tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44011979420164311042024-03-10T02:45:44.982+00:00of-coursebien sûr ~ nothing is ever black and whiteUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger603125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-48764258637508233162024-02-26T07:43:00.002+00:002024-02-26T15:06:05.132+00:00Cash is king<span id="docs-internal-guid-b06cdce3-7fff-940b-48d8-c6247abce08a"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And like any monarchy it exploits and oppresses people.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To all those ostriches who are continually whining on</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the social medias</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> about cashless businesses, self-service tills and using cash. You need to wake up. You're wasting your energy on a lost cause. And indeed the wrong cause. All because you are frightened of change. These changes are inevitable. You will not stop them. The cashless society is coming. The real enemy is not the cashless society. The real enemy is capitalism. Capitalism is all consuming. It is wasteful. It is inherently unfair. And it has total control. But, It doesn't have to be like this. Put your energy into something productive. Take back control in the only way possible. Support, promote and fight for socialism. It is the only sane, equitable, fair and credible solution. Socialism will ensure your safety. Nothing else will.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At best all you'll do by complaining is delay the demise of cash a little. If you think that cash somehow makes you immune from control then you are a complete idiot. Governments can make cash valueless overnight if they so wished. It could be that easy. Cash only has value if it is backed by a government. In other words it only has value if a government says it has value.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stop worrying about the minutiae and focus on the bigger picture. You have no freedom because you have opted out of democracy. Because you are too lazy or stupid to join in. As a consequence the cancer that is right-wingery (the political wing of capitalism) has taken hold. If you'd been a bit more vociferous about losing control of your rights, or just plainly voting them away then you might not be so fearful. Cash isn't going to save you. Nothing will save the completely stupid. FFS wake up.</span></p></span></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNJdz8w2qMaM6IUsFJHQhGy114NBKiZF11h-wK9KS_2EhTH1VMYJbeisEnguiO5Q45w9-hTwerHaiX0ROhX6ACpFUstw4R9_Uxrw67DkM5f-ShHj_QfTtYPIx1lJyENTEs7G6VdLtuD6ClNCIGoVfpXfIoZ6D0qwtgyW0r_hH5LgNm4MLCV7gj-GJ-b8/s1240/cashless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNJdz8w2qMaM6IUsFJHQhGy114NBKiZF11h-wK9KS_2EhTH1VMYJbeisEnguiO5Q45w9-hTwerHaiX0ROhX6ACpFUstw4R9_Uxrw67DkM5f-ShHj_QfTtYPIx1lJyENTEs7G6VdLtuD6ClNCIGoVfpXfIoZ6D0qwtgyW0r_hH5LgNm4MLCV7gj-GJ-b8/s320/cashless.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-9448036069492897362024-01-21T07:50:00.000+00:002024-01-21T07:50:00.288+00:00I'm not afraid of AI<p style="text-align: justify;"> <span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I know I've written before about <a href="https://www.of-course-blog.co.uk/search/label/ai" target="_blank">AI</a> but I thought a little update on my thoughts etc. might be useful. Well for me it would.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5f041bdb-7fff-04f4-bca8-ec0ce598cd26"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know that there's been a lot of scaremongering and quite frankly false information about AI but it really does have great potential to enhance our lives. I think that for a start AI is wrongly named. Artificial intelligence is a bit of a misnomer really. It isn't really intelligent, as far as I can understand it. At the end of the day it is just software. Albeit very sophisticated software. Essentially its software that recognises and discovers patterns. The universe is governed by numbers and patterns. Who knows, one day it might even tell us why the meaning of life, the universe and everything is 42. As always it's just a tool. You have nothing to fear from it. And as always it is people you have to fear. Particularly people who think that AI is infallible. </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Post Office debacle showed us that if you believe software (which is written by humans) isn't intrinsically flawed then people suffer. Nothing is perfect. Software certainly isn't.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having said all that, AI definitely has its uses. I find it useful to sometimes incorporate it into my art. I think of it as a pseudo ekphrasis. Offering inspiration in a serendipitous form. It's also useful for writing stuff. As those who've read this blog on previous occasions will know I'm not really an accomplished writer. I struggle to get across what I want to say. But I want to say stuff, and sometimes I'm put off from saying it because the words just don't come. That's where AI comes in. You can get AI to form the skeleton and perhaps some flesh. After which one's own personal input can be added and edited. I think it's going to be invaluable. It's going to help with all sorts of technical things in our daily. We just have to make sure we understand that it is just software.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have decided anything created in this way will be credited to <a href="https://www.xx2p.com/search/label/G.P.Thomson">G.P.Thomson</a>. A name I have made up. I would also add that AI was not used in the writing of this post but it was for the picture.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CKlCB4SqxWCVlnK-SjZFsJCUqSc9ovJyj3gaOmYa0ous86rLEhtx1QaevvfubRrbU5QakL5TwzT8uRnJjh7-1CU-cZ0dkduwylUE31W13qu7yGZJprXhmltZ3nNIHtldhWmS5Q8M5cZ0UDuPnRJItEHjp4QfL5Wu_haZOeKzIijBfXiQsHTvyNkAtf8/s1024/DALL%C2%B7E%202024-01-17%2021.04.33.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CKlCB4SqxWCVlnK-SjZFsJCUqSc9ovJyj3gaOmYa0ous86rLEhtx1QaevvfubRrbU5QakL5TwzT8uRnJjh7-1CU-cZ0dkduwylUE31W13qu7yGZJprXhmltZ3nNIHtldhWmS5Q8M5cZ0UDuPnRJItEHjp4QfL5Wu_haZOeKzIijBfXiQsHTvyNkAtf8/w200-h200/DALL%C2%B7E%202024-01-17%2021.04.33.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-26623428855066988902023-12-30T08:19:00.001+00:002024-01-17T20:08:02.897+00:00Nothing is random<div style="text-align: justify;">The concept that "nothing is random" suggests that every event or occurrence in the universe is interconnected and influenced by various factors, rendering true randomness non-existent. This perspective stems from the belief that all phenomena, even seemingly unpredictable ones, are governed by underlying laws, principles, or causes that may not be immediately apparent. In this view, randomness is merely a limitation of human understanding rather than a fundamental aspect of reality. It suggests that if we possessed complete knowledge of all relevant factors, we could predict and explain every outcome, eliminating the notion of true randomness. Proponents of this idea often argue that seemingly random events are the result of complex interactions between numerous variables or systems, making them deterministic in nature. However, it's worth noting that this viewpoint remains a subject of philosophical debate and may not be universally accepted.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVawzuStwTrPiMjPlqKOyhnAPocQmWk9x72kwt6T03MDKisio-SVOIBWzW9D68Ew-lt0mBtTlEuJpqZyhUjT-UMFsUvZFr47pW0ixbRGezaJROc4MuO-e0d99x_fPsBShm2-KBWggVjx7cS6WV7ett5akTvNFoMibXxwuhDcERlHcgUAyOlPhluQmarY/s1240/Nothing%20is%20random.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVawzuStwTrPiMjPlqKOyhnAPocQmWk9x72kwt6T03MDKisio-SVOIBWzW9D68Ew-lt0mBtTlEuJpqZyhUjT-UMFsUvZFr47pW0ixbRGezaJROc4MuO-e0d99x_fPsBShm2-KBWggVjx7cS6WV7ett5akTvNFoMibXxwuhDcERlHcgUAyOlPhluQmarY/s320/Nothing%20is%20random.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-55489775749469053832023-12-25T20:19:00.001+00:002023-12-25T20:19:08.088+00:00The bollocks of tradition<div style="text-align: justify;">As an adult I've always been rather bemused by the grip that tradition has on people. How important it is to hold those traditions and how disastrous it is perceived if any of them are not met? I just don’t get it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As a kid I loved Christmas. It was a magical time. Me and my sisters used to get so excited. We were lucky. We had a happy family. My parents could just about make ends meet so we feasted quite well. The house would be full; grandparents, great aunt and uncle and sometimes other relations. Whilst we never always got what we hoped for in the way of presents, we were mostly happy with what we got. That's not to say that there were no anxieties. I've always been an anxious person, so why should Christmas be any different? There were many things to worry about. So much to go wrong. Would Father Christmas be able to get down our chimney? Would the bread man or the milkman deliver? Would the chicken/turkey that had been ordered actually be there to collect? Adult worries that I as a child should not be concerned with. But I was. I see now that these were the seeds sown for my adult hatred of Christmas.
