ARGE! WINTER ARRIVES

Winter, it was bound to happen!

With some good luck and a favourable wind direction, it can remain quite mild at this time of year, despite the light in each day dwindling to permanent darkness.

But everyone knows the country is on the precipice of a wintry slap, But when, for how long, cold or wet...or both.

And then it happened! A morning of sleet and snow.

The snow had gathered on some cars inbound from the country, and out in the fields a veil of white leaned to the idea that it was starting to settle, no doubt sending thrill seekers into lofts and garages in search of dust covered toboggans.

In town the delicate flakes stood no chance, patches of ice & sleet congregated in places pretending to be snow, but the commuters and school kids were just left with a wet and parky morning as an introduction to the upcoming months.

SAND DUNE TO THE SHORELINE

A short journey south, down the east coast of the island was decided upon. A little trip to change things up from the previous two days of luxurious sun lounging on Grandes Playas de Corralejo, a stretch of sand we dubbed 'Euro Beach'. A place with fair priced sun-loungers & parasols, coffee and beer, toilets and beach showers. For a couple of sunny days we were planted there all day, through the tide coming in and going out. (From John Cooper Clark's book 'I Wanna Be Yours') "Luxury, pure unashamed luxury".

The final destination of this journey south was always going to end with more sun lounging, reading and swimming, but we got extra!

Further down the road from the beach we had baked on for the previous two days, was a disorganised assembly of parked cars on either side of the road. A few cars looked haphazardly abandoned, almost ditched off the edge of the tarmac and into the sand - as if a radio news bulletin had announced an impending sand storm or tsunami.

There were enough people milling around, taking selfies, unpacking car boots to suggest certain disaster was not looming, so we joined the line of vehicles, but kept all four tyres on the asphalt.

Sun hats on, we headed out in the direction of the sea – both sure the ocean was just over the gradual sand dune we had started to ascend. Reaching the crest of the dune revealed the panoramic view of more dunes, with the sea way off in the distance. This is what all the people had come to see! What a sight! The excitement had lead several cars to be strewn off the edge of the road and left without correction. The drivers and passengers all keen to see the sand dunes, reminiscent of the vast Sahara Desert, only a short distance away across the sea, almost visible on a clear day. The area of sand big enough to dilute the crowd. Maybe some never made it back!

We traversed the dunes to the shoreline and made camp for the day, using one of the many stone semi circle alcoves set up for privacy and wind break.

Another day of luxury, pure unashamed luxury.

More photographs from fuerteventura @ sleeplessink.com 

WELCOME BREAK – CORRALEJO

What a joy! – One week in Fuerteventura.

So good to get back to the Canaries after a four year hiatus. No surfboards this time, just hand luggage and a camera bag.

A holiday in the true sense of the word.

From the dictionary:

holiday | ˈhɒlɪdeɪ, ˈhɒlɪdi | noun 1 (often holidays) mainly British an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in travelling. North American term vacation: I spent my summer holidays on a farm | Fred was on holiday in Spain. 2 a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done: 25 December is an official public holiday. • [as modifier] characteristic of a holiday; festive: a holiday atmosphere.

T-shirt & shorts all day, every day. No watch, only tide and sun position to assess the probable time of day. 

A simple daily schedule: swim, walk, read, sunbath...take it easy.

Oh yes! Of course!...Taking photos! Below are a few from Corralejo.

More photographs from fuerteventura @ sleeplessink.com 

STILL SHOOTING – NEWQUAY

Still frothing!

Maybe (definitely) less committed/disciplined.

Maybe (definitely) less time spent out with a camera.

But I'm physically off-kilter. So give me a break. That said , I still have to walk Edith, and I'm not going out without a camera.

So these are a few shots from Newquay.

TURN THE DIAL

 Where to begin?

A few facts may provide a sturdy start.

