Thursday, July 17, 2025

Using one's arms

We visited Mansfield Traquair Church the other day - or, it used to be a church. Now it's a venue, rented out to make money so that Phoebe Anna Traquair's murals can be preserved. It was once a Catholic Apostolic church, built in the late 1800s, so it's not old, but this artist was hired to paint the walls and some parts of the ceiling. So of course it's known as Edinburgh's Sistine Chapel, which is a bit of an exaggeration, but it's an amazing feat for a lady, then, climbing around on scaffolding. 


It's really quite high!


Here she is. She did various forms of art, including embroidery, watercolours, book cover tooling, illuminated manuscripts and enamelling. I think she must have had staff to do the childminding and housework. 

So that's about it apart from the normal gardening, socialising and sewing. I've got a trapped nerve (or something) in my shoulder, which is rather painful and, I suspect, not helped by being hunched over a sewing machine (or indeed ripping out stitches, another too-frequent occupation...). I imagine typing doesn't help either. Ah, woe is me. I'm sure it'll get better, but it's taking its time. 

Son and family are on holiday and having fun. This is Scotland, not the Riviera, so they have wetsuits on. 

 

2 comments:

  1. The paintings are extraordinary - what talent, what strength.
    A trapped nerve is not fun - I hope yours soon resolves.

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  2. Those paintings are gorgeous but what a lot of work, especially up that high. Hope the shoulder improves soon; I'm not sure what a trapped nerve is. I'll look it up!

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