So, I have told you about my encounter with the check out lady who was stunned to learn that a middle aged woman wanted to photograph nudes and found it difficult to give me eye contact or send me off with a smile (see blog below Nudes Or Fluffy Kittens, Flowers And Puppies).

I can just imagine the conversation in the canteen at the local Supermarket

Checkout Lady: well, have I got a story to tell you ladies

Doris: do tell

Checkout Lady: this woman came through my checkout point and guess what !

Gladys: she tried to leave without paying?

Checkout Lady: No!

Sylvia: she had a turkey under her sweater?

Checkout Lady: No !

Mavis: she had a gun and tried to rob your till?

Checkout Lady: No, worse than that !

All three ladies: Gasp! Gasp!  Gasp!

Checkout Lady: she photographs people in the nude !!

Gladys: what… hang on…. She photographs people when she isn’t wearing any clothes?

Checkout Lady: No….. SHE is clothed but the people she photographs aren’t !

All three ladies: eewwww

Seeing that I have told you the end of the story I thought that I would tell you how it all began. This is my photographic journey in the genre of Fine Art Nudes.

So…. Sit down, get a nice cup of coffee/tea (or other beverage) and a biscuit and I will tell you.( you don’t need to make yourself quite as comfortable as the beautiful Ivory Flame pictured below)

 

So I have established that the first question is “what do you like to photograph?” with the  answer “Fine Art Nudes”.

I can pretty much guarantee  the next 2 questions will be  “Why” and “How long have you been doing that?”

Well, hopefully, I will answer both of those questions….

It all started when I was at school (yes as long ago as that). I was very good at art and it was decided, by the teachers, that I would benefit from attending the Warrington School Of Art . So I went along on a Saturday morning for the next 5 years and I enjoyed every minute.

I wanted to be a dress designer when I left school, so was thrilled when I found out that I was being tutored by Ozzie Clark’s Art Teacher. Ozzie Clark went to school in Warrington and became a very famous dress designer in the 1960’s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossie_Clark

This Art Teacher  taught me so much about the rules of composition (and how to deliberately break them), colour harmony, visual impact etc and I am grateful to him for helping me to developing my artist’s eye. I designed and made lots of clothes for myself and my friends. Some of the resulting outfits were FAB others … well you can imagine were not so marvellous but it was the swinging sixties anything went fashion wise (thanks goodness)

For one reason or another I was unable to go full time to Art School when I left school and began working at a local company that manufactured wire. Working there was horrific (lots of tales to tell about THAT period of my working life) but I still had a passion for art and decided to go to evening classes. My Mum encouraged me (as she still does) to continue with my  drawing and painting and was therefore very  happy when she knew I had signed up to an Art Class – little did she know what I was about to draw !

Now this is where I first encountered my first nude model and this will be the subject of my next blog.

IF YOU WANT TO JOIN ME ON MY JOURNEY FROM 16 YEAR OLD “BUDDING ARTSIT” TO THE LADY WHO PHOTOGRAPHS FINE ART NUDES PLEASE CLICK THE FOLLOW BLOG BY EMAIL ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF YOUR SCREEN. YOU WILL THEN GET REGULAR UPDATES