Wise Words from Don McCullin

Because I love looking at things, I was so interested to read what documentary photographer Don McCullin  said in a recent article in a Guardian photography guide.  Although famous for his war photography, his landscapes are some of the most amazing you can find:


'But seeing – really seeing – has nothing to do with photography.  And it rewards you with pleasure. I love looking at the sky. I love looking at detail. I think anybody with an intelligent mind can look at something through their own eyes and assess its value. You can feast your eyes on a daily basis...'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/nov/15/don-mccullin




On the same theme, I read yesterday about Grace Coddington, the 71 year-old creative director of Vogue, who said she was given this advice many years ago:

'Her eye, she says, was trained by Norman Parkinson, who told her never to fall asleep in the car because she'd miss potentially inspiring views from the window'. 


http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2012/nov/25/grace-coddington-memoirs-us-vogue-interview

Gaudi's Wonderlands

Mary Cullen, Hallway in Gaudi Building Barcelona, Photograph, 2010

Seaside Town in Winter

Mary Cullen, Seaside Town Sleeps, Photograph, 2009

Llandudno in Wales - the seaside town was deserted in winter but all the more magical for that.  A wonderful place to take photos and get ideas for artworks.

Vintage

Mary Cullen, Someone Else's Life, Photograph, 2012

We came across this house near Milford in Carlow, and dared to tiptoe up to the windows when we realised no one was living there.  Wonderful view of a house suspended in time, how I would have loved to been able to go in!  The sense of the house wasn't lonely or sad, more Alice in Wonderland - maybe if we had gone in we would have stepped into a different world altogether!

Rummaging through photos

Water bus on Lake Garda, Photograph, Mary Cullen

Worlds can appear in these small images, telling a story and drawing you right in to a different day in another place.