JUNE 2005
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Call from Celia at Bridgeman Art Library asking if I would waive the fee for the Public Art Collection to reproduce a thumbnail of a tiny painting ARTIST AND MODEL that is in the collection of Rye Art Gallery. I'm delighted as I didn't know they owned it.
Focus on the Saudi newspaper painting today, figures and photographs, whilst Richard drives Henrietta to Windsor to seen her friend (Katryna, with whom she travelled to India), before Katryna leaves with her boyfriend Treve for Kenya for the start of a years travelling around the world.
The exit polls in the Dutch referendum on the European Constitution indicate a large rejection of it.
Cheque arrives from Brian Sinfield.
Jane from Tempest Radford e mails to ask if I have a pair of paintings that might be suitable for the boardroom of a financial firm. We're having to do a lot of juggling around and buying back as working on the Japanese and Saudi commissions has meant that I'm not producing as much work for exhibitions or dealers.
Rob Whittle (dealer) rings to see if I have any pictures he could show!!!
Work rather late (3 am) on the Al-Dyrriah canvas. I'd wanted to make the far wall more interesting and now I've added the metal poles and wooden struts that are supporting the ancient structure and the new mortar used to repair the crumbling wall it seems to have done the trick.
R's gone to London to collect more stretchers, brushes and paints etc. whilst I'm having an intensive session on the Saudi newspaper canvas, particularly the heads, working into the faces and the red patterning on the throbies.
Day of mixed endeavours,
Henrietta and Kev are back from Prague having had a marvellous time.
All energy devoted to the Saudi newspaper canvas; it's beginning to come to life with all the red patterning on the throbies (have now patterned seven).
E mail from Hugh at DGM asking if he could have transparencies of two of the paintings for CD covers.
Tuesday 7.6.05
Package from Artworks arrives. They have reproduced The Beautiful Game (which they purchased from my last exhibition) on postcards and their most recent leaflet. The Whale is also on their posters. Lisa has included a map to aid our journey there next week when I will present them with Armchair Supporters They have been so good buying my work over the past few years, that it's a way of saying thank you and encouraging their wonderful service to schools and the community in Leicestershire. Lisa had commented to Richard how she would have liked to have had this painting too.
Jane rang from Tempest Radford to say that Tom wondered if it would be possible to deliver the Manga and newspaper paintings to London for him to try out in the financial company's boardroom. So have been working on the Manga and newspaper painting today.
Parcel arrives from Italy sent by Tiz, music journalist and musician, enclosing several copies of Metal Shock, music magazine for which he interviewed me eighteen months ago. It includes a handsome two page spread with reproductions of four of the paintings King Crimson have used on CDs and DVDs.
My Mum calls in on her way back from Denley Hall where she has had a meeting with two teachers from Cleeve School who are going to be making the Big Book of Bishop's Cleeve. Being one of the longest residents, she is going to do a workshop with the children, talking about Bishop's Cleeve; they will make drawings of her and she of them. She will also take them on a walk to point out places of particular interest to her. She looks very bright and motivated.
Thursday 9.5.05
R's in London taking new painting to Robert Sandelson, who's currently showing Sam Francis upstairs and Damien Hirst works on paper downstairs. I continue on the Saudi newspapers until his return. After supper I add more to The Pantomime Cow as Rob Whittle's coming to collect it and Roulette tomorrow.
Martin Bailey has sent cutting from The Independent showing Martin Newland (editor of the Daily Telegraph) in front of one of my newspaper paintings which I presume he owns.
Rob Whittle arrives a little early - I'm still doing extra to The Pantomime Cow. Alistair rings to say the transparency's come out looking over exposed can Richard take it back for another shot but I explain that it's just about to walk out of the door so R takes a few digital and film photographs of it for the records.
Phone call from Tom Tempest Radford saying they're doing an exhibition in July would I have any work for it ? this being extra to the show they are doing of my work at the Prudential headquarters which coincides.
E mail from Sue head of photography at Star College to say she thinks the star badge/broaches that Rosina Beech is designing and making for me as part of the photography awards, along with the sculpture designed and executed by Tristan at the University. She's discussed with her students how it should be attached and they think broach-lke.
Our builders have made good progress this week. We now have battened roofs on both parts of the new building. It's very exciting watching it take shape.
Spend day working on the Saudi newspaper canvas.
A beautiful turquoise begins to fill the windows and lower part of the walls on the Al-Dirriyah canvas. One of the most striking features of this ancient city was the use of this particular colour in decorating the sand coloured mud-bricked architecture, along with the fascinating pierced hole patterning of walls which was presumably used for ventilation and to look through.
Further patterning to the old wooden door propped against the side wall on the Al-dirriyah canvas. The doors in this city and throughout the varying regions of the country have often been painted in a beautiful folk art way, decorated with traditional Arabic patterning similar to those in woven rugs and textiles. It enables me to bring more colour into this predominantly sand hued and turquoise painting.
More patterning.
In the evening, visit from Maureen (interior designer), dear friend from student days when she actually studied illustration. A good example of the flexibility of the creative mind. She and her youngest son, Ross, have now set up an interior design practice together.
