Scenic unsung heroes…

We all have them I’m sure, scenic items that are important characters in the story yet deliberately bland, soft focused, so they don’t grab our attention…

A case in point, the excavator parked alongside the Co-op mill on Beaverbrook. A basic Walthers kits with a few additions but built mainly as intended. Finished in a dirty worn appearance, it blends in. The yellow deliberately under saturated, the finish soft, not detailed. Its place in the story set by Chris’s photos that first sparked the fire for Beaverbrook as the location of this shelf, in reality it was used to move grain cars around at the feed mill for unloading. Its presence on the layout acts as a visual interruption, to almost punctuate, perhaps with a comma, the end of the line. It helps frame photos, our eyes find it as we reach the edge of modelled reality and pause before hitting that line. 

On Lochdubh, the same could be said for the small grit bin that sits alongside the warehouse. On Wrecsam it is the fine metal fence behind the red buffers. These cues are often in subdued tone, but a bright colour. A small touch that we unconsciously spot and use as means of navigation, of interpretation, of setting direction. Perhaps even a lodestar? (Look that one up). 

Until next time, more soon…

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