Well half way through CityLit Photoshop course - ADOBE package a very sophisticated package that really allows for a lot of clever image manipulation - best way to learn is to get stuck in and Stelios who is our Tutor makes sure we all do this - I'm trying to use it more at home too.
This week we spent a fair bit of time working with layers and also colourising a black and white image - good fun. The challenge will be to keep using the s/ware after next weeks' final session.
Stelios demonstrates and we then try the same tasks.
Christo, Jeanne-Claude and The Mastaba
Christo and barrels
Yesterday I went to see an exhibition in (and out of) The Serpentine Gallery, I've long been a fan of Christo and what is happening at The lake is amazing - it looks like Photoshop but it's for real (Honest!)
In the Gallery you can see work showing the concept, models and the planning as well as some early work by Christo but outside it is amazing...
It was week 6 of Ethics class on Thursday - slightly less people there than previously but Ariel was on fine form running about 15 minutes over!
As promised the topic is not an easy one but perhaps all the
more worthwhile because of that!
What is in my mind (and it changes week to week) is if there is such a thing as 'Good' then surely there's also evil and does it mean that there'a greater 'entity'?
Over the last 5 or so years I have had some great times at the college - it really is to be celebrated as well as the on-site courses there are some great opportunities to visit London galleries as part of a group.
Tomorrow I start with them a short course (off site) with the illustrious Leslie Primo looking at some of the works in the National Portrait Gallery, previous experience on a course led by Leslie means I anticipate a great and well planned series of visits.
New Spring prospectus is just out - if you're able to make it to the college (London Area) I'd really recommend it amazing range from Swahili to Sign Language (and so much more) - very safe and supportive environment .
Having had a good stab at the preparation ahead of reconvening to look further at Moral Philosophy, in week 2 of my latest course (A CityLit course focusing on the subject of Ethics) I was initially slightly frustrated but by the end of the 2 hour class I felt that I was able to see something of the 'project'.
The course is after all to give us 'tools' not to actually answer the big questions (which can draw you in) that we encounter.
Pleasing
Having reflected on the idea of Moral Relativism and listened to one of Lord Bragg's In Our Times (on the topic of Relativism) I'm realising that I do have some tools but that the quest is not likely to end easily.
Next week it's Plato and am going to be listening to a reading of Chapter 14 of Bertrand Russell on Plato's Republic to get ready for the class.
And the Practical
The Internet (and making lists) are useful in actually tackling projects around the home - long been thinking about tidying up a bathroom and adding a shelf (Expression Products) and Glass Tumbler & Holder (SupaHome) are quick wins.
Be Optimistic
If you get a chance I'd recommend taking a look at David Bryne and his Reason's To Be Cheerful (the idea taken from the title of one of Ian Dury's Song) - something positive to reflect on .
Having completed a number of Philosophy courses at CityLit (all led by the excellent Scott Biagi, amazingly I see that my first course at CityLit on this topic was nearly 4 years ago) I thought that the time was overdue to continue finding out about the big questions and seeing if Philosophy as a 'subject' transcends the experience I've had so far.
So the course that I've enrolled on (and started) is called Moral Philosophy, it's at City Lit (again) and the course leader for this is Ariel Kernberg.
Great mixture of people crowded into room, mixture of ages and Men and Women - for me one of the pleasures of previous courses was the interaction that took place and I reckon it'll be the same here.
First thing I note that we're told is that it's formerly been known as Ethics so that might be something I reflect on as time goes by.
Having had a look at the difference between the empirical and normative we were presented with an overview and Three articles to read and consider before week two...
Here's what I got from the first one
What is Ethics
The article starts off looking at the significance of Ethics in business issues particularly around legal matters and company 'values'
1) Egoism - we act in our self interest
2) Natural Law - one behaves in line with human nature
3) Utilitarianism - greater overall human welfare, for example throwing yourself on a grenade
4) Respect for Persons - acting in a way that recognises human dignity
Captain Oates in the ill fated South Pole expedition led by Captain Scott is given as an example we might consider Oates walking out to his death when he said
This case (and others) alert us to the importance of fact in real life cases - although we might share a desire for a certain 'Moral' outcome we might have a different perspective on the way to achieve it.
