Shropshire Hills – The Lawley from Caer Caradoc with The Wrekin beyond Earlier this year I received a commission to write a poem for a hydro-geologist, for his birthday.I was …
The Year of the Gibbon: Apes and Monkeys – Part One
The Thinker Monkey from the Breviary of Mary of Savoy, c. 1430 Lombardy, Chambery Bibliotheque Municipal, MS 4 fol. 319rNotice his belt, to which a chain would have been attached. …
The Mighty Elephant
Elephant drinking from the Zambezi River I have recently returned from a return visit to Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. It was a journey that will provide grist for my mind’s …
Candle flame, lamp light
Detail of Christ in the Carpenter’s Shop – Georges de La Tour-1645 -The Louvre, Paris Looking at Georges de La Tour’s work reminds me that, for the vast majority of …
Windows: looking in, looking out
Cape Cod Morning – 1950 by Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (1882-1967) was raised in New York State, not very far from where I grew up, although, I hasten to add, …
The Cat before the Altar
A tabby cat enjoys watching a patch of sunlight in the peaceful, cordoned-off area in front of the main altar of Wells Cathedral During a fascinating research trip to Hailes …
The Painter and the Poet
La Missonnais – Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany by Neville Carlton This blog post is slightly different from my usual in that it involves a contemporary, or nearly contemporary, artwork. Normally I am entirely …
Ancient Trees
Old Knobby – from Ali Martin Arboriculture – www.alisonk.co.uk On familiar paths through the woods recently I have been knocked out of my walking trance by the glaring absence of …
The White Hart
The White Hart from the Wilton Diptych,created for Richard II, 1395-99The National Gallery, London(this painting shows a tamed white hart; only a King could achieve it) Said to be a …
The Place of the Skull
Crucifixion from the St Gall GospelsIrish, 8th century, Abbey of St Gall Cathedral Library, MS 51(One soldier offers Jesus vinegar on a sponge, the other makes ready to pierce his …