Saturday 31 December 2011

Not even tempted

There was a hidden force 
helping me fight my corner
a inner-strength
I never knew I had   




Only the felling of weightlessness
and the shaking in my upper body
gave me the courage to go on and
open the tin


Thank you Ian.

and there he was my very own
Ninja Warrior
Ready to take on 2012 together


Wednesday 21 December 2011

If its good enough for them

                          By Stuart Byford, Stu's View. Snake painted in Acrylic and photoshoped In.

YES I've been keeping my head down like a lot of gods creatures 
when times are hard and life is difficult the body slows right down
and hibernates, and just for good measure I stick my head in the sand,
so not to hear the doom and gloom stories and the PPI  have you been 
miss sold ?  phone calls, we get here all day every day in the UK.

*

(  PPI.  Payment Protection Insurance. )


Tuesday 13 December 2011

Give us a Smile

Stu's View,    Title, Smile.   Acrylic  8 x 6  Recycled Hardboard.


A smile can mean so much, give so much  pleasure,
yet can hide so many emotions. 

Started painting yesterday afternoon and finished in the evening 
sitting in front of the TV and a nice log fire,
Now I'm Smiling.   

Saturday 10 December 2011

SNAP

By Stuart Byford. Acrylic on recycled hardboard inspired by  Nemi by Lise

I like people with attitude.
  
Nemi a cartoon in the Metro a free paper here in London,
I pick it up at the station, some times I have to walk the carriages
to find a discarded copy, if I'm going to an art group this is where  I
get all my ideas from, it has to be a spur of the moment thing
when I start or it gets over worked in my head, and nothing happens
much like this blog.

I don't  like swearing but some times I just have to let it go if there is nobody about,
correction I don't let it go, it  FORCES  its way out  EXPLODES 
sadly not always when I'm alone.

***

Monday 14 November 2011

Pressure Cracks

Stu's View 10 x 8 acrylic on hardboard

The build up from the relentless busy mind

Painted a couple of weeks ago just before I painted Amy 

Thursday 3 November 2011

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Better late than never with the cleaning-up

                                     Stu's view, 8x8 Acrylic on hardboard. (framed in photoshop)
                                                                          Image Copy right of Stuart Byford.2011

Thank  you for coming back
Sorry not posted for a while  been bizy doing not a lot apart from the 
usual to much thinking, a little reading and bit of painting. 
 This is not my kitchen.  

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Breakfast ? Full English ?

Stu'View, 10 x 12 Acrylic 


It was breakfast in bed last night
Yes I've started midnight painting
warm, cozy and relaxed. 


and no paint on the duvet yet!

Saturday 24 September 2011

Wrestling with the bank manager

Sat to night listening to the Old Gray Whistle Test
as back ground music from the TV.
 I tried to paint a bank manager
in black and white acrylic.
finished up ok but did not photo so wel
l.

Saturday 17 September 2011

A new venture recycling

                    Stu's View, Humor.


Our aim  is to reuse the tons of waste from the pizza industry
to package and market our competitive priced product.
Using old  discarded boxes,  clinically refurbished and
dressed-up with new sign-age, alternatively we may simply
pop your pizza  inside a old lads mag or knitting pattern,
chop it up into soup or bake-bean tins and label appropriately,
you choose, and with our no door drop leafleting policy
your the winner.

Box design    

Thursday 15 September 2011

Not quite such a dragon

                                            Stu's View.

 I was happy with my attempt at the dragon of last post, sketching on
the plywood aloud me to feel more contact with the piece being
worked on, more tactile than paper, weightier and the pencil smudges and blends
lovely, I use the word lovely because of that nice involved feeling
of satisfaction some thing more attune to a relationship of two people.

This project was on plywood the same with pencil and acrylic 
toped up with a large helping of photoshop to finnish, in time I hope the two
mediums will stand on there own more.

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Have you got a dragon at home

Stu'View     Last night spent a little time
in bed sketching

Can also see edited version on byford.365 

Sunday 4 September 2011

Practice

         Stu's View.

Trying to develop my skill base for painting in photoshop
 more in the style of painting and with a similar technique.

Not totally happy with it , but do like the shirt/jacket collar
not so pleased with the chin may push the pixels around
more later, now I have had time to think about it
It'll do.
     

Monday 29 August 2011

When is a tower not a tower ?


