Saturday 27 June 2020

THE HARDY TREE

After I was trawling through the ArtPix Photo Library today, I've chosen a random photo for the day ...



The Hardy Tree, in the churchyard of St Pancras Old Church, near King's Cross in London.

So called because these gravestones were placed there by, non-other than, the author Thomas Hardy.

The story goes, that in the 1860s St Pancras station needed to be enlarged, as London was expanding at an alarming rate. 
This meant removing and exhuming nearby grave sites to put down the wider tracks. 
The firm of architects where Hardy was working were given this lovely job!

When all was done, they were left with the spare gravestones. Hardy then had the idea of laying them all around an ash tree in the churchyard.

Over time they have blended in with the tree, creating an atmospheric bark and stone, 'life and death' sculpture.

Hardy later toddled off to Dorset to become a world-famous author.

I myself led a similar path (apart from the world-famous bit!), as I used to work near this churchyard, and then I also toddled off to Dorset!!!

Wednesday 24 June 2020

ARTPIX UPDATE!

We are now passed the Summer Solstice and halfway through 2020!

Not been a great year has it??!!

But things are starting to happen and reopen.

First of all The Customs House in West Bay, Dorset, has been open for over a week now.
I'm pleased to say my unit there has picked up from where it left off, and sales have been great.
At last some money coming into the ArtPix coffers!!

So pop down there if you can, and pick up some vintage treasures, and also my own designs.

 
There are rumblings of various markets and boot fairs kicking off again, so stay tuned for more news of those. 
It will all be a bit of a minefield as to how they will be able to operate, but it will be a massive boost to me if they can start again.

And finally ....  
News of my long-awaited new venture, the ARTPIX digital magazine!!!

I've finished all the design and text, and I've just handed over the pdfs to my in-house proofreader Carya Gish of Arcane Publishing!!
She's very kindly assisting me on this project, and will take time out from writing her third novel, The Right Place, to read through it all and correct the many mistakes I've probably made!

The magazine started out as a possible 16-pager, but has ended up being a whopping 44 pages!

Below is a sneak preview of ARTPIX magazine's first cover. It shows a Picture Post, as there is an 8-page feature on the classic vintage magazine ...




Sunday 14 June 2020

CUSTOMS HOUSE REOPENING!!!!

Just letting you know that my unit at The Customs House is back up and running from Monday 15th June!!!

As shops are now starting to tentatively open their doors, The Customs House will be back open as well, with the obvious guidelines in place.

Please do pop in, if you find yourself down in West Bay in Dorset.
The lockdown months have been tough on me and many other vintage traders, so spend, spend, spend!!!!

 

Thursday 11 June 2020

PICTURE POST

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get a stash of Picture Post magazines from the Sanctuary Bookshop, in Lyme Regis.

It included the very first issue, from October 1st 1938 ...


These are my favourite vintage magazines.
The covers were always fantastic, and the features and photo reports were way ahead of their time.

As they are a such fave of mine, I'm doing an article about them in my very own magazine, ARTPIX.
The first issue of which will be out very soon!!

Monday 8 June 2020

OUT AND ABOUT

Not far from ArtPix Towers are some amazing walks, so we don't have to go far to escape the madding crowd.

These pix were taken in and around the village of Langton Herring ... 

I love this scene, with the classic red telephone box still stoutly standing.




 Fields full of daisies ...




Two types of crops grown in the same field give a colourful contrast ...





And bushes were full of these butterflies ...

 



Wednesday 3 June 2020

ARTPIX MAGAZINE

I'm still working away on my new venture, the online digital mag 'ARTPIX'.


I started the project two weeks ago, and work is progressing well.
Despite the distractions of cancellations of important events in the ArtPix household, oh, and bees getting into the loft of ArtPix Towers!!!!

Have designed all the feature heads now, and several of the spreads, although I keep changing and changing them all the time!!

You'll notice the logo style has changed as well!

I've now managed to plan out 20 pages, but it could expand even further. 
I'm now ready to get writing, and then I'll be able to design all the layouts.

Updates on further progress soon!







Monday 1 June 2020

PIC OF THE DAY

A photo I took recently, of an open window at the church in the tiny village of Bincombe, in Dorset ...


Just the simple pleasure of seeing a shadow on ancient stone, in a classic English churchyard.

Bincombe lies a couple of miles north of Weymouth, and is at the foot of the gloriously named Bincombe Bumps, a series of Bronze Age burial mounds on the top of a long ridge. 

The whole place is dripping in history, and the views from the top are incredible.