Just got back to the house to await the arrival of Messums. We are due a catch up and it's about time I provided a sandwich for David and Carol. The morning's post had arrived:
"Oo goody the Discerning Eye results"
I opened the letter to find 6 straight 'R' s. That hurt. You always come across people who no longer submit for the RA Open since the year they were rejected (while their work had been in consistently for 20 years or so). I have always found this a natural but illogical reaction. Art is subjective and it is all down to that year's selectors. BUT... That Friday 'put in' was a beautiful day and I spent hours driving to London, collecting paintings and dropping them off and I was really frustrated at the time. It was a wasted day and a missed day's painting. GRRRR!!!
But never mind. Much more interesting is my new discovery:
Weymouth.
I headed down that way on Tuesday as the sun looked best there. I stopped first at Osmington Mills for a painting and then on to Weymouth. School has started hasn't it? It was throbbing. what amazing terraces on the front with wonderful victorian shelters and railings, loads of cafes, b&b's, hotels.. and tonnes of people eating ice creams. It is great and I will be back a lot I think.
Lesson is:
Paint and do as little running around with the goddam things when they are done as possible.
Now I must tidy my studio for the visitation.
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Bum! Missed the party!
My first visit to London for ages..
We booked our holiday, for the first time, and what a year to pick it, chasing the sun driving down through France to Spain. It was fabulous! The timing was built around Ollie's rugby tour and meant we missed all but the last few days of the Olympics. It seemed London was buzzing. I never listen to panic traffic warnings so why did I pay any attention to the 'don't drive in London during the Olympics' notices? This morning I drove past the banners, the union flags, the trampled dead grass in Hyde park where the big screens were and my heart sank. London always reacts well to troubles: - the tube bombings- I'll never forget the city coming to a halt a month later for two minutes and then the response to the riots last year. Apparently we can celebrate too. Apparently London was smiling. It would have been good to catch that. I understand it had never been easier getting in and out of the city too. Never mind. My kids will tell you I always get fed up after Christmas but I remind them it's not over yet. There's new year yet... And now we have the Paralympics. Rock on!
On another note I have just finished another couple of days with the wonderful APV (caroline and Ant Parker) filming in Bantham. We had one day of sun. Out of the five or so paintings done I think 2 or 3 came good which is cool. I can not talk while painting though so we have a voice over and a bit in my studio to do. Anyway I think the sun is peaking through here in London. I'm off to paint a piece of the Howard de Walden estate with a scaffold truck in the foreground.
We booked our holiday, for the first time, and what a year to pick it, chasing the sun driving down through France to Spain. It was fabulous! The timing was built around Ollie's rugby tour and meant we missed all but the last few days of the Olympics. It seemed London was buzzing. I never listen to panic traffic warnings so why did I pay any attention to the 'don't drive in London during the Olympics' notices? This morning I drove past the banners, the union flags, the trampled dead grass in Hyde park where the big screens were and my heart sank. London always reacts well to troubles: - the tube bombings- I'll never forget the city coming to a halt a month later for two minutes and then the response to the riots last year. Apparently we can celebrate too. Apparently London was smiling. It would have been good to catch that. I understand it had never been easier getting in and out of the city too. Never mind. My kids will tell you I always get fed up after Christmas but I remind them it's not over yet. There's new year yet... And now we have the Paralympics. Rock on!
On another note I have just finished another couple of days with the wonderful APV (caroline and Ant Parker) filming in Bantham. We had one day of sun. Out of the five or so paintings done I think 2 or 3 came good which is cool. I can not talk while painting though so we have a voice over and a bit in my studio to do. Anyway I think the sun is peaking through here in London. I'm off to paint a piece of the Howard de Walden estate with a scaffold truck in the foreground.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Olympic London
Bit of a rant... Forgive me:
We have spent a huge effort and enormous sums of money bidding and preparing for the olympics so people can come to London from all around the world but then we put signs across London on the weeks leading up to it on our roads and our public transport systems saying for God's sake don't think of travelling to or in London when the olympics are on. Strange really.
Messums are doing a 'Best of British' group show and I have put some new pictures on my website that feature - sketches that I did on pageant day and a couple of the Gloriana when it was at Richmond having more gold put on it.
I finished the Cardiff show a couple of weeks ago and have handed over all the information and pictures. I really enjoyed painting Cardiff and its surroundings. It is a wonderful city with lovely Victorian houses.
