The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem For that sweet odour which doth in it live. Sonnet 54 No more be grieved at that which thou hast done: Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud; Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun, And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud. Sonnet 35 Of … More A rose by any other name
WordPress tells me that the first draft of this post is from January; I have started and stopped editing the same post again and again, every time feeling just as uninspired. It wasn’t that I wasn’t doing things – I was – it just was that I had little to say about them, no words … More Lately
Lilacs, False blue, White, Purple, Color of lilac, Your great puffs of flowers Are everywhere in this my New England. Among your heart-shaped leaves Orange orioles hop like music-box birds and sing Their little weak soft songs; In the crooks of your branches The bright eyes of song sparrows sitting on spotted eggs Peer restlessly … More Lilacs
These are the notes for the selection of photos on display at the Oxford Festival of the Arts hub until 6th July. Oxford Blue – Garden photography Unvarnished – The portrait project “These two sets of photographs represent a point of transition in my life as a photographer – a move away from the nature/garden … More Exhibition notes
This is the look of disappointment – a blizzard in March. On a Friday, when big, exciting plans involving traveling to London were in place, but had to be abandoned because of the five days of back winter carnage. Still, in Oxford we were lucky; in some parts of the country people are still without … More Lately
In lieu of a blog post, here are some pages from my art journals, some recent, some dating back to before I came to Oxford. I have never been a diary writer (and I have tried, so hard), but somehow the visual medium has always worked better for me. I draw (sometimes even well), make … More Visual diary
This has been the year that hasn’t got started yet, not really. January felt like a warm up, and February has flown by, not bringing any more cohesion to thought or deed. I have read only two books since the start of the year. Went to a concert once, the memory of it still firmly … More New starts
It’s been a while. In fact, it’s been a whole month since I even looked at this blog. I haven’t gone away though – it just so happens that December is always rather busy. And I’m good at wasting time – for example, I spent one whole weekend painting Nutcracker illustrations, with results that I … More This year
Listen. With faint dry sound, Like steps of passing ghosts, The leaves, frost-crisp’d, break from the trees And fall. Adelaide Crapsey
Few days ago I came back to check the date of the last post on this blog, and realised that it has been a year and a few days since I started my Shakespeare project in earnest. And I still haven’t quite finished, as there’s one more play he contributed to to get through, and … More Happy (sort of) anniversary
Shakespeare for absolute beginners 