When it's grey

You'll recall the press photo exhibition at Cartwright Hall that I visited in January (HERE). Well, there have been a couple of associated talks by press photographers and I went to hear Danny Lawson speak. He is the photographer who took that amazing photograph (HERE) of Meghan Markle, caught in a shaft of sunlight on her way up the aisle at her wedding to Prince Harry, as well as many more instantly recognisable and incredible photos that have appeared in our newspapers and magazines. It was fascinating to listen to his stories and to see some of the camera equipment he uses too. Let's just say that I couldn't have lifted most of his cameras and lenses!

Seeing such brilliant work can either make me feel a little disheartened or inspired. February was such a very wet and grey month, I started to feel a little desperate to get out and find some decent photos. Half the time I didn't want to take my 'big' camera out because of the wet. I came out of the talk and got my phone out and took a few random shots, just to satisfy my urge to 'make something'.

There were plenty of puddles in which to find reflections. I liked the way the tarmac glittered, giving the appearance of stars in the sky. Then I spotted what must be the longest bench in the world. (!) The back of Cartwright Hall has rather lovely windows - and finally I found some colour in a winter flowering heather.

Press photography exhibition

The exhibition I went to see at Cartwright Hall was Assignments 2019: British Press Photographers' Association. It didn't disappoint, having some wonderful examples of sport and documentary work taken all over the world on assignments by British press photographers. I particularly enjoyed a shot of the footballer Harry Kane, caught in a balletic pose during a match (third pic). The exhibition is on until mid-April, so there is still time for local folk to see it.

The area in which the exhibition was displayed also holds two sculptures. One is by Anish Kapoor: 'Turning the world inside out', a massive stainless steel piece, purchased in 1997, that reflects its surroundings in a beguiling manner. The other is a Francis Derwent Wood marble (1921), called 'Humanity overcoming War'. (Oh, that we could!) Derwent Wood also created the statue of Sir Titus Salt that stands in Saltaire's Roberts Park.

Photography in Cartwright Hall is not, I think, encouraged but I did manage these quick snaps on my phone. I hate it when they forbid photography, as I think seeing pictures encourages other people to visit. The lighting (as so often) created a lot of reflections on the glass of the pictures. I don't know why they don't use non-reflective glass. It's daft when you can't properly see the pictures you've come to view!

Blue sky day

There was an amazingly uplifting blue sky when I visited Bradford's main art gallery at Cartwright Hall recently. The view of the hall from the water gardens is rather attractive, I think. The Edwardian Baroque building opened in 1904 as a purpose-built gallery, a gift to the city from Samuel Lister, a wealthy local mill-owner. It sits centrally in Lister Park, a pleasant oasis in the city.

For many years it has lacked a tearoom, apart from the kiosk by the boating lake that is only open in summer. Now it has a smart new café in the basement, serving coffee, a good selection of cakes and light meals, though I think people haven't yet realised its existence as it was virtually empty when I visited.

Blue sky in the park

Sunny days and blue sky make for cheerful photos, if not technically good ones. One such day at the end of May, I took a stroll round Lister Park. I always think the back view of Cartwright Hall, Bradford's civic art gallery, is rather more attractive than its front. Lawns at the rear, sloping down to the lake, were covered in daisies. Though they're a common flower, it's not often you see them forming a complete white carpet like this.

The boating lake was an unlikely shade of bright turquoise. I've never observed it looking quite like that before. There were no boats in evidence though. Perhaps the boating season hadn't started, despite the bright weather.

Black and white squared

'There are only patterns, patterns on top of patterns, patterns that affect other patterns. Patterns hidden by patterns. Patterns within patterns.' Chuck Palahniuk

A photo from my archives. I'm running out of stock for the blog, hoping soon to find some time and decent weather to get out and take some more pictures. We're in another cold snap, funnelling down from Siberia, I gather. Brr. I'm longing for Spring. Our health and sanity demands it!

I've been over to my daughter's. She and my youngest graddaughter have both been very unwell with a flu-type virus. 'Plague nurse' is not my most favourite or best role but I think I was helpful and - so far - have not succumbed to the lurgy myself.

Lantern Parade

The Cecil Green Arts collective of artist, puppeteers, musicians and circus performers held a Lantern Parade in Bradford's Lister Park in the schools' half term week, as part of the 'Museums at Night' initiative. They brought their huge illuminated puppets and many children were there with their handmade creations, made at lantern-making workshops during the week.

Music was provided by the Peace Artistes and a drumming group, so there was plenty of encouragement to get moving, on what was quite a chilly evening. 

There were also a couple of circus artists performing fire spinning routines. I wasn't sure what settings I needed on my camera to capture that. A tripod wasn't practical in the dark, with so many people around, but I quite like the effect of movement that I captured. 

Mughal Gardens artwork

You may remember back in February (here) I mentioned an artwork in Bradford city centre by the acclaimed Pakistani artist, Imran Qureshi. When I was in Lister Park, I walked round to the Mughal Gardens to see its companion piece. The two-part work is called 'Garden within a Garden'. It commemorates the million-strong British Indian Army that fought in the First World War. 'Light and dark mix, horror and hope collide' in the tranquil setting of a peaceful and serene garden (in itself inspired by the heritage of the many Bradfordians who can trace their lineage back to the Indian subcontinent).

