Monday 11 September 2017

Please note my blog has now moved to my website

https://carolpeace.com/

and click "Studio Diary"

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Sea Swimming


Every morning I take Molly to the beach below the apartment and we skirt around its edges on concrete and play ball amongst the palm trees. Dogs are not aloud on the beach but some of the locals let their dogs on when its not busy so everyday we get braver and she goes on a little more. After a few beers in the evening we are more ballsy and run to the sea and molly goes mental. Lately as we promenade along the front she makes a break for it and decides to dive out, labrador like to waters edge on her own, then on getting there realizing we have not followed she rushed back to us, pleased with herself all the same. This morning the sun was doing it's morning stuff, being epic and all that, I normally just watch and take photos and Molly sniffs about.

Today we didn't. 

We walked romantically along the shore as I have longed to do, I threw sticks and Molly swam for them. With us, there was one fisherman on the rocks, one vested old man prodding about in the sand and 3 ladies swimming, and the sun was rising, and they looked beautiful, their heads dark in full shadow breaking the bright reflected surface. Everyday morning I watch the, mostly older generation, submerging themselves into the water, chattering, gliding about in its silky surface and I long to be with them, and I go to work.

Today I didn't.

Today I dipped myself into that silky flat warm water as the sun rose slowly over Barcelona.  The silver water reflected the blue sky and the red orange Barceloneta buildings shifted and bobbed about on surface tension. Caroline said to me once when I was having an everyday anxiety about some such thing, an emotional flailing, a hatred of one of my traits or inadequacies no doubt... you have to learn to love yourself. 

Today I did.

It sounds corny, but today as I watched the sun break through the blue surface above and divide underwater into shafts, as I watched it light shoals of silver fish turning them to flecks of silver in the green light, as I pounded powerful arms up the bay making tiny bubbles: I glided, I remembered for a brief moment who I was. I am swimmer and sometimes I can be brave and I am also kind of ok. And I realized how incredibly lucky I was to be here. And underwater I smiled at the fish.

Yes, I have to go home to use my foundry and sort out my galleries but Barceloneta will be here and I can come back and I can also try new places. The only thing that will always come with me is me. And if I like me, then we will get along fine, wherever we are.  And I held my breath and dived under the water and swam across horizontal ripples in the sand, out to sea, so I could watch the rising sun come through the water. 








view from bedroom window, tricky to stay in bed with that going on












 







 big round catalans swimming








my fav view, 
city, modern architecture, sculpture, sea, beach, mountains...what more could you ask of a city.











snot face happy puppy









Thursday 5 September 2013

Love


Firstly, like the majority of my work, it symbolises a love and respect of nature. 

But love is many things. It can be a love for a partner, a sister, a mother, a daughter. The feeling of swimming with music or words. The love of ones country or a new acquired love for another. 

The choice remains with the viewer. The sculpture is just a visual thought of their love.

Deeply content, trusting the fish’s journey, just content to be, skin on skin, hearing the beat, present.

To some, it may seem a naff and a taboo subject. Potentially brave then, to simply call a sculpture Love, but as Anthony Caro said when asked about his sculptures, ‘its all about love’. 

To me, and I don’t think I am alone; it’s obviously the most important of all.

































Tuesday 3 September 2013

Distracted in the docks

Time is running out...
I got distracted by Barcelona on the way to work today, flamboyantly she teased me. She flaunted herself in her bright colours, mocking my date and choice to get on the water home. It can always be like this she said. 
Too easily her flirtatious manner wooed me and I cycled along her water drinking colour. 
I am enjoying my work, looking forward to getting back to my fishes, she didn't ruin my day in anyway, like a good friend woos you to go and drink Doom Bar, you swell with happiness just that little bit too excited.









 







graham going to work




cheesy sorry

















 




 










 


  













fav flower here








 




  





























 





 








But you shall not win Barcelona. My work ethic is too strong. My love for my quite still country can not be dissolved by your colour. 
But I will leave your shore with chocolate on my tongue.


If you listen to the song, written by Oliver Wood, I don't see it as a morbid song,  for me I translate 'live' as being happy, being 'alive' meaning really seeing things, feeling alive and appreciating the tiny everyday things.


there is also this link