– Street Portrait (for and of Eva), 2015 –
This was taken on Denmark Street, London, UK. It’s a street once famous for its musical instrument shops and venues. But the area’s beind developed. Sadly the 12-Bar Club (brilliant little venue and host to the occasional Christoper Twigg gig), has closed down and the rehearsal studios, so it’s losing its character. Anyway, I really liked the way Eva looked with the guitar and told her so. She said, “It’s not even my [expletive] guitar. How are you even supposed to hold these things? Like this?” What a great punk rock line! Thanks very much, Eva! Hope you like your picture.
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To read about my visit with David Cook to the recent Richard Serra exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, click here.
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Ashley Lily Scarlett and I have started a new blog together. It’s a conversation in pictures and it’s called Between Scarlett and Guest.
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The Future Is Papier Mâché 
Losing character is always on my mind in my city. The venues, smells and graphics are losing to fast food and very bad signage.
I wonder though. Are the changes the next generations memories? Are we old and sentimental?
It’s difficult to tell. All I know is I don’t like how bland my city is becoming. Every week an interesting shop or site is replaced by a chain store. The texture is going…
This is making me very sad. There was once a thriving independent store movement in my neighborhood. I remember walking into mysterious stores, incense burning, black lights illuminating posters of Hendrix and Doors… Now I only see pipe shops with ecigs, burger with sports on the side and faux independent designer dress shops.
I wonder whether the proliferation of photographs of ruined and abandoned buildings is a reaction to this…trying to put the texture back.
Curious you would say that… I have lived in memories and tactile visuals for so long.
I can’t even replicate a smell.
You may be right.
What are they doing to our poor capital city… It’ll be a ghost town soon. Great shot.
Or a very big mall. Thanks very much.
great post
Thanks very much!
Did you ever in your life think of Shepherd’s Bush as a shopping destination? Love the wind blowing through Eva’s hair!
I went to primary school in Shepherd’s Bush. 🙂
I know, it’s amazing how much town has changed since the Eighties. No, I didn’t, ha ha.
You find the most interesting people– she is beautiful!
Thanks very much, Ellen. Yes, indeed she is.
Cool post, Richard. My kind of girl. 🙂
Thanks very much, Ashley. Yes, Eva’s great isn’t she?
Great shot Richard. And don’t get me started on the St Giles area! Reminds me of the times I’ve been sent up to Denmark street to get various guitar related items for Mr S – and made a complete idiot of myself by not really knowing what I was talking about!
Thanks very much, Alison. Yes, I’ve done the same over guitar strings…still going to miss it when it’s gone.
She looks like a natural with that guitar!
Yes, I thought so…
You can have a field day with a camera in Soho, so many great characters. The developers are adding nothing to it, just destroying it.
Yes, I know – kind of characterless isn’t it the new thing?
Sad to hear that SOHO is becoming gentrified. But really nice shot!
Thanks very much, Elena!
Haha! A great reaction from Eva! 😀 Nice shot; really natural and she doesn’t look amiss with a guitar at all! 😀
Yes, she was brilliant. Thanks very much, Richard! I know – I used to play and I never looked right (the guitar was mint green, mind).
Haha! A mint green guitar! Cool! 😀
It’s the same in the U.S. the whole modern world is being homogenized, LA and SF even. Places that were artistic destinations are now becoming playgrounds for the rich and entitled and the artistic abandon that we all love so much in these progressive cities is being replaced by tech based endeavors and the art has been pushed way down on the list. Music venues are closing left and right in SF and being run out by developers or new folks who have moved in and complain about nightlife noise etc. So many factors, I feel your pain Richard!
Great comment. Yes, any texture and the chance to interact with your environment in a meaningful way seems to be being eroded. Thanks to Amazon there are very few record shops anymore. And the art bookstores have all shut. You’re OK if you want a tacky greetings card or a coffee though. Thanks!
Homogenized western culture from Planet Hollywood, Disney’s It’s a small Americana World and McWalmart spreads like a pale grey Plasticine consuming and reshaping everything – get a happy meal and be assimilated.
We are a small community in Northern(ish) Ontario, the Shopper’s Drugmart looks like every other one. Architecture is the branding method of choice.
Eva’s portrait & the background about the meeting and setting were great. 🙂
Thanks very much, Joseph 🙂 I wouldn’t mind being assimilated if what I was being assimilated into wasn’t so boring…
Great portrait. The guitar suits Eva, maybe she should take it up.
Yes, I think so – not knowing how to play is no obstacle – some of my favourite bands couldn’t play.
Yeah it hasn’t stopped me owning a couple of guitars and a big amp 🙂
Ha, ha, brilliant! Want to form a band?
Haha, I still have nightmares from the last band I was in!
Actually, come to think of it, so do I. The last time we played an A&R person came up to me and told me we were the worst band she had ever seen bar none, ha ha.
I would take that as a compliment!
Great guitar (Les Paul) and a great shot too!
Thanks very much, Cardinal!
Love the way her hair flows.
Yes, me too. Eva has great hair.