Samuel Lister

Samuel Cunliffe Lister (1815-1906), after whom Lister Park is named, was a Victorian inventor and industrialist. He is notable for inventing the Lister nip comb, which revolutionised the wool industry by mechanising a previously difficult job. His father, Ellis, was a wealthy MP who built Manningham Mills in Bradford for his sons to manage. After a fire caused a rebuild, it became the massive Lister's Mill (see here). Samuel went on to have a glorious career, inventing silk combing machines and a velvet loom, which made him very wealthy. He was made a peer, 1st Baron Masham, in 1891. His statue, sculpted from white Sicilian marble by Matthew Noble, was unveiled in 1875 and stands at the entrance to the park he donated to the people of Bradford.

Salt gate

A view from the lakeside in Bradford's Lister Park, looking down towards the entrance gate called the Norman Arch and the ornate monument holding a statue of Saltaire's own Sir Titus Salt (see also here).

Gull-p

There was an interesting exhibition in Cartwright Hall, the art gallery in Lister Park in Bradford: 'Assignments 2016,' the year's best press photographs as chosen by the British Press Photographer's Association (BPPA). Some great stuff (see them all here).  There was one I particularly liked, taken by Peter Nicholls, of HM the Queen talking to someone. It just showed the back of her hat, with the other person gesticulating so that it looked like they were about to grab the hat. I think it's interesting that you can instantly recognise the Queen just from her hat!
After seeing the exhibition, I wandered through the surrounding park. There appeared to be a seagulls' convention going on.

Bleached

I seem to be noticing these pampas grass plants everywhere just lately and I've decided I like them. Or, at least, that they make an interesting photo. I like the juxtaposition of the textures and shapes of the feathery fronds, the wood fence and the metal work here.

I am following some tutorials on the internet by Kim Klassen and learning how to use pre-sets and textures, so here I have applied one of her pre-sets, just to try it. I decided I quite liked the bleached effect. The tutorials are helpful, though being deaf I can't always hear the voice-over on the videos so I am only getting half the learning I could do. Sigh, that's life....

Riffing on a bench

When the days are short and the weather dull I have to work much harder to find subjects worthy of photographing. I was drawn to this wooden bench in Lister Park. It seemed to present a few possibilities in terms of structure, texture and colour (or not). Variations on a theme...

Three leaves

I noticed this rather pleasing natural arrangement of leaves on the ground in Lister Park. I didn't compose it, this is just 'as is'.

Gash

I've been looking the photographs of Eliot Porter recently. Inspirational stuff. He takes a lot of photos of trees and 'little landscapes' - lichens on rocks, pebbles and suchlike. Many of his photos are in portrait format with something (water, a tree, rocks) that makes a roughly vertical 'slash' through the image. I had a go... but I think I have a bit to learn.

Under starter's orders

Milling around at the starting tape, three Canada geese...  Actually the starting tape is, in reality, a line marking the limit of boating on Lister Park lake. I was hoping the geese would actually line up for me but, though I waited a while, they just swam round in circles. They don't take any notice of the line, happily criss-crossing it.

A pinch of Salt

Lister Park is also 'home' to a few influential men. The ornate monument at the northern end of the park (shown here from the back) holds a statue of Sir Titus Salt. See here for an earlier photo I took of the statue itself. The castellated gatehouse behind commemorates a visit of the then Prince and Princess of Wales, Edward and Alexandra, in 1883.

Lister Park and its ladies

After a few days of crisp, bright, chilly weather we are back to mild, dull and damp. Country walks are muddy so a walk in the park seemed more sensible. This is Lister Park, in an area of Bradford called Manningham. Once the home of wealthy Bradford industrialists, Manningham is long past its glory days. It became a student haunt (those huge Victorian houses made excellent bedsits and I roomed here myself in student days) and it now has a sizeable Muslim population. The park is well-used and at its centre has Bradford's art gallery, Cartwright Hall (in the background of my photo.)

I popped in to the gallery see an excellent exhibition of photographs called '100 Leading Ladies'. The photographer Nancy Honey has taken portraits of a hundred of Britain's most respected senior (all over 55 ) women: academics, entrepreneurs, scientists, politicians, lawyers, doctors, actors, artists, architects, designers, journalists. They are engaging views of women who in the main are not 'celebrities' though greatly respected in their own fields. They are photographed in a variety of settings, chosen as meaningful and inspirational to each individual. The pictures are wonderfully colourful, which seems to say quite a lot in itself. I was also struck by how beautiful these women look, though not necessarily conventionally so. Their confidence and personality seems to come from them sitting comfortably in their own skins. Maturity has some benefits, it seems. The exhibition runs in Cartwright Hall until 10 April - well worth seeing.  I was tempted to buy the book, which also has interviews with each woman, but at £30 it seemed a little more than I felt justified in spending on myself!

A shimmer of pink

We still have bare trees, with just the faintest hint of a green haze. A single blossom tree beginning to unfurl its buds provides a splash of colour in Bradford's Lister Park.

Handle with care

Among Lister Park's treasures, in my view, are the door handles at the entrance to Cartwright Hall. There are several, all (I think) slightly different from each other but all in this elaborate and fluid style. The Hall dates from the early 1900s and I think these brass handles are in the style of Art Nouveau, which was popular in that era. They each feature an elegant lady sitting atop a flowing, leaf-like cascade that forms the handle itself. Little treasures.

(I wish it was easier to arrange photos in Blogger. This was the best I could manage!

Torsos

This sculpture - Lady-Hare, by Sophie Ryder - is one of a pair from a series called 'Torsos', which fuse human, animal and mythological forms to create mythical hybrids. Sophie Ryder's work has been the subject of an 'Art in Yorkshire' exhibition at Bradford's Art Gallery, Cartwright Hall, which is in Lister Park. The companion piece is 'Minotaur'. Huge and imposing, these two artworks sit either side of the entrance to Cartwright Hall, like sentinels. The exhibition inside has now closed but these pieces remain in position until next year.