disastrous it is perceived if any of them are not met? I just don’t get it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As an adult I have always found Christmas a horrible time. Far too stressful. Stressful because in earlier years there was an expectation to spend money. Money that I did not have. It has taken me a long time but in the last five to ten years I've managed to extricate myself from all of the nonsense. I celebrate Christmas no more. I'm happy. The sky has not fallen in. The world goes on.
disastrous it is perceived if any of them are not met? I just don’t get it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The true meaning of Christmas, or rather Yule because that is what it really is, has been lost. It was a time of feasting around the winter solstice to get people through the dark cold days. Nothing to do with the christian god at all. The buggers just conveniently hijacked it to help reinforce their bizarre superstitions.
disastrous it is perceived if any of them are not met? I just don’t get it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Superstition and tradition oppress. Getting out of it requires you to think. But if you make the effort you will be happier for it. Go on, set yourself free.
disastrous it is perceived if any of them are not met? I just don’t get it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">You might say that you love Christmas, which is fine, but do consider others. Spare a thought for those that find it an unhappy season for whatever reason. Others including your nearest and dearest might not enjoy it as much as you think. Please do not inflict forced jollity onto them. Do you want them to be crying inside?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgat4TV98wmYf_ISsbK32WPIrOWVZ9ycEzzfmlXbPcoGry3BDkzN3Annb8UOHWHykZsdzRpX2a22OVgthAqd_QEzFa5IYNQvBHVAvxaUrHKav-Dnf5KF3DwEiy-KJBfbi03CqtkJecBU5_1zqtCddazNG1OqNKAj5DVFWCTzTLgFOFJTIDxs-Xsx7whyphenhyphenlA/s1375/Paul%20-%20Park%20Road%20-%20Christmas%20early%20sixties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1375" data-original-width="924" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgat4TV98wmYf_ISsbK32WPIrOWVZ9ycEzzfmlXbPcoGry3BDkzN3Annb8UOHWHykZsdzRpX2a22OVgthAqd_QEzFa5IYNQvBHVAvxaUrHKav-Dnf5KF3DwEiy-KJBfbi03CqtkJecBU5_1zqtCddazNG1OqNKAj5DVFWCTzTLgFOFJTIDxs-Xsx7whyphenhyphenlA/s320/Paul%20-%20Park%20Road%20-%20Christmas%20early%20sixties.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-26136654184941241932023-12-20T13:51:00.002+00:002023-12-20T13:51:57.675+00:00Nothing is ever black and white (revisited)<div style="text-align: justify;">Fundamentalism, political or religious, is the greatest philosophical danger to humankind; there are no one-word answers to the problems that beset our world. There are rarely simple solutions. Life is much more complicated than a tabloid headline. Unfortunately 'public debate' all too often sinks into polarised, lowest common denominator, narrow mindedness. Creating the Promised Land is not as easy as a political sound-bite or any religious teaching might suggest. Economics and indeed life itself are complicated webs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just as you don't stop murder by having a death penalty, you don't necessarily improve education by building more schools, or improve health care by employing more doctors; society’s ills can only be resolved by holistic solutions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Right and wrong are only matters of opinion and not some kind of universal truth. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems, if you only take things at face value and you do not bother scratching below the surface how can you ever understand the true meaning or the true implication of an idea? That's not being glass half empty or pessimistic about things. Life is complicated, and dealing with life is equally complicated.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">By way of example take ‘cost saving’, that great mantra of the modern age. The concept of cost-saving is probably a myth. Is it really possible to get something for nothing, or is a cost saving really just shifting the burden elsewhere, or a mixture of the two?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Culture, economics, education, health, law and order and many other aspects of life are so intertwined, so reliant on each other, that if you legislate or change one thing it will usually affect something else. Just like the 'Butterfly Effect', if you make a change in one place, it can reverberate and create change elsewhere; often in unexpected places.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Things are not always as they seem. Nothing is ever black and white. At best there are invariably shades of grey, but mostly things will be multi-coloured multi-faceted and fractal. Life is a rainbow. Look beyond the obvious. The obvious often isn’t.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4seCiWoRYj21Uv0whUV8NWlD1HnRpAuR3Yuxyz35TVG4W5nYHI5AJYX-odZpSv6rUXZnSKdu5fm-Vk_F6ztnbwNCs6d8JhX9enO1yBxo4p3Vn5RwVWKErTwQh_UtSABolneav9BZEdhEJ7fNtKKAkM0jitGhxaZWk-dTV7BZEWzLmSMNyuTmrY_ilC8/s1240/pandapostcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1240" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4seCiWoRYj21Uv0whUV8NWlD1HnRpAuR3Yuxyz35TVG4W5nYHI5AJYX-odZpSv6rUXZnSKdu5fm-Vk_F6ztnbwNCs6d8JhX9enO1yBxo4p3Vn5RwVWKErTwQh_UtSABolneav9BZEdhEJ7fNtKKAkM0jitGhxaZWk-dTV7BZEWzLmSMNyuTmrY_ilC8/s320/pandapostcard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*This was originally printed on my website paulgarrard.com</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-86673168157337362992023-06-14T09:06:00.001+01:002023-06-14T09:06:36.196+01:00The ambient somnambulistIn twilight's embrace, a figure roams,
An ethereal presence, in the silent homes.
The Ambient Somnambulist, a nocturnal sprite,
Awakening in slumber, to wander through the night.
<br /><br />
In moonlit realms, where shadows dance and play,
This mystic wanderer treads an unseen way.
Through hushed abodes and dreams so deep,
They tiptoe softly, where secrets often seep.
<br /><br />
A ghostly silhouette, shrouded in veils,
Their footsteps whisper like elusive tales.
Unbound by time, they traverse each room,
Where night's embrace envelops like a tomb.
<br /><br />
With half-closed eyes, they move with grace,
Exploring realms, both known and outer space.
They drift through realms of forgotten thought,
In twilight's depths, where the truth is sought.
<br /><br />
Their presence stirs the dormant minds,
A muse for dreamers, the creative kind.
For in their wake, inspiration blooms,
As poets find solace in their moonlit rooms.
<br /><br />
The Ambient Somnambulist, forever in flight,
Embracing the darkness, seeking inner light.
They carry the dreams of a slumbering world,
In whispers and echoes, their essence unfurled.
So let us marvel at their nocturnal quest,
For they are the messengers, divinely blessed.
Awakening dormant thoughts, they gently persist,
The Ambient Somnambulist, the dreamer's tryst.
<br /><br />
In the tapestry of night, they find their way,
Guided by stars that adorn the astral fray.
The Ambient Somnambulist, a guardian of dreams,
In their ethereal dance, reality redeems.
<br /><br />
So as the night unfolds its veiled design,
Embrace the wonder of this realm, so fine.
