Bullwell BMX Pictures...

Pictures from the Bullwell Regional Race. Me in front, for a change:-)
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Life begins at 40?

Well, I competed in the first round of the Midlands Region BMX Summer season on Sunday. Results in my heats were, 4th, (Wind blew me off the track!), 1st and 1st. Came 2nd in the final. A good result considering I've been out of the sport for so long; a good way to start the season. It was my first race in the 40+ age group, which still feels strange to say :-S... Had a lot of fun though, pictures to follow, I hope.
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Gloved Up!

My very kind Canadian cousin sent us a lovely gift. These supporters gloves were, apparently, all the rage at the recent Winter Olympics in Vancouver, (wish we could've been there!). I love em. Thanks M.

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Sport Relief...

Yesterday, spurred on by David Walliams et al, I took part in a 12hour spinning marathon at Hereford Sixth Form College's Sixth Sense Gym. I only rode for half an hour, at lunchtime, but the guys there motivated me enough to travel nearly 13, virtual, miles on the bike!! Needless to say, I was good for nothing for the rest of the afternoon...Sport Reflief, I learnt this morning, went onto raise £29 Million by the end of yesterday.

g.The 'before' shot...

Through the Glass.

A good friend of mine and fellow BMXer, Tim Print has just begun a blog, Through the Glass. The image below comes from the site and explains itself, only when you've read the first post...stunning story, one I never knew and apparently, it's completely true!
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Tim Prints Blog

'Raising the stakes'

First go at 'raising' in about 4 years. It's a really tough technique to master and makes your arm ache like hell when you begin. It's again, made from aluminium sheet, (one piece 0.9mm thick) and is gradually stretched by hitting it with a special raising hammer upon a raising 'stake'. Not brilliant, it shows I need to practice ALOT more; a good distraction though.

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Semi-raised vessel, Aluminium sheet H12cm x D13cm

Empty Vessel?

Two images of another vessel I've made; this time out of copper sheet and lined with variagated brass leaf. It's been fun hammering metal again and playing with metal leaf in a messy and unfinished way. The effect of the finish is really dramatic, I can see heaps of applications for this material. It's all in the aid of experimentation and trying to move my practice on in a new direction.

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Copper vessel, (finished with copper nitrate and brass leaf)- Diameter 20cm

The Finished Article

And this is the finished vessel, lined with gold leaf, (well actually it's brass leaf) still, looks nice in the Friday afternoon sunshine, nice days work, I think!

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Hitting Things...

Using a polished hammer and a piece of oak, with a depression carved into it, you can create interesting forms out of aluminium sheet; the technique is called sinking and to finish it of you planish it, this hardens the material and creates a beautiful dappled surface. This kind of work is very rewarding and therapeutic, (says alot about my state of mind at the moment, that I find joy in hitting things!). I can pound the metal for hours, allowing the material to guide me and the subsequent forms are always surprising. Sinking, raising and planishing are an art form. I need to practice more and pass on the technique, to see that it doesn't disappear.

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College Magazine Interview

I was recently interviewed in the Hereford College student Magazine, Pallette. I was quite pleased with the result; I was surprised by some of my answers:-S The typeface is a little hard to read; you can download the PDF version by clicking HERE, there's a copy that should be a little easier to read.
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Spine Skateboarding - Art Exhibition

Spine in Worcester have got a small, but beautifully formed, exhibition of the work the of Thomas Hinton. I love the wind turbine imagery...speaks volumes, somehow.

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Oh Canada!!