Calendar memories

 

January & February
© Teresa Newham

Every November I put together a calendar of my best photos as a Christmas present.  I hang one in my studio, too, to remind me what I was doing this time last year.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 version turned out to be very, very local . . .

March & April
© Teresa Newham

Apart from the January pic of the countryside near Ware (actually taken at the very end of December 2019 but I can't imagine that the scenery changed much in 48 hours), this year's crop of photos were taken within half a mile of our house; in the garden, the nearby lanes, and on our housing estate.

May & June
© Teresa Newham

A few, such as February's cherry blossom and August's close-up of Agapanthus flowers, are my experiments with the Canon EOS DSLR I bought myself last January; the rest are purely opportunistic  iPhone shots, of which July's apple tree is my favourite.

July & August
© Teresa Newham

I'm hoping to make a linocut based on September's picture (one of several projects I have in mind once I've taught myself the basics of Japanese Woodblock) and I'm already gathering images for the 2022 calendar;  I could do one of views of my favourite field alone . . .

September & October
© Teresa Newham

The November image is one of a series of photographs which inspired my watercolour Harpenden Common in Autumn, taken back in November 2019 while walking to the station on my way to a meeting in London about the January 2020  Journeys in Hope exhibition.  How long ago all that seems now!

November & December
© Teresa Newham

screens and scribbles

playing with colour
iPhone drawing © Teresa Newham

I suppose it was inevitable.  The moment I put down the David Hockney art books my husband gave me for Christmas, with their pages and pages of drawings made on an iPhone and iPad, I reached for my own devices and started playing.

cartoon faces
iPhone drawings © Teresa Newham

Hockney's images are, of course, little masterpieces, often crudely drawn but always with a real sense of the subject.  My efforts are basically doodles made while working out how to use the Brushes app.

playing with layers
iPad drawings © Teresa Newham

I started with patterns and imaginary faces - cartoon-like line drawings or more considered layered images, as I tried to build volume and shading.  The thought of being able to dash off a quick sketch on my iPhone, any time, any place, anywhere, was exciting.

loving Vincent (night)
iPad drawing © Teresa Newham

Another Christmas present - a DVD of the amazing animated painted film Loving Vincent - had me doodling away in a rough approximation of the style of Vincent van Gogh.  I was surprised at how effective the daytime picture turned out to be, despite the speed with which I laid it down.

loving Vincent (day)
iPad drawing © Teresa Newham

More recently I've been following in Hockney's footsteps again, by dashing off quick interpretations of items round the house.  At some point I will get back to "proper" sketching, but for now the digital version has me hooked!

loving Hockney
iPad drawings © Teresa Newham

in Kerry with a camera (or two)

getting a dog to pose . . .
© Teresa Newham

We've enjoyed a few days' lovely late Autumn weather and some wonderful photo opportunities while staying with friends in Kerry.  My companions got used to me lagging behind as I juggled my iPhone camera and my old Canon digital Ixus compact, encouraging their dog to pose briefly for a scenic shot or two. 

. . . is a doddle compared to a chicken!
© Teresa Newham

I had less success with the chickens, who tended to run towards me in expectation of food every time I stepped out of the door; most of my photos show only part of a chicken as a result.  This is probably the best one, and might end up as a linocut!

ahead is all blue . . .
© Teresa Newham

I enjoy experimenting with photos: on one of our beach walks I turned first one way, then the other, to make the most of the effects of the sunshine and clouds.  These two photos were taken within moments of each other, but facing in opposite directions . . .

. . . behind is slate grey
© Teresa Newham

It's also a good idea to look down from time to time, and not just with a view to keeping your footing; there are some little wonders lurking on most beaches, not to mention some unexpected colours!  Seaweed holds an endless fascination for me, as do pebbles of all kinds.

the beauty of small things
© Teresa Newham

Looking at the photos afterwards, I've been struck by the difference between those taken with the Canon and those where I used the iPhone (all the photos shown here are iPhone shots).  I definitely need to get a new camera; whether it will be another compact or a DSLR-type remains to be seen!

hidden treasure
© Teresa Newham