Soon Upon Return

Hello, I hope you enjoyed  the last blog I posted. I have not been adding anything more over the last couple of days as I have been extremely busy writing. When the call comes, I answer. I have also been preparing for a trip west, I'm not entirely sure where we are going yet, the usual and the unusual I think. We go to live free and be inspired, to love all that nature has to offer, to pay homage upon the Moorlands, to swim in the mighty autumn sea's and feast under the stars, to dance as wind blown wisps of sand curling from the dunes, leaping through the fire light chasing beach reflection's moon...when we have done this and much more, I shall post again.

Peace In All

Spider's and Butterfly's

Hello, I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post. Today has been a creatively productive day, the flow that was lost has returned, to the extent where I've written poetry, taken some wonderful pictures and produced some interesting images and on top of that I've been picking up my harmonica a playing well between projects or my guitar and playing badly, but you know what the most important thing about all this is? I've enjoyed doing it the way I used to before the confusion, I've been breathing inspiration and exhaling artistic expression, it's been beautiful, and it's only 18.36 where I am.
The key good people is to get inspired, and as I managed to teach myself for the second time, don't get wrapped up in your own thoughts, it is definitely not a good idea to think to much. Free your mind and tail should follow.

Spiders and Butterfly's

Heavy web damp weaving,

sag in dawning dew,

tightening noose with sunrise,

all spider's yesterdays he slew,

sideways infinite eyes,

still dead watching you,

beauty's disguise hypnotise,

watching for the few,

taking wing to curious close,

end the days you flew,

butterfly the spider's web,

flown full circle true,

he wraps you tight your birth alike,

return to deaths cacoon,

life a mirrored weaving web,

breathe again somewhere else soon.

©D.N.Read2013

 

Peace In All

Unchained September Visions

Hello, I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post, the wonderful conclusion of the ongoing riddle. This day, as you'll doubtlessly be aware of if you've read my last few posts, is a day free from the riddle I had set for myself, free from the constraints of my own mind and I am thus ready to drink deeply of the cup offered up a new day. I have, as a result of this, had a marvelous day creatively, I've seen many sights of note while wandering the banks of the Isis (River Thames) and took the opportunity to take some photographs of all the day has had to offer. The wildlife, even on this murky day of angry clouds and constantly damp air has been busy.

 I watched this heron fishing for an absolute age, the trick to photographing these gorgeous birds is to remain a still as them. He waits stone statue still, the slightest movement drawing his attention, the perfect moment is something that cannot be rushed, to strike to soon would mean failure and to the heron, an empty stomach, to me it only means a missed opportunity and hours of waiting for another shot, which is actually no hardship at all as I saw plenty of other natural wonders while I was waiting for this one. I took a lot of pictures of trees today as well, some of which I shall leave as simple pictures of trees others I shall work with to create some of my own visions on canvas. 

                                                                                                

As you can see, after changing the photo with the computer's graphic software
I have mentioned in previous blogs you can create some wonderfully 

strange images, this as you can also see is how I came across certain 

ideas for my paintings.

 It is a bit of an obsession I must admit,

however I do love the ways colour can

completely change the entire feel of a

photographic reproduction.

The picture above takes on a dark, almost ominous feel

with intense contrasts between red and black, whereas

the original below shows the natural, soft and beautiful

image.

 The same can certainly be said when speaking of 

man made structures, the effect could be said

 to be even more intense due to the definitive lines 

imposed by the architectural nature of the subject,

the natural always airing on the softer  side.

When attempting this effect the subject

matter is of vital importance as well,

using the example of the bridge is all

very well but when the image is of something 

a touch on the macabre side to begin with the effect

is all the more poignant.

 These ruins being in my opinion, a fine example

of the latter.

This then as you can see has been a productive day, free from self inflicted insanity.
I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Peace In All

The Mirror Behind The Door

Hello, I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post. I have been rather vague about things in my last few posts as I have been struggling with this blasted riddle that I'm sure you're getting as frustrated and at the same time intrigued by, well I at least I hope you're intrigued. This then is what I've been waiting for, a breakthrough, a huge sigh of relief and not to mention the fact that I can now move on just a little bit wiser than before. I say wiser, however seeing things a touch clearer than before would be a rather more accurate appraisal  of my previous plight. This is because it was so mind crushingly simple that I completely overlooked it. I have been known in days past to utter the words, "Try not to think too much", and of course while I was busy saying this I walked straight toward this particular pitfall and stumbled in ankles-n-all, with all the blind benevolence one can muster whilst being right about something...fool...did I mention a touch of arrogance. Still, this being in the past, having learned a valuable lesson and also having sufficiently chastised myself for it, I can now enlighten you as to how I discovered all this. I was reading through some of my note books when I came across a poem I had written on the first night Daisy, the love of my life, who I have no doubt mentioned before and myself, met with my Brother and his son together with my Mother and Father, at the families retreat in the west country. The poem in question had some other writings after the verse, personal thoughts on the poem I'd just written, which were obviously important to me at the time and of unmeasurable importance to me now. Here it is, including the passage I had scratched out at the bottom of the page.

First Day Holiday

The road ahead with Daisy sped,

family already weaved that thread,

at happy tear caravan,

one boy, two women and three called man.

