Artwork by Millie Potton
Mad Hatter MH - Mad Hatter is one of my pseudonyms on this site. It obviously derives from Alice in Wonderland. It was prompted by the Red Queen or RR,…
It is claimed that Art can help us make the best of our life, by giving us insights into its possible meaning. We are exploring this claim in terms of our own lives.
We started with ‘Art’, given our interest in painting; but soon realised all ‘Arts’ might usefully contribute to our enterprise.
Any doubters should compare and contrast Chekhov’s ‘Seagull’ with da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’.
No Arts are excluded; but to get going, we start with; literary Arts; visual Arts; and Performing Arts. For good measure, we have included an Art Discussion group.
Karen and Dennis’ Garden
K and D live in Sacramento, California. They live in a wooden cabin-like house. They have a large garden. It means a lot to them. Looks like a full time…
A Really Useful Little Letter
To all, To be read andante or you might miss what I hope are occasional flashes of humour. Hope this will amuse some of you. And with your imagination and…
Paintings by Dennis Davis
Art Forum Introduction - Dennis Davis Connecting lines, circles and squares; representing objects as shapes and forms - the infinite possibilities of expression are fascinating to me. As a child, drawing…
‘Self-portrait’ a poem by John Christopher Wade
Self-portrait_____________________________________ In London are found, the vistas, vales and ponds of Hampstead Heath, And Kenwood House, upon a time a noble-man, to the nation bequeath, Our happiness often made a…
Horse-racing and What it Means to Me – Cousin P
Horseracing has many different appeals: the power and grace of the horses, the people involved in the sport, the thrill of the competition, the breeding, the different training methods,…
‘Life at GW’ by Cousin P
Cousin P and I have little or nothing in common except some early shared family experiences and and our tertiary education. The former consisted of very jolly Xmas and family…
Culinary Architecture by Becky
This post speaks for itself. According to Becky, it illustrates a possible relationship between architecture and the products of culinary art. Pont Neuf is a Parisian Bridge and it is constructed here…
Dialogue of the Death?
DIALOGUE OF THE DEATH? SP and MH have known each other on and off since the early ‘70s, when both were researchers in C. Their relationship has many aspects –…
Photos by ShSh
Mombasa Beach and Sky ShSh is an old college friend of MH. They first met in 1967 at Hull University. They have stayed intouch ever since. ShSh was a keen…
Computer Support for Book Writing
Computer Support for the Literary Art of Writing Introduction Software developers and service providers never stop telling us how well we are served by the most recent applications. Such claims…
See You up the Road M.!
M. was a very good cyclist and a keen long-term member of the 40+ Club, with which he rode regularly once or twice a week. He was overqualified with…
ROMA – Film Review
Introductory Comment I was not sure what sort of a film this was – just a story for its own sake; a memoir of a son’s early family experiences; an…
Darling Baby Mine – Review Dialogue
'Darling Baby Mine' by John de St Jorre (Quartet Books Limited - 2016) - a book review e-mail exchange between reader and author. Reader: There can be no doubting the…
Nursery Rhymes for Getting a New Life
Old Life: Amfie Pamfie, Puddin' and Pie, Kissed the boys and made them cry, When the girls came out to play, Amfie Pamfie ran away. Old Life Good: Amfie Pamfie…
The Trouble with Art by JH
We live in an era of the Emperor’s new clothes. You could argue that the Emperor was engaging with an existential concept that, very simply, demands that its viewers adjust…
Tartuffe Review
Orgon and his mother have fallen under the influence of Tartuffe, a pious fraud. Tartuffe pretends to speak with divine authority. The rest of the family and their friends…
Humiliation
We can all write and do so – letters, e-mails, birthday cards, to-do lists etc. Our letters contain stories – what happened, when we were on holiday or went to…
So…DrDD’s Life Does Mean a Thing then?
DrDD is an old mate of MH. They did their PhDs at the same time and place and cried into each other’s beer from time to time. They both stayed…
Living a Culinary Dream in France – the Texan Way
Our names are James and Becky Fischer. We are an American couple from Texas. We have been married for a few years now and in our late fifties/early sixties (guess…