Raul Speek = Cubana Gwalia

Raul is putting up a new exhibition tomorrow which opens officially on Wednesday at 7.30pm - ie the 20th July 2011. It is as the Cloister Gallery in the Refectory at St David's Cathedral. Do come along if you get a chance as it is all new works some of which are very different!

Easter in Pembrokeshire

Easter is here and with it chaos returns. Cafe open and this is the time of year when everything is bursting into life and my camera itches to be out there taking pictures so am torn in two directions. Camera winning regularly at the moment with lambs, wild horses and strange weather effects. Full moon tonight too. All very exciting. The wild flowers are amazing - must have been the hard winter. Thrifts out and bluebells too in places though in Solva they are just beginning to lift their heads.

Spring is here in Solva

Spring again and weather doing some wonderful photographic tricks - Newgale on Tuesday was amazing with the mist/cloud drifting up across the beach. Trying to make time to go out taking pictures at least twice a week but cafe opening again and staff have all disappeared! Just spoke to friends of mine who have sheep (Trevor and David) and am looking forward to going there to get early pictures of lambs!

Picture here is of Carnigli.

I love Pembrokeshire more each year - so unbelievably beautiful. How fortunate to actually live here.

Happy Christmas

It finally snowed here on Tuesday. We kept getting all this stuff about snow everywhere and I kept getting excited (selfish you see) about going out taking photographs amd nothing happened. I slid down Solva hill from Haverfordwest and parking the car jumped out and ran with the camera into the woods and then down to the harbour! Amazingly beautiful and I know my sensible head should be saying but if it snows no-one will come to the gallery but I love it when all this soft dry white powdery snow settles in the branches and on the rooves. Much better snow that usual - not claggy and grey. Mind you our cats hate it big time - they run out and then shoot back in very quickly shaking their tales and looking at me as though it is all my fault! Particularly Benny who is so black against the snow and whose feet feel like small blocks of ice particularly at 4am in the morning when he comes to tell me he cant catch the usual mice and will I please get out of my lovely warm be and feed him!

Have a good Christmas everyone. Love Heather and Raul xx

Travels with my Camera

New book out this Summer - launched at exhibition in St Davids Cathedral. This is the cover and the story behind it.

Been a bit of a year really. Just come out of hospital - had my gall bladder removed. Can't believe how well I feel afterwards. So many things I just pushed to one side as stress or ageing (!) have disappeared. Thank you Sancta Maria Hospital and Mr Beynon!

Looking forward to a quiet Winter and lots of wild weather to take pictures in. This year when it snows I am going to drop all the admin stuff and run for the Preselis and the sheep up there.

Gong to put together second book this winter and try to sort out Raul's. He took it to Spain to print and they spell checked it with a Spanish spell checke - utter chaos ensued. Take a while to sort out and the we will get it reprinted by Gomer Press - they don't do silly things like that.

Hope everyone is well.

Exhibition at St Davids Cloisters Gallery

Cant believe when I look at my blog that I haven't entered anything since March! Time is expanding to fit the amount of work done! Book published ten days ago, exhibition on the way - starts 6th July called 'Four Seasons' in the Cloisters Gallery at St David's Cathedral. Getting very scarey now as time is short and still much to do. Got fish week next week too so better get on with things including making loads of fish cakes!.

Book, computer, exhibitions, cathedral, St Davids

Still working on my book but timings have taken a nose dive - comupter collapsed and waiting for delivery from D..L! Sure is a steep learning curve.

Going to a new exibition in the Cathedral gallery at St David's tomorrow - Jackie Simes on Pembrokeshire and also book launch. Should be beautiful - get there if you can.

Artes Mundi and new Raul Exhibition at Gallery Galles

Artes Mundi opens this week and I am off to the press release on Tuesday as part of the ARTicle team and then to the opening night in our own right as a gallery. Exciting to see it all and people's reaction to it as it works to link Wales to world art.

Thursday evening Raul is opening at Gallery Galles in Pontcanna, Cardiff. A newish innovative gallery seeking to bring those working in Wales into the public arena. Exhibition is on til 12th June so do go along and see it.

Cobridge Gallery and Cathedral Exhibtion

Cowbridge Gallery is exhibiting my work and is selling well for me. If you get a chance go along there as the cafe is lovely and the variety of art works will keep you looking for hours. Great town too with a variety of shops.