And know that in slumber's enchanting thrall,
The Ambient Somnambulist awaits your call.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYYhMQcqwT6o7q-fER3pemmOo_uhy454jDSptXuKTK-v-4tYKOj5cGuqWC9_1f4azGg7thq6hB2D3thE-dnhlsP_aPD3Jbr2xCa75OD0D6JIKXmMTXqW1v1nIhIB6hOYTqaAgdFwReyKMlwOYkaCWoYB9FejaIedryXHzZu8N1a77x_hzG_NOWx1Y/s1240/The%20ambient%20somnambulist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYYhMQcqwT6o7q-fER3pemmOo_uhy454jDSptXuKTK-v-4tYKOj5cGuqWC9_1f4azGg7thq6hB2D3thE-dnhlsP_aPD3Jbr2xCa75OD0D6JIKXmMTXqW1v1nIhIB6hOYTqaAgdFwReyKMlwOYkaCWoYB9FejaIedryXHzZu8N1a77x_hzG_NOWx1Y/w400-h400/The%20ambient%20somnambulist.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>A poem and picture created entirely by AI apart from the title, which was by me.</span><br />
<br /><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-46661744122608135962023-06-10T15:49:00.003+01:002023-06-10T15:50:46.595+01:00the Range Rover<div>Following on from the previous post about the book, Art is Magic by Jeremy Deller I just had to immortalise this quote from it in the form of a meme:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnQhQsXp7UDOrU3aPFqC_psa_fuDJ2HAm3GJCRv8z1EMljgBwTvy4ELFzgmLJ-ir-IgvBYpKfv7b6OlGgvbXC6WU5bjFoq0H0Poa8T_1x0jxqmfLQNX5Sw9w60qGJwcyfjHf2YijFbK43S-IffRq_aMIiyYz2aUv5q2j6hTHzkQhaBE-8bgcNWhdm/s1240/the%20Range%20Rover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnQhQsXp7UDOrU3aPFqC_psa_fuDJ2HAm3GJCRv8z1EMljgBwTvy4ELFzgmLJ-ir-IgvBYpKfv7b6OlGgvbXC6WU5bjFoq0H0Poa8T_1x0jxqmfLQNX5Sw9w60qGJwcyfjHf2YijFbK43S-IffRq_aMIiyYz2aUv5q2j6hTHzkQhaBE-8bgcNWhdm/w400-h400/the%20Range%20Rover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><i>“the Range Rover being the internationally recognised mode of transport for arseholes”</i> - Jeremy Deller<div><br /></div><div>Please feel free to share it on the social medias.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-6123380639903939582023-06-09T11:25:00.000+01:002023-06-09T11:25:23.329+01:00Art is Magic<div style="text-align: justify;">Last week it was my birthday and one of my presents was a book, Art Is Magic by Jeremy Deller. Jeremy is my favourite living artist. I first became aware of him about twelve years ago. I saw him interviewed on the telly, not knowing who he was, and I really liked what he was saying. His ideas about art and how he made art seemed very much in line with my thinking and the way I approached my art. It made me want to find out much more about his work. I’ve since visited quite a number of his exhibitions and enjoyed every one of them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don’t do reviews really, I’m pretty useless at it when I try. The trouble is I’m fairly illiterate but also it’s to do with the way I think. I think mostly in feelings and images, so I’ll let Jeremy’s words from the book speak instead:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>“Chapter 4 </i></div></i><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>It’s time to lose control</i></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>To some extent art is an experiment, where you introduce two elements together and then stand back and see what transpires, ‘this plus this equals, what?’. Often, I look to the public to improve the work by taking it in directions that I was not expecting. In public, you can lose control of the work… “</i></div></i><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I really like this idea of art having a life of its own. Many people can’t really grasp this notion. Then there’s:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>“Chapter 6 </i></div></i></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Don’t fuck with bats”</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A real slogan for our times.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Art is magic</i>. Art is fucking magic. Go out and get yourself a piece of the action. Everyone is a special kind of artist, and, remember kids, <i>don’t fuck with bats</i>!</div></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtn5sGQex_Ak8HIeqYhOp66Zljr21exqbUuX-LmmrRtTE0arFV14S4u1ZvugZnFEmYePObHyOopro--TROJzQQBS9y4h_KRhNyBMk_OWLj_QWkMadeqLOd6-mccTGu2oRcvmaM8l_FO_5D1a3pJ_MLEC7Lfedb6msG52tg-cXPqcur9NA_P5qzEIw/s4000/IMG_20230604_161347324_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtn5sGQex_Ak8HIeqYhOp66Zljr21exqbUuX-LmmrRtTE0arFV14S4u1ZvugZnFEmYePObHyOopro--TROJzQQBS9y4h_KRhNyBMk_OWLj_QWkMadeqLOd6-mccTGu2oRcvmaM8l_FO_5D1a3pJ_MLEC7Lfedb6msG52tg-cXPqcur9NA_P5qzEIw/w300-h400/IMG_20230604_161347324_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-55392210424866245352023-05-14T08:00:00.001+01:002023-05-14T08:00:00.143+01:00Vie<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdDSlz14wIOEGnkwWdJiH0FYDt1J_iaaHgCUU-S3vh5_IwCC-mXcMAkD6k9_qmMr1XXXWXO4BqCAMWKHcRIKTMkt_G3ClFC7Yj_yMl98XHL2GRKg4phaEsb5aA4KC8kzY14vtj8jY1_-VOMWppVX_c0tcUP3y3zTvV-PqLo8fdH1eOXwnj5NYB_B5/s1240/Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1240" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdDSlz14wIOEGnkwWdJiH0FYDt1J_iaaHgCUU-S3vh5_IwCC-mXcMAkD6k9_qmMr1XXXWXO4BqCAMWKHcRIKTMkt_G3ClFC7Yj_yMl98XHL2GRKg4phaEsb5aA4KC8kzY14vtj8jY1_-VOMWppVX_c0tcUP3y3zTvV-PqLo8fdH1eOXwnj5NYB_B5/w640-h452/Life.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I took this photo about a week ago. Look at it, it's teaming with life . It's a constant cycle. Nature when left is a thing of beauty. Just look. </p><p><br /></p><p>For some reason it reminds me of <i>The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-65174642996457591352023-02-24T08:00:00.002+00:002023-02-24T08:00:00.178+00:00Inside out<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Following on from the previous post here's a little poem of sorts:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b>inside</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b>i cry</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b>tears</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b>tears</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b>that burn</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b>inside</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mCmw1uyAlaCYoI4GvEegN7Ga5Tau9BFN3rN5v51vFUx_BfPsQ3vMTOEGKu1nRU63ZAzjoKAkPwjcVN8CUJKeBJcJadT8ePjNgn5GJ_a7ruWIeYNA1-wUDz4ocV224ysBXKQPVB_RibpK0igAzYHK0us3X6FKGYdwrKEiQeJm7OyWwVLIwQWFcVup/s1240/inside.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="877" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mCmw1uyAlaCYoI4GvEegN7Ga5Tau9BFN3rN5v51vFUx_BfPsQ3vMTOEGKu1nRU63ZAzjoKAkPwjcVN8CUJKeBJcJadT8ePjNgn5GJ_a7ruWIeYNA1-wUDz4ocV224ysBXKQPVB_RibpK0igAzYHK0us3X6FKGYdwrKEiQeJm7OyWwVLIwQWFcVup/w452-h640/inside.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-60256518135589749832023-01-14T08:00:00.001+00:002023-01-14T08:00:00.184+00:00 Winter blues<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I really struggle in winter. I really struggle. I think it's the endless grey days and the days when it never stops raining that get to me the most. I hate them.