300,000 views!!

The Sky's The Limit by Jo Bradford


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My flickr photostream had it's 300,000th view this weekend.  

Happy Monday 

Jo 

Up, up and away!!

Up, up & away! by Jo Bradford, 2010

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The soundtrack to my early twenties were the hauntingly beautiful melodies of the melancholic Englishman, Nick Drake.  His music still stops me in my tracks for a moment of quiet contemplation and his lyrics often run through my mind when I am working creatively.  

The song "I was made to Love Magic" has some beautiful lines in it...

I was born to use my eyes
Dream with the sun and the skies
To float away in a lifelong song
In the mist where melody flies.
I was made to love magic...

I was born to sail away
Into a land of forever

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Happy Friday folks, I hope your weekend is full of sunshine and smiles!!

Jo 

xoxo

The Old Man and The Sea

'Trade Winds' by Jo Bradford

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'The clouds were building up now for the trade wind and he looked ahead and saw a flight of wild ducks etching themselves against the sky over the water, then blurring, then etching again and he knew no man was ever alone on the sea.'


The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway was first published on this day, the 8th September, in 1952.  The above excerpt is one of my favourite lines from the book, one that considers man versus nature.

Divine Accidents

"Her Heart" by Jo Bradford, 2003

"The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty, and joy as the year's increase.  This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvellous thing: it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it.  It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life."

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Today's quote is from Henry Walpole, it is all about celebrating the wonder of lasting love.  The reason for this post is that I want to send huge congratulations to my Mum and Step-Dad for reaching their 20th wedding anniversary,  they have clearly been lucky enough to have had that often elusive divine accident and I wish them both many many more years of the inner progressiveness of love that will nourish them both as they travel through life together.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

My art is going to space!!

My fluxface in space contribution

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Thought you might like to know about a little project I am involved in, where a digital copy of one of my meteorite photograms + a photo of me with my artwork will be launched into space onboard the final NASA space shuttle mission.  


The Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134) will launch at 8:47pm BST on Friday 29th April 2011.  Here is a bit about the project.....

The Fluxface Exhibition Poster by Angela Ferrara

The "Fluxface in Space" exhibition is a commemorative project around the fact that the Space Shuttle program is coming to an end after this flight.  The exhibition is to be launched into orbit on the last Endeavour Space Shuttle mission in April 2011, this final mission will include a rendezvous with the International Space Station.


The 127 participating artists (from 26 nations) each created an original postcard sized work of art, in various media, interpreting the themes of Space Exploration & the Arts, the Shuttle Program, Outer Space, Rockets, Astronauts and Astronomy.  


As my darkroom (photogram) art is made using meteorites, it seems only right that at some point it should go to space, as that's where it all originates from, well, you could say that about all of us too.  The organisers are heralding this as an historic exhibition as apparently this is the first international group art exhibition in space.

The exhibit is expected to travel around the surface of the world as well, while the digitised versions are touring space on board the Space Shuttle, the actual artworks will be exhibited in a touring exhibition here on earth.  In October 2010 the touring show kicks off at the Kennedy Space Station in Florida where the Launch will occur, after that it's next stop is at the Fort Worth Art Center in Texas, it will continue to tour the world and it is expected to be seen by many thousands in art centers, museums and other art gallery environments. 


You can read more about my space themed photogram and cliché verre artwork made with meteorites over on my website... www.jobradford.com

Day 5, Vonnegut and Astatke make Fridays fundays

Day 5 from the Last Light Series by Jo Bradford.

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The week has flown by - today I will be busying myself with the following...

• Writing the text for my piece for Catalogue Of The Night, I may post the finished images and text here next week, but it may give you nightmares so don't say I didn't warn you!
• The final stages of uploading my NASA artwork submission.
• While I work, I am listening to Mulatu Astatke, just loving those sounds of Ethiopiques Volume 4 
• And at lunchtime I am looking forward to reading the last chapter of my current book, Cat's Cradle.  What's not to love about my beloved Mr Vonnegut's writings?  I already know the end as I have read it before, but I can't resist revisiting him from time to time :)
• Toughest task of all today though, is not to shake, prod and generally feel, the pile of packages in the lounge after the postman just did his rounds.....  I will patiently wait till the morning to check out my birthday stash, promise!

See you tomorrow for Day 6, the penultimate day in my series Last Light

Jo xxxx

Ripe Strawberries and good conversation

Day 4 from the Last Light Series by Jo Bradford

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Happy Thursday all, see you tomorrow for Day 5, my personal favourite picture in the Last Light series.

Night night xxx

Day 3, Getting things done!!

Day 3 from the Last Light Series by Jo Bradford

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I have just finished my piece of photogram / cliche verre art for my Space Shuttle Piece... more about that next week when I have finished showing you this last light series

Happy Wednesday!!

jo 

xoxo

Day 2 - and so much to do!!!

Day 2 from the Last Light Series by Jo Bradford

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Hello Folks!! Here is your Tuesday installment of my new series "Last Light".

This is Day 2.  

Last Light - 7 Days

Day 1 from the Last Light Series by Jo Bradford

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I have a new(-ish) series called Last Light, that I have not shared with you yet.

This week I am going to upload a new picture each day as there are 7 pictures in this series.   This is Day 1.  

Happy Monday!

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Halcyon Days

Halcyon Days by Jo Bradford

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It has been a fun week for the Poppytalk Gang as we celebrate summer colours week.  I have had a great time making new work especially for the occasion and including a few recent pictures from my back catalogue too.  Halcyon Days was a quick something I knocked up for Mondays Pink theme.  It has turned out to be something of an unexpected hit as it was selected to be an Utata Front Page this week.  What a lovely surprise :)  

Halcyon Days in now for sale in my Etsy shop

And my DaWanda Shop

xoxo

Pink Pleasure

Thanks to Poppytalk for featuring my photo on their blog this week :)

June Afternoons

June Afternoon by Jo Bradford

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"And what is so rare as a day in June.... 

Then, if ever, come perfect days"

~James Russell Lowell~

June is a month of the most perfect warm breezes and soft light - especially here in Cornwall where the light reflects off the sea in soft pastel colours that beg to be photographed.  

Whisper

Whisper by Jo Bradford

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I hope that you have some fun and relaxing plans for your weekend.....  mine is going to be all about walking dogs, making pictures and hanging out at the beach, long may this glorious sunshine continue :)

Have a good weekend!!

Jo 

xoxo

Summer Sale!!

Cape by Jo Bradford

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What with all this glorious sunny weather we have been blessed with recently it feels only right to share some of my sunshine smiles around.  

Cape is a brand new listing in my Etsy & Dawanda Shops today.  

I hope you have a lovely day in the sunshine, whatever you are doing!

Jo xoxo