Burst before bed

Burst before bed
Originally uploaded by No end insight

Its such a perfect day. Spent with my daughter - rounded off by a terrific sunset

Frame 17 - Letter to Obama

Dear Sir,

I never thought I would find myself driven to write to the President of the USA. However, as a British subject and hopefully a right minded individual, I feel it my duty as part of mankind to do so.

I do hope you take the time to read what I have to say, if indeed it makes it as far as yourself and that you will indulge me in what, at times may seem like the ramblings of a fanatic. For, I am not a fanatic - just a normal person of reasonable intelligence who is proud of the fact that he can use the brain he was born with, can listen impartially to both sides of a story, weigh up the evidence and then decide on the truth. That's something I would like to think someone such as yourself, coming from a legal background, would appreciate.

I want to talk about 2 things:

The 9/11 attacks and the world oil situation.

Please don't switch off just yet - you just may not have heard it all before.

I am not a conspiracy theorist. Rather I prefer to examine the facts regarding 9/11. I won't go into all the "what's, how's and why's" but would rather direct you to the excellent site http://www.ae911truth.org. If, like me, you place your faith in a large body of Engineers and Architects with no axe to grind and no motivation for any gain, watch their video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b74naeawdCs) parts 1-13. In a scientific and methodical manner they illustrate the inaccuracies in the official report on the New York incident without pointing the finger elsewhere. They simply want a proper reinvestigation of the events that actually addresses the collapse of the buildings, something the NIST report actually falls short of. As I said. I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not know who brought down those buildings. However I do not think the question of how the buildings were brought down has been properly answered and until it is, we will not be able to look for those responsible. I believe there should be a proper, full and impartial investigation immediately. Why do I, a British subject make this request? Because, the collapse of those buildings led directly to the Gulf War and that is something which affects every person on this planet.

Now, I am not going to get drawn into arguments over oil. What I would like to draw your attention to is the Logarithmic scale, an often misunderstood piece of arithmetic. Please watch the video (http://www.new.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=111065684833&h=V_9UE&u=ck61N&ref=nf) parts 1-8. Oil production passed its peak in the USA - in 1970. Oil production is reaching its peak worldwide, now There is less oil to be found now than has been used since the industrialised world began. That that there is to find will be harder and more expensive to retrieve. These are all undisputed facts from what I can see. What is more interesting are the forecasts for the time this resource will last. Many reports cite expected time based on current usage. But there is a growth in usage and a growth in population who are reliant on that resource. Growth, in most instances is a good thing. But beware, as the video illustrates, even a modest growth rate of 7% per annum can mean a doubling rate of only 10 years. Put simply, if the world is predicting a growth rate of energy usage of 7% per annum then in 10 years time we will be expecting to use twice as much energy as today. And that is at a time when oil stock are dwindling and getting harder and more expensive to find. Add to this the population increase over the same period and you see the problem is magnified. Its simple mathematics. Growth in this instance is a bad thing.

Now, could I put 2 and 2 together and get 4?

If someone wanted to serve what they believed to be the best interests of their country and its people by securing a valuable resource needed to drive its economy for as long as possible, then they would need a pretty good reason to have a presence in the Middle East where the reaming stocks of that resource are, to stay close at hand and perhaps guard it. But you can't just march into another country and brazenly make camp. You need a reason. A reason that was not only justified but accepted by the masses. The masses would need to be in fear of something, a loss of liberty, a loss of life. As, when the masses are in fear, they are easier to control. Fear is a great motivator.

It would take one hell of a great big reason to produce all those reactions and the desired result - don't you think?

I hope you do read this. I shall be posting it wherever I can on the internet. I hope you do take the time to watch those videos. I hope you do make up you own mind. But most of all, i hope you do the right thing, for the right reasons, not only for the people you serve but for all humanity. Because, I believe, like many others, that you are an honest man of integrity.

Yours Faithfully


Larry Poulton

Frame 16 - I surrender.

Last night I went to see a conversation between Brian Eno and Jon Hassel at the Southbank - London. It was part of the Ether festival. I am a great admirer of Eno and this was the first time I had seen Eno in the flesh. The show was a continuation of a dialogue that both had had over the pat years. The content was varied mainly unscripted. Now to the point of this blog. Surrender. Eno postulated that surrender in its non passive form was experienced in four aspects of life; Sex, Drugs, Religion and Art. It is here that we feel able to let go, drop pretence and wander emotionally and spiritually and perhaps even intellectually. This in the context of art resonated with me deeply. More so as it is something that I have been battling with over the past few months as I try to establish my painting style. This, coupled with a similar discourse on "Understanding what it is that I like", an attempt to identify what we like and hence may be best at, led to a mini epiphany. I have been toying with ideas for paintings and books. Its been a constructive time. Many ideas have been dead ends. But as Eno states, its the dead ends, the failures which steer you inexorably towards the good stuff. We should not be afraid of failure, we should welcome it and use its lessons wisely. And so it was that all I had been struggling with, all that I had failed at, all that I surrendered to, became clear. I was/am on the right track. I awoke this morning and decided to restart a painting I was some way into. It was not right. It was a failure. I have repainted it now and I feel confident it has a better chance of turning out the way I envisaged it.