Was he concerned with ending his own suffering or improving the others chance of survival?
Conceptual issues
Conceptual issuesneed to be looked at, these might include during a war are Civilian populations innocent?
Modern medical techniques might require us to redefine death - as we can now sustain life beyond what was formerly considered to be 'death'- is the ending of one's own life immoral?
Normative versus factual
Factual -
The Sky is blue (empirical research).
Normative
You should be wary of strangers
Income in the USA is unequal (fact)
we might then propose that income inequality is wrong as a moral statement but it could be hard to convince all of this.
Consequentialism measures behaviour by effect it has either good for oneself Egoism or society at large Utilitarianism
The difference between Right (absolute) and Good (various degrees of)
There's a really interesting example in the article about issues around a possible suicide for 'A Burn Vitim's Desire to Die' .. here it is - I think you'll agree that it's not something that can be given an easy answer. (there's a film about this too but not I've been able to locate it online). I'm hoping to report more on this course - but expect that I'll get from it an ability to interrogate problems rather than just answers to them - here's a definition of Moral Philosophy.
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Canon Remote Camera on Android
Along with configuring the Google Home Mini one of my motivations to get a new phone was the chance to enhance what I could do with the Canon G7 Camera - here's a nice Youtube that covers it
I'm looking to see if Photoshop is the thing for me and am finding that platform of preference for this Application is most often the Apple.
So ahead of the course in Richmond (RHACC) next week I did a one day course on Apple at City Lit - the course was led by Stelios who was really enthusiastic and helpful, as there were only two of us taking the course we got a great deal of help and I'm now more comfortable with the prospect of the 5 week intro'.
That Shuffle
Well reports of the Cabinet reshuffle have concentrated on the incorrect tweets and the resistance of many in the cabinet to moves proposed by PM May - truth is that it feeds into the appearance of a week leader out of touch with her colleagues and the electorate.
No way for people to live in a wealthy country
I'm not impressed that a Comprehensive school educated Minister for Education (Justine Greening) felt obliged to resign (she didn't like the alternative job offer) and the replacement will be a public school educated male.
The Conservative party and its leader is worried that Local Elections this year (including councils in London) are too give them a bloody nose so focus seemed to be on inward matters rather than dealing with issues contry faces
I wonder if any of this window dressing particularly that stuff around the 'Central office' will help the dispossessed and homeless of whom there are far too many in the centre of London.
Well as they say Christmas has pretty much come and gone, for many people the ambition is solely to get through it for others it's a time of creating great memories, next thing is to get our energy levels up and prepare for the New Year..
Doors I have known
Odd as I look back on my blog (from nearly 8 years ago) I see a picture of Nick Clegg (Now Sir Nick) - we've been through quite a bit since then, perhaps we'll get another change at the top in 2018?
So for me 2017 I started a project to collect (pictures of) 365 sequential front doors (and managed 105- ish, which isn't too bad) and I bought a new Camera by saving and putting aside a pound or two every day.
I have managed to spend quite a lot of time at The National Gallery (and the two London Tates too) am hoping to get more from Gallery visits in the New Year.
Also keeping alive an interest in Philosophy, I'm going to do another course on this in 2018 and am drawn to find out more about two Frenchmen, Michel de Montaigne (his essays) and Xavier de Maistre (who wrote a travel book Voyage Autour de Ma Chambre about his room).
I also have News from Nowhere to read (I typically start the year reading then get overtaken by me own personal existential crisis.
Amazing and Free- London's National Gallery
What about 2018 - well I'm going to have a good long think about what I fancy proclaiming as my mission/target - watch this space!
[Interesting to see the #FPBE hashtag on Twitter about Brexit, as is so much these days, feeling admiration for both Lords Heseletine and Adonis.]