From Oxfordshire in England,

crossed following setting sun,

westward travel four hours done,

bent on laughter's feast of fun,

 first night two brothers had a drink,

all others sleeping on the brink,

before sleep smoke pipe with moon and think,

when this day's hours came light,

we fished for Trout, a hungry fight.

The young one learned many a skill,

and unless you eat it never kill,

the afternoon came on soon,

we float to sea on surfer's swoon.

In the evening by harbor light,

fish-n-chips in town that's oh so bright,

there we saw art and played our part,

vow to leave before my own flow's start.

So ends this the first day,

of a trip with much to say,

of Family and Daisy's play,

I'll end it here as so I may.

Note to any; Poems such as the one above I write to begin the flow,

for some reason I need five minutes to connect mind to pen.

Some are good, some are bad and as with all things, some land in the middle.

This one is bad writing, but...a true and a good memory...to me, it is good, it is for me.

This is the thing I was looking for over the last few days, the link in the chain of my thoughts that I had managed to misplace, the key to the door I had locked the answer to my riddle behind. I have since unlocked the door and discovered a mirror standing in the doorway...the truth of it all was always standing there looking at me, all I had to do was open my eyes.

©D.N.Read2013

Peace In All

There Were Others

Hello I hope you enjoyed the last blog I posted which comes up as a new page called 'The Culprits I Love'. Soon I shall paint, these photographs I've been playing with that were taken by myself or my Father are the ones that are working with the way I feel at this particular moment in time, there were others...Searching through the deep places of inspiration is a strange process to say the least.

Peace In All

Images ©D.N.Read2013

It Went Thus

Hello, I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post. I have to be brief. Today resulted in this poem amongst others. I shall post again soon.

Memory's Lane

Edge of somber chilling night,
lonely watch for waking dawn,
branches cradling dark hour's womb,
stilled by guardsman's dagger thorn,
the world a breathing tomb,
black times far from warm.
 Waiting tears a patient mind,
insanely look in vain,
they won't come back with sunrise,
fitful swallowing the pain,
I look not for departed hosts,
I hide my tears with mourning rain,
I stand the hopeful watch of ghosts,
I look alone down memory lane.

©D.N.Read2013

Peace In All

 

Chaos Verses

Hello, I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post. The answer to the riddle is is getting fractionally closer, that 'one' answers seems to have turned into many answers that will with any luck all link up fairly soon. This is what I have discovered so far. When I wrote the book the 'Poet Tree' I had only just emerged from a very dark period of my life and I had been incredibly upset and confused for quite some time. I had always written in some form or another but when my life became easier and I found contentment, all of the things I had been trying to write about came out the way I had originally intended. I wrote during the dark times, as I call them, to try and remember all that is beautiful so that I didn't lose sight of all that is good in the world, I had lost faith in many things and hit the bottle pretty hard, which is another story entirely, the point is  a great deal of buried emotion was pouring out. This was reflected in the next two books 'Temples Of The Painted Mind' and 'Whispering Ink Song', and then finally as if in a poetic closing statement I wrote 'Scattered Parchment'. The other little book 'Tales From Hound's Eye' I wrote purely because of my love and respect for nature and as I may have said before, some poetic verse dedicated to nature, in particular some of the animals, was the least I could do. My visual art seems to have followed a similar pattern. The upshot of all this so far then is this; my latest book that I am currently working on is written from a place of clarity instead of chaos, the twist of this however is that due to the lack of internal chaos, external chaos seems to have in some respects taken it's place. Which would explain the sometimes overwhelming feeling that the entire world is entering my mind and pouring through my pen...the riddle is not fully answered though, I shall delve deeper.

Now And Here

Pens alone with paper rest,

poet's closed eye hovers above,

sigh forcing my zest,

await the writers flood.

Blood replacement ink,

quill replacement hand,

mind already scratching words,

leaving me unmanned.

I catch up to my sprinting thought,

 lost in imagination's breeze,

inspiration I had sought,

eager now to please.

The story rushes onward,

exhausted mind gives out,

beauty still hurries forward,

I scream the poem desert's shout.

Once again it has escaped me,

on thought's loop it disappears,

pen again awaits lapping return,

silent eye of now and here. 

©D.N.Read2013

 
I hope you enjoy the post and this poem I just wrote(weird just to type poetry, usually use the pen first) that sort of explains things as well.

Peace In All

For The Beauty

Hello, I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post. I am still no further along with the riddle I have managed to perplex myself with, so in an attempt to get a better insight into all I described in yesterday's post I am now going over some photos in the hope that something of the inspirational side of the current tack I am on may come forward from memory. Some may think this is a touch obsessive, which I would understand, I have always thought though, that it is good to delve as deep as possible into ones own mind, to pull apart the thought processes that lead us to create the things we create, for to my mind it gives  a more finely tuned perspective and if nothing else it helps me grow as an artist, be it the form of art in ink to paper or paint to canvas. Whilst going through some of the photographs I have mentioned I came across a few that I had totally forgotten about. Some were taken by myself, others by my Father, he often takes photographs for me as he knows the sort of image that interests me, whether it be from an inspirational point of view or simply for the beauty. I hope you too enjoy them.

Peace In All