn’t the number of burnt out cars ready to be photographed that there used to be. More about this threat to my career on a later post.

I got a phone call from one of my many lookouts reporting a “burn out” over at Kings Norton. It wasn’t particularly early in the morning but as I hadn’t got to bed before 4am I was still half asleep when I arrived on the scene. I follow Major League Baseball on the internet, the games start around one o’clock in the morning UK time. After a season stretching from the 1st April to this final week and after 160 odd games the final standings are still in the balance and therefore recording the games is not the best way to view the season finish.
The car was in a beautiful condition in the best of urban grubby location so everything was ideally stage managed for action photographs for “You Will Never Look at Them in Same Way Again” too.

First let me introduce you to my lookouts: I have an army of dog walkers who cover the parkland in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, but I also try to make contact with people who work in these often off the beaten track locations where the cars will be found. They are in these areas for most if not all of their working day and therefore cover a large area. These guys have been my best source of burn outs this year; I don’t know their names so I can’t introduce you formally but they work for Birmingham City Council cleaning up the public parks. I originally made contact with them while I walked my 3 dogs down Trittiford Park and The Dingles. Sadly I found out today that one of them has been laid off work for the winter months (I do hate the current trend were companies/organisations no longer employ people for a 40 hour week, 52 weeks a year, but rota workers hours as required).

The lads took some photos of me photographing the car

Here they get my good side

Now this is really getting serious.

While I was working away the owner of the car turned up, she didn’t seem interested in what I was creating from her recycled pride and joy but didn’t mind having her picture taken with her burnout.

Of course there was the inevitable passer by, they always ask “Is it yours” “ are you from the police” etc but this cyclist although he was talking to me for some time he completely ignored the car and didn’t ask a single question about me, what I was doing, and why.

My photo of Hlavni Nadrazi is included in Schmap Prague

A bit of recognition this week when my Flickr photograph of Hlavni Nadrazi (Prague Railway Station) was included in the Schmap Guide for Prague


The picture was taken last June when I went to the Czech Republic with some friends we have been there a few times. Funny enough we talked only this week about doing it again next year, we fly into Prague but don’t normally stay there long and catch the train to Brno the second largest city, located in the South east of the country (far from all the tourists, stag nights and hen parties) last year we timed the visit to coincide with the Rolling Stones Big Bang concert.

Hlavni Nadrazi is the biggest and busiest railway station in Prague. It is also the most central, located just 5 minutes walk from Wenceslas Square. This Art Nouveau structure houses a lofty dome, stained glass windows and carved faces of women representing Prague as the 'Mother of Cities'.

See more of my photographs from the Czech Republic at my Flickr Site under the set Czech Republic

Well if this burn out car business ever comes to an end I can always put myself forward as a travel photographer, yes I fancy a bit of that.

Something Different – My attempt at Sculpture

A friend reminded me of some sculptor a Chess Set Comprising of Pieces Made of Coke Cans and Bottles that I did a few years ago and asked why it isn’t still on my website. I removed it along with other work because I wanted to focus on my art practise today – the dumped scrapped and burnt cars.

After I saw a funny video on You Tube were the Coca Cola HGV driver sabotages the Pepsi lorry so that he can deliver first I thought of a Chess Set, Coca Cola against Pepsi.

Cola Wars

This piece was accepted for a few open exhibitions noticeably the “Art Official” show at the Light House Media Centre, Wolverhampton in November 2004. When it’s on show people can’t resist moving the pieces around. I dabbled a bit with sculpture without being totally at home working in a 3rd dimension and sadly I found it hard to follow up this thought provoking work. It was a bit like following up “the” album or a Number One hit record, and I know how Thunderclap Newman feel, showing my age there. How about Chesney Hawkes “The One and Only” or one of the best one hit wonders 4 Non Blondes “What's Up” or even New Radicals “You Get What You Give”


One thing I like about this work is when the exhibition is over I don’t have to take it down with care wrap it in cotton wool which of course I do with my photographs on glass (even toughened glass breaks) I don’t even have to go and pick it up I just tell them to dump it in the skip.

Birmingham ArtsFest Weekend

Nice to meet a few “You Will Never Look at Them in the Same Way Again” readers amongst the big crowds at the ArtFest last weekend. This year the visual arts gallery show “Artspace” was situated in the Banqueting Suite at the Council House in Victoria Square. This was an ideal venue which allowed everyone room to walk around and view the work on show. Having learnt lessons from previous year’s events the organisation was superb although you can never legislate for the weather.

The rain falls, is anybody going to come to ArtsFest 08? What’s the forecast for Saturday and Sunday?

