Author: julesprichards

Anchoring in the shire, with family, friends, coffee and cheese… always looking…

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People…

After a week away, new views, and the absence of the routine! (Plus a few cream teas & Otter ales)

I was reading the first book again recently and as I said at the time “Lordy what a tale! What are we to take from such imaginings. #fantasy?”  Blood, guts, murder, death, destruction, deception, theft, slavery, horror, adultery, lentil stew… and creation!  As Keith said, “They knew how to tell a story in them days”.

But one of the things that I took from it was that we are a world of ‘peoples’…

…and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth…

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Also – “he replied, ‘if they keep quiet, even the stones themselves will cry out’ “

Like the pebbles on a beach, we are all different. Bashed, tarnished, polished and buffed into our own unique selves. But essentially we are very similar, in essence, we are the same. Don’t let the brands fool you into becoming a consumerist individual, commercially branded with their “word”, dressed ‘cos you’re worth it’, identified by the ‘logos’ of commercial gain.  Just be you!  Stop, relax, breath, and smile.

We are a world of people. We have our little worlds of people, but as we often might notice more on holidays, there are many other little worlds just a breath away from our own. There are also worlds a distance a way that essentially came from the same seed. Scattered over the earth. I think our worlds might me richer and more colourful if we try to embrace people whoever they are. Easier said than done I know, but don’t let the Daily Mail get to you, or the BBC come to that!  We are one. Or perhaps as the Cornish say “Onen hag oll“ (and those from Devon!). Humm.

 

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Community Magazine

 

LFMagazineCoverShotI recently took on the role of Editor of the East Goscote Community Magazine, accompanied by the long-standing team of John, Dennis, Ian, David and Sue.

East Goscote’s original community magazine was the East Goscote Community News and was first published in 1969. It ceased publication in the 1980s. A magazine was then produced via photocopy at Wreake Valley College. In 1993 David Cannon took over the editor’s position of The Long Furrow from Lyn Palmer. David had the magazine reproduced by East Goscote’s very own ‘Clipper Print’. David still contributes the Greener Goscote material today. It’s now reproduced by the reliable ‘Anchor Print‘ in Syston. Old issues can be seen on the Town Council website here.

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As Long Furrow’s new Editor, I have attempted to revitalise the look and content of the latest issue, and have produced the issue for August – November. We currently have 1300 copies of the 24-page magazine distributed seasonally to all business and residential addresses in East Goscote. You can see the new August issue here:
Long Furrow Community Magazine – August-Nov 2016

 

Long Furrow says:
“It’s your East Goscote– you live here, and give Goscote its life-liness. This magazine is for you. It’s a place to share your business, to share your passions, to share your news, to share your views.
If your organisation or club has something to say, let us know, and we can feature a bit about what and why you do what you do! Drop us a line…
We hope you might find something new in these pages – if not, perhaps you could send something in for others to discover?  It’s your East Goscote, it’s your Long Furrow.”

***** UPDATE *****
Due to other commitments, after 5 issues, I stopped Editing Long Furrow in Oct 2017.

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Street Signage…

SMCABoardSignsVisualAnother job delivered this week…

The new HUB Café space in Syston, and the Methodist Church needed some new large format street signage – ‘all are welcome’, ‘open’, ‘come on in’ etc.

SMC-AAWelcome

A selection of signage, from invites to the ‘OPEN’ cafe to call to worship on Sundays and the weekday communion:

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If I can help you with similar just shout! @julesprichards

SMCHUBOpen

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Book Covers

2BookCovers

A few years back, I was asked to design a book cover for a new book; “A Bike for Life”  by Dave Warnock – see below.

I’ve recently been asked to rework another book cover; “As a Child” by Phil Steer.

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“As a Child” by Phil Steer.

My new cover design is a revision of the original design; a distilling of the existing design.

Keep it simple is a good rule, and in this case, it’s specifically apt. I hope it works – simple, little, the power of minutia…
I have kept Phil’s previous font and simply reflected colours out of the newly masked reduced photo.

