Leeds back

A comprehensive win over Cas brought a three win easter session fresh hope for the worlds greatest. Danny MaGuire back and finding form, Jamie Peacock bringing the power we need. The season has been a worryingly random affair where each game felt even. Huddersfield, my tip or outside tip for top losing to the Cats opens all up. Saints seem solid and Leeds need to plough through them all now. I think we are the televised game in the challenge cup next week so it will be good to see the true Leeds play for the nation to watch. A season that I had perceived as a transition, I wasn't overly happy with the appointment of MacDermott as coach but perhaps the early season weaknesses were due to injury. Hopes are up for some silverware still.
The second sport in Leeds, football, looks unlikely to deliver a play off place. A season more in the championship may not be a bad thing. Grayson is an inspirational leader and anothe years apprenticeship may place a more consistent LUFC in the premiership next time around.

Pretty in Pink

Shepton Journals coverage of moving a few caravans

I truly feel for the poor handful who were waiting till their work at Pilton began. Virtually everything is wrong in the article. Don't trust the press, don't trust the police.

Complete overreaction

The police have moved my friends on. They came in as if they were taking out Al Quaida but found an air rifle. Now, once again, my mates are looking for a home.

Hawthorn Flowers

Wild Garlic

Flowering already. Hope we get some rain soon.

Wild flowers

In the Studio Today

Poly Styrene RIP

As a boy I saw X Ray Spex on top of the pops playing 'Germ free Adolescents'. The impact on me was huge. The album cover of test tubes an icon, a symbol of intent regarding consumerism. In many ways the message was stronger than the Sex Pistols. Each song a step through the overgrowth of consumerist trash. They shone briefly then disappeared. I later learned Poly had a religious or spiritual experience whilst on tour and abandoned the band. In more recent times my partner brought to my attention a Spanish band called Debutante Disco, fronted by Polys' daughter Celeste. Poly Styrene released some fresh material recently, I didn't know she was fighting cancer. Love to her and love to Celeste.

Swings and roundabouts

You win massively on saturday then the jealousy of those who can only just live try a scam. Funny results coming up.

Local Graffitti destorted

If you saw the original you will understand. It isn't the 'common' comment but the new face that draws sense to the work.

Human Cannonball death

Kent. Zipwire death of 11 year old boy in Wales. Teen drug death of 15 year old drug death, father heald on posession of drugs.

The Fall - Gentlemen's Agreement

A song for Aubrey

John Makepeace part 2 from yesterday

Yep, where was I. John Makepeace. When I landed in the obscure artland of designer maker furniture I was educated in the movements brief history. There were many bitchy, jealous tales of Makepeace. My closest coolege friend left after our first year to go work for him. Paul Stevens is a superb craftsman who, were it not for him and our competitive nature and the tutelage of Hugh Scriven I probably would have gone down the fine art route. Paul had been juniour world power lifting champion and applied this zen sporting approach to his making. I had my art angle. He drew out the best in me and to this day the best quallity objects I have made were either in competition or in demonstration that his choice to go work for John and give in on what was his weaker side , design, was a mistake.
The first Makepeace pieces I saw were in books. I wasn't very impressed. I took a trip to Ramez Gazouls gallery in Prestbury and saw one of his tables and totally changed how I saw his work. I went to Parnham to see Paul and have a look round the workshop and at what was being made. To this day I have not seen an environment to compare. I visitted several times before Paul left and came to Buckinghamshire to join me where I had already done a year. His making skill was so out of proportion to those around him yet his mind closed to design direction that it didnt work for him.
Since then each time I have seen a new Makepeace it has been as exciting as seeing a new Hirst. Sometimes they are a bit crap, the fruit table was awful. But the sand dune chest of drawers that appears to have changed Martin Griersons designing in one fell swoop was poetry. Seen in the flesh at a show at Olympia, at the time I was designing exhibition stands, ( mine won an award by the way) reminded me just how good he is. And also, I have had this with many other visual artists, you HAVE to see them in the flesh. No photograph can reproduce the tird dimension, or is it the 5th effectively. Never right off an artist until you have seen thier work in the flesh and never until you have seen a few. Makepeace is a serious artist and an important one. However, the sycophancy of many on the furniture makers forum reveals that perhaps they ought to change thier oevre. Though, as these postings suggest, I have huge respect for his work, he is one designer maker following his avenue, there are many other great ones out there and looking at others where self expression should be the starting point seems pointless. If you can't offer anything in his field of object, try another.
Big up to all makers.

