Deep(er) in the Woods

Following yesterday’s post, detailing the small revisions made to the first two ‘woodscape’ paintings, today we present the fruit of what has been the main thrust of creative activity over and since the Yuletide period in the form of a third such painting taking as its visual source a scene from deep within the predominantly pine-wooded environment beyond the rear perimeter of TOoT Towers (working in the conservatory at the back of the property is, obviously, the perfect location for all those instances of necessary empirical visual research that are an essential component of the painting process).

‘Woodscape #3’

oil on canvas/48″ x 24″/December 2016 – January 2017

‘Resolved’ (whether suitably/satisfactorily enough only time spent looking and considering will reveal), the painting continues in the manner of that pair preceding it and reveals explicitly its facture, the overt structure of horizontal and vertical brushstrokes, and the materiality of the paint and its mostly wet-into-wet application in the service of both the painting-as-object (transitional object) and the represented embodied experience of being present within the woods, treading upon the carpet of pine needles and moss and being confronted by the sheer verticality of the tree trunks and evidence of their foliage between and beyond. What one finds is that communicating this experience in paint becomes more and more complex and difficult each time one returns to the easel to represent the subject matter, more hermetic for want of a better word (and Cubism and Cézanne are never very far away, either) as, perhaps, this painting appears.

Outside of the world of the painting, but a valuable part of the process of its making, I must make mention of a couple of the elements of the accompanying musical soundtrack – Tom Waits’ ‘Mule Variations’, which sounded particular wonderful this last Sunday afternoon, and the long-overdue discovery of Can, oft-cited as an influence upon a number of artists whose work has proved to be an enduring favourite (not least early Public Image Ltd) but, especially absurdly it seems in the event, who had remained unexplored until recently, intriguing stuff and suitable grist to the painting mill.

Special Saturday (and a Bit of a Wobble)

A browse of the afternoon’s football results is of course an essential activity on a Saturday evening, circumstances permitting, and was yesterday rendered particularly pleasurable as not only the team to whom we are irrevocably yoked, Wrexham, won (2 – 0 at the Racecourse against Bromley in the National League) but, browsing through and down the leagues,  it transpired that all our Northern favourites had too – Stalybridge Celtic 3 – 0 at Boston and Gainsborough Trinity 2 – 0 at Hednesford in the National League North; Blyth Spartans 5 – 0 against Ramsbottom United (with the stupendously-named Wilson Kneeshaw scoring all five goals) and Marine, 2 – 1 against Matlock Town with a brace of added-time goals, for the first time since November, in the Northern Premier League Premier division and, just below in the NPL Division One North, Mossley indeed running riot in a 7 – 2 romp at poor old New Mills (who have but a solitary point to their name from 25 matches this league season) and Northwich Victoria surpassing even that with an 8 – 2 pasting of Droylsden. Happy days and, given this, today the excellent Non-League Paper had to be purchased to celebrate such. Below is evidence of how the publication reports the Mossley and Northwich Victoria goal-fests.

 

But that’s not nearly all, as this edition of the Non-League Paper also carries a fascinating article detailing the mighty Jah Wobble’s support of non-league football and particularly of his now-local club Stockport County (who unfortunately have of late fallen even further than Wrexham), which, to someone who has ever been a fan of the great man’s work with PiL on the early 'Public Image' and 'Death Disco' singles and first two studio albums, particularly the seminal and still extraordinary ‘Metal Box’, which begins with the deep throbbing rumbling foundation of Wobble's bass guitar and is thereafter driven along by it, makes him even more admirable and groovy.

 

 

Of another of the lower league football teams in whom we’ve come to take an interest and have indeed recently featured on this blog, our local heroes Gresford Athletic’s scheduled Huws Gray Alliance match at Mold Alexandra was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

 



Recently-Acquired Vinyl LP of the Day #7: Public Image Ltd 'Second Edition'

Today the opposite of tomato is (not for the first time) 'the jagged metal bad life'

Making it another double (& why not?), Public Image Ltd’s ‘Second Edition’ was both their second album & the second-format release of the original & iconic ‘Metal Box’ 3 x 12” single collection, which was an artefact I owned back in its day, thus not requiring the investment in ‘Second Edition’ until now, when it seems it should be another essential component of the vinyl LP collection, & thus it recently came to pass when opportunity presented itself.

I blogged some years ago about ‘Metal Box’ in relation to Simon Reynolds' opinion regarding the format in which music is released playing a part in its reception, with which I concurred & still do, very much so concerning this particular suite of tracks: ‘Metal Box’ was & remains the prime physical object-form via which to experience such remarkable music (even if it's many a long year since I was able to do so), with ‘Second Edition’ somehow diminishing its effect, if only slightly, but crikey the latter is still a damn sight better than subsequent CDs or mp3s – these sounds were made to be heard on vinyl.