August 2018

27th August: Hmmmm so what has happened over the past couple of months? My show with Michael Meyersfeld came down. I entered Sasol again and received a real WTF moment. I shan't go into details other than to say that I was left completely perplexed by the decision, a state of mind that was shared by many people.

There is some good news though. After having to let my last website fall by the by, I have a new one. The address is www.stjohnfuller.com. I put it together on wordpress. And yes for someone who does not know how to code, it is a deep and terrifying hole. it is not as easy as all the advertising makes it out to be. It's ease of use to the uninitiated, I would liken it to trying to knit whilst wearing lead boxing gloves. But its up and that is what counts.

April 2016

So, I open up the blogger page today and I get some warning about some or other EU directive about warning EU residents about cookies and third parties and what not's. So in true Bernard Black style I am going to not enlighten myself, plead ignorance and say, there, that's my warning to you if you are a EU visitor. Got it? Splendid!

News? started an internship at Warren Editions. Not much to say other than I have just started this week. I am hoping that over the coming weeks I will be edging closer to being able to produce my own photogravures. First though I have to master the art of preparing a plate.

April 2015

There is nothing worse than looking like a complete amature in front of your peers. And so this was the case when I went to photograph Janus and Dennis from the alternative print workshop with Chantal. Usually I can get the exposure right within a couple of shots. But no, not this time. In no particular order the following all happened. Underexposure, paper ripping, Chantal been blown over and yet more underexposure's. I have to admit that I came close to saying, "stuff this, I am going down the pub". But finally the stars came into alignment and I finally had a picture that I was happy with.

Pics of Janus and Dennis to be shot with Chantal

Taking a pic with Chantal

Duds, misfires and an ok print

The last year or so has been a a year of exploring and discovering new things. With Janus and Dennis from the Alternative Print Workshop I have been exploring Cyano Types and Van Dyke Browns. A trip to the UK brought about an opportunity to get an introduction to to the photogravure process with Peter Moseley. There was a lot to take in but the two day workshop left me wondering, 'where have you been all my life'. The process gives beautiful results and I am hoping that it is not too much longer before I can start doing more prints.

January 2015

Here is a peek at what is being planned for later in the year. At the moment Janus (from the alternative print workshop) and I are still busy working out all the details. This is going to be something new for me. I am quite used to giving walkabouts which tend to last only an hour or so, but having to keep it going for a day while teaching a class, hmmmm, I am sure that it will be ok.

So you don't believe in Santa? The Tooth Fairy? The Easter Bunny? Well I got news for you I am here to tell you that they are all real. Very very real. Yes they drive around in an old Toyota and they do get a bit lost, but I have proof of their existence and it is sitting in my hallway. And what gifts did they bring? Paper, rolls and rolls of paper, and not any old paper but photographic paper. More paper than I know what to do with. So what now? Well I guess pack it away for the moment. Things are a wee bit busy on the work front. I am just going to have to do my best to ignore that it is all there. The cool thing now  is that I don't have to worry about how I am going to get hold of my next lot of paper. So thank you Derick and Janus from the alternative print workshop for a really most unexpected but wonderful gift. I am most especially looking forward to experimenting with the fibre based paper. Thank you.

September 2014

Three Forgotten Beauties

And so yes I have missed the whole of August. News that I have failed to pass on? Well I have kept up my good run of getting into Sasol New Signatures. Think that it is four years on the trot now. Was actually at the grand opening last night. Thankfully this year there was no 'you got be fffing kidding' moment with the winner. What we did learn though is that if you want to find out a bit more about the artist, asking them about their art on stage might be such a good idea. Of course this is just my bias, but when people start to waffle on about some new age mumbo jumbo, then I head for the hills. I liked Elizabeth's rational up to a point but then it was no no no please stop.

'Three Forgotten Beauties' - detail.

The pictures above are of my entry 'Three Forgotten Beauties'. 

May 2014

4th May: So wadaya think? First silk screen! Ha ha, easy peasy. Had a bit of fun with a puzzle that I found and the noble characters of Uncle Sam and Richard I (the Lion Heart / Coeur de Lion). I have to admit that I got quite a buzz out of doing this. The last time I had done any printing was at college, which was about 20 years ago. For the project that I was given I produced a rather uninspiring, insipid, colourfully dull lino print. With a blunt 'I dont think so' and a gentle smile, my tutor suggested to me that well I might not be suited to print making. Unfortunately though some times you need those skills you gave up on to produce what you want. Thank fully I found someone with the time and patience to show me how. So now I am thinking what next?  