Am starting to prepare for exhibtion at the Refectory, St Davids Cathedral opening 6th July 2010 for 2 weeks and have just picked up a shared exhibition with Raul at Pendre Arts in Cardigan from 14th June to 26th June. Book getting there for launch at Cathedral but a bit stressful as it has to be at printers by 31st March and there is such a lot of other stuff to see to.

Cafe now open and running well again - lovely to see people when they come back through and pick up on their news.

Working hard getting together Art Pembrokeshire website - upwards of 70 of the county's artists collected together on an information highway site launching mid April. Collecting everyone's details right now.

Got a letter from British Tourism Week yesterday saying they are going to use one of my pictures on their poster this year - great news. Thank you to them.

Have a good Spring everyone it is beautiful here right now in Pembrokeshire.

Pembrokeshire in Winter

I always think the Winter is going to be quiet and I am going to catch up on the admin, go walking and get my book finished. Well this one hasn't been. The weather has meant that there are plenty of opportunites to take photos which means I am torn between doing what I should be doing and doing what I want to do. So the admin is still behind!!! Have to seriously start work on my book now as it has to be at the publishers by end March to be ready for Cathedral Exhibition in July. Up all night at the end I guess. Hope everything good with all of you - make 2010 your year.

Autumn Colours

I love the Autumn. I know it means Winter is coming but then I don't mind that either. Colours are great and weather more interesting! Went to Caneston Bridge and took this picture. So beautiful there. Am off to Scotland next week to stay in a croft right up in the North - quietly situated on a beach so am aexcited about taking photos there.

Got our premises licence through too so have been making wine menus and dredging my brain for distant memories about wines which I learnt whilst working at a Vintners in 1982!!! Hugh Johnson's World Wine Atlas helped too. Exciting new tasks.

St Dvids Cathedral concert

Summer rush is over and now life settles down into its Autumn rythm of paperwork and seeing all the friends we haven't even had time to speak to for six weeks. This September is a bit different because Raul is producing the first live performance of his classical music piece Pembrokeshire Weather Report at St Davids Cathedral on the 19th September. I keep tripping over musicians or the main singer pracitising in part of The Chapel. It sounds amazing and I am looking forward to hearing it within its intended setting. Do come along if you can.

Raul Speek - A Child of the Revolution

Forgot to say if you are up here at the moment Raul is giving a talk on Wednesday night about Cuba during the revolution and growing up/becoming an artist there. Come along at 7 for 7.30 on 19th August ath the Old Chapel - Talk, film and refreshments £3.00. See his website too for details http://www.raulspeek.co.uk/

Summer holidays

I always forget every year just exactly what it is like once the school holidays begin. On one level it is great for there are literally hundreds of people in the gallery and lots of them are interested in the work we do so that there are lots of connections made. On another it is tiring and scarey because, particularly with the cafe, it is never sure that we will have enough of everything. I do enjoy the cafe though and making the food look good on the plates so that when people are tired (or wet!) it gives them a lift and they can relax and feel good while they are here.

Mind you I promised myself when I opened the blogs that I would do any entry at least once a week but at the moment sometimes that just cant happen. Makes me amazed how busy artists like Jackie Morris can blog most days. I sit down to do it and the phone rings or a customer comes in or the cafe bell goes. Will be easier in the Winter I expect. Hope you are all having a good Summer!

Pembrokeshire Coast Path

So beautiful here at the moment - rain plus sun equals masses of flowers all along the coast path. Keep walking the section between Solva and St Davids and every time it is different. The light makes it magical; no wonder so many people come back here year after year and end up living in the area. This picture is actuallly the other way at Pencwm which is between Solva and Newgale. Spent Monday talking to other photgraphers to put together an article for ARTicle the emagazine hosted on Oriel y Parc - try going to their website and clicking on the magazine button. Find it good to connect to others who are equally fascinated with the world we live in. See www.christancock.co.uk for instance with his dedicatiion to writing a story in pictures.

Indian and Asian Architecture Audio Visual Evening

Things feel a little crazy today because we are preparing the gallery for the first of this years evening events. Chairs being cleaned, food being prepared, sound and visual gear all over the place. It always seems like a tiny miracle to me when (hopefully) everything ends up going as planned. Strange too how everything happens at once - event tonight, exhibition starting Tuesday at Oriel y Parc and my close friend coming down from Scotland next Wednesday. All or nothing but talking to my friends it seems like that is how it is for everyone right now.