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4cbc45ad-7fff-9e70-f125-13082302fcc2"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year has been particularly bad. I have not struggled like this since the winter when, eight years ago, I was made redundant. I think this year is particularly bad because last winter was spent in the French department of Aude, with its proliferation of wonderful blue skies, nearly every single day. Now I am sadder than sad on the sad days. Blue skies here in Norwich are a rarity. It's all very soul destroying.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've suffered with depression most of my life. I mostly manage to cope with it. It's often been with the use of self medication (alcohol) and, in more recent years my art has become my therapy. That's quite a turnaround, because in my younger adult years it was also a source of my depression. Thankfully when I realised what art really was and what its true purpose was I became free from its tyranny. I became free to enjoy it. It liberated me. I also took the decision to stand back from Twitter. It had become quite toxic I felt. And, I have to admit that since I've paid it little attention, I no longer get quite as wound up.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These endless grey days just drag and I need sun. There are days when I really struggle to get out of bed. No amount of creating can help at the moment unfortunately. Perhaps it's more to do with the state of this country? I don't want to be here. That and the fact that we're only halfway through winter!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.paulgarrard.xyz/2022/12/a-dark-place-2022.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6OVElUTbHrYf3zidattxt0JEtpAxg8dIg30AC9cFkqt_AbsfEWKVsgm0nxnAJ_VlnmzLjXjk6x7NKKrkObr4nV__tldFespzWeaClFbT-sacXRo9vk9Py6hpmqhLrl-QYjw7HV7IbQWBidsQYmw9AWzF9gD4cn4-wiyKJotyTxMw4prc4lT-Burf/s320/A%20dark%20place.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-48705573312551514222022-12-19T07:30:00.013+00:002022-12-19T07:30:00.183+00:00 AI ART?<p style="text-align: justify;">I always think that the idea that art is somehow precious is quite laughable. People treat art with far too much reverence. It's basically what has turned art into a commodity. Creating fictitious standards, competition in the art world and notions of good and bad art has played right into the hands of the money men. It's only art for goodness sake!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Everyone is an artist. You don't need a piece of paper to tell you that you are an artist. You don't need anyone's permission to be an artist. You just need to do it. The only values that art really have are the ones that the artist has in the joy of creating and to those that consider something to be art are the joy of viewing/experiencing a piece. These are the reasons why I hate the concept of <a href="https://www.of-course-blog.co.uk/2021/03/the-art-market-knows-price-of.html" target="_blank">NFTs</a> and embrace AI picture generation. Art is in the eye of the beholder as Duchamp illustrated. <a href="https://www.xx2p.com/p/what-is-art-pamphlet.html" target="_blank">Art is what you want it to be.</a> All art is collage in one form or another. AI is just an automated way of creating collage. It's here to stay. I suggest you get over it and embrace it. Nobody will die from it. Lighten up folks.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAcqo1GynfWQzl2noL8m1eaifK2kIdAuWtC4OSM8ZcMk4pLoPLEtPXpHc-JfkXtdCaxQsjo7og19vLvnrJiqO1vfBFfxb2Py347bmUG5OV24udhvH5na8rODsLm0m0Dpn289Y1j_bx0HudAolivPfcvww3eux4Hgfi0R-Rqtpldy0GOwRWLacLAxh/s1240/Is%20AI%20art%20and%20what%20really%20is%20art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAcqo1GynfWQzl2noL8m1eaifK2kIdAuWtC4OSM8ZcMk4pLoPLEtPXpHc-JfkXtdCaxQsjo7og19vLvnrJiqO1vfBFfxb2Py347bmUG5OV24udhvH5na8rODsLm0m0Dpn289Y1j_bx0HudAolivPfcvww3eux4Hgfi0R-Rqtpldy0GOwRWLacLAxh/w400-h400/Is%20AI%20art%20and%20what%20really%20is%20art.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Generated by Dall·E using: <i>Is AI art and what really is art?</i></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-36891194326024794132022-12-16T07:30:00.001+00:002022-12-18T14:16:07.874+00:00All hail the Christmas tortoise <p style="text-align: justify;">When the festivities begin do you ever think about the Christmas tortoise?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This time last year we were in France. In total we spent 87 days there, which is just inside the 90 day maximum restriction that the fucking idiot Brexit voters imposed upon us. We were there from early December 2021 until the end of February 2022 and we had a great time. We spent the first 6 weeks in a place called Lézignan-Corbières, a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region in southern France. We really liked Lézignan-Corbières, it’s small but has most things you need. It’s bigger than a village but smaller than a town. Even though it’s not that big it definitely punches above its weight. They also like to celebrate Christmas, and thankfully these things don’t start as ridiculously early as they do in the UK. The high street had a Christmas market which came alive in the evening. A tannoy system in the centre played Christmas flavoured songs. Sitting out on a cold winter's evening, wrapped up warm, drinking Alsatian beer and eating a pretzel was a very enjoyable experience. The town was lit up with lights and there were extra illuminated Christmassy things in front of the Marie. Behind the high street was a park which had been decorated with lights in the trees and bushes along with various festive models and structures to form a <i>Village de Noel</i>. In amongst the Father Christmases, reindeer, penguins, igloos, slays and snowmen was an illuminated giant tortoise. The Christmas tortoise? How have I got to my late sixties without knowing about the Christmas tortoise? What is the meaning of the Christmas tortoise? Does anyone care?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We don’t really celebrate Christmas, but for me, knowing about the Christmas tortoise has enriched my life, and it will always have a special place in my heart. Seasons greetings all, however you spend your time.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rVIthyjJcRb7U1XDfMXjpwk04TZ3WluCzU3ifedakO4-ehCxhXPWr7auC74puvsG1SeKeUvjsHtkHK2y6BmyqWLPPphgRpBIRUTJJsgEilrb1Cs_cIL113zQrzY9qqWSdPqvkNAG1dPfEF_PPW5-VhoX1A6GZUC-EsjCg2LqetDFX4AwA7QskaQC/s1240/Christmas%20tortoise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rVIthyjJcRb7U1XDfMXjpwk04TZ3WluCzU3ifedakO4-ehCxhXPWr7auC74puvsG1SeKeUvjsHtkHK2y6BmyqWLPPphgRpBIRUTJJsgEilrb1Cs_cIL113zQrzY9qqWSdPqvkNAG1dPfEF_PPW5-VhoX1A6GZUC-EsjCg2LqetDFX4AwA7QskaQC/w400-h400/Christmas%20tortoise.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-73435112002300083892022-12-09T07:30:00.017+00:002022-12-09T07:30:00.190+00:00Did somebody say... ...Just Stop Oil?<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I support the <a href="https://juststopoil.org/" target="_blank">Just Stop Oil</a> campaign. Their cause is a just one. They are protesting for the good of humankind.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Oil is causing the climate and cost of living crisis, making us poorer and destroying everything we love.