Hi,

As the end of the year is fast approaching I thought it might be fun to look back on my work over the last year. I’ve had a lot of fun this year working on my pictures. Here’s a few of my personal favourites. Another thing that I’ve much enjoyed over the past year is conversing with you all. I started the blog last year as I wanted somewhere to talk about my work, share it with and learn from others. I’m not a natural blogger but I’ve done my best.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement throughout the year, producing my artwork would be a much lonelier place without your good company and feedback.

Seasonal greetings and best wishes

Leigh

PS. I should also thank Iceland for their tasty £1.50 ready meals and the makers of Wheetabix for keeping my body and soul together this year LOL 🙂 I can also recommend it as a great way of loosing weight as I’ve lost more than two stones in weight on this diet :).

January

The year started in a surreal fashion in more ways than one 🙂 so I thought it appropriate that my chosen work for the month be this one. It was one of my first shots taken with my M.Zuiko 17mm (34mm) lens which as the year progressed has become one of my favourite lenses. As you can see it turned out as a colourful surreal work, one of my early painterly style works, a style that has much influenced my work throughout the year. This shot of shops, benches and parked bicycles was taken in Twickenham a location that I have returned to periodically throughout the year

” Floppy bikes and empty benches”

February

Probably my personal favourite of 2015. I took this shot inside a church in Kingston Upon Thames on a very wet and overcast day. It is my favourite because it conveys quite a powerful message. I spotted this gentleman asleep in a chair inside the church and, although I felt very uncomfortable taking the shot, I believe that it may serve to highlight the plight of the homeless and dissadvantaged, those who fall through the net and have no voice of their own so as to speak.

“Once some mother’s son”

March

I took this shot on a numbingly cold day in Putney. I walked up and down the river near Putney Bridge and spotted these life belts piled up outside a boathouse. I think that it maybe conveys a little of the cold that day. I was drawn to it  by the geometry of the staircase and the various textures in the metal and stone work.

“Geometry and texture”

April

Another abstract work this time taken during a return visit to Kingston Upon Thames, another of my regular hang outs. I passed by this construction site where builders were working on repairing a railway bridge over the  river. I guess it was the shapes and colours that drew me to it. I solarised this work along the way to producing the end result and added a brick texture to it.

“Reconstructed”

May

One of my first photo-blend works consisiting of three different shots taken at different locations. The background is of statues taken on a visit to York House Gardens in Twickenham, the foreground swan and the smaller swans. It is also my first attempt at combining a photo-blend with a painterly/textured feel. One of the relatively few works that my other half likes :).

“Adoration of the swan”

June

Does it get more surreal than this one?!. I really let my imagination run riot on this work. Another painterly, textured photo-blend. Background is York House Twickenham with deckchairs from a visit to Bexhill on Sea, cakes and cup from a shop window and animals from a visit to London Zoo! :).

“Tea on the lawn”

July

A multiple exposure painterly photo-blend of the River Thames in London. I think that I’ve chosen this one beacuse I really like the colours and the shapes of the buildings and the bridge.

“ThamesScape”

August

Back to the surreal! or to put it another way, yes, it does get more surreal than that! :). Another work where I let my imagination run riot. We visited a family friend in Brighton and this work is comprised of a backdrop of the wheel on the seafront taken from the pier, violinist spotted on a wall, waitress from a sign outside a cafe and the legs spotted outside a cinema!.

“Brighton Rocks!”

September

I confess to having a soft spot for this work which was taken on a mammoth trek on foot down the river Thames starting in Weybridge and ending at Hampton Court. It’s another painterly textured work of a boat moored on the river. I just like the colours and textures.

“Silver Sonnet”

October

This shot started life as a shot taken inside Waterloo Railway Station on a vist to the Southbank. I was trying to convey time and motion, thus the title. I wanted the clock and departure boards to be sharp and the commuters passing through blurred. I was also trying to get a bit of a surreal feel to this work.

“Time and motion”

November

Another of my personal favourites as much for the effort it took to get to the spot as the picture itself. I’ve been to Teddington a few times this year and this was the first time that I’ve found a way to get as close to the weir. It’s a very Autumnal shot and I also think quite painterly.

“The weir – Teddington”

December

I know that we are only half way through the month but I’ve chosen a work for December. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get out much more this month due  mostly to a lack of funds. I’ve still found choosing quite difficult as even in the last couple of weeks I’ve produced quite a few of my usual eclectic mix of styles and subjects and I’m torn between choosing one of my more surreal works and one of my more scenic landscape works.

So, I’ve compromised and chosen one from both worlds, a surreal landscape work which I like because it is a sort of a experimental fusion of both and also quite a colourful work to end the year with.

“Fade away and radiate”

Wishing everyone a very peaceful and happy Christmas and New Year and sincere thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement in 2015.