Trying to sort this lot out too:

5th August 2009 Ian McDonald Circling the Square – How Japan Broke the Grid. Audio visual evening on Japanese Architecture being held at Raul Speek Gallery, Solva. 7 for 7.30 Including glass of wine and light refreshments. £3 entrance fee. Tel 01437 721907 for details

19th August 2009 Raul Speek A Child of the Revolution. Audio visual evening at Raul Speek Gallery, Solva including showing of video made by The Slate ‘A Long Journey Home’. Entrance fee £3. 7 for 7.30 includes glass of wine and light refreshments. Tel 01437 721907 for details.

ARTists Pembrokeshire – Summer Exhibition featuring 3 Solva artists in the Tower and Café at Oriel y Parc. Heather Bennett Photographer, Ian McDonald Print maker and Raul Speek Artist. 14th July to 28th August 2009 9.30am to 5.30pm. Contact Oriel y Parc on 720392 for details.

September 19th 2009 at 7.30pm. at St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. ‘Pembrokeshire Weather Report’ Concert for Piano and other Voices composed and performed by Raul Speek (A Cuban in Wales). Contact 01437 721907 or email raul@raulspeek.co.uk for bookings and details.

Summer is always like this and I really like Spring and Autumn better because I have quality time to take photographs

Writing a blog

I went on a course yesterday about social media. Still all new and a bit scarey but also fascinating. The idea of trying to put across who I really am in an interesting way. It would be easy to get into all that old stuff about what happens if no one responds and then I just think well I will enjoy it so I will try anyway.

How do you feel? What would you write about?

Often I think in images so I will add an image to most posts. By the way the website of the man who gave the workshop is Andrew Lloyd Hughes and his website is http://www.milkwood.com/ You can get to his blog from there and its got loads of tips about how to deal with stuff like blogs, facebook etc. Easy to understand too - not over complicated language.

Enough about work, or that sort of work anyway. Was lucky enough to go up to Trehale Rare Breeds Farm (Mathry, Pembrokeshire) last week to take photos of the shearing and also very young piglets. Look at the one in the picture searching for his breakfast. Puts me off eating meat though!! I was lying on the earth at one time about three feet away from this enormous mother pig thinking I hope she realizes my intentions are good or this could get dicey and feeling totally happy just to be there. Then I started thinking I wonder what the piglet thinks? 'What is this enormous black shiney round clicking thing which is about a foot from my nose? It doesn't smell like I can eat it. And what is that long thing with four legs which at one moment is towering over me on two legs and then is lying down beside me with its strange snout and making odd noises?!

Think I'll stay close to Mum just in case'

Yesterday I looked at this again and I thought what does it say about me? It really only says what I am thinking instead of feeling. I want to use this blog to engage in a relationship with people who find my work and photography in general interesting.

Last week I spent the night on Skomer. I went to take pictures of Puffins and fell completely and utterly in love with the place. I've been before for a day trip but at night partly because they work on solar power there is a quietness (except for the birds returning from sea!!!) that brings immediate rest. I lay upstairs in The Chapel last night listening and realized what I could hear was this constant buzz of low sound - I worked out eventually that it is the electrical machines running. It is quiet but always there and on Skomer it was not.

Over one night I felt I had been away for weeks - came back feeling so relaxed. And the puffins - well they are just amazing. There lovely little bodies and their way of being together is wonderful. What I hated was the predatory gulls swooping down and stealing the hard won sand eels from the puffins as they landed. They are so tiny and they try so hard to feed their young yet when they land they wait ages before going to their undergroud nests because if a gull is watching it will take not only the fish but the young pufins too. Spent hours just watching them.

Came away and joined Friends of Skokolm and Skomer see http://www.welshwildlife.org/ for details. Not sure I should be telling you that as part of me wants to selfishly keep the place as secret as possible! But if you go I hope you love it like I do.

Landscape Photography whether it is local to Pembrokeshire (my home county see www.heatherbennettphotography.co.uk ) or it covers far away places like Morocco, Cuba and Peru or fantasies like the Venice Carnival and the Provence Lavender Trail can be both beautiful and evocative. In its best form it inspires people to feel what the photogapher felt through the lense and transcends the barriers between a 'snap' and a fully considered picture. Like good art it speaks to the heart. It can contain not only a snese of place but as people often appear within it gives a glimpse of other and indeed our own cultures: through that we can begin to understand and connected with one another.

What does photography mean to you? What part does it play in your life?