I spent last weekend in London with Caroline, Ant and their son Oliver alias APV films. They filmed me painting Broadway Market in London Fields, Shad Thames and Lambeth Bridge. It was fairly rainy. We dodged most of the showers spending long periods under brollies but it was all great fun. We are going down to Bantham to do some more on Tuesday and Wednesdy and are praying for sun. When we were in Lambeth we saw this amazing Victorian building on the west end of Lambeth High Street a bit like Keble Oxford and St Pancras. Lambeth High street incidentally is remarkable for being the least High street high street there can be. There are no shops - just one pub in the middle. Apparently Lambeth was once famous for it's tiles and the building at the end is decorated in the most incredibly detailed ceramics.
We have spent a huge effort and enormous sums of money bidding and preparing for the olympics so people can come to London from all around the world but then we put signs across London on the weeks leading up to it on our roads and our public transport systems saying for God's sake don't think of travelling to or in London when the olympics are on. Strange really.
Messums are doing a 'Best of British' group show and I have put some new pictures on my website that feature - sketches that I did on pageant day and a couple of the Gloriana when it was at Richmond having more gold put on it.
I finished the Cardiff show a couple of weeks ago and have handed over all the information and pictures. I really enjoyed painting Cardiff and its surroundings. It is a wonderful city with lovely Victorian houses.
I spent last weekend in London with Caroline, Ant and their son Oliver alias APV films. They filmed me painting Broadway Market in London Fields, Shad Thames and Lambeth Bridge. It was fairly rainy. We dodged most of the showers spending long periods under brollies but it was all great fun. We are going down to Bantham to do some more on Tuesday and Wednesdy and are praying for sun. When we were in Lambeth we saw this amazing Victorian building on the west end of Lambeth High Street a bit like Keble Oxford and St Pancras. Lambeth High street incidentally is remarkable for being the least High street high street there can be. There are no shops - just one pub in the middle. Apparently Lambeth was once famous for it's tiles and the building at the end is decorated in the most incredibly detailed ceramics.
The Day of the Pageant, 10am, Spectators Settling, Lambeth
oil on board 6 x 8
Bute Street from The South, Cardiff
oil on board 8 x 10
Friday, 22 June 2012
RP
Friday, 15 June 2012
On Gary's request..
I have avoided in the past talking about painting let alone posting pictures but as Gary from down under has requested here is my rejection from the Threadneedle:
I was lucky enough to have a small on accepted which I am delighted at. I am not posting that one - you'll have to go to the Mall for that. This is 50 x 40 inches and took me an hour or two. By the way I think I said something derogatory about the Threadneedle taking 4 years to go trendy but it has been pulled right back in line and I would recommend any serious figurative painter to enter (keep your big mouth shut Brown!). While we're on the case, registration for the glorious NEAC Open Exhibition has opened. With the option to apply digitally this makes great sense for those further afield to now enter. Here's the link:
http://www.newenglishartclub.co.uk/exhibitions.asp
http://www.newenglishartclub.co.uk/exhibitions.asp
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Sun and Rain: Olympic Torch and the River Pageant
On the 23rd May Summer came to Bath with the arrival of the Olympic torch. My painting elsewhere desperately needed sun so I was not there to join in the atmosphere of school children and parents and grandparents, etc.... lining the streets in anticipation. Apparently it was great. It marked the beginning of shorts and sandals and, for us, signing up to the local outdoor pool. After 2 days we never thought it would rain again and we started to worry about the garden and desperately tried not to say out loud:
"But it's too hot!"
I am currently trying my best to paint a commission for the Draper's Company of the pageant. I had decided on a view from London Bridge towards Tower Bridge. I had set up a lovely sunny day from there previously with lots of foreground space for the tall hips and the relevant boats to stick in from sketches on the day... but sun did not happen so on the morning of the pageant I set off at 4am and got to London Bridge at 6am to set up a rainy scene. After weeks of being very apprehensive I had put myself in a positive state of mind and was up for it. When I'd parked up and arrived at the bridge I was faced with three yards next to the balustrade cordoned off, guarded by those fluorescent jackets. A deep breath, a smile and my best attitude was not good enough:
"Just an hour,.. half an hour,.. in and out and I'll be gone..."
