I found an old notebook with my first ponderings for a dissertation about the sun. It would have included historic fiery circle representations and musings about sun worship. This was allegedly an inappropriate subject, as was everything else I was interested in.
After suffering horrible sunburn in Budleigh Salterton, the sun seemed less worthy of worship. I avoid the midday sun, which lasts all day now anyway. It’s still interesting as a ball of fire that keeps us all alive.
This tube of ink dried up years ago, but it’s still accessible from the bottom. I used a screwdriver to reach enough ink for a postcard or two. Outdated bank cards are very useful for spreading the ink around and softening the hard bits…
The linocut castle is a bit wonkier than intended. I’m almost pleased with the portcullis. There might be a watercolour sky and more clouds added later.
The exhibition was up for a month, which included a couple of bank holidays. The gallery is in a public library that used to open until 7 p.m on Monday and Friday. Now it closes at 4 p.m as the latest opening hours.
I decided not to have any information next to the pictures. Viewers had time to enjoy the show without distractions. Original prints are signed, with name, date and type. The watercolours are signed, too, reasonably well camouflaged as far as possible. When I’m visiting a gallery I find myself reading the descriptions while not looking at the work properly.
It’s obvious which marks are portraying trees and which ones show swans, isn’t it? It’s also obvious that each picture took a lot of time and effort. I could make a grumpy ‘art gallery bingo’ card; people will always ask if I’m a trained artist and whether I can draw hands.
It’s been forty years since I had a solo exhibition. At this rate I’ll be 103 when the next one starts. Maybe I’ll have finished some more drawings by then.
Venue: Pembroke Dock Library SA72 6DW. Open 10 a.m – 4 p.m on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m – 1 on Thursday; 10 a.m – 12.30 on Saturday. Exhibition is there until the last day of April 2026.
The white poppy has been a symbol of pacifism for decades. The Peace Pledge Union has promoted nonviolent alternatives to violence since 1934.
It’s a family friendly exhibition, with nothing to upset anyone. However, the pictures could be propaganda for a better environment. Viewers so far have been pleased with the light and shadows in the trees. Showing pictures of an ideal world is easier than nagging everyone to plant more trees to keep flooding at bay.
I printed a midwinter card but didn’t send many copies out into the world. Here it is with an appliqué tree from a few decades ago. The knitted geese are made of aran yarn, too thick but the thinner yarns weren’t available in the colours I wanted at the time.
I enjoy making stuff but pricing and sales are completely alien. Maybe bartering with pictures could become a trend? There are times I wish I made useful items instead, although customers would have to wait a while for their second glove or sock.
Test prints aren’t looking right, maybe they need some tweaking.
berry daines 