April 2014

2nd April: Ok, I have resisted long enough. The masses of supporters thronging outside have finally convinced me that I have to post another blog. Over three months since my last post so I guess that it is time to put up another one. So what's the excuse? None. It was always tomorrow, and then of course later, next month and that become much much later.

So what's been happening? Shows and things amongst others. Also did my first screen print. Hadn't been near a print studio after being brutally told that I wouldn't make it as a printer. So all in all, after having being put off completely by the thought of going anywhere near a print studio, I think my first attempt turned out ok. Unfortunately I can't share at the moment as it's at a gallery right now and I am feeling too lazy to go and document it. So what I will do is post a pic of something else that I did. Nope it is not a screen print. It is a print of a edited scan of one of my pinhole portraits. Please see above pic

December 2013

19th December: The above pic is of Chantall and Diane. Iwas taking portraits of Diane as part a series that I am doing with Chantall

A little over a month ago I talked about PPC and the possibilities of winning a prize. Well I did win the Functional Prize, which was nice. Well actually getting my work selected for the competition was nice. Being shortlisted for a prize was very nice. Winning? well that was extremely nice. The funny thing was that despite having a healthy cheque in my hand, I had no cash to go and celebrate with. Nada. The bank account was empty empty empty. And with life being what it is, well the winnings have soon been swallowed up by needing to pay for it's necessities.

April 2013

I had some images to show of some of my work up at this years KKNK but I really have no idea where I put them. There is a little voice telling me that I have in fact deleted them before downloading them.So what to show you? This lovely little pic of an aubergine wearing my glasses fits the bill perfectly.

Vague dates to put in your diary: Miniatures show at Art Lovers,some time in May. A show based on lions some time in June. Then there is some frame thing some time when I know not. There is also a group photography thing happening some time in August. A Chagall thing some time or another at the Trent Gallery. A solo thing not sure what I am going to be doing at Parts and Labor some time in November. There may be some other stuff too but I can't remember what or when, oh hang on, Back-light IV but I haven't been asked yet so I am just presuming that I am going to be in that one. That is in June. So there you are, Happy to say that everything is well organised and perfectly under control. 'Bravo' I hear you say....... Indeed, thank you.

This is Rosie. An extremely fat Pot Bellied Pig. What does she do? Sleep, rummage around for food, sleep. Every now and then she may complain that a step is too high but otherwise she seems to have a really chilled life. Nice.

So what's been happening the last few weeks? Well some of my stuff has been up at the KKNK in Oudtshoorn. The timing was perfect. We were on holiday in the area and so were able to pop in to have a look. So what is Oudtshoorn like? Hmmmm hot does not even come close to describe the furnace that we experienced for the couple of hours that we were there. It's dusty. There are some ostriches in and around the place, which is great if you like them but otherwise.......well, hmmmm.....yes.

I am sure that Oudtshoorn has a lot to offer but the terrifying music that was blasted out while we were there rendered us almost completely helpless. All our senses were stunned into shut down. It was as if we were fleeing the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as we dashed down the street desperately looking for sanctuary. Our bodies were just moments away from been shaken to bits by a wall of unimaginable music inspired horror.  One thing is for sure, I am going to design myself a special protective suite so that if I find myself any where near Oudtshoorn and the KKNK, I will be able to protect myself from the aural nightmares that almost crushed me.

September 2012

29th:  Oh Lisa Lisa.... Sad Lisa Lisa. I was given a poster for an Art Exhibition dated from I don't know when. I decided to photograph it and here is the result.

Together We Can: 15th September; we went up to Jeppes Town in Joburg to put up my Shack. A chance meeting Julie Lovelace inspired the decision to put it up. It had been sitting in my backyard for the last couple of years, and well the time had come to do something about it. So early on a rainy morning under the Joe Slovo flyover up it went. The weather was miserable, communications got mixed up, street names were misread, nerves got frayed but it went.

Here is Julies piece next to the front door of the shack.

Together We Can: 21st September; Six days and six hours later was the first time that I was able to go and see how the shack was doing. The news was not good. The only evidence of the shack having ever been was the footprint of Julies porcelain piece, and that too was gone.