‘Packed full of thought-provoking truths’
‘A good devotional read or for anyone with a busy schedule’

‘unless you change and become like little children …’

As a Child is an exploration of this call to childlikeness, this call to littleness – a call made not to children, but to adults – not to those who are naturally childlike, but to those who have grown out of their childlike nature.

 

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“A Bike for Life” by Dave Warnock

I created Dave’s cover from scratch. The final design was chosen from a variety of options in a range of colours.
I shot a selection of photos, and retouched the one selected to appear on the cover.

Cycling trends, maintenance, manufacturing, lifestyle, safety, attitudes, infrastructure…
From saddles to shoes, fixies to trikes, Dave’s been there..

His book  “A Bike for Life” discusses Dave’s  “dream to create a bike to transform life. How your choices can help you embrace and celebrate life, not just for you but for others to.

Two good books!  Two good covers.  Two good blokes! (and me)

 

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Summer?

Summer2My wife’s computer tells her, that a year ago today, we had a water fight in the back garden with the kids to keep cool!  Ah… summer!

It may not be hot and sticky and Aldi may not be piling up the Pimms alternatives – we may not be waxing the surfboard or de-crusting the barbecue grill – but it is still summer.

Yes, I do love an Andalusian summer, I love a Greek garlicky feta cheese grilled to perfection, and I love the bluest of blue skies; I was brought up with them in Mount’s Bay. But, I am a firm believer that; although our worldview has been enchanted with greener grass in the summer, and the lure of a better life when it’s sunny or sodden with supposed doom of a damp grey sky; life is still good.

Even if clouds obscure the scorching sun from view and a cold breeze is all we feel – we are alive, life can be good, and peace is but a breath away… #perspective #hopes #expectations. Yes, also there is the crap in life – it’s not fair – it truly is hard to understand – disease, injustice and ignorance is real, and there are nasty attitudes out there where people seemingly don’t give a fig for anyone but themselves.

Summer3I left an upbringing in Cornwall in the late 1992 and have always searched for a replacement for the Cornish ‘contentment’, the peace of a flat sea, the endless horizon of Mount’s bay, an alternative to the bluest blue sky that St. Ives nestles under. I have always sought a comforting alternative to the rugged Cornish summer, with hot granite, and fertile bracken, fish, ice-cream, sand, sea, and essential energy…
Since then, I have found similar in places like Cyprus, Nice, Thassos, La Rochelle, Andalucia, and even Tunisia and Lanzarote. But, I have also found this ‘peace’ in Crewe, Wales, Bradford and Leicester.

It’s not easy when so much of our culture points to what we must have, find or master next, to gain satisfaction. It really is not easy, when we have been con-scripted as consumers to at least take part in the game to survive.

Be it summer or not, the energies of life, and the glimpses of peace that we may have been fortunate to feel on our faces should be valued and carried with us. Everywhere you go, take a little weather with you – if you can.

On a different, but not entirely unrelated tack –  I have composed three artworks, fueled by my recent reflections of the ‘natural’, to put forward for a local summer display:

Have a great summer!

Summer1

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Glass door designs

BristalDoorsDove Another job I’ve completed recently, for a local church building in Birstall.

Birstall Methodist Church had new doors were fitted in the refurbished entrance hall and it was suggested they needed something to break the space up.

It needed some element on the glass for safety reasons – so people didn’t walk through them. But it also needed something to break the line of sight through them, so a congregation aren’t distracted by activity on t’other side. To, as I say, ‘break up the space’ or soften the oblongs.

Here are the blank fitted doors:

Blank fitted doors
Blank fitted doors

 

Various designs were considered. At first, a selection of overtly biblical designs were entertained, but rightly the signification of such icons and themes needed to be considered. Also, words and word-patterns were considered, but again this did not seem right – too significant. It was agreed that a more generic design was needed.

Some initial very busy proposals were toned down and eventually this simpler yet still hopefully strong and warm design was agreed.