Strangeness - John Makepeace

Working hard on a utillity area, it is no art work but I need to earn some cash. That fitted furniture, sheet material work is such a different way of thinking to the free standing furniture I have spent most of my life doing, elimentary tricks are unknown to me each having to be worked out. The interaction with other tradesmen I recall from the few kitchens I have done is alien, out of ones control. The operating theatre of the workshop where all is to hand is replaced by a claustrophobia, a list of tools and materials you envisage needing, the strangeness of being in the intimacy of strangers.
John Makepeace commented on how all the wood trades money is going int o fitted stuff that will be ripped out again before too long. Free standing work will last longer, somewhere, finding periods of favour and disfavour as fickle fashion conscious folk alter thier interiors. It is a very good point. I recall ripping out some huge office building as a student because Oak was out and American Cherry was in. I imagine all our work has been skipped. I don't know John personally yet have seldom heard him talk anything other than good sense. His prolific lineage of works has few to compare. There have been many I don't like, the occassional slipinto the Walt Disney look yet overall his gift to the world of fine craft furniture is beyond anyone elses. Fred Baier has offered a parrallel .
Broken off, I'll come back to this.

Swarm

Bees swarmed today and yesterday. Very powerful vision.

My computer wont let me post anything about Sebastian Fellows of e mail. Just Skreeworld blog. I can live with that.

Apple Bloosom

Pigeons Egg

Crane Fly 2

Crane Fly

Saw this chick today

Edgelands

An Art is growing that Skreeworld has longtime chronicled

Dean

Great having my old friend Dean down. Came out working just for fun though he will be paid. We were fitting cabinets and he not only worked logically but made suggestions to speed things up. Northern grit in Somerset.

Hard Time

Great to see that Hard Time , Shaun Attwoods book about his time spent in one of Americas toughest jails. I picked up on his blog, 'jons jail journal' some time ago and found his story fascinating though deeply upsetting. As a party maker he came a cropper and ended up in an Arizona jail where both death from screws and gang members were possibillities. He survived and successfully avoided having to join the Arian Brotherhood, tricky for a white boy on foriegn turf. Can;t wait to read the book and if his blog is owt to go by it will be a great read.

Jon's Jail Journal: From Xena (Letter 6)Xena - A 6 1/2 foot transse...

Jon's Jail Journal: From Xena (Letter 6) Xena - A 6 1/2 foot transse...: "From Xena (Letter 6) Xena - A 6 1/2 foot transsexual and Wiccan priest. The charismatic leader of Cult Of Xena (COX). Tattoos include a wa..."

What has happened?

Leeds losing 22 nil already. After 3 years of total domination this season has been hard to take never mind understand. I guess the salary cap has equalised everything but seeing Cas top, though I am glad for them and the Cats beating top teams is good for the game it is bad for Leeds. Huddersfield were my bet for the year but This is painful. Wire are winning, Saints are 20 points up, why the fuck can't MacDermott get them going? I never liked him as a player but forgave him when he signed but Leeds fans just will not stand for this. Leeds should always be top 4 at least. I don't think I can say much more but this is seriously depressing.

However, I did feel that with the Huddersfield forwards a player like Danny Brough could be amazing, looks like they are. Leeds fans booing at half time. By the end of the game Leeds were outclassed in all areas, our forwards were walked over, Sinfields kicking game couldn't comopete with Brough. For over half a century Huddersfield havn't won at Headingley. This just isn't good enough. We have half the team that won three grand finals in succession yet we can't compete against teams we should beat. Tonight, to be honest, I thought we would lose but by a small margin, what we saw was a disgrace. MacDermott must go. I recall him punching left right and centre as a player for Bradford at Headingley and the only break from Huddersfields dominance was brawls involving nearly all the team. Thats something you only see when players lose not only thier cool but thier idea of where and what they are supposed to be doing. MacDermott must go and soon.

I reckon a good outside bet tommorrow against Khan wouldn't be a bad bet, his real fight is his next one against the boring but durable Bradley.

Lost Love

I love most people but I can't get this ripping off people who trust you thing that so many seem bent on. I love my work, I love my dog but I can't say I trust a right lot else at the moment. My phone is no longer mine, my account full of someone elses games. Just see it's time for me and Tex to go off and live a purer life. What did I dream? we're on the long road, maybe the wrong road, but it's the road to fuck knows where.

Benson

Great week having the Dean Machine to stay. Only spoiled by the street urchins that seem to think they have some connection to the artists. Spent several hours constructing a pyre, a framework interspersed with fuels to burn and film only to be ruined by some tramps looking for a laugh.

The real one that this experiment was a practice run for is still on. Got all the pyrotech sorted, just waiting for the right day and location. Next week we're off down to deliver all the work for the house in Exmoor. Exciting times.