Above is a chance shot one evening under Waterloo Bridge in London. I think she was waiting for someone - a lover perhaps. Anyway, the way the light outlined her form captivated me.

Frame 15. Mr Statter - my art teacher

Mr Statter - Art teacher
Originally uploaded by No end insight

As we wend our way thru life we glance against other people. Occasionally we join their orbit for a while and their direction affects ours - sometimes many years later. Mr Statter is such a man. He was my art teacher at secondary school. This photo was taken somewhere between 1979 and 1981 when I was 17 or 18. As a child I was troubled - tho I didn't really know it and certainly didn't understand it. I mucked about a lot. It was all a mask.....tho I did do and say plenty of rather funny things. My home and family life wasn't great - not as bad as some, but not ideal either. So, maybe I sought refuge at school, to get away from home. Art was an oasis of calm, creativity and understanding. That was my home. Mr Statter taught me for 7 years and encouraged me throughout. Although I did well enough to get an A Level grade C, I could have got a grade A if I had tried harder. I could and indeed should have gone to art college - something Mr Statter and I regretted for many many years. For, after 28 years I found and dropped in on Mr Statter or David as I can now call him, only yesterday. I found him via the internet. For some time I had wondered if he had ever wondered about what happened to all those children he taught. For some reason I thought I owed him the debt of knowing that I had, eventually after 28 years, decided to be an artist.

Would he remember or even care about me?

Yes and yes. He remembered me as he opened the door and invited me in immediately. We chatted for 2hrs, caught up on 28 years, looked at each others work and drank tea - well this is England you know! But what really struck me was him saying that I was one of the most gifted students he had ever taught in his 18 years of teaching art. I was flabbergasted. I had never expected to hear that and wasn't prepared for it. I felt awkward and honoured all at the same time. Over the last 24hrs it has sunk in and now I feel more determined than ever to make it as an artist.

He was so happy that I was creating again and urged me not to stop.

My debt was paid but as is sometimes the way, I had got a greater gift than that I had intended to give: the knowledge that someone did care and still does.......

Frame 14. "What's on TV?"

It's been a while since I blogged. Not that I have grown bored with blogging, I have just been plain busy....which is great. Not much photography but I have been printing like crazy from my new Epson R2880 in preparation for a stall I am going to open in the illustrious Greenwich market in the next couple of weeks. But my recent flurry of labour was finishing a second painting - seen here. Again, it is from a WW2 photo and again, I added my little twist. Painting is very satisfying. I had forgotten the joy it could arouse. I have a third and maybe forth painting in this series to paint and that will start this week. It's all systems go - it's bleedin' marvellous! So - more blogs to follow.......

Frame 13. "There's Someone Driving..."

Driving.

There are many definitions but the one that interests me at the moment is driving as an ambition, a force, an urge to fulfil.

Today I am painting a new work of art. Yesterday I painted, the day before that, the same. The day before that, you guessed it, I painted. What is is that drives me?  Well, I have noted how my drive changes over the course of a painting. In the planning stage I am excited. When the painting is outlined on the canvas, my excitement rises a little. When painting starts proper, my excitement wanes as I start to see the enormity of the task and any pitfalls come to the fore.  I battle on and at some point the battle transforms into drive. I have a definite desire to complete the project, an almost unstoppable desire to see it through to completion. Thats the drive and it means I paint for days on end. Its tiring of course and I feel knackered but carry on regardless. Normally after 4-5 days I need to rest or I get burnt out. This drive is a strange feeling. I think of little else. 

Above is a photo taken in Eltham, SE London. All the ducks were swimming on the water as the Lemon Jellys sang. There was a film of green covering the surface of the moat and in the middle sat two ducks - perfect photo material.

Frame 12. "Do the job he left behind"

"Do the job he left behind"
Originally uploaded by No end insight

This is an acrylic painting I adapted from a WW2 photo. The ladies are left behind in war time to carry out the mens work. So as to remain faithful they start a new line in armaments...

I searched the web for rousing WW2 posters and slogans and found "Do the job he left behind". It seemed appropriate... I was fascinated by the many weird and wonderful WW2 photos I found whilst researching for a new book I intend to write. So much so that I have been diverted (in a very nice way) to paint some more of them. They will all have a subtle twist of my own invention. This got me to thinking about distraction. Sometimes I am angry with myself for not painting one day of not having photographed something for over a week or not having finished that book or made any new music. But what I have come to realise is that inspiration should be my guide. So what if I haven't photographed anything in over a week? I may next week. The important thing is to grasp the moment - Carpe Diem! I want to paint now - not next week. Next week it may be the reverse. I am fired up with enthusiasm about painting this week. I feel I need to let these creative urges follow their own course. I am a passenger on a journey of creativity - where we go, no one knows. And THAT is exciting!