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We do need to end our dependence on fossil fuels, and fast!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/673058797768951/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfMmVKtYg0q-IZXm7CMuBt3KV2N2g0pRbQIm996B3tPon2FqxejL3jK6K26auqCQ3db3X37ybGyADrWCSy2oEV420sP8lKG8jagoRrWY31O15DIGDuYAjkzuuSGYqFiB67Wb9VuqGPZtHDzW1CuFwhn7Hn4Jidl1Uf012poUWC1HuTMIsPLEaMIqN/w400-h225/JSO071_SolidarityMarch-1024x576.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3074fbad-7fff-2d3b-1f99-34e524330494"></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As an artist I also don't have a problem with the<a href="https://juststopoil.org/2022/10/16/why-art-why-now/" target="_blank"> just stop oil protests directed at galleries</a>. Stop treating old art like it's something precious. All art is ephemeral. Don't blame the protesters, the problem lies with those that have turned art into a commodity. Capitalists, and governments that serve them. Who's going to look at art when the last human dies because we've destroyed our environment? Priorities. The human race needs to get its priorities right!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEF3jvrIVBULDRi0HJ4zwJGsl3RktW5kFaDK9GHwxETZkgkqCvsiJhzG8TMQRdwm2OCoGrmU0h_9rvnqpc1CI150aTLUzkhUKbqZhakjnqccpIO5xbQrgEclUzEbuaWaT5ATFSUbYXyj5fRp8K7RkQQ3X_7yMnhFGvLLCXEiTkvBjEN-V-bb7oL0nQ/s1240/Just%20stop%20oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEF3jvrIVBULDRi0HJ4zwJGsl3RktW5kFaDK9GHwxETZkgkqCvsiJhzG8TMQRdwm2OCoGrmU0h_9rvnqpc1CI150aTLUzkhUKbqZhakjnqccpIO5xbQrgEclUzEbuaWaT5ATFSUbYXyj5fRp8K7RkQQ3X_7yMnhFGvLLCXEiTkvBjEN-V-bb7oL0nQ/s320/Just%20stop%20oil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-47368710377524406952022-12-05T07:30:00.012+00:002022-12-05T07:30:00.183+00:00Jesus on a unicycle<p style="text-align: justify;"> As a digital artist I’ve embraced technology where I’ve seen value in it and dismissed it where I can’t. I think some of you will be aware of my contempt and dismissal of the <a href="https://www.of-course-blog.co.uk/search/label/nft" target="_blank"><i>Emperor’s New Clothes</i> that are NFTs</a>. I've also been avoiding AI* in the main because I couldn't quite see how useful it might be. I do have one picture that I created a while back that includes some AI, thanks to my Twitter friend <a href="https://twitter.com/trundleforth" target="_blank">Trundle</a>, but I've never really been tempted to take it any further. Then the other day I read <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/dec/01/six-leading-british-artists-making-art-with-ai" target="_blank">an article in the Guardian</a> about how artists are using AI to create art and I thought, perhaps now the time is right to delve a bit deeper.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My attitude to AI can be summed up as this: You know how natural fabrics breath and synthetics don't. Well the same applies to art and AI. As far as I'm concerned AI will never take the place of humans totally. At best AI is a Bri-Nylon shirt that can only be improved by the addition of human creativity. Add that creativity and you could have the art equivalent of a polyester cotton shirt. It will always need human input. But one thing that is certain is that it's the perfect Dadaist tool.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've created an account with <a href="https://openai.com/dall-e-2/" target="_blank">Dall.E 2</a>, which is some online software that creates pictures based on written instructions that you give it. I plan to use some AI generated pictures in my art where appropriate. I’m still working on a piece that uses the first few images I created with this particular software, but below is an image totally created in AI. As you can see it has limitations. Artists really do not have anything to fear from it. Well certainly not at the moment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The instruction that I gave it were: “J<i>esus with a middle eastern complexion riding a unicycle in a supermarket. Father Christmas is being crucified in the background</i>.” This text was inspired by a conversation I had on Twitter with <a href="https://twitter.com/OldGroghead" target="_blank">Groggy</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/neillyfabi" target="_blank">Neill</a> where it was suggested that perhaps I create a picture with Jesus on a unicycle. I thought it would be interesting to use AI to generate such a picture. As you can see from the picture, it’s not very good at following orders, and it doesn’t know what a unicycle is. Oh well, early days.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4vxg25mxUqwe6P04JyE84rMPo261OMTmksbIFMXnhKUPmbxONkzCSSG-IXr0iBKsZH_grNPmSLxaqBiGF9ZyO4mQA0SCv-rafBtgTv1oTGlrIJPq22ol7VBDggTfiRwo3-SH-XG10dfQjjcUyHI5hVb9PA7VXkhjWKIbw-69962_8NW9Zvol4Nmh/s1240/Jesus%20on%20a%20unicycle%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4vxg25mxUqwe6P04JyE84rMPo261OMTmksbIFMXnhKUPmbxONkzCSSG-IXr0iBKsZH_grNPmSLxaqBiGF9ZyO4mQA0SCv-rafBtgTv1oTGlrIJPq22ol7VBDggTfiRwo3-SH-XG10dfQjjcUyHI5hVb9PA7VXkhjWKIbw-69962_8NW9Zvol4Nmh/w400-h400/Jesus%20on%20a%20unicycle%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">created using Dall·E 2</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*<span style="font-size: x-small;">AI = Artificial Intelligence. Software that is designed to learn and grow its knowledge derived from the tasks it is asked to perform.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-59874738327495587742022-11-27T14:51:00.002+00:002022-11-28T22:56:06.442+00:00Migration is a human right<div style="text-align: justify;">Humans like other animals have always migrated. Countries are meaningless. They are artifice. Countries exist to oppress. They help the rich and powerful to maintain the status quo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Having said that, I fully accept the need for a collective to organise themselves to provide <a href="https://www.of-course-blog.co.uk/2010/02/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs.html" target="_blank">Maslow’s principles</a> for one and all, within that collective. But collectives and their location should always have a degree of fluidity. Nothing is set in stone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Borders are a nonsense; 'Controlling borders' is never going to be truly successful, and in the future it will just become impossible. Because of the climate catastrophe that we have helped to create, environmentally and economically, people will find it intolerable to stay where they are in some parts of the world. Mass migration will be the result of centuries of imperialism. Centuries of ‘the west’ exploiting and oppressing others around the world and plundering natural resources. We should welcome migrants, try to improve the world and tax the rich out of existence. We can provide for all, we just have to eradicate hate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One world. One love.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqSnHMJrpPfJVk0maix2q_gNwVTSEG2fNwIttzHQAmHNLuULWGi06zhzbuj6pMqVpleD0JKpbX4r-mR48tINeolPgw7k0LNlHuYn_RZ1OiBDd1R3MH0l0Laa7KrV-e7PUZjGnPJlYvSSddEYO79h3CSG377QgW_4WNuxXA__Oq_PzQ7ycmL7hxUH_/s1240/Abolish%20borders.