• LastBulletin post: 5th July 2024

• Last Blog post: 12th July 2024

• Last Instagram post: 27th May 2024

(Partial explanation as to why in Bulletin & Blog posts, 1st July 2024)

In these content hungry times, the dates above until now (19/8/2024) is a long time – in terms of producing and maintaining content, I could be considered dead!

But no! I’m still here!

However, the dial has been turned.

So, where to NOW?

It has been a struggle to get back on the horse. CORRECTION: It has been effortless to not get back on the horse.

This does not mean creativity has stopped. On the contrary, it continues to pour and flow within each day – enjoying a freedom away from being kettled into corridors that lead to on-line platforms.

My back injury in April accelerated many necessary lessons, and exercised one of my least applied disciplines; patience.

It was not possible to insist on healing faster, but it was achievable to create a fertile ground that allowed the body to heal. Still now the approach is continued. It includes slowing down, regular exercise, and using the gaps between activity to cherish the calm, space and moment. Without care, these moments can otherwise be arrested by an urgency to scroll, feed the website and social media platforms, and fill up on distractions, far away from the nature of every day.

Irony is included for free with circulating this post across a couple of on-line platforms: my blog & website bulletin.

This is the conundrum – retain or refrain.

The obvious answer is to find a balance. This is when things get thorny. Perhaps an account from 15 years ago will frame the difficulty. Excuse the pun that shall be revealed within the short tale.

I was selling framed prints in a popular Truro gallery, a nice place, with knowledgeable and helpful people. The commission rate was 47.5%, and I was happy to have a good footfall viewing and buying my work.

And now for some number crunching. Each framed print sold for £140, the commission on each one sold was £66.50, therefor £73.50 went into my pocket…YESSS!

Second to the thrill of creating my artwork is selling the work. So I had a pep in my step, but my buzz was kicked in the nuts when the obvious was pointed out to me by a more business minded friend. Of course there is a cost to producing each piece, and I knew it, but I was just so happy with being involved and people seeing my work, I glossed over what I considered minor details.

But my friend seized the opportunity to call me a dickhead. He told me, “Before you buy another pint and shoot your pistols in the air, take a moment to think it through”.

I could tell my swagger was going to get wounded.

“Once you’ve kissed the girls, lifted the trophy and received your cheque for £73.50, take a seat and consider how much of that is yours after the cost of producing the piece”.

Oh shit!

£73.50…minus.

Paper & Print (The best paper, inks and printing process used) - £20

Frame (Wonderful bespoke frames) - £40

= £13.50

I’ll have a half please landlord!

A suggested solution, or at least an idea to adjust the numbers in my favour was to learn how to build frames, and frame the prints myself. But I didn’t want to, nor do I currently wish to, spend my time manufacturing the parts going around my work (however necessary), it is creating the work to be framed that is important to me.

And now, spending time creating content and maintaining the backend of the website, blog and Instagram feels the same. Forever attending to algorithms, SEO, views, likes, followers, etc, is extremely time consuming, and each hour spent in the virtual maze, is an hour not holding a camera, pen, pencil or brush.

So for now, I seek a lopsided balance. In it I spend more time being open to new ideas, techniques, creativity and enjoyment, no matter who, or how many see it, or what surrounds it.

I’ll post & blog along the way, just using the platforms as they were initially intended – a place for some of my creative endeavours to find some light, regardless of the machine aspect of the virtual soapbox delivering them.

Much love,

Kevin

BARROWFIELDS – NEWQUAY

 

I thought I'd post a couple of shots taken during the period mentioned previously. You know, Edith still needs a walk, and my camera is always by my side. I just haven't been out with the sole purpose of taking photographs.

I do miss it, the time spent when time is irrelevant. A day of walking and just seeing. Occasionally lifting the camera to the eye to capture something.

Anyway, like I said, these were taken while out walking Edith Bean Mexican Queen, on Barrowfields, Newquay.

TIME OUT!

