Oh what fun it is to paint!

 

End of day one!

What a find!

A long time ago I was in the German equivalent of a pound-shop. I went there with the hope that I would find some canvases going cheap. I was lucky and I soon had my bike laden with a score of them in all shapes and sizes. Oh, how I wished I had had my trailer with me, I could have bought even more.

While I was walking down the aisles in the shop I suddenly realised what an amazing selection of brushes and mops there was available, in all shapes and sizes to and all for just a few cents each. Most of them were meant to be used for cleaning, washing and cooking, none of them for painting, but nevertheless I soon had a collection on my bike too. I had also found a roller that I think was originally meant for collecting fluff from dark-coloured clothing. You can see from our photographs that it is now used for orange paint!

Summer’s coming

It is almost the summer holidays and our after school group will only be with us for another two weeks before the children all venture off on their various holidays and we, the conductors, will be enjoying all sorts of different work.

We had two hot muggy afternoons this week and we knew that the children would arrive exhausted, especially those who had sport’s day at school on one morning.

It was time to get out the paints

We have a wonderful cleaning lady and another wonderful lady working in the office, who had both given me stacks of old white tablecloths. One of the mums had recently arrived with arms full of pots of coloured emulsion and, put together with my array of weird and wonderful brushes, we had the beginnings of an amazing work of art!

It all took just five minutes to prepare.

I was especially grateful that we had not thrown out the packaging for our second big blue mat when it arrived a few months ago. This huge piece of plastic helped to protect the floor just a little bit, but with Little Princess going at it like a maniac with a shower sponge on the end of a long plastic stick I was still at work long after the children were at home, scrubbing the floors at least five metres away from the painting!

Look out for low-flying paint!

Spontaneity all round

I love doing these huge art projects with the children who come into their element and always show us so spontaneously how much they have learnt over the past months.

One little boy was trying very hard to stay in a knee-stand just long enough to dangle the newspaper-stuffed fingers of a bath-time glove in the middle of the picture. Off course we made sure with lots of encouragement and a little help that he made it.

There was also the thirteen-year-old who said –

‘Susie, do you really think that I am going to paint with a toilet brush?’

'This is fun!'

'Boom coming over!'

'Its that toilet brush again!'

I reassured her that it was clean and that she really should give it a go as the pattern looked like summer flowers in a meadow.

'A meadow with flowers'

I heard my colleague tittering to herself in the background as she worked with some other children, when she heard the same teenager say, just minutes later –

‘Susie, you do have some brilliant ideas.’

Even if I say so myself, yes, this really was one of my better ideas and the children had a very jolly time and made some lovely meadow-flower patterns on the cloth!

'All getting stuck in to some arty-action!'

'Jolly Prof. inventing his own techniques!'

'And no one minded about who painted where'

'Look out! Low-flying paint coming over once more. This time its red!'

Today the children asked me what this huge work of art is going to be. I actually had to admit that I had not thought of it being anymore than an “arty action”, but now of course we will have great discussions about what we will produce with it.

Eventually we will decide whether our creation will be hung on our wall, donated to one of the offices that have greater expanses to cover, cut up to make cushion covers for the group, used as a tablecloth for festive occasions, or made into a big cuddly toy!

The answer, when found, will of course be published here.

The Flying-Conductor is home to roost

Between 14.30 and 17.00, June 10th, 2012

Norwich peregrines and Nürnberg blackbirds

I am home to roost having done what seemed like around-the-world-in-eighty-days but was only in fact popping-around-Europe-in-fifteen —

Nürnberg-Dusseldorf-London-Norwich-Birmingham-Sheffield-Norwich-London-Dusseldorf-Nürnberg-Vienna-Nürnberg! 

While in England I saw my Dad, Aimee and the rest of the family, a few friends and the Norwich Peregrines. I risked travelling by train and got out from the Norfolk sticks to the Midlands and back without any delays, despite being evacuated from one station due to a fire! 

Unfortunately I saw the sea only from the plane and the Queen only on the television but I experienced Viennese waltzing, and Klimt and Schiele paintings, first hand in Austria! 

I was glad to have caught sight of the Norfolk birds and experienced some Queen’s Jubilee fever, even though I missed all the street parties. By the time the British began partying in the streets I was enjoying Viennese culture and eating Dobos Torte with a picture of Klimt’s painting, The Kiss, on the top.

More about the travels later, this is supposed to be about birds.

Peregrines

I tried my best to follow the life of the peregrines at Norwich Cathedral after I left Norwich but I had only seen a few glimpses of the chick’s darkening feathers on the webcam and did not have the opportunity to read the messages on the Forum for several days. Therefore I had not realised earlier that there were such concerns for the health of the smallest of the three chicks.

