i�ve complained long and hard about the town i live in. it is dull, depressing, lifeless, uninspired, tense and scares me a little. summertime though seems to energise people and the place becomes a bit more fun and european. there are people sitting outside on their porch steps listening to music, some are dancing, and they acknowledge you when you walk past. kids are running around playing or riding their bikes, enjoying their holidays. the parks are full of people sunning themselves, reading, kipping, playing and just enjoying the sunshine and the relaxed atmosphere that summer seems to bring. of course there are also the guys who drag race cars along main street at 2am and people that should really be wearing more clothes, but i overlook these things because i am searching for the beauty in my town.

this weekend i began working on a 'my town' photographic assignment. i�ve been trying to find beauty in the mundane and dull and the rubbish strewn across the city and the haunts of the city�s homeless. i went to places that i didn�t know existed, some of the places scared me a little, others struck me with their bleakness and depravity. the other day when i was flicking through my photo albums i realised that i didn�t have photos of my town. i had no positive feelings about the town or my life in the town so i never felt inspired to document it. now that i am slowly becoming more peaceful within myself, i am taking more in and realising that there is beauty all around, i just have to open my eyes.

5 new arty farty prints added to the collection.