I was pleased that I did not shout at him and took my temper out on the security fence when no one was looking later on (a small kick - oo Pete). I painted what I could from behind the fence - the top three feet of the masts and the balustrade while I watched them put plastic seats out for the nobs and the media. I did not find the watercolour jokes and the 'put me in it' jokes funny for that hour and in the end I left to paint a pageant unrelated wet street in Borough. 2 Hours later I'd calmed down and drove to Lambeth to do a tiny quick sketch of the building crowds on the embankment before going to a concrete pontoon at Battersea under the kind invite of Melanie and Mark 'The Organic' who live on the craziest catamaran houseboat I have ever seen! There were lots of people there with food and fancy dress invited by various residents and the atmosphere was great. We heard cheers from crowds over the river watching the big screen and I worked on a 10 x 15 looking at Vauxhall bridge with the great heights of the Shard disappearing into mist behind. The boats were great and the colours, I thought, better on a grey day than a sunny one. My depiction of the boats consisted of dots and splodges. My companions, Jonathan and his son Ludo were great company and Jonathan's knowledge and commentary on the passing boats it seems far exceeded that of the BBC who apparently banged on in the usual show biz obsessed style. When most had passed we drove up to London Bridge so that I could catch the tall ships at last from the bridge but the commoners were still forbidden from the view. Jonathan and Ludo went off to get a closer look at the queen and I found a great view looking over that slated ground around the 'Crash Helmet' looking towards London Bridge. Whether the painting comes to anything we'll see. The firework volley off the top of Tower Bridge was a great surprise and in the following seconds the smoke engulfed everything as the bridge disappeared. I was quite calm now getting steadily soggier and people chatted to me about their day and where they'd come from and it was lovely. My companions phoned to say they were off as Ludo who'd done so well was tired and wet and shortly after wetting my pants laughing at the lady in her union flag dress singing in the rain as she danced through the water feature 30 yards to my right I packed up and squelched back to the van. I drove home in bare feet warmed by the heaters ironing out the soggy wrinkles and at 10.30 shared some crisps and a glass of wine with Lisa before sleep - ahh lush!! I am not too sure quite how to proceed with the commission and as I sit here I am debating whether to drive up on the off chance that the tall ships have not left but I reckon they probably will have..
A great weekend though confirming my belief that people are good natured (excepting the odd knackered artist at 6am on a rainy morning at London Bridge) complete fruitcakes!
"But it's too hot!"
I am currently trying my best to paint a commission for the Draper's Company of the pageant. I had decided on a view from London Bridge towards Tower Bridge. I had set up a lovely sunny day from there previously with lots of foreground space for the tall hips and the relevant boats to stick in from sketches on the day... but sun did not happen so on the morning of the pageant I set off at 4am and got to London Bridge at 6am to set up a rainy scene. After weeks of being very apprehensive I had put myself in a positive state of mind and was up for it. When I'd parked up and arrived at the bridge I was faced with three yards next to the balustrade cordoned off, guarded by those fluorescent jackets. A deep breath, a smile and my best attitude was not good enough:
"Just an hour,.. half an hour,.. in and out and I'll be gone..."
I was pleased that I did not shout at him and took my temper out on the security fence when no one was looking later on (a small kick - oo Pete). I painted what I could from behind the fence - the top three feet of the masts and the balustrade while I watched them put plastic seats out for the nobs and the media. I did not find the watercolour jokes and the 'put me in it' jokes funny for that hour and in the end I left to paint a pageant unrelated wet street in Borough. 2 Hours later I'd calmed down and drove to Lambeth to do a tiny quick sketch of the building crowds on the embankment before going to a concrete pontoon at Battersea under the kind invite of Melanie and Mark 'The Organic' who live on the craziest catamaran houseboat I have ever seen! There were lots of people there with food and fancy dress invited by various residents and the atmosphere was great. We heard cheers from crowds over the river watching the big screen and I worked on a 10 x 15 looking at Vauxhall bridge with the great heights of the Shard disappearing into mist behind. The boats were great and the colours, I thought, better on a grey day than a sunny one. My depiction of the boats consisted of dots and splodges. My companions, Jonathan and his son Ludo were great company and Jonathan's knowledge and commentary on the passing boats it seems far exceeded that of the BBC who apparently banged on in the usual show biz obsessed style. When most had passed we drove up to London Bridge so that I could catch the tall ships at last from the bridge but the commoners were still forbidden from the view. Jonathan and Ludo went off to get a closer look at the queen and I found a great view looking over that slated ground around the 'Crash Helmet' looking towards London Bridge. Whether the painting comes to anything we'll see. The firework volley off the top of Tower Bridge was a great surprise and in the following seconds the smoke engulfed everything as the bridge disappeared. I was quite calm now getting steadily soggier and people chatted to me about their day and where they'd come from and it was lovely. My companions phoned to say they were off as Ludo who'd done so well was tired and wet and shortly after wetting my pants laughing at the lady in her union flag dress singing in the rain as she danced through the water feature 30 yards to my right I packed up and squelched back to the van. I drove home in bare feet warmed by the heaters ironing out the soggy wrinkles and at 10.30 shared some crisps and a glass of wine with Lisa before sleep - ahh lush!! I am not too sure quite how to proceed with the commission and as I sit here I am debating whether to drive up on the off chance that the tall ships have not left but I reckon they probably will have..
A great weekend though confirming my belief that people are good natured (excepting the odd knackered artist at 6am on a rainy morning at London Bridge) complete fruitcakes!
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