Sensible vs Sexy

Below we have two young women, both in the same precarious situation, that is out in the rain, and both toting a brolly, but each with a very different approach.

The first woman has adopted the common-sense approach: she is sensibly if somewhat tawdrily dressed, and with a terrible sense of colour coordination and the inevitable dirty trainers. In fact, so sensible is this lady that she has taken the precaution of bringing with her a spare umbrella, just in case the first one comes to grief and she is left unprotected in the rain. It means of course that she has to lug around a garish oversized brute of a brolly, looking as though she stole the awning off a fairground stall, but what is that beside the feeling of security she has thus equipped with two umbrellas? All backpackers should note - as they trudge up the precipitous slopes of Mount Everest or Mont Blanc or even St Michael's Mount, as this woman may indeed be intending to do judging by the rather large rucksack on her back - that their climbing kit is not complete unless it includes two brollies! So take your cue from this 'sensible' woman.

Sensible Woman

Now we come to the not-so-sensible woman, the sexy woman, as I've named her. Just one glance at her tells us that this lass definitely has the full kit, but is it the right one for these weather conditions? Once again it is raining and once again the lady in question is sheltered by an umbrella, though there is no back-up brolly in this case. And yet by some cruel trick of Nature it is only raining under her brolly and nowhere else! However, that aside, her outfit cannot be faulted for its practicality. She won't have wet clothes to change out of when she gets home and she will have the satisfaction of knowing she did not let anything come between her and Mother Nature. Not to mention that her sense of colour coordination is excellent. A white umbrella crowning her pale body - clarity and purity in one! Thus attired (or unattired), she is always ready to venture outdoors at the drop of a hat. Sexy she is but is she not sensible too?

Sexy Woman

Well there you have it, my dear readers. Two women, two lots of rainy weather, and two different attitudes. Caution and common-sense versus the bold and the bare. Which is your preferred approach? Which ticks all the boxes for you? Answers on a postcard, please.

See you in my next post when I get to grips with another burning issue of the day!

The Art of Leonid Afremov

THE subject of this blog is by way of a tribute to the work of the Jewish Russian artist, Leonid Afremov. I recently came upon his works of art online by accident and was immediately captivated by it. His art has blossomed since he left Russia for his ancestral homeland, Israel, and now he must be one of the most prolific and creative painters around, with a very distinctive style.

AFREMOV works in oil using a palette knife, not a paint-brush, to achieve striking and eye-catching visual effects,  and they certainly caught my eye! I suppose because the style of his artwork is very bold, very loud and very brash in many ways, you will either love it or hate it. One thing you cannot do is remain indifferent to it. I myself have fallen in love with its raw naked energy and that's why I am now sharing my passion for Afremov's art with you here.

APART from the strong use of a palette of bold colours that have an immediate impact on the viewer, one will easily perceive certain recurring themes: night-time scenes, long tree-lined avenues, kerbside lamp-posts lighting up the scene, lonely figures strolling on their own or as couples, and above all what I call the "wet look" everywhere. In a great number of Afremov's paintings it is either raining - umbrellas often bear witness to this - or it has been raining and the ground is sodden, often strewn with puddles. And this is where the light from the ubiquitous lamp-posts comes into its own as it is reflected back up off the stagnant rainwater or wet surface, producing a truly magical effect.

AS well as the all-pervasive rain theme in Afremov's art (and this is where he and I are in tune, since I love rain and its effects), and the failing light of day or eternal dusk, which enables him to exploit the effects of lamplight, there is also an air of loneliness or desolation in his pictures. A lone figure or couple is seen walking down a street or avenue otherwise deserted. They exude loneliness and isolation. This may be deliberate on the part of Afremov or just a consequence of his style of art but either way the effect is of a certain urban desolation in this strange twilight world where it is nearly always night and nearly always raining.

FOR me such recurring and somewhat haunting themes combined with the lavish use of striking colours, and the bold strokes of the palette knife that lay the paint on thickly, are a feast for the eye and the soul and I am very glad I stumbled across the art of Leonid Afremov. His fascinations are also mine and he has managed to put these into his art time and time again but in a thousand-and-one combinations which has resulted in some truly remarkable paintings.

THE above examples of his art are just a tiny sample of his vast range and the selection I've made is inevitably somewhat arbitrary and invidious, especially as he has produced such a large body of work, but they do give a good idea of what I'm talking about. For those who wish to acquaint themselves further with the art of this amazingly gifted artist, I suggest you put his name in an online search and there will be no shortage of results that pop up. And for those with some extra cash, it is possible to buy many of his works on the Internet. So happy hunting!

Rain, rain, don't go away!

I just love rain! Love it, love it, can't get enough of it!! Well, ok, I might be overstating things a bit, but you get the idea. I love to watch rain coming down, especially when it's really heavy - not the boring old drizzle which just drags on all day and outstays its welcome. A really good torrential shower, nice and noisy, and even better if there's a strong breeze blowing it sideways or in sheets. It's so thrilling to watch.

Just take a look at the photo above and you'll see what I mean. The countryside landscape has been transformed by rain. The heavens have opened up and puddles have formed on the ground. Everywhere it is refreshingly wet and the rain keeps coming. And the combination of rain and gusting wind is awe-inspiring and is heightened by the sight of trees swaying in the wind.

A windswept stormy day in the countryside is an undisputed delight but there is little to beat a full-blown thunderstorm in town. Just cast your eye on the photo below. Isn't it magical? An ordinary uninspiring urban side-street has been transformed into a phantasmagoria of exciting sights and sounds.

The car headlights help to impart a certain magic to the falling rain and the wet road surface . For me, the rain, the fading daylight and night-time illumination combine to create a fascinating feast for the eyes. Add to this the beguiling sounds of heavy rainfall and you have the perfect recipe to delight the senses.

Unfortunately few people appreciate rain, even if they acknowledge its necessity, and I think it is because our culture has conditioned us to automatically dislike and complain about it. If people were to look at it objectively, it might be seen in a very different light. True, it is not very pleasant if you're caught out in a heavy shower, without a brolly and with some distance to walk before reaching shelter. But apart from understandable instances such as this, we should learn to appreciate what rain means for all of us and what's more to actively enjoy it. When it rains, cold weather becomes milder and hot weather cooler. There's a freshness in the air. The sight and sound of rain is restful and comforting. In hot weather, it's a joy to walk in the rain in as little clothing as propriety will allow and it's heaven to go swimming outdoors and feel the rain on one's bare skin. And finally rain is the indisputable giver of life - all earth's fauna and flora need it to survive.

So, since we need rain for our very survival, we might as well learn to delight in it when it occurs and to welcome it with open arms and stop whingeing that it's raining again. If it did not rain for some time, we would soon change our tune and be willing to perform Indian rain dances to get it to fall on us again. But, as they say, what you have you don't appreciate. You have to lose it first before you miss it and long for its return.