Tate Britain - it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
This Wednesday we were back at Tate Britain for the penultimate group (City Lit Looking at Paintings course) - Tate Britain has got a great Kitsch-y Christmas look and it was nice to there (less Crowded than National Gallery).
Generally the course has run along the theme of Genres but there's also been a less defined underlying chronological undercurrent and with these last two sessions (next one is at Tate Modern) we're coming (almost) up to date.
Julia shows us a 'near' abstract
So first of all don't get me wrong I do like Tate Britain but there are times when I'm struck by the fact that certainly after the Pre-Raphaelites and before the British Pop Art there was a period where most of what came along did not do it for me - much of it looked downbeat and was concerned solely with the artist - so it was that what we looked at on Wednesday might have been of significance but was (I'm sorry to say) for was not exciting.
A story of Lizzie
[By the way interested to see that there's a book about the somewhat tragic Lizzie Siddal a muse and model to many of 'The Brotherhood and lover of Rossetti].
We did look at an example of British 'Quasi Surrealism' by Meredith Frampton called 'Trial and Error' which can also be read as a Still life Momento Mori. Meredith was the son of celebrated sculptor George Meredith.
Trial and Error (1939)
We did look at some Walter Sickert works and I do like his paintings but he is almost an honorary European, spending much of his time in France and being the son of a German-Danish Artist.
Sickert was a somewhat restless artist associated with Camden Town Group latterly much of his work was derived from Media images (often The Press) like the picture below of Miss Gwen..., who was a famous actress.
This use by Sickert was long before it became the 'vogue' to use Mass Media in works of Art as Sir Peter Black and Andy Warhol did in the 60's.
I am looking forward to (I hope) seeing more examples of Sickert when I visit the National Portrait Gallery with a City Lit course in 2018.
[There were stories that Sickert was in fact Jack the Ripper - not sure how much salt is needed with that!]
Late Period Sickert - Miss Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Isabella of France (1932)
So now I'm not actively running a 365 project it's easier for me to miss a few days - not because nothing is going on but because there's a lot.
After Ian introducing us to Humour in Art decided to pop over to see Grayson Perry exhibition at Serpentine - nice to see a lot of visitors and a wide range of work - he's far from a one trick 'ceramics' pony.
A sort of self portrait
I think Grayson is a very interesting figure (not least because he's from where I spent early years - Chelmsford) - He plays the humour card but is not scared to confront major issues - the idea of which would have once been anathema to most of UK society.
More difficult was the Arthur Jafa exhibition at Sackler 'sister' gallery but worth a visit too.
Part of the Arthur Jafa exhibition
The Serpentine Pavilion 2017 designed by Francis Kéré
A pleasant walk too
Labour get more Pro European
Well over a year since referendum vote and dust still settling on the way UK Politicians are playing this - David Davis strategy not playing well on either World stage or to his 'home crowd' - even more difficult to keep the painfully split bunch of Tory MPs (above all else they're keenest on keeping power).
If Theresa May's election gamble had paid off we'd have a far stronger hand it the deal making as it is here government is isolated at home and even more abroad - seems Labour are not scared to exploit this weakness - the autumn party conference will be interesting.
I think many of us find a fascination in the life that is portrayed in many of Edward Hopper's paintings particularly the lonely city-scapes.
On Saturday I spent most of the day finding out about Hopper, his paintings and what was going on in US painting at the time of his peak activity by courtesy of Rachel Sanders who lead the class at City Lit.
Loneliness is significant in the city and countryside paintings -many have no people and even those where there are people there are often just a few lonely and disconnected people often uncomfortable couples - the railway and buildings are part of Hopper's vocabulary.
Ahead of the session I did a little research into the work he is famed for and was fascinated to learn of his antagonism to his wife and the nature of his misanthropic behaviour.
Josephine (Hopper's wife) seems to have resented to an extent the degree to which she sacrificed her own career to him and for Edward he appears to have resented that his life mirrored to an extent that of his parents and there unhappiness.