Started this doodle on a small piece of salvaged plywood
drawing the thumb, something I offen do on the side of my paper
in meetings, I had taken art to the garden in a attempt
not to vegetate in doors ,the garden knife soon snuggled up to
the thumb ,tried to make it into a church tower
but it did not quite work out that way.

 

Friday 5 August 2011

Thats how it is


Yesterdays doodlings  around the theme  of
my life/the economy, not going any where,  it was not planned, it just grew that way,

 and then got its title/direction, feelings have to come out some where
Feeling better at the moment ...... 
yes! 

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Butterflies, strawberries or love


Don't know but we have four of them
.

Started out as a doodle nice to dream but I think they are strawberries. 

Friday 29 July 2011

So Relaxing


In the picture we have a paper weight I made at school 45 years ago,
the photo was take in the garden, on the edge of a pot of tall grasses,
and the fish they arrived in my comment box, they were dried
 I just added water . Thank you Cloudia.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Form filling in progress, come back later

                     / 
         /
      /     
Nearly finished just got to get it
in the post

Monday 25 July 2011

Ready steady go

Can you hear it, I can
it maybe coming very soon
putting right the wrongs,  
Its quicker than a stena stairlift
for getting you up and down
from bathroom to lounge 
from the garden to kitchen,
you've heard it before 
that irritating mechanical sound
the electronic drone, 
It's not new you've heard it before 
at lest in one ear thats for sure.
Yes it's the have you been miss-sold 
phone call.

 But this time Gas and Electricity ? 

Wednesday 20 July 2011

The missing days



Unable to move
stuck in head lights

frozen in time
like trying to do the crossword
with out a pen
I have a rusty nail
but can't spell
times getting on 
people stop to help
are they getting it right
I might change it later
later  later  think  later
times running out
the papers wet, its life or death
nearly rush hour I bet 
got to rest to do my best
thought  it was raining but its sweat 
not even dark ,why is it so intense
must be absolutely right.
thats right, right.
Is it ?

Monday 4 July 2011

The Hertford train came today





Below pictures  taken in the churchyard


Beautiful deep red hollyhocks 


Small statuette hidden in the creeper  


and
Snails sleeping in the cool 

Saturday 2 July 2011

Maybe one-day


I wish my life all fitted together
as neat.

A large pot from my garden.

Monday 27 June 2011

The Hertford that never was

 I set of for Hertford at 1. o'clock  it was taking some self motivation.
Why did I bother, train was going to be late according to the board
and later and later until canceled, with no guarantee the next
train was going to show, so I got a refund and went home.
That was the end of a afternoons creative art in Hertford 


A little Hertford church a way from the hustle and bustle of the town.
      

Thinking about thinking

Lost in time but winning the battle. 

Sunday 19 June 2011

Every thing happens for a reason ?

Do I hear "YES"
So come on tell me why when I went shopping 
 I picked up jumbo kitchen rolls
instead of toilet rolls


Thursday 16 June 2011

Health and safety Hangover




The badge comes complete with
a safety warning 
not about the perils of
the demon drink
But
The Pin on the badge,
Written around the edge in 
very small print
no suitable for children under 
36 months sharp point present.

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Sunday 12 June 2011

US-war-heroes, found on yesterdays walk


This is not the memorial mentioned in the newspaper article

It has only been in place two or three weeks it over looks some where very near the field
where the plane came down,in-fact closer than the memorial mentioned,  if it is to the same air men 
I think it is a much better tribute, the badger is a mystery to me at the moment,
This is all guess work going to ask around.
As a boy I lived over in the distance behind the installation and had never heard the story
until a couple of months a go. 




Saturday 11 June 2011

TURN THE LASER OFF



PULL THE PLUG. ( only on the laser)
Been lying here god knows how long with the laser picking
it's way thou  yesterdays conversations,not the ordinary ones
at the moment its the more challenging ones, would like to sleep, but the rerun is on, accompanied by a deep rumbling of a base drum in my chest.
A the moment I have the need to
  • Sleep, shut off completely, 
  • Understand my self and remember to-be able to recover.
  • Use my nerves energy          
Can't do all three if any. 
  

It's building up


Had a informative day, made new valuable contacts
kept the storm of anxiety at bay with a long walk home
and 3 or 4 hours on this not eaten yet,
Nor picked up a can ( well-done Stu.) talking to my self again.
Self praise is better than self doubt.   