 

So it has become apparent that there has been a lack of posts, across all platforms, lately. The way that sentence is constructed makes it sound like this has come as a surprise to me, that's because it has!

It has unfolded this way without any intention.

Reflecting on it, this was bound to happen, and could possibly have been predicted as far back as March. Although there was an incident that cemented the outcome.

It started with the idea of painting & decorating the house in celebration of 10 years since moving in. A glass of wine and some time in the garden would have done it, but you know, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

At the start of the task, I wrestled with some ladders and injured my back.

Now this was painful. Let's put it in some context.

I have smashed out my front teeth, broken both arms, melted my cornea, fractured my skull...and more! But you get the picture; I've got some injuries to compare with the back pain. This seemed more debilitating than any of them, maybe not counting the two weeks in the hospital HDU with my noggin.

So loads of physiotherapy, acupuncture, stretching, and gym time on a treadmill for measured walking bouts, did a good job of painfully devouring my time and energy, which in turn altered my approach to the year. And now with some distance from the event, and turning it into a positive, I am fitter, and more aware of the complexity – the cogs and pulleys – of the body. The list of injuries indicate my previous flagrant disregard for paying attention to taking care.

Now at this age and point of life, I appreciate the accelerated lesson.

This has resulted in far less time out with my camera, no time sat at the drawing desk, or computer – in website, blog and Instagram terms, sadly no content.

It will all start up again, but my back still plagues me, and you know it must be said, the break away from 'likes', SEO, page views, activity stats, algorithms and all that stuff has been really refreshing. I enjoy it and so hadn't really considered how relaxing it would be without slaving too it, which is sometimes how it feels.

Anyway, the most important thing, and what I really want to do, is getting out and seeing the world with my camera, and creating new collage and illustration pieces.

Take care,

Kev Cooper 

MORE FROM THE SHORE

Well, things have been happening, but mostly along the lines of uninteresting home improvements. It's been 10 years to the month that we have been in the house, so what started as a few touch-ups has morphed into a full make over.

What have we started!

Cheyne Horan has come and gone from his visit to the U.K, incorporating his shaping tour, that also included his stay in California. So there are a few photos and footage of one of his boards being sprayed, but I'm painting skirting boards and walls.

What have we started!

So the theme continues with spring into summer being unconvincing. Some good weather and then some bad weather. Still, I enjoy the increased hours of light in the day.

Some more photographs from Towan Beach, Newquay...when the sun has come out! It's on its way and the crowds are arriving. Tick, tock, tick, tock.

SKY TRAILS

There were a couple of days recently were the sky trails created some interesting angles in the neighbourhood. It's good to look up!

FITS AND STARTS

Well, only yesterday it was shorts and t-shirt, today, waterproofs and boots.

The summer season wants to start, but gets undone just when BBQ's and parasols start to fly off the shelves. So to be confident in the approach for a day, we need to pack a raincoat and umbrella next to flip-flops and sun-cap.

When the sun has come out, there is warmth and activity by the shoreline.

SURFBOARD FACTORY, THERE IS MORE!

Of course there is more! 

There is bound to be, especially spending many hours / decades in surfboard factories. Perhaps mind-numbingly repetitive, but there is always more. I guess the task at hand, from a taking photos around the factory stance, is trying to find new angles among the humdrum and everyday at work. Still, people tend to marvel when I answer 'surfboard sprayer' when asked what I do. To lend more substance I'm glad to add artist & photographer.

The inclusion of various surfboard labels going through the factory does spice things up toward being interesting. Over the years most major surfboard labels, both national and international, have visited and put numbers through the Ocean Magic factory.

Including:

• Pyzel
• Town & Country
• Hawaiian Island Creations
• Lost / Mayhem
• Nev
• Mambo
• Mark Phipps
• Gash

Among many more!

So here are a few more photos from around the factory over the last few weeks.

That's all for now.

But waiting for paint to dry will not be a luxury option over the next few weeks. World renowned surfer and maverick surfboard designer/shaper Cheyne Horan is visiting next week. He will be shaping at the OM surfboard factory throughout May.