Although Josephine was the model for many of the females that Edward depicted an element of an earlier love is part of the 'woman' he features in his works.
We looked at the artist in the context of what was going in American art around the time of the depression (The Ashcan school was mentioned) -we didn't dwell on the sexual tension shown in many of the pictures or the often used 'lighthouse'- I suppose having visited Freud's London Museum earlier on the week I thought that such parts of his life would be significant.
Hopper spent a long time making studies for his work sometimes as many as 50 - there is a connection (which seems to work both ways) between the style of Hopper's paintings and ' Film Noir'.
The 'eye' that Hopper uses often has a suggestion of Voyeurism and the women are often exhibiting sexuality frequently behind windows.
Unlike many artists Hopper once he'd discovered his style seems to hold fast to it - my comment would be that he depicts his life lonely both with and without his wife he died in 1967 her the next year.
Today at CityLit finding out more about American artist Edward Hopper and his work (more about that later).
A place of Learning
Lunchtime particularity enjoyable as I find myself considering the London as a a place where Edward would have found material - also really have a bit of a thing at present for Pret-a-Manger's Posh Cheese and Pickle baguette.
A fast food chain with values
Having read an item in the paper about the guy (Julian Metcalf) who really established the business as a more ethical fast food chain who is now focused on Itsu - he really does come across as having a philosophy for catering that sees the customer at the centre of the enterprise
Rather conveniently the end of the CityLit Intro to Tate Modern has coincided with another course that could have been custom made for me - it's called 'Exhibiting photography: a practical guide' and is run be the well qualified to teach it Shirley Read (she's written a book or two on it as well) .
What is so good about the courses held by City Lit is the credibility of the course leaders they are not just instructors they are practitioners too with real lifer stories that they are able to share that bring the sessions to life.
Shirley has got plenty of these and engages with the (so far 6 with varied interests and experiences but soon it'll be 8) students.
What a shame there aren't more places like City Lit for adult learners to continue their education (in the wide sense of the word).
Well who wants Art that's not fine?
Hard to resist a round figure -£95
Doors
And it had some famous residents
And Arthur was amongst Comedy Royalty
Here's a door that's especially distinguished (across the road there's a plaque to Sid James too at Number 35).
Nice Porch for the man who was once a comedy great (he worked with Nicholas Parsons)
Having been asked to take some photo's for to help new volunteers become know to the group I help with and having joined another City Lit photography course ( Exhibiting photography: a practical guide) it feels as though there's something of a universal conspiracy to make sure I continue to keep an interest in taking photos
On Friday after 'Welcoming' at the Design Museum I went to CityLit to pick up the new prospectus for 'Spring Term' as I was near Somerset House decided to look at what was on show (there's generally something interesting to see there) and I saw a fantastic Photographic exhibition which answered (for me) When is Photography Art?
I'm not sure what all the cameras used for the pictures on show were but some are definitely the 'Large Plate' analogue varieties.
A bit about Lucas
As I mentioned part of what makes a photo beyond a document and moves it towards art is the referencing - here's one (By Eric Tomberlin) that has a link to the work and style of Hieronymous Bosch (Garden of Earthly Delights) the other Photographers that stood out to me were Matt Hamon (they look like beautiful renaissance paintings) and Lucas Foglia (this is a great picture).
Inspired by a great German Painter
Politicians
Here's what probably won't be a one off - a link to a politician who is perhaps being a bit greedy - David Davis.
Here we are at £91 11p
Doors
I do make regular visits to this road
This house was inhabited by someone with health problems for some time now it's under renovation.
The work above is much influenced by the neighbourhood and maps. It is large and is about Los Angeles, made of paper Fragments which the artist connects with memory.
Unusually the artist a Black American is a qualified hairdresser who graduated in Art at the age of 30.
More about this visit, the fourth of the CityLit course soon.
£72. 50 (once)
As we're away for a few days I've added £5 to cover the next days.
Doors
Hidden away there you can just about see it's Mattock Lane
