I’ve written before about music in my life (see Music and Silence from 2015) and it continues to be a constant strand, with the same mix of nostalgia and novelty. I still play djembe with a local group but spent a weekend taking my learning a bit further with Iya Sako in Yorkshire in late August. Wind and rain meant most playing was within the dim shelter of a roundhouse but on the Saturday night we sang around a crackling fire of tree limbs.
Although I had brought my guitar along I wasn’t quite brave enough to sing on my own, but I did enjoy singing Knocking on Heaven’s Door with Gemma.
Bob Dylan Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Tuesday evenings are time for rehearsals with the local choir – Anstruther Philharmonic – learning Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio. Our conductor is innovative in his approach and has been getting us to work in small groups, gaining confidence in singing together, rather than in the conventional serried ranks. You can listen to an excerpt in the Music Player at the foot of the blog.
Very glad to be feeling well enough to get back to painting. Today I finished a second narrative collage, using photocopies of photos and drawings, cut up and manipulated, along with pages from AA Milne’s When we Were Very Young. This was one of the first books I owned, bought at a jumble sale. I really like the process of cutting, glueing and placing, using paint pastels and ink to add context. The material is personal, but the process gives it distance.
Feeling excited about exhibiting some work in the Crail Art Group show at the end of November. I still have some cards and textile work from when I took part in the Open Studios which I plan to show along with some mounted drawings and paintings. I also got some proper business cards done which I’m quite ridiculously chuffed with.
Is music important in your life? Do you sing – even if it’s just inside your head? I called this blog Time after Time because that was the song in my head all summer. What’s your song?
Cindy Lauper Time after Time
Time after Time 