IT WASN'T ME!

Uh-oh spaghettiOs! What a mishap.

I cycled past this and had to double back for a closer look. Not sure what happened, but it is strange. Curious how the paint tin is upright and lid submerged by its side, the spillage is in a fairly contained area, with no obvious direction of its fall.

Anyway, it lent itself to a photograph.

SURFBOARD FACTORY

On the back of a couple of previous surfboard factory posts, here is one more!

At first, taking a few photos around the surfboard factory was just a way to kill a little time as paint dries; what with the slow start to the year n'all. Now, I find myself seeing snippets here and there and reaching for my camera. Maybe it will continue!

That said, yesterday's sunshine won my attention and we all sat outside. It's a 'win, win!' Sunshine and laughter outside, or remaining intrigued with hidden images to find, inside.

HANDS UP! WHO SPOKE TOO SOON?

ME, THAT'S WHO!

My blushes would have been saved if a weather forecast had been watched before confirming yesterday's post.

There I was, swooning over the springtime bird song. Claiming the change toward summer was secure, and winter was behind us. Breathing deeply along with the northern hemisphere, as the late arrival of spring was merely a springboard (excuse me) toward long, hot, summer days. Exchanging umbrellas for parasols; waterproofs for board-shorts; winter stews for salad; G&T's at home for beer in a pub garden.

BUT NO!

It was only when the evening forecast was seen, did I realise, the size of the misleading waffle delivery in the morning post.

Screaming northwesterlies, 1o°C, pelting downpours. Bins blowing over, litter flying, pedestrians soaked and leaning 45° into the gusts. Please make it stop!

It is now the afternoon and the conditions have pulled up from the nosedive. Just about. The NW wind prevails, but the sun is out, and we carry on.

NEWQUAY – SHIFT UNDERWAY

It's been wet. Yep, spring 2024 has been wet, with plenty of wind at times.

This morning the studio window is open and the serenade of spring birds is filling the air. It is soothing and light. Encouraging an extra 10% of breathing in, welcoming further into the body the delayed change after winter.

There is a cosiness to being dry and safely indoors with the rain, rain & rain pelting the windows, but it makes sense to find joy in the four seasons – especially on this side of winter.

Despite the weather, there are more people around Newquay, it's possible to sense the swell of seasonal workers and visitors arriving; like scouts for the inevitable tsunami of people.

Below are what may well be the last shots from town, before the onslaught. The Gifts & Fishing shop, sure to be open next time out with my camera. The furry bucket hat, replaced by a sun cap; the umbrella substituted with a windbreak or parasol.

It has begun!

SURFBOARD FACTORY – STILL WAITING

More random photographs from around the surfboard factory...what could this mean. I'll tell you! The continuation of a sleepy start to the 2024 surfboard production year.

It's not too much of a stretch to call myself a veteran in the surfboard industry. In fact, you'd do less of a stretch in prison for murder than the years I've spent spraying surfboards.

It's strange how much has changed, and yet, just about nothing has!

The first time I sprayed a surfboard in a factory, for a shop or customer, I can't remember which, was in 1989. That was at the Hot Buttered factory in Auckland, New Zealand.

Iain 'Ratso' Buchanan, running the factory at the time, quickly realised I had talked my way into the spray bay with no experience whatsoever. With the NZ summer underway and little alternative on offer, I was told to learn fast.

So all those years ago, I taped up freshly shaped surfboards, popped open paint tins, loaded the spray gun and fired away.

That is exactly what I still do today. Sure, there are chapters, as mentioned in the last post, where designs and colourways change, a bit like fashion, but it all circulates back to the same essentials. Here are the same materials as used for decades, now paint, spray or draw on a surfboard to decorate it.

The reason for mentioning my self titled veteran status, is to highlight the 'feast or famine' nature of surfboard work, and the experience needed to meet the necessity to hold tight and not buckle under the highs and lows.

