Rat Island

Another favourite photo, albeit small and low res. Consequently quite a bit of winging it in terms of windows in the shoe factory.

The corner of Wellington Street and Mount Street. Northampton House in the background is dark and monolithic.* Everything else now gone and for over 40 years has been marked by a rough patch of waste ground, the name of which forms the picture title.

The fence at the front was also an important component of the photograph. Forming a barrier to the past, representing the impossibility of going back to see it in reality.

*the original photograph had a degree of scaffolding that I thought wasn’t domineering enough.

A View From The Church Tower

If I was a proper artist this would be known as my chemo period. A favourite photo that needed a bit of planning, and quite a lot of detailed work. Hence it was done ten minutes a time over the three months of my initial chemotherapy.

Had to let my self relax a bit, as the perspective is all over the place and bears resemblance to nothing realistic. However I was using a photo of quite fuzzy detail, especially on the edges. Bit disappointed when I realised that although this is the district in which I live, my own street is hard to spot.

Whatever you think of Northampton’s post war development, you can’t help but compare the current empty wasteland opposite the fire station with the previous busy community