Dotty over spots

When the Jomojo threw our ”circles” yet again I was going to ”re-roll” but fate intervened. When I'd been given the topic of circles last week one of the images I'd immediately thought of was Damien Hirst’s infamous and dare say iconic spot paintings, or to be more correct, his controlled substance series. On a memorable visit to the original Saatchi gallery they had featured prominently and a spot emblazoned mini had been pride of place in the entrance (though Damien himself got into a row about it being art). We'd also discovered that when taking the water taxi to the Tate Modern whilst doing a little art gallery crawl, it had also been spotified. I was delighted to discover one of my clients had a huge original painting in their reception (Biotin-Maleimide) so I get to visit it regularly. It has always appealed to my aesthetics, despite the furore concerning whether they are art or whether they were or not actually painted by Damien’s assistants (it's safe to say the vast majority were). I think the combination of the pleasing lines, coupled with circles and the punches of colour just work. I know so many art critics cringe at this series as they bemoan the commerciality and consider it just too crowd pleasing and certainly not high-end art. I just know that I adore eating in Michelin-starred restaurants but also occasionally plump for an M&S ready meal.

So with all that said when I opened my Observer this today and realised the double page spread of the review section was this exact picture, circles won the day.

Ba-bling, ba-bling!

The Jomojo forced me to resort to 'some of my favourite things' today namely ”jewellery”. I do seem to be inordinately attracted to shiny things, possibly being part magpie, and have acquired a spectacular collection over many years plus inheriting some wonderful pieces as well. Therefore gathering the subject wasn't particularly challenging but it was, however, harder to decide which of the sparkly pieces should feature in the photograph. I wanted the picture to be fairly monochromatic so I started by selecting my smoky champagne diamond and black rhodiumed collection (all courtesy of the fabulous Sarah and all those at Bolder & Co.) Then selecting some random black or white diamond gorgeousness all accented with the Theo Fennell ruby phi symbol. Phi seemed appropriate as it represents the golden ratio or harmony, surely a lucky charm for any artist or photographer plus the rubies are a delicious pink.

It’s ended up rather as a cacophony of bling. If you look hard you'll see a ruby-eyed rabbit peering coquettishly from behind a flower ring and I have now spotted that the tiny date on my watch is incorrect, showing how much credence I normally pay to it. Well if nothing else it gave me the perfect opportunity to have a good rummage through my jewellery boxes and revisit some old friends.

 

 

 

Stationed!

Today’s Jomojo mission is ”stations”. Fortunately I generally pass through a couple of these in the course of the day but luckily I found myself at Clapham Junction, which is billed as Britain’s busiest railway station (I believe in terms of number of trains passing hither and thither rather than merely passenger numbers). It's nearly midnight so I'm a little challenged by low light and not having a tripod about my person have to avoid the long shots of the orange hi-vis jacketed engineers strolling along checking the line as they turn out as fuzzy fluorescent blobs. A more likely shots is one of the trains that come through every 13 seconds (at peak times) and I should be able to capture a speedy streak of SouthWest train-ness even without my three-legged friend.

Reflections on a relocation

The mojo motivator or as AL calls it, the Jomojo, gave me ”mirrors” today and I think I've had an idea that has been right in front of me all week. We've relocated to a new building, which is better on the inside than out. By which I mean the building is newly refurbished so it is bright, clean and decorated with inspirational messages and bursts of citrus colours but the location doesn't really cut it. On one side our neighbour is a strip, or if you prefer, table dancing club and the other a discount tile warehouse. Laden lorries trundle loudly up and down the major highway just outside and if you opt to take a shortcut from the station to avoid the traffic fumes, you walk through a estate where the residents have felt the need to put metal grills up at their windows. Yes, I feel very safe here!

Through our new windows we can see our building and a couple of iconic city skyline features (namely the Gherkin and Tower 42 (formerly the Natwest Tower)) reflected in the mirrored edifice across the busy road. This seems as good an example of mirrors I might find without resorting to using an actual mirror. I really wanted a vantage point and hankered after a brief sojourn on the roof so I could take a nice, clean shot without naughty reflective glass but was thwarted by all the doors and windows being hermetically sealed and no handy key being tucked away - and I did look. Our old building overlooked a dock full of yachts and tantalising glimpses of Tower Bridge but had temperamental air con and heating, lifts that didn't always go all the way or open when they got there, running water optional, lights that often chose not to illuminate and awful smells emanating from who knows where. Oh and occasionally rodents! Our new home however is all fresh and bright, albeit featuring a rather curious layout and lacking in a place big enough for us all to meet should the mood take us but if it was in an entirely different part of the city it wouldn't be half bad.

Dishing it

Hmmm ”dishes” today. Well there really is no other choice but to channel Donna Hay. And for those of you not so au fait with the Australian former food stylist now television cook and author she does favour a very neutral palette and does makes her food look stunning. Time to stack some white plates on casually folded white linen napkins. I found the wide shot not quite white enough as the sun through the fine porcelain added too much yellow so opted for a close up instead. I liked the concentric circles of this Gordon Ramsay Wedgewood plates which added a little texture, possibly not very Donna but hey!

Knock, knock who's there?

Today's random theme to try and photograph is ”doors & doorknobs”. I immediately start scouting in my image memory bank for big, aged door with layers of peeling paint with a chunky cast iron door knocker, an impressive old lock which conjures up the sort of key the robin helps Mary unearth in the Secret Garden. Actually a real secret garden hidden door would be perfect...what are the chances?

Instead I go closer to home. I realise my beautiful antique crystal doorknobs get very little attention and they are rather elegant. I find their tactile coolness very pleasing. They don't turn but have a static twin attached on the other side of my front door. It also seems under the scrutiny of my camera’s macro setting, my doorknobs are a prime vehicle for fingerprints. Worth considering if I ever need to get CSI in.

 

Hidden talent

"Hidden” should be any easy theme today. I was immediately transported to LB’s evocative shots in Croatia peering through a rustic, large wooden gate into the secret garden beyond and another shabby paint peeled door into a dimly lit passageway. And as much as I'd like to evoke some of those iconic images in a homage to LB I cannot think where I'd begin to replicate the mysterious mood. Sadly I think my life may be devoid of secret gardens at the moment!

Whenever I had a moment during a busy day unpacking and settling into the new office I was peering under things, behind things and inside things but my inspiration lay hidden. Finally I'm waiting for the penultimate train home, it's a shade before midnight and I haven't taken my daily photo. I find a handy pillar on the platform and consider that if someone crosses behind it I can maybe grab a nice shot of them partially hidden but there's a distinct lack of someones tonight. Eventually I opt for this minimalist shot of a women, who's at least hidden from view, and adopts an intriguing stance as she waits most impatiently for the train.