Alan Norsworthy is an experienced photographer with a career spanning too many years to count. In England he was a technical photographer using black and white film and working in a traditional darkroom. After coming to Canada in the early 70’s the vastness of this country caught his attention and a new path was laid. Since then his work has been mainly based on landscape photography but can and does include anything that catches his eye. Alan has won numerous awards for his work which can be found all across Canada, the US and Europe. After many years of traveling, Alan has settled in the Atlantic Provinces and made Parrsboro, Nova Scotia his home. He continues to seek out new images and finds inspiration as he walks the beaches that he loves. In recent years, although he still makes images in colour, the majority of his work is in Monochrome “because Monochrome gets to the root of the image." Alan can be contacted directly through his website or by emailing him at: ajnphotography@gmail.com
Yesterday I went to Goldie Mill Park here in Guelph.
“Nothing too unusual about that, Alan out for a walk on a Saturday morning” they say.
But this one was different in a couple of ways, firstly I was alone, the normal 'motley crew' scattered to the ends of the Earth well if you call Tobermory the ends of the earth and Helvetica (Confoederatio Helvetica) which is a bit further.
Non-the-less I was inspired by Patrick's sketches sent to tease us as he literally 'wanders abroad', old towns rendered with a loving hand no not with a tourists view and a camera but with an artists view and a pad of paper and a pen.
Where can I find such a place, close to home to scratch the itch implanted by these sketches?
I thought about it for quite a while and as sleep came on Friday evening “Goldie Mill” popped into my head.
So bright and early off I went.
The car parked, the bag recovered from the trunk like so many other times, but this time it was different. This time the bag contained pens, pencils and sketch books.
I went in search of the scene …
In a shady spot I unfolded my ridiculously expensive seat and made myself comfortable for what would be the first of three drawings worked up over the next couple of hours.
People came and went, some stopped to chat briefly one asked if she could look at what I was drawing.
A totally different experience than hiding behind a lens.
As the sun rose higher and the day warmed my hands did as they were bidden and the pen moved more gracefully.
The focus narrowed.
Time passed quickly as it always does in these instances.
But in the end a quiet satisfaction and a smile...
Time to pack up and head home..
This was so different than my usual outing and looking back I can still hear the birds, the cheery “morning” from passers by, the breeze in the tree's and feel the sun on my back.
“The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep”. ~Paul Strand