Call from Tom Tempest Radford re. paintings for the Prudential etc. Set off mid morning for Loughborough, arriving at Holywell School 2.15. Lisa (of the Open Museum, Leicestershire) is already there with Mike, head of Outreach Services. Introduced to the deputy head and the photographer who poses a group of children with the painting I am presenting to Artworks and myself. This is the School's art week when all projects are art based. Apart from having paintings on loan from Artworks the School has a good collection of its own, works by Maggie Hambling, Mary Fedden and one of my earlier works, a Punch and Judy construction. The children have also been working on projects related to my paintings. The whole school is then assembled in the hall where I am introduced by Mike and then Chairman of Leicestershire County Council wearing his chain of office. I talk for about fifteen minutes to the children and they respond with lots of very pertinent questions. After it's drawn to a close a few children linger behind for more questions and autographs. We are then shown round the School which is based on a honeycomb, each classroom inter linked. It's wonderful to see d so much creativity under one roof, from reception to eleven ears of age.
Nice and sunny for our return journey and are home by 6.30.
Catching up after the day out. Working more light and shadows onto the left hand wall of the Al-Dirriyah canvas.
The Saudi newspaper canvas absorbs my energies today, working further into heads and hands.
Unusual for a Saturday, Eddy and Wayne are working, tiling the roof with the old tiles we had bought from Winchcombe Reclamation. They had arrived on Thursday whilst we were in Loughborough. Enhanced by the patina of age, they vary in colour and texture. We are told once the lid is on you're getting there!!
More to the Al-Dirriyah painting and also pattern another ghoutra on the newspaper canvases. The current heat wave continues making the light and humidity appropriate to my subject matter.
For several weeks I've been waiting to start one of the newly primed canvases Richard had stretched for me the third of the Saudi Arabian works. I'm using the beautiful tasselled camel bag and hanging that we'd brought back as the starting point of the carpet and rug stall (in the Souk). This canvas should end up being very colourful and decorative, particularly using the triangular motifs so popular in Arabic woven fabrics. I begin painting in (almost drawing with my brush) in a soft raw sienna but very soon find myself adding the red stripes and multi coloured tassels of the camel bag. Later I'm back on the Saudi papers, painting the parts of the photographs that have continued from the canvas to running under the bottom of the frame.
A little more to the Al-dirriyah picture before Richard photographs it to send an image to Saudi Arabia. Start one of the two newspaper canvases that I have promised to Tempest Radford.
Parcel from Germany containing copy of Nouveau Horizons a German educational book (in French). They have reproduced my painting Good Morning M. Balladur with letter asking me to send an invoice for reproduction fee.
Statement arrives from the Bridgeman Art Library for reproduction fees on my work over the last quarter. The clients vary from a big law firm through publishers to a classical music cd.
Have now added lots of colour to most of the surface of the carpet seller canvas and two more figures.
Phone call from Rob Whittle saying he has a client interested in one of the works he collected from the studio at the end of last week; apparently he's the first person to see it and is one of Rob's long term collectors.
There'd been a terrific thunderstorm through the night that still seems to be in progress so Richard runs my Mum to and from the doctors for her six-monthly check up and again she has a good report, no problems. Which is wonderful for nearly 83. I'm sure her positive attitude has a lot to do with it.
Then we're off to Worcester to have lunch with dear friends from Art school days Janet, David and Joyce lots of reminiscing over wonderful food, Janet is an amazing cook.
A combination of the Carpet seller, newspaper painting and gardening today. We've replanted one of my studio beds.
Notice when researching the papers that one mentioned the names that stars and celebrities give their children. Christie Brinkley's daughter is called Sailor, of particular interest as she purchased a large water-colour that I did of three sailors.
The souk carpet seller canvas is now filling with more figures, silhouetted against and contrasting with the the colour and patterns of rugs, camels bags, hangings etc.
A big bouquet of beautiful sunflowers like van Gogh's and peonies arrives followed shortly afterwards by an exquisite white orchid. It's my birthday and I'm very fortunate to have been inundated with birthday cards and parcels from dear friends and collectors. After opening these, spend the day painting in my studio which is what I like to do, it gives me a wonderful sense of well being and continuity. How fortunate I am to be able to spend my life in this way. A call from Henrietta and later, Nathan. A supper with my Mum, Minnie, two Richards and Rose. the latter two had bought me a beautiful bicentenary edition of the complete tales of Hans Christian Anderson which uses his paper cut illustration to accompany the stories.
Working on the second newspaper canvas. E mail from Sue Bezani saying that they are going to collect the sculpture maquettes for the Photography award from the University on Friday to take up to the Star College to exhibit where I think they will still be when the photography exhibition opens towards the end of next week which will be followed by the film on the student visit to New York earlier in the year.
E mail from Lisa saying she has two museums interesteed in the Day at the Races exhibition and another keen to do a show after the summer of 2007. She's a regular dynamo, full of enthusiasm. Also one from Sue Bezani at the Star College, who is touched by the prize and giving thought to how it should best be given or divided.