9th: The end is Nigh! The shame of it, how can things come to this? Surely things can't get worse than
this - not to be selected for the Thami Mnyele Fine Art Awards!!! I have just about recovered from the shock, luckily there were paramedics on hand to administer CPR other wise who knows how things would have ended. So anyway once I have finished convalescing I shall be stomping off after Gordon and Jenna to find out why they both suffered from a mental seizure on the same day. To top off the whole farce their was a green sticker on my work which denoted selection for everyone else but me!!! Scandal I say....a bloody scandal. You can see it for yourself, its there.

6th: So how did the Opening of New Signatures go? All things considered pretty well. Arrived in time to miss the opening speeches but not to miss the winners being announced. Fantastic. And the winners? I think the best thing about this years show was the fact that the winner was.......older.....not a senior citizen but someone in their late forties. Which is great as it means that I have another ten years in which to carry on trying to win. That's great....

Work for the shows I am taking part in is going alright. I am assuming the printers have been able to print my prints for the Radiant Exposure exhibition which is happening at Cameo Framers. The image below is one of the pics that  am going to have on show. My work for Me 2 which is happening at Fried is going alright. I am almost finished with my Kaleidoscopes for the Erotica show which is also happening at Cameo Framers.

August 2012

Optimism tempered by realism and an empty pocket leads to unoccupied plinths and half made moulds. Oh well... at least I got most of the bits that I was going to use for my entry to PPC. Next year...next year. As for the Thami Mnyeli Open? well entered something, its just not what I wanted to enter, thus the empty plinth.

So whats coming up? In no particular order...ME II opening on the 15th at Fried; Photographic Exhibition at the Trent Gallery  opening on the 8th September and then an Erotica show opening sometime in September, also at the Trent Gallery. Not sure when though.

Ho hum thus ends the entry for a rather glum month...mind you there is the opening for Sasol on the 29th so you never know...

July 2012

11th: So it is time for Sasol New Signatures again. Entered two pieces into the competition and both got in. So it seems that three is not the magic number after all, or is it? Lets see the year is 2012. Multiply two by zero, add one and two 2 and there you have three. Also last year my one entry got in and this year my two got in. Yes yes I know that makes three. So going on this evidence I would say that without doubt that three is the magic number.

This is almost a repeat of last year where I was stuck without transport for the day. No transport + unselected pieces being left at the submission point = annoyed Nandi.

Here are the bits of waffle that I put with my entries:

Die Oubaas: someone who is senior in terms of rank or age. A term that has connotations of the period of apartheid when the whites ruled and the blacks served. A term that can now be said, with its links to the past, to have negative undertones. entries

In Die Oubaas I wanted to explore the question of just how white people are perceived in the ‘Rainbow Nation’. They arrived on the continent with a technological advantage and proceeded to try and mould what they found to serve their wants. Over centuries they gained control. They knew what was best and how it should be done.

Then gradually, one by one, nations controlled by the recently arrived minorities were let go. In the case of South Africa this was 18 years ago but yet there remains a notion that the Whites are still in control, that they are living off the hard work of the black majority. Just recently Zuma stated that, “The ownership of the economy is still primarily in the hands of white males as it has always been”. This quote came just as I was putting together some of the basic traits for my white people in the ‘Oubaas’ series. A list of stereotypes ranging from the mild to the extreme, each containing just enough truth to reveal a certain resentment. A disquiet that all too often white people ignore because they know what is best and they are right. They are the Oubaas.

Man met Zonnebloemen: At the top of the road that I live in there is a field. Every year in April sunflowers flourish here. As if by magic they sprout up and slowly grow until the whole field is full of tall yellow blooms following the sun. The only sign of human intervention is a hosepipe snaking across the road. The source a tap in a garden of a home. The owner, a foul mouthed drunk with, it would appear, a penchant for beauty. The one and only time I’ve seen him he was completely lost in his ranting, the use of a hooter by a delivery man having launched him into a hyper critical diatribe.