As I tuned in to the peregrines on Sunday morning I thought at first that one of the chicks had already flown the nest, Sunday being the day that the experts in the peregrine-watching tent in Norwich had told me is the expected fledging day. I soon realized that one bird, the smaller of the two male birds, had died in the early hours of the morning. The remaining two have since spent most of the day flapping around their nest-box and on the ledge, preening away the last fluffy feathers and receiving food from the parent birds.

http://www.hawkandowl.org/NR/exeres/FC55CF4D-985C-4C84-BC88-D665F12EFEC0

https://secure.onestopcms.co.uk/OneStopCMS/Core/TemplateHandler.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID={1E4880C9-87B5-4FA6-8061-0D77FDF53EBD}&NRORIGINALURL=%2fTrustAtWork%2fConservation%2fUrbanperegrines%2fNorPeregrionesForum%3fpage%3d1&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyLoggedIn&page=1&site={10878011-eb74-47f9-9a81-75ce0e6ab32d}

Blackbirds

When I had come home for a few hours at the beginning of the week, to swap suitcases before heading off to Austria, I was nearly hit, full in the face, by a frightened blackbird as I stepped out on to my tiny balcony.

I noticed that the blackbirds that I have often seen hopping around in the trees nearby had been digging up the herbs from my plant pots. Last spring I had prevented these birds from messing up the patio below with their pickings from my window-boxes by quickly planting strawberries and geraniums. The birds left the boxes alone this year but it appeared that they had hopped down to a lower level to help themselves to nest-building material from the pots on the wooden, decking floor.

Before I continued with my around-Europe-in-fifteen-days trip I cleared up the mess, watered the plants, and forgot about it.

On Sunday morning I went out to see what was happening in my tree-decked balcony-world outside the kitchen door. I had checked whether I needed to water anything and pulled off a few dead leaves before I discovered a nest in the window-box at the furthest point from the door, snuggled in the soil beyond the geraniums where one of last year’s strawberries had been struggling to survive. 

It is a blackbird’s nest and it belongs to those messy blackbirds that hop around my balcony picking at my pots!

It was empty when I discovered it but that was no surprise to me as it was so newly built. 

There had been no sign of it at the beginning of the week. It is quite unbelievable that in the space of just five days such an architectural wonder can be built by two small birds. 

I wondered whether I had disturbed the owners of the nest with my comings and goings since I returned home to my own roost, and I feared that they may abandon it. I checked at regular intervals but there was no sign of life, then at lunch-time today I saw a beak and a tail poking up amongst the geranium leaves. 

A few hours later I peered out of the window and noticed that the nest was empty again. Oh dear, had I disturbed them when I opened the fridge door? Or when I put on the light? 

What a distraction these new neighbours will be if they decide to stay.

As there was no one on the nest to disturb I opened the door to let in the fresh air and I had another peep at the beautifully lined, perfectly round and very clean and tidy nest. Low and behold, during the short time that the nest had been occupied, bright blue egg-number-one had been laid. It is in the middle of the nest and there hardly looks to be enough room for any more to join it. But more there are sure to be as no one is keeping this one warm yet. 

The egg is not oval like a hen’s egg but fatter at one end and much more pointy at the other. So when it rolls it will roll around in a circle inside the nest.

An hour or so later, in a pause from peregrine-watching on the Internet, I checked up on the blackbird’s nest. I noticed the mum bird perched on a branch beside her nest watching me through the door with one beady eye, with the other one on her beautiful egg in the just-as-beautiful nest. She seemed not to be afraid of me only a little protective.

‘That’s nice’, I thought, ‘She is not afraid, perhaps I really will have lots of company again this summer’.

I am not sure whether when summer comes and the cold dreary days like today pass by, that I will be just as happy to have company because I doubt that I will be able to sit outside in my chair that is placed all of twelve inches, that’s thirty centimetres, from the nest, but it is exciting enough to put up with it for a few weeks.

This is the first time that I have seen bird’s eggs this closely since I was a child when my dad lifted me up to see a nest full of blue-tit’s eggs in one of the many nest-boxes in our garden.

PS

It is Monday morning and the Norfolk peregrines are still on their nesting platform, and as I write there is still only one egg in the Nürnberg blackbirds’ nest. I have every hope that there will soon be two eggs as Mrs Blackbird has just returned!

PPS

Before posting Mrs Blackbird had laid egg number two!

12 o'clock, midday, June 11th, 2012

The 13th Blaue-Nacht

The night was blue in Nürnberg

And, as it turned out after much excitement, in Munich too!

In Nürnberg this Saturday was the night when my hair turns blue hair, lamps in the city-centre cast blue rays on the visitors and buildings, and the night when many museums and cultural centres offer special events, many staying open until the early hours of Sunday.

In Nürnberg it was Blaue-Nacht 2012:

http://www.blauenacht.nuernberg.de

http://www.blauenacht.nuernberg.de/presse/index.php

In Munich, though, the blue was due to the Champion’s League final. Bayern Munich, in the red, was playing Chelsea, in the blue! 

