This article was originally published on Hubpages in March 2020. What's it About? Coal Black Mornings  is an autobiographical account of the childhood, teens and early adulthood of Brett Anderson, who forged a 30+ year career as a singer/songwriter with Suede, and also as a solo artist in the fickle and notoriously competitive music industry. This book focuses on Anderson's life before Suede carried him to fame with hit songs such as  Trash ,  She's in Fashion ,  Animal Nitrate , and  Beautiful Ones.  The narrative closes at the point where the Suede band members sign their first recording contract with Nude Records, and consequently excludes any events which unfolded later, such as the band's commercial successes and failures, inter-personal relationships and inevitable tensions, the band's demise, Anderson's solo career, and then the re-emergence of a more mature Suede. Anderson's father had various jobs over time but was primarily a taxi driver who...

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in February 2021. Test your knowledge of Ireland with this fun 50-question quiz. You'll be asked about the country's geography, history and culture, as well as famous people from Ireland. These fun quiz questions are perfect for St Patrick's Day or any Irish-themed event. 1. In which county is the Giant's Causeway located?  Antrim 2. Which river runs through Dublin?  Liffey 3. How many counties does Ireland have?  32 4. Paddy Maloney, Sean Keane, Matt Molloy and Derek Bell are all members of which famous Irish musical band?  The Chieftains 5. Name the three expanses of water which separate Ireland from Britain.  North Channel, St. George's Channel and the Irish Sea 6. Jack Butler Yeats, Mary Swanzy and Sir John Lavery are all known for what?  Fine art painting 7. According to  The Chronicle of Ireland , in which year did St Patrick arrive in Ireland?  431 AD 8. Which town is located at the mo...

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in January 2021. 1) Get Moving! Walking costs absolutely nothing, so get outside and explore your local area. Head to parks to imbibe fresh air and green spaces, or walk down streets you've never strolled along before. Discover things which may be entirely new to you, or simply enjoy passing other people's gardens. You'll be burning up calories and releasing your body's natural feel-good chemicals, which is better for your health and much more fun than binge watching TV or doom-scrolling through social media. 2) Novel Indulgence Curling up with a good book is surely one of life's pleasures. Rediscover old favourites on your bookshelves or organise a book swap with friends. Browse second-hand shops for bargain-priced paperbacks, or make use of your local library. There is also an effectively infinite wealth of free fiction and poetry online. Try a genre you've previously bypassed. Give authors who are new to you ...

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in May 2021. What's It About? As the introduction to this book clearly states, this is not a 'how-to-paint' manual nor a treatise on art history. If you want those things, the text promptly encourages you to look elsewhere. Instead, in this book Marr asks what attracts a person to a particular painting which not only captures their initial interest, but continues to be inspirational after many decades of viewings. Life, he writes, can be beautiful but mundane, and art can help people to transcend the everyday world of dull routines. Why do we take the time to travel to exhibitions and pay the entry fee in order to look at paintings, when we're all surrounded by so many diverse visual experiences? What makes paintings special? What makes any painter want to paint, to struggle through untold failures in order to create their paintings? How do painters decide how to communicate the idea in their mind to their chosen suppor...

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in October 2019. What's it About? Contained within this book are introductions to 50 artists whose work has been largely overlooked due to gender bias. This book does not attempt to present a complete history of each artist's work. Instead, it provides a clear overview of the creative contributions to the art world by women. It begins with Catharina van Hemessen, who was born in Antwerp in 1528 and who was mentioned as a famous woman painter in a book about the Netherlands published in 1567. It ends with Tacita Dean, who was born in Canterbury, England, in 1965 and who is still creating art in the present day. For each artist, there are brief biographical details and a small portrait image, plus a suggested further reading list. Each artist also has at least one full-page quality reproduction of a typical example of their style of art. About the Authors Art historian Christine Weidemann is the author of  Niki de Saint Phalle ,...

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in August 2019. What's It About? The Story of Painting  aims to present a comprehensive overview of Western art history. This heavy book features 450 fine art paintings, plus over 200 supporting images. The author, Sister Wendy Beckett, begins with Neolithic cave paintings of animals, then moves immediately to the murals of Ancient Egypt. The text moves onto Minoan and Mycenaean art, and then into Ancient Greece. Next comes early Xtian, then Medieval art. Throughout the book, in small side columns, further images or additional information offer greater social context or historical background to the main text. The easy-going narrative winds quickly through the passing centuries until we finish with 20th-century works, such as those by Frank Auerbach and Mark Rothko. Beckett briefly discusses how painting materials and methods have changed through the centuries, and while she is not an artist herself she clearly has a deep love ...