Wild flowers and exhibitions

August is just flying along isn't it? Where do the days go?  We have got gardening done and made some visits locally.  We also visited a lovely exhibition at the Burslem School of Art with friends who came over from Beeston for lunch. There were some wonderful works of art in the Three Counties Exhibition.  The three counties being Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire. 

 I've been struggling health wise and after the bone marrow biopsy I had in April I have been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder caused by a faulty gene so have, over the next few weeks, to start treatment for that.  I had a venesection on Thursday which is the start of the ongoing process. This now explains the blood clot in my leg and the two PEs I had in 2022 and 2023.  I'll try to keep blogging here and there.  I've just noticed that this is my first post for this month. It reminds me of some school reports, usually for maths, when there was always a comment of 'could do better'.

Anyway at the moment I'm looking for things colourful and cheerful and found them at Trentham Gardens where the wild flower meadows are looking wonderful.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves, although they don't do justice to the wonderful sesnsation of being amongst them.

All for now.

Pot Dogs

At the moment, in the city centre there is an art trail you can follow through what is known as the Cultural Quarter.  The displays are mostly along Piccaddily and stretch from the library and museum at the bottom of the street, past the Regent Theatre to the town hall.  The map below was created by local artist and designer Chloe Breeze.

 The art project has been organised by 104 Projects with the well known Victorian era ornamental Staffordshire Pot Dogs as their inspiration.  Artist Alice Thatcher has worked with many groups across the city using original 19th century pottery moulds to create pairs of dogs which they hope will  

'challenge misconceptions, negative narratives and sterotypes surrounding the lives of disabled people.'

 

There are also two eight foot high dogs outside the town hall.

We popped up into the city centre early on Saturday morning and had a great time taking photos.

The rest of the dogs are the size of the originals.

We spotted most of the pot dogs on display along Piccadilly in the windows of various shops but they were very hard to take photos of because of the glass and angles of the sun. 

The dogs in the library window were particularly hard to capture.

Two of the eight dogs in the window of Drop City Books.

Above and below 

Two pairs of dogs from the window of the Air Space Gallery. 

Above the dispay in Vellichor Books.

In Music Mania opposite Vellichor books in the Piccadilly Arcade.  

Two from the display in the Library.

Pot Dogs in the Museum.

The history of the Staffordshire Pot Dogs starts in 19th century.  They and the also well known Staffordshire flat backs were made in large numbers to appeal to working class folk who wanted to have decorative pottery in their home.  Two breeds of dog were generally depicted the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel influenced by Queen Victoria's dog Dash - or Eos, Prince Albert's Greyhound.  They were produced by smaller less well known pottery factories for mass marketing.

 

I've added links in bold to the various people involved.

I don't have any pot dogs but I do have cats.

All for now.

 

Matisse and Crocosmia

Another small break was needed away from all the work so we visited nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme and popped into the museum on the Brampton for a coffee and a look at the new exhibition.

Drawing with Scissors is a touring exhibition exhibition from the Hayward Gallery at the South Bank Centre.  It features thirty five prints by Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954) which the artist produced in the last four years of his life.

Almost bedridden and no longer able to paint or draw Matisse used coloured paper and scissors to create his works.

Meanwhile out in the grounds and gardens there was a riot of Crocosmia.  So bright and cheering on a grey day.

 

There were also many other plants and flowers blooming and lots of bees and butterflies were enjoying them.

All for now.

Radical Horizons at Chatsworth

Yesterday we were on our way to visit a friend we hadn't seen since last Autumn and we had stopped to break the journey at Baslow in Derbyshire. A short walk from the centre of Baslow takes you on to the Chatsworth Estate.

Below is the Kissing Gate which takes you into the estate. Inspired by Mrs Jill Cannon and made by Mathers Engineering of Tibshelf it enables wheelchair access to the grounds.  

 

At present Chatsworth is hosting sculptures from The Art of the Burning Man which is held annually in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA.

 

There are twelve sculptures in all and I was hoping to see three or four of the sculptures nearest to the entrance we used.  I wasn't sure how far I could walk but I did quite well.  My little step counter said I'd done 5,500 steps by the time we got back to the car park.

 

There are so many lovely trees in the park but worryingly drifts of crisp, brown leaves were scattered across the grass in some areas.

 

Above and below the first sculpture we came across is Relevé by Rebekah Waites.  It is based on the legend of the Nine Ladies stone circle, a Bronze Age site not far from Chatsworth.  The sculpture celebrates the rebellious spirit of art, dance and music.

It was constructed by youth volunteers and school groups from the local community. 

 

 

The sculpture will be burned at the end of the exhibition in a celebration of 'letting go' of the exhibition which is a tradition of the Burning Man exhibition.

Above and below Lodestar by Randy Polumbo.

Lodestar is made from a second World War military plane.  It has, according to the description, 'blossomed into a contemplative flower and gathering place for pollinators'.

 

It is decorated  with hand blown glass flowers.

Above and below Coralee by Dana Albany and Flash Hopkins.

 

Dana Albany worked with children from the local community to build the Mermaid at Chatsworth.

It is based on the tale of the mermaid's pool which can be found just below Kinder Scout in the High Peaks.

It is made from objects found by the local children and also objects donated by the workers on the Chatsworth estate.

Below is the last sculpture of the four we managed to get to in the time we had.

This one is called Le Attrata and is by Margaret Long and Orion Fredericks.

 

Three moths sit on top of steel spires or flames. There are glowing chrysalises around the sculpture.

I sat on one of the seats incorporated into the sculpture to look up at the moths.

This sculpture was quite popular with visitors mainly because they could sit for a while and take it all in.

 

It was time to make our way back to the car and carry on with our journey.  We saw four out of eight sculptures and are going to go back in a week or two to approach the others from the opposite side of the estate, hopefully we'll see a few more.

As we walked back we spotted the deer under the trees.  

They were happily grazing and not too bothered by the visitors.