Rain rain rain

It’s raining. The kind of rain you hope will carry on forever, where the sound of the droplets is comforting and the hustle of the trees sway you into sleep. And you hope the plane that passes is thunder and camera flashes follow.
The silence which numbs the melancholy held at the bottom of the droplets, drowns in the warmth of the summer air. It’s muggy and you feel like it’s autumn, and the strange feeling you have when you realise it isn’t. Nostalgia and reminiscence hide in the shadows and balance within the grey clouds above. Sound waves of rain movements fill your ears, ringing and ringing in different tones. Like the dark cold mornings of October, I watch it as the water races down my window. Vacant cars can be heard swishing by. You forget completely it’s meant to be summer.

Diary time

Hey I haven’t got enough time so I just wrote a small diary entry in the picture. I was actually hoping if any of you could analyse my handwriting? I’m just curious. If you can leave it in the comments below! Thanks,
Jess.

Good morning

Good morning to you all. I have spent my time so far painting and reorganising my room. The watercolour is a copy of a picture I found, and the wall is my own. Haha.
Today the weather lovely, once again. I have decided that I shall go for a bike ride as soon as I can: meaning as soon as I can be bothered am not busy.
I’ve almost finished One Day and will post a review as soon as I have.
On Sunday, we are going to London for the week. There, we are going to the V&A, the 02, Westfields and various other places. I needed the v&a for my art and textiles coursework and I like going because everything is pretty and posh. For our art homework, we have to do our own Hockney style ‘Joiners’; a series of pictures of the same items from different angles, and put all together, creating an illusion of that item in a less matched-up way.
Later, Megan and Rachel might be coming round, but my room gets too hot so we might do it another day. My parents are out for lunch so i’m home alone for a while, highlight of my day. I don’t know what ill do but ill think of something haha.
I’m excited to start reading 1984 because a lot of people have recommended it to me. Apparently it’s a tough read but who cares.
On top of that and my current book, I am reading some of Shakespeare’s sonnets which are actually very lovely. I thought I wouldn’t understand them due to the language but they are actually quite intriguing. On the note of poetry, I brought a new notebook because I filled the other one up. Over 150 poems in there, god. My new book is a4 woo! But it’s mainly for writing stories and fabulous novel ideas which will never get published one day.
Jess

The Bottom of The Sea – Interview.

Recently I came across a fantastic artist whilst in the midst of searching for countless hours for a suitable artist for my research, as part of my GCSE art course. I can’t recall how I found her exactly, but when I did; I knew her work would be part of my finally piece.

“I am completely inspired by the natural world. Beauty is everywhere.
It is the growth of the forest, the depth of the sea, and the curve of the bone.
It is skin, scales, bark, and tide pool ripples. It is texture, and it is raw.
I am a translator of life, and I am compelled to narrate it.”

Tamara Phillips is an artist based in Victoria. At university she studied Biology and realised that she was so fascinated by the world around her, and began to put her passion into the form of art. I was fortunate to speak to Tamara whilst researching for my course and here is the interview.

JESS: Watercolour is your favourite media. Are there any other mediums you like to use or would like to experiment with?
TAMARA PHILLIPS: Some of the other mediums I have worked in are: acrylic, ink, fabric dye, clay/ceramics, beadwork, textiles (fabric and paper), collage, multi media, sculpture, natural objects (painted skulls, bones, shells, etc), to name a few. I am a pretty creative person and am creative with most aspects in my life. For example, I have worked as a chef as well, and find food preparation and presentation also an act of art.

Have any other artists influenced your artwork? If so, who and why?
I am influenced by most art and artists I experience. If I see something I like, it inspires me to do more art and something different. If I see art I don’t like, it also inspires me to continue doing and developing my own style.

Two artist names come to mind: My father loved Dali, and we had some of his work on our walls when I was growing up. I never loved the prints we had, but they challenged me to see things outside the box. Over the years I have discovered I have my own favourite Dali paintings, and I’m sure he has influenced me on some level.
Also, when I first discovered Andy Goldsworthy, it was like discovering a new world! I was a nature lover, and finding this connection between art and nature was amazing, and definitely helped me realize that I could connect nature with art on more than one level.

Why did you begin to paint and was there anybody that encouraged you to start?
I was the first born in my family, and my mother stayed at home and took care of me when I was young. She gave me things to play and build with, and nurtured my creative side from very early on.
I have always painted. I never had confidence to really explore my painting, show it, or even try to sell it until I met my partner a few years ago. He has encouraged me tremendously.

Why do you enjoy painting within the theme of ‘Natural World’?
The natural world is very important to me. I have always loved it, and spend a lot of time out in it.
I spent many years in university studying it, and learning why it is so important to us. We cannot live without it, and often many people forget this.
So I paint natural themes for two reasons: the first is because I think the subjects are beautiful. I am always drawn to natural objects and amazed at how random patterns and textures can be, yet how perfect they are. Second, I really believe the things I paint give information worth sharing. For example, if I paint an animal, I think it’s important that I share this so that other people can be reminded of these animals too, especially because we share the world with them, and their existence helps keep our existence.

Thank you to all who have read this. I am so inspired by Phillips’ work and I hope you are too. This was one of my final pieces in the style of her work.

Of course, it is nowhere near the standard of her work but I’m proud of it! Please comment with your opinions, I would really appreciate it!

Jess.

