Between The Lines

I AM NOT AN ARSONIST

Human Frailty

When a genuine human tradgedy occurs, it is rare for me to observe genuine human empathy or sympathy for those involved among others. Recently round my way a normal, 'quiet type' went burgers with a shotgun and a .22 rifle. He beserked 13 people, including himself, over a period of a few hours. Straight in the face, no questions asked. Now this is obviously a profoundly shocking and incredibly difficult thing to deal with for those involved, however it is the reaction of those around me and in the wider national context that interests me. Whilst reacting to the initial, minute by minute (or as it later transpired wildly inaccurate) reporting of said incident, all I heard from those around me in the workplace, in shops, on street corners can only be described as gossip. Little emotional connection to either perpitrator or victim, just pure sensationalism. This I have come to expect from the town in which I live. It was only a matter of weeks ago that a rumour started by a girl working behind the counter of a local conveneince store, led to a veritable witch hunt revolving around a normal, 'quiet type' guy. The rumour being that he had won the biggest ever lottery jackpot in Europe. It took a remarkably short amount of time until it seemed everyone had heard about the junkie loser who had scooped the millions and the poor shetland had every Tom, Dick and Government Agency ( including Her Majesty's Department fo Tabloid Affairs) knocking down his door. Anyway the early rumblings about Mr. Bird initially filled me with the same amount of scepticism and equal amounts of annoyance.

As time passed, further so called details emerged via the media and the randomness and callous nature of the killings was played out. We even got to see Derrick running from the very top right hand corner of some mobile phone footage. Facebook groups sprang up, the Prime Minister expressed his immense sympathy and shock. Those around me poured out their fake surprise, my local paper covered the aftermath even though they barely ever ventured further north than Millom, people who had never met the victims went to the funerals just because they once watched a game of amateur rugby.

So here it is. As far as I can tell, this is just another form of natural disaster. Like an earthquake, a landslide, a flood or a hurricane. Sometimes human beings just go all short circuit in the nervous system. See no other way of continuing their existence. It's as natural as the movement of the tectonic plates, the geological shifting of the mountains, abnormal precipitation or extreme meetings of atmospherical pressure. It is an undeniable fact of life which can not be prevented nor legislated for. To express feelings of shock, anger, mourning is only to express selfishness, not genuine human empathy. I didn't hear you weeping when that Finnish kid went nuts in his school, or when our government and the Americans killed 100,000 Iraqis. You don't genuinley feel for those people, it just made you realise it could happen to you.

This piece is not good, very wonky surface, super absorption of all types of paint.

Do something different tomorrow, try being real, it really works.

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Go to the links at the bottom of the page and check theae Barrovians doing something different today

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Submissions always welcome - opticalnoodles@gmail.com

Shut Up and Dance

Long time since anything appeared up this junction, god knows who put these there...

Dawn time beats night time, top trumps.

Summer Session 001

Fine weather at last, summertime painting rules OK.

Do something different tomorrow, maybe, I'd rather do the same again.

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Go to the links at the bottom of the page and check these Barrovians doing something different today.

A Road Long Travelled

Just a quick one to show that the spot in my last post is by no means a virgin wall, a path travelled by RASE/ERA back in the day. It's had a good 20 years up on there but I did feel a little wrong mulshing over.

Indecision

So back in 'Flora and Fatcaps Pt.3' nearly a year ago I banjoed on about doing my first real piece. It never even got finished. Since then I've had a few little messes with freehand painting but have never really attempted another since. This has been a result of a few contributing factors;


Paint really is a luxury item, I'm nowhere near hardcore enough to go racking paint and I really haven't had the spare cash a lot of the time to get me a decent order delivered.

The weather turned all cold and dark and junk. Winter really does do something heavy to us all. A marked drop in energy and imagination ensued.

The Kings Arms closed...no legal wall.

Frustrating indeed and the only outlet has been a sketchbook which is now full of improving outlines. A couple have been hastily thrown up down the cockroach wall on the channel but I guess that this really is the first full scale, full colour piece I have actually (almost!) completed.
Very ragged around the edges and a few bits missing but I'm well smooched with the things I've discovered. A bit of a mix of paints experimented with, Montana Black (nice purples), MTN 94 (class as always), Belton (still not the biggest fan), Ironlak (only had few colours but i like it with the fatcap) and Kobra (nice smooth black). Ran out of many, took way too long, no skinny caps, bad shines; won't be doing those next time and damn it's hard holding tight lines down at the meeting of wall and brambles....I'm happy for sure. Shouts to Moony and RedVenom

Do something different with your tin cans.

Go to the links at the bottom of the page and check these Barrovians doing something different today.
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Submissions always welcome - opticalnoodles@gmail.com

Underestimate

In the darkness, several unwelcome federal interruptions, not enough chrome, not enough black...turned out OK I suppose. I enjoyed myself anyway.

Do something different on Thursday, 2 weeks of painting makes noodles a tired boy with spazzed fingers.

Go to the links at the bottom of the page and check these Barrovians doing something different today.

Submissions always welcome - opticalnoodles@gmail.com