Finding The Cool On A Damp, Grey Day
A wet and wild day by the sea.
And a trip down the motorway with camera in hand and an eye for a photo opportunity.
There is nothing quite like an out of season seaside town and damp and grey winter weather to blow away a few cobwebs.
Deserted, apart from a few hardy dog walkers and those with too much time on their hands, and everywhere, that slightly depressing feel of closed down attractions and empty beach huts.
And when the weather got wetter and wilder, it drove me inside to dry out and warm up. I chose the nearest and most convenient place and, by chance or good fortune, it also happened to be the coolest.
The Big Beach Cafe by Hove Lagoon looks pretty ordinary from the outside, But venture inside and it starts to feel different. Part owned by Fat Boy Slim, DJ, musician and producer, his presence is everywhere and the walls are covered in memorabilia of his long and high profile career.
And art.
Whilst I dried and warmed up, I watched an artist putting the final touches to an impressive image of Che Guevara on one of the walls. The artist, part of a Brighton street art collective called The Postman, appears to have style and a significant reputation.
I can understand why.
It is also a sign of our always online times that I could watch the work being completed in a mostly empty cafe whilst simultaneously researching the name and history of the artist and check out a whole bunch of reviews from a recent show in Los Angeles.
Before I had even said hello.
And of course, I also took the time to look at the online shop with convenient, home sized versions of Che, available for immediate shipping in A3 or A4 format.
Never miss that opportunity to own your own, hand-finished, Che Guevara.
And as I stepped out once more into the hostile grey landscape, I took note of both Amy Winehouse by the front door and Mick Jagger, lurking behind the bins, and wondered whether an investment was perhaps in order.
For we live in a switched on, acquisition focused, accessible street art kind of world, fellow art lovers.