By the time the final whistle blew after extra time, and after an exciting penalty shoot-out was over, the city of Munich was blue too, Chelsea-Blue!

There were not as many people as usual walking through Nürnberg's city streets this Blue Night, despite its being much warmer than it often is. There were, however, many large television screens in the pavement cafes and every seat was taken. 

As I walked from one street event to another I took a look now and then to see how the football score was progressing. The only roar to be heard when Chelsea equalised with only minutes to go came from the Irish Pub! That was the only place where I dared to let a smile cross my face.

Albrect Dürer

My favourite event of the evening was the ice sculpting duo who produced a replica of the Dürer Hase (Hare) from a huge block of ice –

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldhase_%28D%C3%BCrer%29

Surrounding the ice-sculpting enclosure were blocks of ice in which products that are 'Made-in-Nürnberg' were frozen. There were pencils and pens from the various pencil manufacturers, ice-creams and, of course, toys. 

Many children of all ages were standing with their hands on the ice, melting the spot where they hoped to release their favourite coloured felt-pen. I wonder how many hours they had to wait until the ice melted enough to remove the objects held inside.

Relaxing outside the Ateleier Café

As always I ended the evening in what I consider to be my back-garden terrace listening to live music in my favourite café, Café in Atelier.

Notes

Champion League final –

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/champions-league/9272509/Bayern-Munich-v-Chelsea-Champions-League-final-live.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/g8/9277799/Dont-mention-the-score-Angela-Merkel-looks-stony-faced-as-David-Cameron-celebrates-Chelsea-victory.html

Other blue nights –

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2011/06/nurnbergs-twelfth-blaue-nacht.html

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2009/05/it-is-tenth-blaue-nacht-in-nurnberg.html

Café im Atelier, Nürnberg –

http://www.cafe-im-atelier.de/

It seems like yesterday

  

" Path in northern Germany", by Susie Mallett, 2008

In August 2009 I took a day off from work and went on a regional train, a double-decker, to Schwabische Hall in search of an exhibition of the work of an old favourite of mine, David Hockney. One of my first art tutors had known him before he became famous and introduced me to Hockney’s work early on in my arty life. I remained a fan, collecting books of his work and I have always enjoyed dipping in to them and admiring most of all the drawings, but also the vibrant colours of his painting.

I remember the joy I had in viewing the photographic collages and the  Grand Canyon paintings both of which he also made on a grand scale. I remember seeing the stage designs for The Rake's Progress and wondering whether theatre design was a path that I should take with my art training. 

Now I remember the awe with which I viewed the recent exhibition in Schwabische Hall and how the colours and shapes in Hockney's most recent works inspired and delighted me more than any other work of his that I have seen. I felt like I was there, painting beside him, watching the landscape change with him as the clouds moved over the sun, as the sun sank low in the sky, as the seasons changed and as the chain-saws marched in!

I wrote about that 2009 journey and the exhibition here:

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2009/08/bewtiched-in-fairyland.html

David Hockney is all over the British press at the moment because this same exhibition A Bigger Picture, with I expect some newer works included, can be seen in London at the Royal Academy. It has made quite a splash!

Even though I have seen these paintings in real life in that small town in Germany, I would love to see these big pictures displayed in the grand environment of the Royal Academy. The cathedral-like avenues of trees must look so majestic in their new setting.

Perhaps I will make it to the UK before the exhibition ends on April 9^th. If not, I still have my catalogue to drool over and my memories of that lovely day off in August 2009.

David Hockney, A Bigger Picture at the Royal Acadamy, London -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/artvideo/9018846/David-Hockney-A-Bigger-Picture-at-the-Royal-Academy-video-tour.html

David Hockney, official website -

http://www.hockneypictures.com/current.php

Who painted the sky this morning?

Pink sky in the morning shepherd's warning!

Sometimes it is really nice to have to be at work before eight

Today was one of those days. I would not have missed this sky for the world, it looked just as if I had been out there, up a ladder with my paint-box.

As for the pink-sky-in-the-morning warning, it is not something that rings true here like it does in Norfolk, there was a clear, sunny sky all afternoon.

Private view

My getting-big-littlies

When I was in Budpaest, nearly two weeks ago now, my getting-big-littlies went to a private view!

All dressed up to the nines they went off after school to a local bank ,for the opening of an exhibition of their, and others’, works of art.

I was so disappointed to miss this occasion, now the third exhibition of my clients’ artworks. It was the first that had press coverage and a proper flyer! And I missed it!

Take a look here and pick out a Christmas present for someone:

http://www.behinderte-nuernberg.de/sonstiges/bilderpraesentation.html

In the photographs above you can see on the title page of the flyer a painting by the eleven-year-old autistic child who draws and paints, bakes and plays with me and more,  every Tuesday afternoon. 

We are getting on so well these days that I will be soon writing a whole blog dedicated to our lovely sessions.