The surfboard industry has a way of spitting people out. 

As Rory Russell once said, 'I've seen a lot of people come, and I've seen a lot of people go!'

While paint drys, it's quite good fun to wonder around the factory with a camera. Trying to find pictures, despite having seen the same things for decades. It's quite a challenge, but one that helps you look a little bit closer, trying to extract something visual from the repetitious nature of being around surfboard factories for so long.

Still, here are a few attempts from yesterday afternoon.

BRUSH WORK ON SURFBOARD + REEL

I can remember (somehow!) way back into the 90's when carpet drags were in vogue.

There were some pivotal years in the 90's when surfing turned a corner and got into its popularity stride. The surf shops were screaming for more surfboards to fill the racks. I worked in a few factories at the time, and each label, understandably, wanted their boards to look different than the others, especially when stacked next to each other in a shop.

This lead to several approaches, graphics and ideas that, quite frankly, were ridiculous! Especially if using the current generic stock spray of 2024 as a gauge.

To illustrate this, and without getting too graphic, a custom order from Holland wanted a cartoon squirrel with an erection the size of its own body on the deck, the entire length (excuse the pun) of the board. The bizarre nature of the request did warrant a photograph, but now decades later, it is nowhere to be found.

I shan't include a sketch of what it looked like, or how it fitted on the surfboard, I'm sure your imaginations can do a good enough job!

Luckily, in amongst the fevered attempt to keep the shelves stacked and custom orders pleased, there were some good sprays.

Old film photographs of my sprays from the 90's

Before the internet, the only way to have a look around internationally, was to examine all the surf mags cover to cover. When a new spray was seen, the next step was to decipher how it was done. Many were easy to work out, but the odd one caused some head scratching!

One craze, predominantly British (I think), was spraying through doilies. Using doilies as a stencil left the pattern on the board. I remember trawling through charity shops to find doily sets among the tea pots, cups and crockery.

There was a flurry of using random materials to create a stencil to spray through or over – torn cardboard edges, fibreglass rovings, coins, fishnet stockings...the list goes on! This could be done in pin-lined panels, or randomly to create an abstract look. Occasionally, if done right, it could look good. Today, many would look dated, and in my opinion too tacky to be considered retro cool or vintage. But nothing should be ruled out!

One technique that stuck around for a while was the carpet drag. We would fill a roller paint tray and dip an offcut of carpet into the paint, before dragging it along the foam of a shaped blank in various directions, usually nose to tail.

The common sense way to achieve this look, is to use a wide paint brush. But at that time there seemed to be an idea that each sprayer/factory was trying to baffle their counterparts. It couldn't be just a paint brush...surely it was an offcut of carpet or another material. Turns out a paint brush works just fine. 

So here is a short reel of a team riders board being paint brushed earlier this week!

POCKETS OF GOOD SURF – 2

More shots from the surf days that counted in March.

I'm pleased to say there have been more days with good conditions to add to March 2024 so far. I'm sure there has been a handful of quality moments in quiet pockets, at the right time and tide, worthy of inclusion on the list. I managed to capture a few, but of course not all; I like the idea of an abundance of waves going unseen, unridden, not photographed.

Whether under the darkness of night, the continuing cold mornings or empty beaches with perhaps just a couple of dog walkers, the ocean waves and their energy arrive to meet land. Sometimes with deafening force, sometimes with only a weak pulse, all the time moving. It's great that surfing exists; at its best, it is a human art form that can dance with planet earth's natural power, and equally, within seconds we can be humiliated, humbled and shown our insignificance. I find wonder and majesty in waves with or without our input. Very happy that the seas continue to move regardless.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, this is part 2 of 'Pockets of Good Surf'.

I like this last shot, at first glance, it's hard to differentiate between the surfers in the line-up and the seagulls. A little inside left nugget goes unridden and the seagulls don't care.