Llandudno Weekend Part 2

Continuing from the previous post  ----   we climbed up the Orme to the Happy Valley the next day (Sunday)  and had a good view of the Victorian Extravaganza parade as it wended it's way along the sea front. We could see the traction engines steam whistles quite clearly and hear the Drum and Pipe bands wafting up on the breeze.  We took a picnic to eat on the cliff edge and had a wonderful panoramic view of Llandudno , Conway and the the Welsh hills beyond.  We wanted to visit Drew of Salvage Hunter fame but seems he's so popular now through his TV show that you can only peruse all his junk by prior appointment.  Walked down the hill later to have fish and chips on the prom - making sure we hid our meal from the marauding seagulls!
Went back to the gallery again to build more towers and stuff with the bricks and type on the adjusted tip-tappers.  O yes, I missed out the Voltini sideshow  which we saw a couple of years ago and were keen to see again. A real old fashioned Victorian eccentric show man and his chums who do things with electricity - mainly to his lady assistant/ accomplice  Madame Electra who has an enormous rack - of light bulbs and makes cucumbers spark in a very suggestive fashion. In fact the whole show is littered with innuendo from start to finish!   And lots of sparks and flashing lights and weird apparatus out of Frankenstein's laboratory.

May Bank Holiday Weekend.

Quite a busy weekend starting on Friday we drove to Ruthin in Wales and went the wrong way first of all and had to come back via Tarvin. Sat Nav was getting quite shirty!
Ruthin is a lovely village but rather overwhelmed by traffic which is a shame. Still we enjoyed a brief stop off for a brunch in the cafe we went to last time and then the Crafts Centre where we were delighted to find a couple of exhibitions by people we liked  - Rodney Peppe toy and automata maker and illustrator and a Gillian Lowndes retrospective.  Also bumped into a colleague of Hazel's from MMU who's name I forget at the moment.
Eventually got to Llandudno around  1pm and checked into the wonderful  Promanad  B&B which we stayed in in for our "honeymoon" last year and promised ourselves we would return as it was so nice.  A great room and sea view.  Then to town to see them setting up the fun fair and building the rides and gallopers etc for the forthcoming weekend Victorian Extravaganza!   Some rides and stalls were over 100 years old!   Hazel was fascinated by the galloper being constructed in sections- the parts being lifted from the lorry and the lorry itself being used as  scaffolding to turn the roundabout every so often to fix the awnings and guilded and beautifully carved wooden sections.
A delicious shared seafood pizza in an Italian resturant and then a walk along the prom as the sun went down.

The following day we had fun at the Oriel Mostyn gallery building towers and domino effect thingys with all the bricks the artist  (who's name escapes me )  laid out in one of the big white rooms.   A mad child ran amok at one point and knocked everything over including a lovely model of the Acropolis someone had taken ages making!  I wanted to film this destruction but Hazel forbade me!
Took in all the side shows and rides now working in the main streets of Llandudno. Lots of roads blocked off - music blaring - quite a cocophony with two or three loud rides pumping out old rock 'n roll and disco hits!

Also did some shopping. Bought some cheap DVD's in the Poundland - Rocko's Modern Life and Monsters animations from the 90's that Archie and I used to enjoy when he was a nipper. Hazel got some things for her blog in a nice antique shop down one of the back streets - also some postcards and old birthday cards.
I found one of Marine Parade in Southend from 1919.

In the evening we ate a nice curry at the Bengal Dynasty which was packed but we managed to find the last two seats. The whole town was packed for the weekends festivities - hardly any parking space and all the hotels and B&B's booked up months in advance  ( we booked up before Xmas )

It was very windy and cold along the sea front despite the sun and so once we had to nip back to the B&B for our thicker clothes!   Needed them too when it rained briefly at the Vintage Car and vehicle fair and auto jumble along the prom at the edge of the town.  Brrrrrr!   Cut short our wanderings to jump on an old bus that was carrying visitors to and from the site for free ( donations to charity )  .  Good to see a number 40 to Poplar that I used to ride on quite a bit back in the 80's when I lived in Stepney!   I will add some more about our trip to Wales tomorrow...........

VAC Gallery

A couple of views of the 23 collages of mine in the local artist run VAC gallery in Northwich.  The "hedgehogs" crowding round the bottom of the walls are nothing to do with me I hasten to add!

VAC Gallery - Northwich

My smallish exhibition at VAC gallery in Northwich is up and running - opens Thursday until May 3rd.  One of 3 new exhibitions together with the best of the recent Open which has an extended run. sadly the last exhibition at the gallery before the lease runs out and they have to find alternative premises.  Rents for commercial property in Northwich are very hight hence so many empty shops.  Hopefully they can find somewhere thats affordable and central but it doesn't look too good so far. Fingers crossed.  It's a shame as the gallery has attracted huge praise and interest from all quarters and the people running it are all artists in their own right and passionate about a community gallery - one the town desperately needs as there is nowhere else for artists to exhibit or meet.  They also have interesting artist run workshops for lino cuts, fabric printing, poetry, knitting and all manner of other media that appeals to wider public.
A busy time in the Leigh/Jones household at the moment what with the "old students" show at Southend Art School  concurrently and Archie has his Party Popper Gatling Gun showing at the 40 gallery in Brighton until the end of the week.

Southend Art School Exhibition

Here's a virtual flyer for the Southend exhibition that Barry sent me yesterday - he's obviously been working very hard on the graphics - tweaking it so it looks just right. I like the old photo of the College Of Further Education or whatever it was called. You can just see the old "tin hut" of the sadly deceased art school in the background - that white building. Many happy years were spent there - when Southend had some character and boasted many old buildings of worth that were outrageously destroyed by council idiots and planners back in the 60's and 70's.  To find out when the gallery opens you have to ring the number on the flyer - doesn't bode well!

Party Popping Time!

I seem to have been neglecting this blog for a while and it's not as if nothing has been happening lately. Too much stuff really to remember!   Starting off with this great new sculpture from our dear son Archie who has obviously been working hard. We think it's quite stunning but then we would wouldn't we?

Other news is my old chum Barry Wenden popped in the other day on his way back from picking up his work from a gallery in Leeds to pick up some collages for upcoming exhibition at Southend School of Art ( or whatever it's called these days?) just four ex-students, Barry, Phil Spellacy, Dave Segrave and myself. Its on during April and May sometime I think.  Will confirm dates when I have them.   Also have two works in the VAC Open exhibition in Northwich and Emma who is on the committee of the gallery came round yesterday to chuckle her way through my folders of collages to choose a few for a forthcoming exhibition at Visual Arts Cheshire - the last sadly as the lease has run out and they are forced to find other premises.

So I have plenty of framing to do and the phone the plumber for this annoying drippy tape in the bathroom. I'm usually quite good at changing washers but this thing is stuck and needs a professional to sort it out.

Party Popper Gatling Gun

Another great video from Archie and his latest creation at Brighton University.