Yes ......I used to live in Brussels for a while too. It was when I was 19 going on 20 and I was so glad to get away from Ireland. I remember how I felt, on the day I got to the metro exit, with Mary who had collected me from the airport. It was like being in Hollywood - like being on a movie set.
Wow .....it felt wonderful......I could finally be the person I wanted to be and not somebody else's idea of who I should be.
However I continued to be fairly reserved and felt a bit awkward with my Cork accent. Although I had always taken care with my diction, what I perhaps didn't appreciate at that time, was that many people really loved the way I spoke - to them it was different.
I had studied and loved the French language whilst at school and here I was in a place where I could speak the language. Trouble was those blasted Belgians just spoke it far too quickly and so it was a real struggle.
I was an "au-pair" to Chris and Mary and looked after their little 9 month old son, Shane. He was a very cute and fortunately for me, quite a placid baby. It was a shock when I saw him years later back in Ireland and he had grown up to be a fine good looking well mannered young man. He is probably married now with kids. I had a gay old time in Brussels but some awful experiences too but i got over them, as you have to in order that you can move on.
Eventually I realized that as I was not sufficiently motivated to get to grips with the French language and so it seemed best to try to get work in London (which I had visited for a weekend and just loved) and so I did .
I became house keeper to an architect in a lovely house in Teddington, Middlesex and I have to say not a very good one. That poor man. I mean I was only a few years older than his eldest daughter. I must say though that I got along with the children of the family very well.
We used to have a great time but eventually I had to go and I moved up to London "proper" where I was able to continue my hectic social life and just enjoy myself. A few years down the line after several mis adventures I started my full time academic studies and that was the beginning of the saving of Miss Aine Scannell !!!
picture provided through Peter Gutierrez on Flickr
Saturday, 8 September 2007
Spike Eyed Beasties
Well well well....I got a bit carried away yesterday because I wanted to look through some earlier documentation jpgs of my artwork on my computer and just kept digging out stuff to upload onto my Flickr album.
I am beginning to think that maybe that should be my main artwork website location because that is where I am mostly based. And of course the fact that there is a direct link between here ie this blog and my Flickr account has a lot to do with it as well.
I had gone into the database on my computer to try to dig out an image of a ceramic plate which I transferred a trace monotype onto.
Amanda Watson Will, recently emailed me asking me about Lazertran and its application to ceramics. I am going to do a separate post about that though and will show the stuff I have done with it, not that it is extensive or that I am any kind of expert - far from it.
Anyway I came across this....................the spike eyed beasties .................. and its an image I made for a French woman who was doing some kind of mail art project on the theme of beasts and animals. So this was my one.
I am beginning to think that maybe that should be my main artwork website location because that is where I am mostly based. And of course the fact that there is a direct link between here ie this blog and my Flickr account has a lot to do with it as well.
I had gone into the database on my computer to try to dig out an image of a ceramic plate which I transferred a trace monotype onto.
Amanda Watson Will, recently emailed me asking me about Lazertran and its application to ceramics. I am going to do a separate post about that though and will show the stuff I have done with it, not that it is extensive or that I am any kind of expert - far from it.
Anyway I came across this....................the spike eyed beasties .................. and its an image I made for a French woman who was doing some kind of mail art project on the theme of beasts and animals. So this was my one.
Tagged Part 7 of 8 ; facts(snippets) about me
I just remembered that I used to live in Frankfurt Germany for a few months. It was around about 1979 - 1980. That seems like ages ago now. Which makes me feel really ancient. Not that I need a signal to remind me of my advancing years (more's the pity!!)
Oh never mind, never mind................. Yes little old me in Germany, it was daft really ...but then I was a bit daft then. I was based in London and hanging around with a friend of mine back then, who I have lost touch with now called Sonia Peak, (not too sure of the spelling ?)
Some American guy told me he could get me work in Germany selling stuff (books) on the USA army bases. Which I did ...but it was boring humiliating and I had no interest in it whatsoever. I made hardly any income at all from the venture but somehow managed to get by. The soldiers were pretty nice though and quite a few of them were nice looking too although they tended to be a bit full of themselves which I found "off putting".
I ended up living in an apartment with a couple of German guys (one of them was gay: which was a new experience for me) and an Egyptian guy I was going out with. They also had a lovely Alsation gog. The boyfriend wanted me to join his "underground" resistance movement and move back with him to the Middle East. He said I would have to give up all my posessions though and connections with my old life. He was a bit over religious disappearing frequently to the bathroom to read his Qoran. It wasn't difficult saying goodbye to him nor to Germany at that time. I have never been back.
I never even got to look around Frankfurt and to see anything like the picture I have included, which is from a website that runs a language school in Frankfurt.http://www.studylanguages.org
Friday, 7 September 2007
In My Fathers Shoes
This is the image that "queens some moving" posted in a blog in the past two days reminded me of. Its a print I made a while back. 5 was thinking about what it must mean to find oneself in the shoes of Elizabeth Windsor. Obviously born into a royal family and raised accordingly. I suppose there 'monarchs' could resign' from the royal family if they wanted and just say to the world I dont want to be part of all this.
However with all the hassles of being 'public property' in the newspapers and tv etc - I suppose they would have to give up an enormous amount of privilidges too. I'd hate to be in her shoes. I think that at the age she is now she ought ot be allowed to retire and just do her own thing. She always seems terribly duty bound though - thats the impression I get though.
However with all the hassles of being 'public property' in the newspapers and tv etc - I suppose they would have to give up an enormous amount of privilidges too. I'd hate to be in her shoes. I think that at the age she is now she ought ot be allowed to retire and just do her own thing. She always seems terribly duty bound though - thats the impression I get though.
Thursday, 6 September 2007
inuit art
I really love inuit works on paper. They are not so easy to find so if anybody passes by this blog sees this and knows of any good websites then please post me
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