Work Experience frenzy

English: The logo of British high-street shop WHSmith. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hello! I apologise for not having written in a while. For the past week, I have been back and forth to Cambridge for work experience. I’ve been working at WHSmith, which is lovely but very tiring. Because I am not paid, they get me to do as many jobs as possible. I’ve been working 9-5 on weekdays, and travelling in is a pain because I have to get the 7.56 AM train, and walk around one and a half miles to and from the station. This makes my feet very tired, because I only sit down for like 30 minutes on a 7 hour day. But hey, good practice for when I’m travelling the world, climbing up mountains and stuff.

The weather has also been brilliant lately! This plant is in my back garden, (picture is mine) I’m trying to figure out its name. Anybody know?
So I am on a mission to get a good tan this year, because we’re not going on holiday. I’ve spent the morning lying in the sun reading The Further Adventures of An Idiot Abroad, and it is brilliant. After reading the first one, I reread it countless times and I recommend both books highly. This evening I am going to a friends for a barbecue  and to sleep the night, and Sunday is the day of Ely Aquafest – a festival type thing that takes place annually. I will take pictures if given the chance.
Yesterday was the Ely Prom, which is always lovely to see what everyone wears. I’ve decided I will probably wear a black or navy dress, similar to these (Hopefully):

So I’ll post again when I have time. After two weeks, Summer is here so I’m sure I will have a lot more time on my hands then. And a lot more time for adventures around the place.

Jess

 

Related articles

• Trying To Get Work Experience (arielthewriter.wordpress.com)
• Work Experience (cicichuckerss.wordpress.com)
• The impossible task of trying to find work experience (paulgibson08.wordpress.com)
• TV Review: ‘An Idiot Abroad’ – an Unconventional Travel Documentary (expertspages.com)

Stop the ride, I want to get on!

(not mine)

I found a couple articles I wrote from last year, which featured on teenink and I thought I would share them with you. The other will be on the next post.

My theme park addiction has only been going on for a while, but since I went to Disneyland Paris earlier this year, I have been obsessed with the things. This weekend, I was lucky enough to go to Alton Towers with my friends family, and it was brilliant. I had been there a couple of times before and still have vague memories of it now, however I was too young to ride on the thrill rides; to which I was very disappointed about.

After a very early morning get up, we arrived in Alton Towers at 10AM thinking that it would be very busy. We got the tickets (my friends parents had bought them cheap using Tesco vouchers) (TESCO VOUCHERS ARE GREAT!!!) and headed straight to the toilets. After all, we had been in the car for three terribly long and sleepy hours. Once we had figured out the map, we headed over to the Forbidden Valley, and got in the queue to Air. I must say, that the park was surprisingly empty at this time, and we got on Air in under 5 minutes.

Whilst we strapped ourselves in, I was beginning to get slightly nervous to what I had lead myself in to. The ride started and the screams began. You can feel the exhilaration of being weightless and it completely felt as if you were flying. This ride became a personal favourite of mine in a matter of seconds, and it sparked the adrenaline junkie hiding within, and I haven’t stopped since; striving to ride as many different roller coasters as I can.

Staffordshire is probably one of the best counties in England for a theme park. Alton Towers is in the depths of the countryside, which makes it so mysterious and magical when you are walking through the gardens that surround the different attractions. It was calm and serene and the tranquillity of the gardens mixing with the screams of the rides made the atmosphere perfect. The rides here were built around the castles of Alton, which makes it a perfect place for families of all ages and it’s always great to bring along a good old picnic.

There are around 36 different attractions in Alton Towers, and 11 of them are thrill rides. There is tons of things to keep you busy, and something for every member of the family. Also, wear layers and bring a waterproof. I learnt the hard way! (Plastic covers DON’T work!) The longest we queued for was 30 minutes and that was for Rita; ironically the fastest ride in Alton Towers, which reaches the speed of 60mph in a matter of seconds. It was pretty thrilling and left my hair in a mess.

I’d say that it would be a good idea to bring good trainers or shoes, since walking around a lot leaves you aching and sore. You may also have to take your shoes off on some rides, since they fall off quite easily. I don’t know how my friend managed to drag me on ALL of the thrill rides, but each and every one of them I came off and wanted to go on again. The worst part of rides is when you’re strapped in and you don’t know whether you want to be there or not.

I am hoping to go to Alton Towers next year with my family, or possibly a bigger and better theme park; if there is such thing. Alton Towers is a definite must-see on my list and I’m sure I will visit it many more times in the future.

Summer lovin’

The weather is really good today, especially for England. I spent my time reading An Idiot Abroad, which I’ve read countless times but can’t seem to get enough of.
Tomorrow I have work experience. I basically get to spend two weeks in Wh Smith organising and pricing books, which will be lovely. I’m looking forward to it. Excluding the travel – I have to get a train to Cambridge daily. That might cost a bit.
I don’t think we’re going on holiday this year, which is never nice to hear. But ill probably be around the country. I’m hoping to camp in a forest with a couple of friends, and there’ll be a lot of bike rides. We will possibly go to Thorpe park and have a few weekends away.
Either way it will be nice. No school for six weeks. Nothing can beat that.

Hello hello

Well hello to all you bloggers out there. I’m Jess, 15 years old from the UK. Kinda new to the blogosphere. I’m a feminist, reader, writer. Hopefully I will write on here often, because I hope to have a solid space for writing etc. I’d like to have a career in the journalism field, and would love to be a travel writer. I hope to see more of you all. Thanks for reading!

Jess.