Along the Settle and Carlisle.
An evening of poetry and pictures
with Alan Daltrey and Nick Jones.
Friday 10th December ,
7.30pm at the Bluebell Bookshop,
Angel Square, Penrith
Free - Refreshments
This journey…where we came from & where we are going
Nick writes : “Our idea was to respond to each other’s work, so Alan would send me a poem, and I would produce a painting; then I would send him a painting, and he would send me a poem. Alan has been much more organised than me, producing lovely poems. I didn’t get much beyond the sketching stage. I have produced a few paintings, some of which are illustrated, but I got interested in what you can do with simple materials and little time, working quickly. The railway itself and its stations, bridges, viaducts and tunnels is a great work of art, imagination, inspiration, vision, courage and determination. Like a Beethoven Symphony, it is grand and ambitious in shape and stature, with its slow and fast movements, its changes of tempo and theme. Alan and I are soloists, producing our own variations…”
Alan writes : “Yes, it was Nick's original idea to combine his artwork with some poems . He sent me some of his paintings first and I really liked their immediacy and free execution - but for me they also had an element of something focused beyond the literal, the station architecture and furniture - something suggestive of a wider journey - the rails disappearing round a corner or into a tunnel, imminent storms or dusk, the atmospheric hills and omnipresent platform lamps to throw some illumination for the traveller, who remains just out of sight. In some poems I experimented with different persona - in 'Grand Fettle', for example, the voice is supposed to be that of a 1950s eager young schoolboy. I was very conscious of Nick behind the artwork and attempted in some poems a literal dialogue, playful or otherwise. I have found it creative and fun and much enjoyed our collaboration.”
There is a printed, illustrated Anthology of Poems and Pictures available, together with some original artwork, some prints, and cards.
Nick and Ana Jones
The Watermill
Little Salkeld
Penrith
CUMBRIA
CA10 1NN
01768 881047