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqSnHMJrpPfJVk0maix2q_gNwVTSEG2fNwIttzHQAmHNLuULWGi06zhzbuj6pMqVpleD0JKpbX4r-mR48tINeolPgw7k0LNlHuYn_RZ1OiBDd1R3MH0l0Laa7KrV-e7PUZjGnPJlYvSSddEYO79h3CSG377QgW_4WNuxXA__Oq_PzQ7ycmL7hxUH_/w400-h400/Abolish%20borders.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-28628712865311159762022-11-24T07:30:00.001+00:002022-11-24T07:30:00.211+00:00RIP Wilko Johnson<p> I was very sad to learn yesterday that Wilko Johnson had died. He was truly a one-off. There was nobody else like him. He was a great songwriter and a truly mesmerising performer. It's a great shame.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrsGITUwpNERwmNfXx5Q2qmhWmI43M3p9DCurIhkE9pBjFwH4m7leHhco3TU6mfh4DKv5CluS0K1RCfYnXLSabZScuDihiVH1bZN4i5u6qD3U4kSvclo89rYLlWb9jwQ2-aXutBsQc8vV0d44ZjBsTGzLizHh2INnuXRnVtscP5S4CWzVmt7H9v6E/s659/wilko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="614" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrsGITUwpNERwmNfXx5Q2qmhWmI43M3p9DCurIhkE9pBjFwH4m7leHhco3TU6mfh4DKv5CluS0K1RCfYnXLSabZScuDihiVH1bZN4i5u6qD3U4kSvclo89rYLlWb9jwQ2-aXutBsQc8vV0d44ZjBsTGzLizHh2INnuXRnVtscP5S4CWzVmt7H9v6E/w373-h400/wilko.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-1529859904882489202022-05-01T08:00:00.001+01:002022-11-23T22:50:30.135+00:00Mayday, Mayday<p style="text-align: justify;"> After the revolution we will obviously celebrate May Day properly. A celebration for the proletariat. There will also be anthems. Music has to be a key part of the new republic. The obvious anthem is L'Internationale:</p><p style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TGDuJs8YrB4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: justify;">But I think I can suggest a better one. There's a radical song from the sixties that was way ahead of its time and sung by the peoples' performer and heartthrob to many a mother and granny, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=we%27re+gonna+change+the+world+matt+monro&sxsrf=ALiCzsYJ8onL_bNFVV8UeaWEXwGKY2D7wQ%3A1651266625114&ei=QVRsYpHPBvSo8gKm2pO4CQ&ved=0ahUKEwjR8_nEl7r3AhV0lFwKHSbtBJcQ4dUDCA4&uact=5&oq=we%27re+gonna+change+the+world+matt+monro&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBQguEIAEMgYIABAIEB4yBggAEAgQHjoECAAQRzoGCAAQBxAeOggIABAIEAcQHkoECEEYAEoECEYYAFCfGliXHmDmIWgAcAJ4AIABggGIAcoCkgEDMS4ymAEAoAEByAEIwAEB&sclient=gws-wiz" target="_blank">Matt Monro - We`re Gonna Change The World</a>. Give it a listen, it'll change your world.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtVh9t2TxAbCdqwi28NhTw6pjycwL-jdorY0bAKzPcqGCvx0sqs-VDkC1Dc9PhWyAhWxgTYx0Sttep1R0OW-O31LnMmqV7E0_CdLdR7OKGadYnEkLUH0pJVOdR6zQM7T6PA2zsM8bbSL61HMSpW8rT68eXwYQ1jb_W5JJyAkHmdrVyUntVmJXGglN/s1240/revolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtVh9t2TxAbCdqwi28NhTw6pjycwL-jdorY0bAKzPcqGCvx0sqs-VDkC1Dc9PhWyAhWxgTYx0Sttep1R0OW-O31LnMmqV7E0_CdLdR7OKGadYnEkLUH0pJVOdR6zQM7T6PA2zsM8bbSL61HMSpW8rT68eXwYQ1jb_W5JJyAkHmdrVyUntVmJXGglN/s320/revolution.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-23370231367776788242022-04-26T07:30:00.002+01:002022-04-26T07:30:00.172+01:00English Fuckism<div style="text-align: justify;">The arrogance and brutal cruelty of the English ruling classes along with the stupidity of the English working classes make for a very dysfunctional, xenophobic and inward looking country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">English history is littered with cruelty to its people and even worse to those in other countries. All empires are evil and the British Empire* was no exception, reeking havoc wherever it went. Unfortunately the way that our history is taught and reported is always with a pro establishment stance. They feed just enough patriotic, gold-plated horse shit to the plebs to keep them feeling great about themselves, whilst behind their backs they are robbing them blind and shitting on them from a great height.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">England is shit and it mostly always has been shit and it wont change until the sheeple wake up. Meanwhile the elite practice what can only be regarded as <i>English Fuckism</i>, a unique form of fascism peculiar to these lands. A philosophy which basically offers a great big <i>fuck you</i> to anyone in the world that isn't part of the English ruling classes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5WupLQbVeLszO253t6SUn7lSnwSA742j_sl9CoKUvpcxhRKD8faMz8-FWPi3CysIe-iFczc-nRor1Mmj-dXV4533soXauznJ3e4ERDi5HWYKb5FM_WcD2O8H3o6XUbD3aabHZ0emzpp3UVOBSWGhfnthSNSOZjLcwcg4PeOenKMd4fmMhaSQixDS/s1240/English%20fuckism.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5WupLQbVeLszO253t6SUn7lSnwSA742j_sl9CoKUvpcxhRKD8faMz8-FWPi3CysIe-iFczc-nRor1Mmj-dXV4533soXauznJ3e4ERDi5HWYKb5FM_WcD2O8H3o6XUbD3aabHZ0emzpp3UVOBSWGhfnthSNSOZjLcwcg4PeOenKMd4fmMhaSQixDS/s320/English%20fuckism.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As George Orwell said, "<i>He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.</i>". This has enabled the ruling classes to feed the people with enough propaganda so that, again as George puts it, "<i>The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them</i>." Mission accomplished.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Until we eradicate the old order and their <i>English Fuckism</i> we will never be able to <i>take back control</i> or <i>level up</i>. We will just continue down the path of serfdom enabled by divide and conquer bigotry. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*<span style="font-size: x-small;">I realise that I've flipped between British and English. It was intentional. The English ruling class controlled the empire. Any other way of looking at it is just pretence.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-89483471688134358222022-04-23T08:00:00.012+01:002022-04-24T22:47:07.114+01:00St George - Middle Eastern warrior<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George" target="_blank">St George</a> wouldn’t have known who the English were, basically because as such they didn’t exist. He may have vaguely heard of a distant, cold and wet land called Provincia Britannia, a godforsaken part of the Roman empire, with its barbarian natives, but that would be all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He certainly wouldn’t have known of the ‘flag of St George’ as that was an invention by the Italians in mediaeval times.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He was born in the Middle East, most likely Turkey, was in the Roman army and is included in some Muslim texts as a prophetic figure. He has absolutely nothing to do with England, nor does his flag.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you want to read more about him you will find <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George" target="_blank">this</a> very useful.