Optics.

How are we looking?

Hello! Thanks for dropping by, I could use the company.

Sorry it’s been a little while, but I’ve under a couple of larger jobs, of which I currently have nothing to show for my efforts. The most interesting thing about these two jobs is how different they are (from one another) in terms of tart direction. Perhaps that’s a topic for another newsletter, but the short version is that one has been an utter delight and the other has been what I refer to as a ‘minefield job’. A job where there is a correct path, but you’re not told what it is. The only way forward is to tediously continue to get blown up, time and time again, and work out the route by slow process of elimination. It’s exhausting.

Anyway, let’s not dwell on that! The main reason I’m telling you this is that I don’t have much to share with you in terms of illustration, so instead of showing you what I’ve been creating, here’s what I’ve been consuming.

Petanque.

Fans of the KIOSK will know this is my obsession of recent times, but I was genuinely worried about the winter drop off. I’m pleased to say that I’ve managed to play a lot more than I expected, and even if it’s a bit chiller at times, there’s nothing like a great game, or even a great shot, to carry you through the dark months. It just makes the warm pub after all the more welcoming…

Films.

Watched a few films. Here’s a couple that worked for me.

The Settlers. A revisionist western (with a spaghetti aesthetic) set in Tierra del Fuego. A beautiful but brutal journey across Chile and Argentina, charting the birth of those nations, and dripping in the blood of colonialism.

The Empty Hours. A quiet story about a boy who runs his uncle’s ‘pay by the hour’ motel, while he’s in hospital. It put me in the mind of the short story collection I did a while back called The Victory Motel, so I guess for some reason this set up appeals to me.

The Holdovers. All the praise this has received is very justified. Just nice to see something so well written and performed. Made me want to make good things, like all good things do.

TV.

The American Buffalo: A Story of Resilience. I watched Ken Burns’ Vietnam documentary and thought it was a masterpiece, so I would happily watch him take on any subject, but as luck would have it, I also love a bison. As ever, there’s more to it than you’d think. Come for the bison, stay for the harrowing reckoning with (you guessed it!) colonialism.

Masters of the Air / Catch-22. Been giving Masters of the Air a go, and if you’ll excuse the pun, it’s not really been landing for me. There’s no sense in being too negative here, but suffice to say, from what I’ve seen so far, I’d much rather just watch Band of Brothers again. However, it did remind me that I had enjoyed the Catch-22 series that came out a few years ago, so I gave it another watch. I know it didn’t get much fanfare, but I still think it’s good work, and definitely knows what it’s doing creatively more than MOTA does.

Slow Horses. I find it very hard to find ‘fun TV’ that doesn’t feel like a complete waste of time, so this has been very enjoyable. It basically all hinges on Gary Oldman’s character, who is delight to watch.

Exhibitions.

Building Africa (SOAS). A small exhibition about architecture and politics in post colonial Africa. I appreciate this is pretty niche, but it’s a niche I’m interested in (most obviously in my KIOSK project), so drop in if you’re passing and fancy it too.

Capturing The Moment (Tate Modern). Exploring the relationship between art and photography. Interesting mix of pieces and an inferred interesting question posited in, ‘What’s the difference and does it matter?’ There was a nice series by Hiroshi Sugimoto that I liked.

Philip Guston (Tate Modern). Popped in quickly on the last day. I have to confess to it not quite being my taste, but I appreciate the intention and I do however like his early work.

I also liked this Guston quote, which sadly feels like it will never not be relevant.

‘The war, what was happening in America, the brutality of the world. What kind of man am I, sitting at home reading magazines, going into a frustrated fury about everything - and then going into my studio to adjust a red to a blue?’

Anyway, I’m better get back to it and send you on your way. I will hopefully have more to show you next time, but who knows?

Actually, I did create something this month, I’ve added a couple of new prints to my shop, and a couple more have returned by popular demand. Have a rummage HERE if that’s something you might like.

Thanks for your patience, and see you next time.

Owen D. Pomery.