The aim of my design is to evoke the flow of the feeling, the sense, the wisdom, ‘the spirit’.  The flow of the energy of a living faith in something bigger than all of us. The simple universal symbol of peace is included, shown as the fruit of the flowing spirit, the fruit of a living faith in a bigger better thing.

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My designs were expertly cut and fitted by Steve and his team at local Birstall signmakers Sign Wizards

If you’d like me to work on anything like this for you, just give me a shout.

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It was lovely to see you today…

It was lovely to see you, we’d love to stay in touch…

We’d love to stay in touch…
You are beautiful…

I was asked by a local church to produce some notes for people to fill in, with a view to keeping details of new visitors and comments etc.

My thinking was, to make the most of the exchange, why not leave something with the recipients after they have returned their comments/details…

My result is an A6 card for the recipient’s to fill in and return, with a perforated tear-off element for them to keep, containing contact details etc for the church, and an inspirational image to pop on the fridge or shelf.

You are beautiful...
You are beautiful…

If you would like this artwork to use yourselves, please credit me as the originator but feel free to take and adapt the artwork that can be downloaded from here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dwhq51g9xnomon2/SMCFeedbackFormREPRO.pdf?dl=0

Simply contact me with a note of thanks. Ta.

If you’d like me to work on anything like this for you, just give me a shout.

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Abundant Life

I was grateful, to be asked in April, to think about the potential for an artwork to contribute to wall-space in a local church’s community space.

In Leicestershire, Birstall village’s Methodist Church buildings are used by many different groups, making them a valuable community space that sees all ages and a variety of activities. A foundation to the many activities and different lives that pass through the space, is an idea of Christian faith. The Christian faith can be multifaceted, the understandings within it can be diverse, but certain ideas are perhaps universal if we look past specific doctrines, ritual, and habits.

LifeInAllItsFullnessVisual

  • the value of community
  • the wonder of growth
  • the potential of interactions
  • the nurture of seeds
  • the beauty of all differing ages
  • the blooming of fruit
  • the essence of water
  • the strength of the cedar
  • the core value of parent and child,
  • the strength of light and dark
  • the power of colour and sensation

I worked on this artwork throughout May. Over that time it grew out of initial ideas, it changed, it needed reconsideration and significant reworking until the current final form was reached.

I came to Leicestershire in 1996. I initially found myself living in Birstall and indeed socialised on the fringe of the Birstall Methodist Church community. Over 20 years I moved in to Leicester and back out to Syston. I still recognise and I’m grateful for the part that Birstall and Birstall people have played in my life.

I find the sense of ‘the natural’ is strong in Birstall. Although Birstall sits on the edge of Leicester’s urban creep, it has its roots in the countryside surrounding it. The Grand Union Canal runs along the edge of the village with Watermead Country Park and lakes. The symbol of Birstall is a Cedar tree – a remarkable 350-year-old cedar tree, standing 100ft tall, can be found in Roman Road which was originally in the grounds of the now demolished Birstall Hall. Incidentally, the Cedar of Lebanon was an important foundational building and lifestyle material in many ancient communities. I notice that the central streets in Birstall are named Beechfiled, Firfield, Oakfield, Elmfield. We also have Poplar, Walnut, and Orchard.  These names, and various cultures in Birstall as well as many other English villages and towns, help to remind us of our essential natural roots in this world.

notebookMy artwork started with the idea that we are called to share in the ‘abundant life’ available to us. The piece attempts to celebrate the natural ‘way’ in and around us, as well as reflect on the idea of interaction within the world around us. Many people are seeking their place and a way forward amidst life’s confusions. The wisdom of age and the potential of youth, and all the stages in between are essential to making life work. Life comes alive when we commune in community with others. The natural growth from darkness to light is empowering. The journey from our past through hope to a fruitful future and recognition of the gift of ‘abundant life’, is what I hope we wish and pray for all.

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The artwork is complete, and I hope for it to be delivered at some point in July.

‘Abundant Life’ Jules Richards, May 2016
Mixed digital composition.
Print reproduction, 906 x 1189mm, (2.9 x 3.9feet)

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Introducing YLL

yllstripIntroducing YLL

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