Photo 101 – Edges

The Stone Shop, Medina Yard Cowes

Shipbuilding has been carried out at Cowes for hundreds of years. Wooden “Men o’ War” were built in East Cowes before 1700. HMS Jersey was a three-decker laid down in 1697 by Joseph Nye, who then went to Russia and developed shipbuilding at St. Petersburg for the Tsar.

The street names reflect these days of optimism and adventure – “Arctic Road”, “Egypt Close” and “Nubia Close” –  glimpses of a town in it’s glamorous hay day. In Victorian times and earlier, Cowes was one of the most important boat building centres in England and ghosts of the past remain amongst the luxury yachts and blue clad second homes: The rows of terraced boat builders cottages, the crumbling dry docks and an iconic hulking crane that towers above the entrance to the River Medina.

One of my favourite haunts is the Medina Yard – home to the  Hammerhead Crane which, scaffold clad, dominates the skyline. It is a symbol of the once great ship building town,a monument to the men and women who worked there.

The yard remains, for the present at least, a welcome hub of marine craftsman and hands on industry – the bases for my sculpture are cut by  The Stone Shop – their workshop was razed to the ground earlier in the year by a fierce blaze. The structure that remains offers a rare glimpse of the skeleton of a vast industrial unit – metal twisted and deformed by the heat, hanging like huge iron curtains from the remaining steel uprights.

The Stone Shop After The Fire – Arctic Road, Cowes, Isle of Wight

The Stone Shop – Burnt Out Warehouse, Arctic Road, Cowes

For anyone who’d like to know more about the fire, the yard and some of the irreplaceable boats that were damaged…..this is a fascinating link with some great photos…

Cowes Fire 2016

Photo 101 – Glass

 

 

Photo 101 – Treasure and Close Up

Today’s assignment – close up photographs of something treasured. The long dog seemed to be happy to oblige – and since the very beautiful steel bicycle was around too, I thought I’d put her into the mix……

Bear The Dog

Bear The Dog

Blue Bicycle

 

Photo 101 – Landscape

 

Medina Estuary Isle of Wight

Photo 101 Movement and Scale

 

Spring Tide Sandown Isle of Wight

 

Photo 101 – Movement

Cross Country Ski Racers – Reberty

 

This shot was taken on a bitterly cold Wednesday afternoon when the local children braved the elements to compete with each other and the icy head wind, in a cross country ski race.

Photo 101 – Monchrome

Shanklin Beach – Low Tide Breakwaters 

Photo 101 – Colour

Brave March Swimmer – Treyarnon Bay Rock Pool

Yesterday heralded the Vernal Equinox – the first day of Spring. This winter has been long and wet in these parts, with the ground still brown and muted despite the lengthening days. We awoke early on Monday morning to a frost lying heavy on the earth – apparently a real rarity in these parts. The first warm rays of sunshine soon made the prospect of a brief dip in Treyarnon Rock Pool an enticing possibility and a few moments of rocky clambering later we were dipping our toes into the clear blue water.

Photo 101 – Mystery

London: Doorway At Night

London comes into it’s own on misty winter evenings, Palladian buildings illuminated with a ghostly glow reminiscent of Dickensian scenes of intrigue and dark mystery.

This image was captured on a night when the rest of the capital was in carnival mood for “Lumiere London” – Leicester Square sporting beautiful gardens of iridescent flowers, elegant dancing fish flying high above Piccadilly. Behind these scenes, the backstreets also glowed,  quiet, elegant and enigmatic.

Photo 101 Nature

  Bruyeres La Masse, France