WHO I AM
A life-long love of dogs, bikes and
planes. A newly-evolving digital
artist. An academic who loves teaching but resists the neoliberal university and will soon retire, to ride across the US on a motorcycle for three months and fly vintage jet fighters
I'm an academic hobby-artist. I love using Photoshop and displaying the results
GALLERY
Made by me. Hardest part was the cigarette glow
Best cake ever. Period.
An exercise in lighting management in camera raw. I am so pleased with this
Portrait of a portrait: my girl, shot with me by a friend
Snow Globe in Photoshop
There are no colour shots of these German fighters over occupied France that I have found, so made one. It's modern Paris but the emotional effect is the objective, not technical or historical accuracy
Developing cinematic style
Using the Universal Studios template to familiarise people with the reach of misogyny.
Trump, misogyny and the American constitution
My childhood friend, when she was entertaining Snowie on the beach.
Just passed overhead. I'm damn glad I'm atheist, 'coz it looks like some poor sinner is about to get his ass handed to him all the way to Dante's worst circle 😉
TRIBUTES
NORMAN ROSE
Squadron Leader Norman Rose was the Boss of my local Air Experience Flight at RAF Woodvale in the mid-to-late 1970's. He led a a crew of World War Two RAF pilots, some of whom had flown Spitfires, Hurricanes and Typhoons, others Mosquitos, Lancasters and Stirlings, all of whom we revered as living Gods.
In my world of domestic child violence, there was no place safer than a vintage airplane over a freezing sea with a geriatric RAF pilot. Those pilots volunteered their time to fly air cadets in Chipmunks at weekends, and this needed Staff Cadets (me and a dozen or so others trained to rotate kids through aircraft flights at lovely RAF Woodvale). It was the only place my stepfather couldn't reach me and I revelled in every second of it. I still have my logbook, almost half a century on.
Noman took me under his wing, knew about my criminal record, got me on special flights, paid me to take care of his garden when I was unemployed and did pretty much everything a real father would do. He also gave me the reference that got me into University and which changed my life after years of stagnation and drinking. I rewarded his faith in me by getting a PhD 8 years later
STEPHEN RILEY
Stephen Riley was the second father figure provided by the universe. Norman got me to Stephen, as if they'd somehow known how I could best be helped and developed.
Stephen became my tutor of choice as an undergraduate. He was much loved by all of us, with wonderful idiosyncrasies I treasure today. He fuelled my focus on structural injustice -injustice caused by rules we unthinkingly follow - and then agreed to supervise a PhD. I was his greatest challenge - still a late blossomer.
Had he not died in 1998, I think he would have been rightly pleased with what I have become intellectually. He laid all the groundwork by asking all the right questions and being such a well-travelled scholar. I am forever indebted to his wisdom and patience. His legacy echoes loudly in my teaching and research.
RITA ROBERTS
