MICK THURMAN
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
MICK THURMAN
Hi , happy new year and welcome to this , the third edition of On Your Doorstep magazine .
Despite the days still being short , it ’ s hard to believe that we are at the end of January already . Over the festive period Karen , Stanley ( our beloved lurcher ) and I spent time camping on the North Yorkshire Moors . Our annual December getaway is something of a tradition now and is our opportunity , winter weather notwithstanding , to be out in the countryside and to be at one with nature for more than a long weekend .
This year as part of the commune , we decided to take time out to reflect on the year past and to think about what the year ahead might bring . On reflection , 2016 was a relatively quiet year for the both of us on the picture-making front . After a hectic previous two years running around the country doing our On Your Doorstep exhibitions it was probably time to slow down a little anyway . Day jobs aside , slow for K meant starting up this magazine , speaking at the On Landscape Meeting of Minds conference , creating a new group where a bunch of us get together once a month to discuss the principles and practise of art and photography , and getting her work into seven exhibitions around the globe .
Personally , rather than rushing out with my camera trying to get images ‘ in the can ’, I spent a good amount of time thinking about where I would like to go with my photography - what do I want to say ? How can I get more of me into my pictures ? What does better ( for me at least ) look like ? Turns out these are not easy questions to answer . Sitting on the edge of the frost laden cliffs at Flamborough Head in the half light of dawn , watching the sun rise over a calm sea on a December morning , affirmed to me , though , that whatever I do will have an outdoors , ethical , environmental bent to it . What about you guys and gals ?
In this issue Karen tells the story of how the concept of On Your Doorstep was born , illustrated with a few of her analogue images . We showcase the work of Trish and Ted French whose photographic studies highlight the natural beauty in the local parks and green spaces on their doorstep , in the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire area here in the UK . David Foster delights us with a glorious selection of flowers from the Gardens of the Brandywine Valley in US state of Delaware , and London based textile artist Anne Kelley , who uses recycled materials , charms us with works based on the plants in her garden .
Enjoy !
Early Morning Birches ( c ) Mick Thurman , 2014
Image from On Your Doorstep : Phase One
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