I set up my camera to take a self portrait. As I stood in the field amidst all the splendor, a vague sense of unease haunted me. Though in an open field I was an intruder standing amidst the fruits of another’s labor. This other being in possession of a rage that I feared confronting. A rage that even all the cheery yellow of the flowers could not soothe. Fortunately I remained undisturbed and was left with the incongruity of such beauty being born out of the hands of such fury

June 2012

12th: Things are really starting to get busy and I am wondering where I am going to find the time. Been asked to be in a group show at Fried Contemporary this September. Then there is another group show at Cameo Framers. There is also the PPC Sculpture awards that I want to enter as well a Sasol New Signatures - oh wow just checked the entry date - only got three weeks to sort my entry out! Deadline is the 3rd/4th July. Mmmm - yes I thought that I had a bit longer than that. Trying not to panic trying not to panic trying not to panic trying not to panic trying not to panic.....

In the mean time here is a snap shot of my photos (the less blury ones) that were part of the Minatures exhibition at Art Lovers 1932. They sold which was nice.

January 2012

16th: Here is a little something that I did on the weekend. It involved laying underneath Chantal while I roasted in the sun. It is titled 'If Pigs Could....' Nope, for all my efforts you cannot see me but check out the pigs.

12th: Phew - Is it hot again? Yes - if temperatures stay this hot I reckon that I am going to reverse millions of years of evolution and as I slowly turn in to primordial soup. Yip I know I should just stop the whining.

So what am I doing for this years Artists Associations annual members show? Well I have taken some of the duds from my shots from Chantal and hung them from a mini black board which has some musings of a mythical beasty.

4th: Well I have taken a few shots with......yes I have to give her a name...hmmmmm think I will name her Chantal. No reason other than it was the first name that popped into my head. So anyway took my first shot with Chantal and I have to admit that it didn't go well. I was able to use her slideable shutter to stagger the exposure. Half way through the sequence though it started to bucket it down. So I had to move her into the garage to continue. The first image suggested that the exposures were going to have to be in the region of 20 or so minutes. The results from the next few shots revealed that I would have to take out all the lenses and resanding them to make them that much bigger. So anyway here is the first test shot.

November 2011

24th: Wow its almost been a month since I started work n my latest camera. I am still just about finished. All thats left to do is the final coat of varnish and then fitting the lenses. The pic below shows camera with the back open. At the moment the biggest problem I am facing is trying to get hold of a safe light. If I was in London - no problem - just phone the supplier and I would have one within a week. I can get hold of a light bulb but they are just way too expensive for what they are. So the search goes on.

Good news from the feline show. I sold two prints of the Voortrekker Monument piece. Yip thats great but as usual after all the deductions and what not, what ends up in the pocket is just enough to cover materials for the next project.

10th: I'm not sure how long it is before I am going to melt and turn into a puddle so I thought that I had better write this message before I do. Catpals exhibition, Saturday 5:30pm at Trent Gallery @ Cameo Framers, Waterkloof, South Africa. Proceeds of the exhibition will be used for the feeding, sterilisation and veterinary costs of a feral sanctuary in Pretoria.

October 2011

29th: So what are they? Nope they are not portals to another cooler dimension. Although with the temperature on the ambient furnace set to 'Roast Yee Bastards' it would be nice if they were. But as my skills only extend to carpentry and photography and not to the manufacturing of inter dimensional portals, they are just going to have to remain the beginings of a new camera. Yes after months after not doing much I have finally made some time to do something. As I write the camera is actually almost finished. Almost but not quite.

17th: Well the halfway point has long gone - what have I been up to? Well work, but I have already ranted and raved about that quite a bit. Looks like I might get a bit of time to do my own stuff next week, which is hopeful. Tomorrow I will be delivering the plan chest that I made for Stuart from Cameo Framers. These are available to order and as long as it doesn't involve anything kinky they can be made to spec. I have posted more pics on facebook if you would like to have a look. Just click on the pic below.

September 2011

28th: So anyway got a comment the other day from the mysterious BlackArks - they have a blogger profile but with no info other than they have been online since September 2011 - hmmmm - it made me think - well not much actually - that has been the problem over the last while it has just been work work work work work I am an automaton and I just work work work work work I get up out of bed and I go straight to work work work work work and I only stop work work work work work when it is time for bed work work work work work it is just work work work work monday to sunday work work work work work the life of an artist work work work work work. Yip I know life is not supposed to be easy but this is just taking the piss.

Below is the flyer from the Assembledge fringe show (my name is in the far right corner). All in all I would say it was a pretty cool event. Anyway I am just going to go back to work work work work work.......

