I do apologise, this week's blog is a bit late. It's not the usual excuses, you know, I'm busy, got pictures to paint, blah, blah, blah. I am busy and have lots of pictures to paint but that's not the reason. It's been censored!!! My dear wife read the draft and with her swingeing 'blue pencil' hacked it to pieces saying that it was just too controversial for your tender ears. She said that I will alienate half of you but I said that means that half of you would wholeheartedly agree with me.
My argument didn't wash, it was axed. I do like to wind you lot up, give you something to think about and provoke a reaction. It's the Victor Meldrew in me (or Karl Pilkington, for younger viewers). But it's done for a good reason, in many ways it is like a metaphor for art. Art can be controversial, some people will like a painting, others will hate it. Some will be disgusted by it or angry or euphoric. It stirs emotions, it's politics, it's history, it's life.
Some people are frightened of art. No, really! Unfortunately, they have been educated (or not!) that art is not for them, it's some highfalutin thing that toffs do in some pompous world of champagne swilling hooray henrys. Recently, when a young girl showed enthusiasm for coming in the gallery I heard her mother say, "Don't go in there, it's too posh."
Oh dear, what a shame. Art is for everybody, it is there to be seen, by all means have an opinion, you don't have to like it, you don't have to buy it, but don't ignore it. That poor child will grow up being constrained by her parents prejudice and condemned to the class status imposed on her. Art can reach across class boundaries and social structures if only people can open their mind to it.
Anyway, I'd better stop, I feel a rant coming on and I can see Belinda hovering with her blue pencil. So, I am going to go off on a complete tangent. I don't want to insult your intelligence (well I do but Belinda won't let me!), but some of you may be wondering about the phrase 'blue pencil'. It is an old editor's term for the correction marks written on draft copy. A blue pencil wouldn't show up when using old-fashioned reprographic techniques. Kind of redundant now with new technology but the phrase still exists.
It got me thinking of other words and phrases that kids use today but have no comprehension of the original meaning. For example; to dial a phone number. We all use it but we don't actually dial in this push button age. Or 'to drive', to force animals forward, as in to drive a horse and carriage. Apparently 'gay' doesn't mean carefree and happy any more! I wondered why that chap looked at me strange when I said he looked very gay today, oops! There are lots of words like this, how many do you know?
Anyway, I've managed to tiptoe around your sensibilities and rambled about a few things that popped into my head in a random (that's the old definition of random) way and cobbled together some sort of story for your delight. For those of you that are over 18, don't offend too easily and not of a nervous disposition you can find out what the original blog was about by sending a plain brown self addressed envelope, etc, etc. Don't say I didn't warn you!
My argument didn't wash, it was axed. I do like to wind you lot up, give you something to think about and provoke a reaction. It's the Victor Meldrew in me (or Karl Pilkington, for younger viewers). But it's done for a good reason, in many ways it is like a metaphor for art. Art can be controversial, some people will like a painting, others will hate it. Some will be disgusted by it or angry or euphoric. It stirs emotions, it's politics, it's history, it's life.
Some people are frightened of art. No, really! Unfortunately, they have been educated (or not!) that art is not for them, it's some highfalutin thing that toffs do in some pompous world of champagne swilling hooray henrys. Recently, when a young girl showed enthusiasm for coming in the gallery I heard her mother say, "Don't go in there, it's too posh."
Oh dear, what a shame. Art is for everybody, it is there to be seen, by all means have an opinion, you don't have to like it, you don't have to buy it, but don't ignore it. That poor child will grow up being constrained by her parents prejudice and condemned to the class status imposed on her. Art can reach across class boundaries and social structures if only people can open their mind to it.
Anyway, I'd better stop, I feel a rant coming on and I can see Belinda hovering with her blue pencil. So, I am going to go off on a complete tangent. I don't want to insult your intelligence (well I do but Belinda won't let me!), but some of you may be wondering about the phrase 'blue pencil'. It is an old editor's term for the correction marks written on draft copy. A blue pencil wouldn't show up when using old-fashioned reprographic techniques. Kind of redundant now with new technology but the phrase still exists.
It got me thinking of other words and phrases that kids use today but have no comprehension of the original meaning. For example; to dial a phone number. We all use it but we don't actually dial in this push button age. Or 'to drive', to force animals forward, as in to drive a horse and carriage. Apparently 'gay' doesn't mean carefree and happy any more! I wondered why that chap looked at me strange when I said he looked very gay today, oops! There are lots of words like this, how many do you know?
Anyway, I've managed to tiptoe around your sensibilities and rambled about a few things that popped into my head in a random (that's the old definition of random) way and cobbled together some sort of story for your delight. For those of you that are over 18, don't offend too easily and not of a nervous disposition you can find out what the original blog was about by sending a plain brown self addressed envelope, etc, etc. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Love it or hate it? Did you know a marmite is a French cooking pot?
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