The Old Rolleiflex

Garden Gate - Tim Irving

I've been playing with an old Rolleiflex this past week. It's one of those cameras that look bigger than it actually is, so gets left behind in favour of something that looks smaller than it really is. Does that make sense?

The one I'm using is a Standard Rolleiflex made in 1933 and it never ceases to amaze me how good it is to use. Despite it being nearly eight years old it's a very modern camera that's simple to use. I apologise for the Bluebells,  cliched and hackneyed as they are I still enjoy the site of them.

Easter Weekend

Semana Santa - Tim Irving

Daisy Chain

Dog and Daisies - Tim Irving

I was having a conversation about favourite things, when daisies entered my mind. On reflection, daisies are very important to me, and do you know what? I didn't have a photograph of a single daisy in my portfolio. These are truly memorable little flowers, discreet, trodden under foot and plucked out of the ground without a second thought. A bunch of daisies is probably the first gift a child gives its mother. These are flowers of joy.

Where Fairies Live - Tim Irving

Darling Buds of April

Hawthorn Buds - Tim Irving

Hawthorn Buds with Sky- Tim Irving

April is a great month! Spring has gained it's momentum, next stop summer. It's a wonderful time for art and photography. The whole countryside is changing dramatically, all that was needed was a smile from the sun to warm the earth, then everything bursts into colour. It's a time of small dramas like the hawthorn buds above. Depending where you are, you can see these buds throughout the month. But this phase, the tiny flecks of white, is very brief. Within a day they have turned into blossom and you've missed the magic.

The Art of Painting Chewing Gum

The art is here! Photo btyTim Irving

Since I was a child,  I wake up every Sunday morning wondering how to avoid boredom. Last Sunday was no exception, but something new changed Sunday into an interesting day. I discovered a great new pastime. It's very useful for artists as it makes you look and observe very carefully. This pastime has a lot going for it. It gets you out of the house onto the streets. It's cheap. It provides good exercise and the end results are very rewarding. There is one downside to the pastime, and  that is, it's hard on the knees. If you havn't guessed, I've become a chewing gum art connoisseur, a paint snob of the streets.

The idea of adding beauty to something ugly and anti-social appeals to me greatly. I found the art on this page around Crouch End and Muswell Hill in London, but it's dotted all around North East London. It's been created by Ben Wilson, you can see him at work here. I like small pieces of art, they engage me. There's a whole range of techniques involved in the paintings, they're like miniature art demonstrations, some of the detail in the art is amazing. It's good to see some craft on the streets.

Chewing Gum Art on The Streets By Ben Wilson. Photo by Tim Irving

Gemma By Ben Wilson. Photo by Tim Irving

Chewing Gum Art on The Streets By Ben Wilson. Photo by Tim Irving

Chewing Gum Art on The Streets By Ben Wilson. Photo by Tim Irving

Chewing Gum Art on The Streets By Ben Wilson. Photo by Tim Irving