ARTS, BOOKS + CATS

NUMBER ONE

Hello and welcome to the first issue of Maurice’s Substack Auxillary Monthly Posts.

ARTs

It is said that every picture tells a story, and that a good story paints a picture; which is what I want to explore in these shorter monthly posts. I trust you will find them of interest.

“HEAL OUR WORLD”

Disgusted with the British far Right’s undemocratic swindle “Brexit” - for the gain of the few, I decided to leave the UK, to go back on the road. ie:- To recreate my happy thirteen years odyssey (of which I have yet to post) travelling extensively around Europe. I converted my old van into a mobile home, but no sooner was I ready to depart…. Along came Covid, with the shocking possibility of permanent lockdown !! My son in Nederland suggested a compromise. He would assist me set up a base near him to help me gain Nederland’s Citizenship. If the restrictions wee ever lifted I would be able to roam EU at a later date. Sounded like a plan !! Fortunately emigration under the somewhat flawed rules of the Brexit Transition Period came under “Essential Travel”. So over the next six months I made five cross channel trips to move my stuff whilst being confined to Permanent Quarantine. Then we found a reasonable apartment & garden. Thus armed with an address I was able to apply for and gain a five year temporary work/residence permit.

Whilst setting up my new home & studio I read of a local charity and local business group seeking works of art for an exhibition on Coping with the Pandemic. On submitting the bas-relief image below, I discovered that all the works were to be laid, flat & unframed, on a table inside a building where lockdown regs prevented the public from viewing !! Oh Boy !! So I framed all the works, built vertical displays that could be seen through the front windows, from the shopping street outside. Mission Accomplished. My concept was to portray, via medical intervention, people’s hope of escape from those fears of darkness, to return to a bright new world. My piece was judged the best in the expo, and it sparked my thoughts on “Healing Our World” as a subject to write about. The subsequent controversies on Covid have not diminished my desire to address today’s challenges…. “To do my Bit”…..

KINGA BURGER

My journey into the Substack arena has brought inspiration, warm interactions and new contacts. One such is Kinga Burger a talented young artist who deserves recognition. Please take a look at her work….

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BOOKs

We all have our favourite books, by inspirational authors who have influenced the way we think, and thereby how we conduct our lives. The two that have meant so very much to me are Catch 22 and Alice in Wonderland. I read the former many times, reveling in the exploits of it’s anti hero Lt Yossarian and his weirdly real WW2 comrades, taking me back to my own semi surreal Aden Conflict. Then I loaned the book out, never to get it back. Last week, an old friend from Britain visited, giving me the Dutch translation. I now look forward to the twin pleasures of rereading it and improving my Nederlands….. If you don’t know the book, you are missing a real Gem, an awakening with humor, a Grokking of how warfare affects those compelled into the madnesses of reluctant combat.

I am also delighted to report that I recently found an old Dutch copy of Alice in Wonderland , by Lewis Carroll. Yuppeee !!

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CATs

Some years ago I was asked to bring new works by nervous new artists to a prestigious expo venue. Of the seven pieces submitted, four were accepted. One was a cartoon of of an unnamed cat by Helen. She rewarded me with the original and the copyright. Wow !! Lovely !! Together with the talented Adie J., we created an eight foot high sculpture of “Clarence the Rescue Cat” on a Victorian bicycle for the Tour De France, 2014 in Yorkshire. Since then I have drafted a few of his adventures and connections to the Kingstown Boathouse (See Something Different 30 Aug) and to the Great Yorkshire Dragon. Such tails with images are yet to be published………

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LIBRE LIBRIS…..

As I prepare to go PAID, (Without imposing a paywall), I wish to thank volunteer subscribers with gifts of books and artprints; to be sent post free to any address in the world. The first list of available items will be published on 29th Nov. Foretasters will sometimes appear in Notes or Chats.

NeXt Article. 27 Sept. Sam can you see that Big Green Tree ? Part Two. “Clean Water”

Next Legend. Oct 4th. “t’OTHERWITH BOY, The Mystery of Simpson’s Water Tower, A Bejewelled Cat.”

Further Article. Oct 11th. Fresh Air. “License to Breathe.”

Further Legend. Oct 11th. “Wijken Av Viskerbij”