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s ironic that George is associated with much of what <i>flag-shaggers</i> would hate, but given that most of them are going to be illiterate knuckle draggers, they will never have bothered to find out. Ah, the blissful ignorance of the bigot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzXQyAiEKMR4-wlVVMDByKQK-UlZ2q4tn23q4SYJ72qCDt9Z81EaWW85gD5Rv2EZtEkleZynmkDY1Zfr5JituXiGWbJySqsUUBTZnedyVOcAD08JW0Wtk2fSlrJbPouXbfkTNYigJ18WUwPQhJDMxUvn-klKzA4Lyqamqn4T1Gl0B_SHudWNUZ2iZ/s1240/st%20george%20-%20identikit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzXQyAiEKMR4-wlVVMDByKQK-UlZ2q4tn23q4SYJ72qCDt9Z81EaWW85gD5Rv2EZtEkleZynmkDY1Zfr5JituXiGWbJySqsUUBTZnedyVOcAD08JW0Wtk2fSlrJbPouXbfkTNYigJ18WUwPQhJDMxUvn-klKzA4Lyqamqn4T1Gl0B_SHudWNUZ2iZ/s320/st%20george%20-%20identikit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFTm_5O-izEEL45F63-rNmsAasZgqtCNtucJuwlmWlGcj9ZIWmyvofMhuE5DDGzLNhogZ3t5M3owrT4PwdZbX6XeKiuSc3ju0F_ZfQtQqgiI_vEE9S8PuzK2adCZyIzRdvA6OwGsgJ3OgrAHl7_FXUaAtDl7iEcLnlp82hBFdFpv1NSp5p_q3ltob/s1240/St%20George%20the%20icon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFTm_5O-izEEL45F63-rNmsAasZgqtCNtucJuwlmWlGcj9ZIWmyvofMhuE5DDGzLNhogZ3t5M3owrT4PwdZbX6XeKiuSc3ju0F_ZfQtQqgiI_vEE9S8PuzK2adCZyIzRdvA6OwGsgJ3OgrAHl7_FXUaAtDl7iEcLnlp82hBFdFpv1NSp5p_q3ltob/s320/St%20George%20the%20icon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>I might add that I don't subscribe to the concept of saints, patron or otherwise. It's all part of the superstitious nonsense that religion is. I just like debunking the myths. There really is no such thing as <i>the English</i> (or <i>British</i> come to that). No, you shut up!<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-48402467063785551362022-03-26T08:00:00.002+00:002022-03-27T20:06:13.983+01:00Wrong conclusions can be jumped to<div style="text-align: justify;">Where possible I try never to explain a piece of my art. It is up to the viewer to take from it what they want to take from it. If it makes them think then that pleases me. If not, if perhaps it just reinforces their own prejudices, then so be it. You can argue or stimulate those with closed minds.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My art comes in two types. The first is where I wish to convey a message or an idea that I believe in and the other is about illustrating a thought or phrase that pops into my head in a serendipitous way that I’ve seemingly not controlled. I may not even agree with the notion I am conveying; sometimes an artist just needs to agitate. Think of it as the equivalent of giving someone a good shake.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The job of the artist should be about amusing and getting people to think. Without thinking we are lost.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkJve53VjHKiGeGpMleOdaAECDvUJp_txN3VmwTqGtMPOIKounypCd-Bp_e5bv1a2moa7Nk2W4BLgeR-4mj_Zs5X_0OWmD48UygVBtFd6cg9COOPB9aht65ndhQIFsxYmwuMUWI6aoohWoq3WWbKICUN0wA6aRDhDEjgXRkjz-XSNSScaTdANjepV/s1240/art%20has%20a%20life%20of%20its%20own.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkJve53VjHKiGeGpMleOdaAECDvUJp_txN3VmwTqGtMPOIKounypCd-Bp_e5bv1a2moa7Nk2W4BLgeR-4mj_Zs5X_0OWmD48UygVBtFd6cg9COOPB9aht65ndhQIFsxYmwuMUWI6aoohWoq3WWbKICUN0wA6aRDhDEjgXRkjz-XSNSScaTdANjepV/w320-h320/art%20has%20a%20life%20of%20its%20own.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-24444102753585724172022-02-03T07:30:00.001+00:002022-02-03T07:30:00.185+00:00Liberty starts in the mind<div style="text-align: justify;">Black and white thinking is one of the greatest dangers to society. It’s why the UK is in the mess that it is. Unfortunately it is due to having too many lazy and ignorant people in the population. People who expect easy answers because anything too difficult or abstract proves impossible for them to digest and comprehend. But, as I’m very fond of saying, <i><a href="http://paulgarrard.com/home/nothing-is-ever-black-white/" target="_blank">nothing is ever black and white</a></i>. What’s to be done about it? I’m not totally sure. Somehow we need to educate people. And when I say educate I mean help them to be able to think critically and in abstract ways. Education is not about filling peoples’ heads with assorted ‘facts’. Education should be about setting people free. I doubt I’ll live to see an educated populace. I’m not sure it will ever happen. I’m not sure people want to be set free. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Liberty starts in the mind.
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVcAyLzg7j5fY9kA7TTIjLbk7XoJsr5Yg2gjh_r0_xSxROPC_Uryrsg76gI693FSwbCcnHY6BLOxQkVedDr6lwW0EPdsdiv6wF3RVlAEb0QOpYXajB3P4r6QeDBMc7gZNBnrPyIaRS_BNX7JBu0Gsx0kXm3VmMvD-BM9AvLyxAK5R3g-mFszRsH4nd=s1240" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVcAyLzg7j5fY9kA7TTIjLbk7XoJsr5Yg2gjh_r0_xSxROPC_Uryrsg76gI693FSwbCcnHY6BLOxQkVedDr6lwW0EPdsdiv6wF3RVlAEb0QOpYXajB3P4r6QeDBMc7gZNBnrPyIaRS_BNX7JBu0Gsx0kXm3VmMvD-BM9AvLyxAK5R3g-mFszRsH4nd=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-87185498445716349502021-08-28T18:52:00.004+01:002021-10-08T16:09:18.112+01:00Colour by Christina Rossetti<p> I've long loved the poetry of Christina Rossetti and this gentle poem is a gem. What rhymes with orange by the way?</p><p><br /></p><p>I've had this recording in the can for quite some time. I thought the world might be ready for it now.</p><p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1114655092&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-112030456" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Paul Garrard - Artist">Paul Garrard - Artist</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-112030456/5a3ff7ba-aac7-7a97-a9b9-18b275c806ed320" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Colour by Christina Rossetti">Colour by Christina Rossetti</a></div>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVAWDcI2TJMrvKmoJIlGJhY4UJuV0rB3b4A7jd1bC-gQ-srlmsfC3zIR26TflCBt-z4gIBvxGjLmr2LTxktLuVSXihw61JtoB35Huou92ddjJ0QgRGLBU83HhK4eQHR3l7aQi5Tg7844/s2048/colour+copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVAWDcI2TJMrvKmoJIlGJhY4UJuV0rB3b4A7jd1bC-gQ-srlmsfC3zIR26TflCBt-z4gIBvxGjLmr2LTxktLuVSXihw61JtoB35Huou92ddjJ0QgRGLBU83HhK4eQHR3l7aQi5Tg7844/w200-h200/colour+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-48473408004439645262021-07-09T20:08:00.001+01:002021-07-09T20:09:04.439+01:00Gunnera<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz54lVMxGw2Cpf28qCzqmg9Q-Jkrx8a84EWBrlsTKdiWzt9tcgh4k3F4OygKAP5UGHyvAbNyyb9_jG2s3-N5Q2-twp_fSZ5L-P69DkpWaJ8lZfP3DaYfSv2MpX8IdS9A-h188whpa3_MA/s1240/Gunnera16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz54lVMxGw2Cpf28qCzqmg9Q-Jkrx8a84EWBrlsTKdiWzt9tcgh4k3F4OygKAP5UGHyvAbNyyb9_jG2s3-N5Q2-twp_fSZ5L-P69DkpWaJ8lZfP3DaYfSv2MpX8IdS9A-h188whpa3_MA/s320/Gunnera16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><blockquote><i>"Gunnera is the sole genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Gunneraceae, which contains 63 species. Some species have extremely large leaves."