Dark Animal Matter

Doorman Ben

There once was a doorman called Ben

Who smoked a pipe now and then,

He drove a green beamer but got emphysemia,

Cause they spiked all his pipes with yen

Glass Bin

Even the rubbish bin outside our studio is more beautiful than the art of most.

Red Tree

Stranger than kindness is the stupidity of those who spend each day in pursuit of misery.

All the confusion

When I'm working hard I find it hard to come home to those who don't. Enjoyed fitting walnut units yet each evening was brutalised by others hunger, barely got a nap. Waynes funeral dragged many out, all isolated individuals unsure of thier role or connection to each other, only sure of thier connections to the one who wasn't there. Today I woke thinking we were going to a wedding, my partner couldn't cope. Dean arrives tommorrow, wonder what he will think of village life.

Skull with flowers

Shepton Mallet Prison

Bens prison blog.

Pierrepoint.

It is all still there.

Wayne RIP

I knew you only in your later days but we made a bond. There were many there today to say farewell, a good measure of how much love was felt for you. Hope to meet again somewhere. Skree

Everything is growing

Beautiful day, butterflies in abundance. I had heard the small tortoiseshell was low in numbers but there are plenty here, saw the first comma of the year, a couple of orange tips, clouded yellows, a few whites. Just before I left I saw a gold crest, our smallest bird. Beautiful day.

Kurious Oranj 2

Over the hills

Work took us over the quantox, the mists of avalon dispersing as we drove. Wells is a sweet town though I hardly see the centre. Fitting black walnut units as the day got hotter. I prefer to do free standing furniture on the whole yet there is something about site work that is enjoyable. Changing an environment, altering someones living space for the better, improving their quality of life. It ain't so bad.

Life is Liberty

Overhead power reestablished

Thanks for all help in tracking down the stalker. We now have name, address and family info. No more talk on the matter and sorry for boring you with this idiot. Action will be taken.

Hawthorn blossom

Purple Patch

After the stalker Skreeworld is coming back stronger with reinforcements to get the weirdo.

Reinforcements

After the search for Jesse faltered through lack of underground warriors we are proud to say that the Dean Machine shall soon be here to find the King of the underworld. For new readers, Elvis was born a twin though his brother Jesse was stillborn. After burial and the subsequent rise to fame of the King of Rock n Roll Graceland was bought. The bones of Jesse were searched for but never found. A monument exists though Jesses remains were never moved. Our theory is that he entered a subterranian network of tunnels. We even heard his voice whilst underground investigating local tunnels though shortly after he made his way to Iceland and caused volcanic eruptions using his pelvic girations that heald a power 20 fold his burger munching brother. The Skreeworld mission to find the King has new imput. Dean Machine, crown Prince of Skreeworld shall be joining our mission shortly. Wait for further info.

Slates

Kids today, eh?

Makes you wonder just why the police are spending time stopping art instead of crime.

Local Graffiti behind old dairy

Bruised Petals

Cobbled

These pretty streets are being walked by a creepy stalker. Please beware. He is following cars, tracking down innocent people, the public need to be made aware that this man is a danger to all decent people.

Forget me not

No more dossers. I give a homeless man a lift and get pulled. Then some cryptic stalker calls me. They leave no name. I commit no crime yet some criminal pretending to be a copper starts stalking me. I will get to the bottom of this. If being an artist is a crime then bang me up. The criminal stalkers number is 07825280029. Whoever it is sounds like some burglar or opportunist thief.

Leeds Rhinos beat Wigan and then Saints in the Grand Final!

Reluctant Hero: The John Holmes Story

Leeds Rhinos Tribute To John Holmes

Greatest player I ever saw. As a boy he was my hero, still is.

Wakefield Wildcats 6 Leeds Rhinos 28

Fine Art

Grinderman - Palaces Of Montezuma

Leeds draw

So close to beating the pies I nearly cried, felt like a loss. Still some major players to return so havn't given up hope yet.

Heron

Things are looking up. Behind the studio the land is coming to life. A pair of buzzards are setting up their zone, the river is high, sloeworms are under sheets of corrugation, forther down the blossom from the blackthorn is starting, clouded yellows and tortoiseshells are awakening. Further down the river rabbits are abundant though I have only taken one this year, the sparrowhawks are starting to flirt around the railway bridge near where they nested last year. Feel much happier in many ways. The run around world is tiring. The folk who spend all day looking for ways not to see seem such idiots now the year is starting to open up. I'm thinking of moving in to a caravan to be closer to it all, house dwellers just can't catch all those moments that make life life. Maybe I should enjoy interaction more. I'd rather watch the world and make a few things to out live me in these few years we get. You can't compete with the beauty of the world, only try to give a few sign posts for the visually or spiritually unobservant.