Friday 31 May 2013

Artful Readers Club - Site Works

This month my book was Site Works by Robert Davidson. I bought this book after reading the precise as when my Dad first came to England from Ireland aged 18 he worked as part of a team of laborers in the highlands of Scotland.
The book clearly portrays the daily life and toil of such a group of men working in the present day to build a drainage facility. I could hear echos of tales my Dad told me of his experiences and can appreciate the hard conditions these men work under but I did not enjoy this book. It was a struggle to finish it and only managed it by skim reading long passages. Not a book I can recommend. There was too much technical jargon and descriptions for me and not enough in depth exploration of what I felt could have been interesting characters. I was not really inspired by it but have taken my inspiration from having visited Scotland and the young surveyor in the book who came to love his job despite the problems. I made a journal page.
Page one of my new journal. I used a Gelli plate to create the background and a separate sheet from which I die cut the pine trees. I found a silhouette of a worker with his hard hat on and used this to create my silhouette. I used a number of stamps from my stash in the background. I journalled around the figure but this does not show up very well in the photo.
Do take a look at the lovely art work created by other members of the club here at Darcy's blog.
Jen x

14 comments:

  1. It's a shame you didn't enjoy this book, because it sounds like something over which you could have had family discussions. It's a pity the jargon was too technical. Sounds like some school books I've read!

    But, for not caring for the book, you have created a marvelous mixed media journal page. It speaks of the book and the atmosphere it conveyed.

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  2. What a wonderful journal page! Love the Scottish atmosphere you have created and the silhouette of the surveyor is ace. A great start to your new art journal. Shame about the book being disappointing and hard to read but it has inspired a lovely page showing the wide open spaces and the big sky.

    Janet xx

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  3. Sorry you didn't enjoy your book, Jen...but your artwork is FABULOUS!!! I want to be able to touch it! :)

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  4. I really like learning about other people's jobs, especially if I have never done it or seen it... but like you, I've had issues with nomenclature.

    I look at your art, and I wonder what the man is thinking about.

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  5. Fabulous journal page! Sorry you didn't enjoy the book. I imagine I wouldn't either.

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  6. This sounds like a good idea for a book, but the author got bogged down with technical detail, which is annoying and doesn't make for a good read. I love your art work, its so dramatic and beautifully composed and it creates a definite mood with the colours and those trees.

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  7. Love that journal page, great layers in the background and wonderful silhouette. shame about the book, perhaps its one that can only be appreciated by someone who has worked that job for themselves.

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  8. A book really needs to be driven by its characters unless it's meant as a technical guide. You did well to plough through it. Your artwork is so good, and the lovely collaging of the green trees. The way you have composed it with the foreground figure highlights the loneliness of the highlands the workers must have found in earlier times. I enjoyed reading your review and studying your journal page.

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  9. Pity you found the book so hard going, but your artwork is fantastic. I love the silhouette of the lonely supplier and those gorgeous pine trees

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  10. So the book is not for you. me neither by the sounds of it. However having said that it brought back memories of your father and some wonderful art work happy ARC month Dxx

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  11. A shame you didn't enjoy the book but I love your journal page - the silhouette is very striking against the background. x

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  12. What an awesome journal page! Shame you didn't enjoy the book, sounds an unusual topic and setting :D XXX

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  13. Hm, this might be the perfect book to alter into something you do like? I love your journal page! ♥
    Hope this months read is lots better!!! :)

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  14. Thanks for your honest review. Some books can involve a lot of stuff you feel you want to skip some times. Love your AJ page.

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