</i></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>We don't have a garden but I quite like looking at other people's, and sometimes taking photographs. Last week we had a holiday in Devon, stopping in mediocre accommodation, but set in 13 acres of garden. There were some lovely examples of Gunnera and I took quite a lot of photos of them. Actually I took about 560 photos on holiday of various things, I get carried away, only about 30 were of Gunnera. Anyway here are about half of them:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v76ClPuT9BbSMIEEKMKIWfyvXiMrukuE_xxzC2vt-BDhwuDJe5E-znUHh8jTgRvSZ40d5GdD7y_7pxyS2WApF7raV5mGXmNuq3v_3k68SPBjGWThp3Juantm6QT0YiC9rrTNCicYOdU/s1240/Gunnera01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="877" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v76ClPuT9BbSMIEEKMKIWfyvXiMrukuE_xxzC2vt-BDhwuDJe5E-znUHh8jTgRvSZ40d5GdD7y_7pxyS2WApF7raV5mGXmNuq3v_3k68SPBjGWThp3Juantm6QT0YiC9rrTNCicYOdU/w452-h640/Gunnera01.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fPbG6UR7DiZMjpxEK__6UPyMB8JPKYpeGU2gJjun53ZJlnkTYUln5RxYIAAxijuEuURhH5tvTmRR_9bCa-TGmJ5tviYDKpf1Qh_UZkjbSmq8qGJvVz_uRMJc_MXmFNp9WGShJh-H7jw/s1240/Gunnera02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="877" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fPbG6UR7DiZMjpxEK__6UPyMB8JPKYpeGU2gJjun53ZJlnkTYUln5RxYIAAxijuEuURhH5tvTmRR_9bCa-TGmJ5tviYDKpf1Qh_UZkjbSmq8qGJvVz_uRMJc_MXmFNp9WGShJh-H7jw/w452-h640/Gunnera02.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbujYJMSu-JuZr8O6c1Eu1I3ebk2Y26nzg5wKh1SrMJpgOuBVjWoAn0n_Du9x5hFMadKrM8_ZqQ4JnvN88Ru8dqyUnTyT76kdJP4oCYLyKLJAGDCAXBkL95VGgsUT574MGwTJpiJb5YA/s1240/Gunnera03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="877" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbujYJMSu-JuZr8O6c1Eu1I3ebk2Y26nzg5wKh1SrMJpgOuBVjWoAn0n_Du9x5hFMadKrM8_ZqQ4JnvN88Ru8dqyUnTyT76kdJP4oCYLyKLJAGDCAXBkL95VGgsUT574MGwTJpiJb5YA/w452-h640/Gunnera03.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3eEkhlvfp-bJNn_602xP7Ccxu80YUsQBtY4uhetwHjJHMX3OyFW7ssTq5VJHYvBUQXH3Tmz9DBA7e4bOGlpfnQ7AE5GdnDQI9lUCKU9cRAdz8zNrCzMLFuVU7xzx9ovPQmkTQqHID-o/s1240/Gunnera04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="877" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3eEkhlvfp-bJNn_602xP7Ccxu80YUsQBtY4uhetwHjJHMX3OyFW7ssTq5VJHYvBUQXH3Tmz9DBA7e4bOGlpfnQ7AE5GdnDQI9lUCKU9cRAdz8zNrCzMLFuVU7xzx9ovPQmkTQqHID-o/w452-h640/Gunnera04.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39AVMhrv7924XMHyrAefvYJtUCv_iMHXn5HgMrdDtfn-DzLwgJV0-T1D3y6-hCLJxuVcD2Xxi2NKhyphenhyphenWMywVQS4ecNXeeSJc7RVyUPX5oi96pMBIgm2fELz_Flls-h2IldeAJBF7t1wr8/s1240/Gunnera05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="877" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39AVMhrv7924XMHyrAefvYJtUCv_iMHXn5HgMrdDtfn-DzLwgJV0-T1D3y6-hCLJxuVcD2Xxi2NKhyphenhyphenWMywVQS4ecNXeeSJc7RVyUPX5oi96pMBIgm2fELz_Flls-h2IldeAJBF7t1wr8/w452-h640/Gunnera05.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinevTjA476dPtpwdiKBlNK4muNJV94MOolDAe4ERs446mIuydZQPFS06QMGxyIydWbEWrDG_ZYJV-Z1ND5kc6r-QOQ48D31026XGLqhyphenhyphen1lqIBUcBIAKO0Jf3j3Crt1-syhhmfXogV_gDA/s1240/Gunnera15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1240" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinevTjA476dPtpwdiKBlNK4muNJV94MOolDAe4ERs446mIuydZQPFS06QMGxyIydWbEWrDG_ZYJV-Z1ND5kc6r-QOQ48D31026XGLqhyphenhyphen1lqIBUcBIAKO0Jf3j3Crt1-syhhmfXogV_gDA/w640-h452/Gunnera15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuZ8kFPS9drsajdTVdFU9YPjZ5M_IfrnnkJkJVwmmYG6XfkzLLBLwqGMwG8KU4miTY4ptPTE8y2cZ-CqSk-U_YNxaRtUPm4KK59mMk8fFUVhn6lb3oTbCLAPxrBPUZr9rrkOu4XOknYM/s1240/Gunnera12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1240" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuZ8kFPS9drsajdTVdFU9YPjZ5M_IfrnnkJkJVwmmYG6XfkzLLBLwqGMwG8KU4miTY4ptPTE8y2cZ-CqSk-U_YNxaRtUPm4KK59mMk8fFUVhn6lb3oTbCLAPxrBPUZr9rrkOu4XOknYM/w640-h452/Gunnera12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUs4ZV8BwlLeOGUu9DecRuhY3ec0tC4NOBybFOknzIRBaI2VWjBvunOlvFgj-F8X_lr0YoAHxyQ3RokCjdtaFmrGYhJSDXLTv3z1ZAZDnS9foe4LX_EVfSupMo6_GsdO2iuHtSz0EMBSM/s1240/Gunnera11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="877" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUs4ZV8BwlLeOGUu9DecRuhY3ec0tC4NOBybFOknzIRBaI2VWjBvunOlvFgj-F8X_lr0YoAHxyQ3RokCjdtaFmrGYhJSDXLTv3z1ZAZDnS9foe4LX_EVfSupMo6_GsdO2iuHtSz0EMBSM/w452-h640/Gunnera11.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUEwoRay89tE6eK_qqkm5gDahqx3UWByaWVpaKXFmT6GtOQCJlCK32MMzxfR9p-siG3GUtNE6BfK0lL9QnlxvT-7F5iqtfRh3CqbA-VlM_IRKqM9qFdlYi12r2FIRT_nnTtryiikcoNY/s1240/Gunnera06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; outline-width: 0px !important; user-select: auto !important;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1240" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUEwoRay89tE6eK_qqkm5gDahqx3UWByaWVpaKXFmT6GtOQCJlCK32MMzxfR9p-siG3GUtNE6BfK0lL9QnlxvT-7F5iqtfRh3CqbA-VlM_IRKqM9qFdlYi12r2FIRT_nnTtryiikcoNY/w640-h452/Gunnera06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401197942016431104.post-82454925821111193252021-05-16T08:00:00.004+01:002021-05-18T20:52:17.607+01:00Going underground<p> What is art?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimoJhalVdz56VOgQ_87zU2Nmg5t2gYUD2vYUDHbwiicDdCZKY1tUALTuUSjtXxssC7wpU19dpjWkYHQJxBVGgKn0tqmpyZPKIQxkhGdiCaKQnPF8n5p6yjyAYHu8Jb79BworR5Ej5cH4/s1024/hockney+tube.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimoJhalVdz56VOgQ_87zU2Nmg5t2gYUD2vYUDHbwiicDdCZKY1tUALTuUSjtXxssC7wpU19dpjWkYHQJxBVGgKn0tqmpyZPKIQxkhGdiCaKQnPF8n5p6yjyAYHu8Jb79BworR5Ej5cH4/s320/hockney+tube.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">It always amuses me when people are exercised by a work of art. I suppose art should challenge and be challenged, so from that point of view it’s good that they are. People are funny when they are affronted by something they basically can’t comprehend. Unable to shed their blinkers. And so it would seem that an ad that David Hockney has designed is causing people to become agitated because it disturbs their narrow idea of what art should be. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>‘Brilliant’ or Totally Phoned In? </i>is the <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/1968014-1968014" target="_blank">headline on Artnet News</a>. People seem afraid of it because they don’t know which way to swing, and so they go with a gut reaction. Do you know what? I DON’T FUCKING CARE! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Art is art. There are no rules. Stop trying to be fashionable. Relax. If you like it you like it. If you don’t, you don’t. Stop trying to pre-judge the pretentious zeitgeist. Stop trying to understand art. Wake up and get over yourself. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Art is not something that trend setters/influencers prescribe. Art is what you want it to be. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is art?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you don't know the answer, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/tzyh1d0kvxlk5sz/What%20is%20art.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">this pdf pamphlet</a> might be able to help you.
If you think you know the answer, think again. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/tzyh1d0kvxlk5sz/What%20is%20art.pdf?dl=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="412" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUKBEgzJPlTJqVr936grTBjq7AWK2o42M65B7q7bMtz3NlsJMNu1QSNRImP-LeReNIcTUPudatHdL2hJUPi1ZFJWUConD0U1Aghi555XvLxMa4SDCmrlBYsQTFxoC-a3JdZFIRBxr3HM/s320/what+is+art+-+cover+tn.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0