15th: Some times I seriously wonder about the validity of calling myself an artist. With the amount of time I get to spend on my practice it hardly seems like a hobby. Sure I have ideas that I want to execute but looking at my work commitments for the next month or two I am going barely going to be having the time to sit on arse to take a quick five minute breather let alone do something productive. The worst thing about this all is that the money that I am bringing in doesn't even cover the bills. Yip I guess things feel pretty hopeless.

On the bright side I have been selected to take part in a show that is being run by Assembledge. The title of the show is titled 'The Art of Assembledge'. It is part of the Johannesburg fringe which is running concurrently with the Johannesburg Art Fair. The show runs from the 21st till the 25th September.

The image below is the piece that I am exhibiting. It is titled 'The Boxer' and is a self portrait which I took with Helga. I stood her up one way to expose half the photograph and then turned her over to take the other half.

4th:  So after getting the call on thursday to come and collect my rejected piece for this years Tahmi Mnyeli Open I went out to get it today. After wandering around the space to see what had been selected I went to go and take my piece of it's easel...'what are you doing?'...'I'm collecting my entry'...'you got your receipt?'...'No'...'You can't take that one it has been selected'...'Ok its just that I got a phone call telling me to come and pick it up'...'someone has been making phone calls to the wrong people, all the ones with a green sticker have been selected'..'oh ok'.. and so after the initial WTF? to laughing about the fact that I hadn't got in to the final I finally ended up having to leave my work as it had actually been selected...oh well.

3rd: Well went to the opening of Sasol New Signatures. As an event it was pretty cool. Good food accomponied with the usual scramble etc etc. The work was ok, saw a couple of pieces that I liked, but to be honest on the whole I found the show to be a little underwhelming. And the catalogue? While it is great to have a record, it would have been nice to see a truer representation of ones work.

I don't know whether I should be admiting to this but my work for the Thami Mnyeli Open got rejected. My Voortrekker piece. Yip....WTF!?!?! In the words of the great Mutley 'Shagafraghashaga' or something to that effect. Yes it is the ultimate humiliation. So yes now I am going to have to go through the humbling experience of picking my work up whilst trying not to think 'how the hell did that get in?' as I walk past some piece of rubbish. Anyway,this brings to mind my experience of walking round the Tate Modern and then the National Gallery in London. With the work in the National Gallery you do not need to be told how good it is. To be considered great it needs no justification, nor do they require you to like them. With the work in the Tate it is different. With some of the works you need the confirmation, to be told that they are great pieces of art, and of course with personal taste coming in to it, it is easy to dismiss one piecs of work as being a joke. The same can be said of some of the works that are selected for ABSA, Sasol, Thami Mnyeli etc etc. Sometimes the justification required seems to vastly outweigh the quality of the work. At times it is all to easy to pick holes in some of the selections. If you are not selected this is no reason to get upset as it is just the way the it is. Best to just shrug your shoulders and say - oh well.

So what else, there is the group on at Fried which I am a part of and then the Altered Pieces group show has moved to Pandora.

August 2011

24th : Just had a peek at the Sasol New Signatures website. Finally this years entries are up and can be seen. Looking at my own entry I have to admit that it doesn't look great. At best I could only describe it as a black murky mess without any artistic merit at all. I am sure that there are plenty of artists out there thinking 'I can't believe it - how the hell did that get in?'. As you can see below it does not look good.

While I have been here in the UK I have work going up at Fried as part of their Aperture exhibition. That runs from the 27th August to the 1st October. I have also had a piece entered into this years Thami Mnyele open. I decided to enter something a lot less low key than my effort from last year. Who knows I might win something...ha ha ha....yes. Anyway thanks to all involved for making it all happen.

Update form 2025 : My entry for Sasol's New Signatures art competition was stolen sometime late 2015. Not sure when or how but it just dissapeared.

July 2011

19th: Three is the Magic Number. At least it seems that way. I think that the selectors at Sasol have decided that I may only succesfully submit a piece of art every three years. Since 2005 the sequence is as follows; yes no no yes no no yes. So for the next couple of years I shan't bother. In 2014 I will try again and of course get in. The pattern is so obvious.

The great thing though is that I didn't have to face the ire of the Nandi who seems to be able to make anyone who steps out of line quake in their boots.

More good news website is back online www.kritikalmass.com So yes today three is really the magic no.