The rain seemed to draw people indoors to the gallery; perhaps they had left home without a look at the forecast or even popped into the preview show on the way home from work in the city.

After the show closed on Friday evening we went outside (in the rain) for the Light Night show. The spectacular display transformed the civic buildings with lights and images, it was so good I forgot I was drenched.

Drenched or not we headed off down to Aston University to the Birmingham Beer Festival, being a Guinness drinker I haven’t a clue about Real Ale but I can guarantee a good pint of the black stuff in any real ale pub because they look after the beer so well, on this occasion I had my mate Chris with me, he certainly knows his stuff and pointed me in the direction of some good stouts.

On Saturday the sun arrived, in fact it was too hot (we are never happy are we) and after the rain the night before it got quite muggy. The great thing about an event like this is you get chance to network with other artists, some new contacts and friends from previous events.

Of course I always have a camera to hand and click anything that moves and sometimes they don’t have to move

Andrew Bainbridge

David Pollard

David experiments with photographing objects trapped in ice and takes the pictures while the ice melts. He’s also got some great work from his extensive travels. Diverting from art for a moment David explains about his passion for fishing and the one that got away “this was the distance between his eyes”

Nick Williams

I met Wolverhampton based Nick at last year’s event and I we bumped into one and other through the year. I don’t know if Nick has a website, I did a search on Google but there is a load of Nick Williams around the world.

www.particlearticle.co.uk

Claire and Amy are sisters who make and I quote “Imaginary winged creatures created from abandoned, reclaimed and recycled objects". I was relieved to see that they are not in competition with me to discover dumped burnt cars because there work is far more delicate as they use pins, buttons, pen nibs etc, and nothing bigger than a light bulb.


Taking photos of exhibitions and my work hanging on the wall is very important for me it gives me a reference for my career as a working artist.


Its also part of a process that hopefully will illustrate my work as an art piece, I have found that when I explain my work to people somehow they miss that “look and feel” effect factor and its not until its seen on the wall does this become apparent. So there will be more On The Wall pictures on my website in future.



Hopefully by being a little bit creative with the gallery photos I can make these pictures less boring and repetative.

Birmingham ArtsFest 12-14th September

I’m getting my work together for the annual Birmingham ArtsFest weekend, for once I’m able to take the pictures from my own stock and not have to worry about will the printers deliver on time.

There is so much going on in the festival from all genres of live music from groups and artists such as
Baska (contemporary acoustic folk pop band) think I’ll give them a miss,
City of Birmingham Young Voices. Ditto
And loads of bands in the The Kerrang Unsigned Stage, that’s more like it.

Myself and other visual artists are in ArtSpace at the Council House in Victoria Square do come along and make yourself known.

The BBCs Test Match Special Flickr Site

As a keen cricketer and listener to the Test Match Special radio commentary I also click on the TMS Flickr site.

Aggers and Eric Clapton

Now you would expect that an organisation such as the BBC would employ someone to do this job who can actually take a descent photo and who has at least a beginner’s ability in Photoshop Elements. There is really no excuse for a consistent poor quality image especially as the BCC are linking to this Flickr/blog from the main News-Sport pages.

Comedian Mark Steel joins Jonathan Agnew at Edgbaston

They could (and probably will) in their defence say that the light conditions are not ideal. for example the contrast with shadow light in the studio and the bright summer sunshine outside through the large window create havoc but in this picture taken outside on the cricket ground the same heavy shadow applies.

Mark Pougatch interviews James Anderson in front of the Lords Pavilion

You don’t need expensive equipment in fact I have seen some great images produced from camera phones and cheap disposable cameras. I felt sufficiently annoyed about this site and I have sent an email of complaint. I’ll keep you posted “if” I get a reply.

Gremlins have hit again
Sorry to say that I'm having problems formatting the post in Blogger again. I thought I had found a work around after my previous problems. the links to the pictures just wont do what I want them to do. I dont think that I can add the offending images to You Will Never Look At Them In The Same Way Again because they are not available to download in the Flickr site, I do think that it is rediculous setting restrictions like that in Flickr because if you really wanted a copy of a pic there is a fiddley way by changing screen res and using a bog standard keyboard screen grab.

Lisa Marie Thompson’s Hands On Exhibit

When the development event was over I popped up stairs to the gallery to have a look at the Solihull Artists Forums “Hands On” exhibition and take some photos so that I can add them to the website. At first when I saw this work by Lisa Marie Thompson I thought what has a picture of Britney Spears got to do with Hands? And then I found out that the image is made of raised pieces like Braille, very clever.

The exhibition runs until 27th September.