For a period I explored chess pieces to work through a very unpleasant experience in my younger years. Needless to say, the black king featured very strongly. I came across one of the prints recently and was looking through my files today to find the electronic version. But they seemed to have disappeared. I think it must be good on ten years, and a few computers ago when I worked on this…

This image here will have to do. It is from the same period. I used this one in a book before, therefore it survived and was easy to find.

When I went through my chess phase, I began to wonder: How come that the queen is realistically the strongest piece on the board and can do all the moves… While the king, on the other hand, needs protection from all his men and is effectively very weak. He can only move one square at the time. Now, how old is the game?

We are moving towards winter. While the days are still gloriously sunny and crisp, the nights are quite nippy already. I am starting to dig out all the images that exude loneliness. I am obviously preparing for hibernation.

Another one where the light is just beautiful after a very light drizzle. Yesterday’s image and today’s could be  from a series “Beauty in the noxious”. Thristle and Dandelion are not considered gardener’s favourites.

I took this image just to capture the light in the spikes. There is absolute no other reason.

A very nice side effect of this book project is: my skeletons seem to have moved on. I always thought I am good friends with my skeletons, but now that they are gone, I don’t miss them much.

 

 

Okay, I have uploaded Hermit’s Web onto fishpond. But of course I haven’t read the fine print when I originally investigated how to sell the book. The title has to be included in the Nielson Book database, before it can be sold via fishpond. I have filled in the form for Nielson last Saturday and emailed it off. When I uploaded the book info onto fishpond today I read, that it can take up to f o u r! weeks to be processed by Nielson and then another two weeks before fishpond actually starts selling it. OMG, in this time I can write the sequel.

Back to plan B. I need to get our own web page up-dated.

The three images I have put up today are from a series called “Gallery of ancestral portraits”. They are layered and scratched on wood blocks and are sitting on my mantelpiece. When I am painting without intention I always end up with sad faces.

 

 

I wish I were out sailing.

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This post I had started yesterday, before I did my GST returns. But obviously my bad conscience took over just in time, as I didn’t publish it and really did the work I had to do…. And as usual –  it felt soooooo much better once it was done!

I have a couple of obsessions. Maybe obsessions is too strong a word – Recurring topics might be better –  Barbed wire is one of them. (I am sure, a psychologist would have something to say about that. I haven’t asked one yet.)

Last year I had a few images on display in a cafe up the road. It doesn’t count as an exhibition in my books (and how it came about is a funny story in itself). It was put together rather quickly and the photographs were chosen by their mass appeal rather than artistic merit.

The feather was one of them. I personally like this photograph, as for me it has a specific meaning. I am pretty sure, if you search through a stock library you will find heaps of images of feathers on barbed wire, some better resolved than mine.

However, I have been asked countless times, whether the feather was already there or whether I had placed it there.

Does it really matter?

It’s late again and I am still at work. I have to think of my dad, who passed away a long time ago. He had this saying: “In the evening the lazy ones get busy”. How true!

However, evening is the quiet time, when nobody interrupts you and you get much more done than during the day. I have finished 3 of my 4 tasks. The one I haven’t finished (actually I haven’t even started) is the GST returns for the tax man. Why am I not surprised. Unfortunately that is the one task I really should have done and it means I have to come back tomorrow and do it. buggeridoo!