18th: Well things are finally starting to settle on the home front, although is still a shed load to do, plus got a trip to the UK coming up. So what of my Sasol entry, well I don't actually know. Yes I got my entry there on time, I have to add with all the right paper work, but I just haven't got round to finding out if my entry got in or not. My excuse, well non really. I did try to phone them today but no one answered. I just hope my entry got in otherwise I am sure that I will find my self dealing with a mighterly peeved Nandi when I do finally get to talk to her.

Noticed the other day that my website was no longer online. Bloody bastard service providers took it offline for non payment of bill. So anyway, after reminding myself to remain completely and utterly calm during the whole process, I decided to pay the bills online. Despite all the old tricks of refusing to recognise my name/email address/password or giving me the option of paying over the intenet were thrown at me I managed to get there in the end. The most amazing fact is thatI got there without getting to the psycho smashing the keyboard and shouting out wankers stage. Fantastic - only problem is the link is not working - wankers.

11th: Things have been really topsy turvy the last few weeks. Had to move house, which ordinaryly is a mission but this time round the problems just seemed to multiply exponentially. A move that should have only taken a couple of weeks has evlved into a two week affair. At least the worst of it is over but it has mean that I had completely lost touch with the real world. The result of this has meant that I have got my dates mixed up. I though the deadline for Sasol was the 14th but no it is actually tomorrow. Yes so on Sunday there was an 'Oh fuck' moment - a call to the framers which garnered the sort of response which was polite but had echos of a weary school master, with his cane gently swaying behind his back, looking down at one of his many miscreants whilst they babbled some poor excuse for their failure to have done their homework. Thank you Staurt I look forward to seeing the work framed tomorrow. So to cap off a thourougly unprepared week here is one that I succesfully submitted in 2005.

April 2011

2nd: Well despite all glitches and stuff ups work on Trinny (the three panel camera) is going really well. Am onto the finishing stage of the/her body. This involves a lot of sanding and patience. When that is done I can get on to fitting the hinges that will hold the sections together. After that I will be making and fitting the holes which means that she will be ready to go in about a week or two. Hopefully no longer than that. The image below shows her closed but with the back panels of the two side sections open.

 7th: Well I have finished off sanding and varnishing Trinny. Busy with the lenses while trying to work out a system for keeping all the panels and wot nots secure and in place. I am trying to make the lenses in batches. Making them one by one seems to take forever. It does mean that you get a lot of duds but if you are careful there shouldn't be too many. To make my lenses I am using drinks cans for my lenses. They have been sanded down to make thge metal thinner. I have then used a biro point to make a slight bump which I then sand down. Usually this creates a tiny hole in the crown. To give an idea of scale the squares in the image below are 10mm x 10mm, the hole in the square in the top left is far too big.

Went up to the Vortrekker monument yesterday to take a photograph of  it with Shirley and then today went into to Joburg to take a photograph of  the Ponte Building with Helga. Going to develop the pics tonight so we will have to see what comes out.

 8th: The photo of the Ponte Building came out alright and while the one of the Voortrekker Monument came out so so. Think though I will do them both again just to see if I can get better shots. I know that the Ponte building image shows some signs of fogging. Maybe because of the covers that I was using as a lens cap, we will see.

 10th: What is it? Well 'it is a box from the olden days that people used to sit on and shit', needless to say Shirley wasn't best pleased with this discription given of her by a passing tourist. We had to go back to the Voortrekker Monument as I had forgotten the battery for my camera in the library. This provided me with the perfect opportunity to try and reshoot the monument while dodging the entry fee. I have to be honest as impressed that I am with its size, this is a building that I don't ever forsee myself falling in love with.

22nd: After a bit of a delay work on Trinny is getting on again. I have started to fix the lenses in place. 

As you can see it is an 'Uber' sophisticated bit of technology that is being used for this particular part of the process. The plan is to start trying to take phtos with Trinny next week. I still have a couple of things to sort out. At the moment the two 'door' sections are just catching a little.

Had an all new South African Experience this week - traffic fines or at least the process of trying to pay for them. The one was a breeze. The other a right pain in the arse. I tried three different points - including the local traffic department - and each of them turned me away. Now I understand why paying bribes to traffic officers is endemic to this country. Its not because the fines are expensive, its just that with the effort that is required to pay a fine it simply not worth the bother of trying to be  a law abiding citizen. Why waste a day trying to pay a measly fine when you can just get the pain and misery over with within the space of a couple of minutes. The benefits are two fold; both money and time are saved. Very tempting indeed.