Thursday 9 June 2011

Monday 6 June 2011

Top Hints For



In my mind this gorgeous young lady, is sitting
  outside my sons place of work
The theory being,
if the board dose not catch his eye, 
I'm sure the legs will.

  ( My details are on the other side )

Friday 3 June 2011

Just the job

Spring cleaning                                                               

The smell of flowers with out the dirt

Monday 30 May 2011

Water and Time.


Art work by Stuart. Byford. (c) 2011.


some thing I put together this afternoon,  And I'm Well pleased with it.
Its round the theme of water torture, representing stress and anxiety in mental health.

Sunday 29 May 2011

Tell Me More




Picture take at Forty Hall Enfield


Life is full of firsts.

First girl friend, first beer, first car, first house

Now my first review of a book and my self.

Alastair Camblell’s  Novel All In The Mind

If you intend to read this book please make sure  you are feeling safe and in a good frame of mind.

Bought for me as a Christmas present by glen, my son, I’m not a  person that find book reading adsorbing I do escape from reality but in the way of a slight distraction, not full blown absorption.
This book being about a psychiatrist, and a week or two of the interactions of him and even deeper thoughts of his patience. For me the book helped me see what I was expecting from my psychiatrist was not to much and should be achievable, if not expected.  I have now changed my psychiatrist. we where just not on the same wave length, a language barrier , resulting in the lack of full expression and trust. I don't want to give the plot of Alastair’s story a way. so I will just say I found it a useful book with a believable and uncomplicated story line and if you have not realised, many people like me struggle with mental health. 
Help is out there, talk to some one you trust, confidences can and will be kept by professionals. It takes time to build up a network of support, I have had to learn to ask for help and still find it hard.
recovery is best taken one step at a time, and in this go faster world and if always in a rush to move forward like my self,its frustrating at times, but worth it in the end

Thursday 26 May 2011

Gaps in Gob






Removed some of my teeth to illustrate the gaps in my Blog.
I have all the intentions of posting
but with so many things competing in my head, The end result is nothing gets
posted. Sorry, as my teacher once said, Must Try Harder.

Sunday 22 May 2011

Thursday 19 May 2011

At least they see the light of day


If I kept my smarter clothes hung in a window, like this
by the time I eventually wore them, the sun would have
bleached  all one sleeve of them, and may even have
 started to disintegrate
.

*
  

Monday 16 May 2011

Find it difficult to focus



As I pushed my way through the thick over hanging Rhododendrons,
out of the corner of my eye, in the twilight of the warm spring evening, I caught
a glimpse of a large silvery white lustrous butterfly.
Then as I looked again and with disappointment realized, it had never been
anything more than two beautiful leaves.

*


Thursday 12 May 2011

Out of bed 4-30 am not yet light

I had been laying thinking about this and that,
then this and that are going round again, time to
get up. This is a little out of character I am normally 
so tired  I lay there hoping it will stop and I will re-awake
revived, it never happens that way, 
So what was going round like a washing machine ?
That drink I enjoyed last week, Just not so happy about it now.
It did not get out of hand, so what is the problem ??? Me.


Tuesday 10 May 2011

Little things mean so much

I was woken up to start my day for the second time, yesterday morning
 I had been in the garden, feeding the birds, watering the plants just as
day light was braking, and then retuned to bed.
It was a phone call from a life long friend to say she was in the 
area and would like to ketch up.
This came with a invite to have lunch, at her parents house my head still full of sleep
and not really shore what time it was I said yes,

Sun shining I set off
As always a warm welcome greeted me, now to the point,
how can sum-thing as simple as a ham roll
taste so good, the roll was fresh an crispy, the ham thick cut and mouth wateringly
juicy, memories of childhood came flooding back.


*
And that welcoming or good bye hug
a small gesture, that puts so much back that life drags out.


*
Thank you.  

Sunday 8 May 2011

Walking and Talking

It was Friday, I went with my son to
Clock House Nurseries he has a new home with his girl friend and I 
needed some plant food, the sun was full-in the sky so armed 
with cameras and the wallet we set off. 
At the end of the day we had not spent a lot but had some 
nice plants each and caught up on each others life's 
over the past couple of weeks.


Yes I had a right nice day
I did have a few beers with both my boys
for all the right reasons
It was not because of stress, or negative thoughts
So I will not be condemning my self for it
but no big shiny medal this week end.