JULY 2007
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31
R drives the Angel , Tiger and Dove to the gallery as they have a client coming in to look at it. Brian rings shortly after Richard has left the gallery to say that the clients are buying it.
Whilst R was on his way to Burford someone phoned up and bought The Vision and whilst he is there another person rings wanting to buy the already sold Lion, Lamb and Angel.
Miranda rings to say she now has a list of people who had all wanted to buy the Tiger, Angel and Dove and another page of people who had wanted to buy the Lion, Lamb and Angel; she asks if I have any similar pieces that are not in the catalogue. I tell her that I had started a couple of related works a few weeks ago but as time ran out thought I wouldn't get them finished in time. So here I am with these two works back out on easel.
When I get up R has already taken a phone call from Brian saying that one of his clients has just been in to buy The Nationals and Objects of Desire.
I'm working on the other gliding, Angel and Tiger.
ditto
Working on St Jerome / Removing the Thorn /Androcles and the Lion.
R takes next four paintings, Galerie du Temps, Moon and Red Guitar, Weekend and Le Cirque to the gallery. When I eventually climb into bed it's almost midday. I climb out again at 4.30 ish and start work on finishing Nocturne.
Call from Lee in New York to say that one of her clients who has a museum would like to buy the large Tiger, Angel and Dove painting. I explain that has gone but that I am working on a slightly smaller work based on the same theme. She rings back having spoken to her client, to confirm that he would like it.
An invitation from Bishop Michael to a drinks party the day before the Star College reception he is giving to which we are also invited.
The Minutes for the ACS meeting on 5th July arrive with a very nice card from Harriet Bridgeman thanking me for the catalogue and saying that they had a very successful party at the Chelsea Arts Club marred only by my absence (I'd had to decline due to pressure of work) but their compensation was the attendance of Lucien Freud. She is such a charming and clever person and was business woman of the year (a year or two ago).
I now have a dilemma as the gallery's client also wants the gliding angel with tiger.
Work on Nocturne through the latter part of the day and through the night. R takes it over to Burford on....
Call from Joan Martyn of the Loch Gallery in Toronto asking if I'd got her e mail about exhibiting at the Toronto Art Fair in October. She tells me that Marquee has gone to live in a beautiful art deco house. The works have gone wide and far, one went to Norway and another to Kentucky and Toronto of course. The man who bought the Toy Shop from my last exhibition there had called in to say he was coming to London and would like to do a visit.
We go to the National Star College for their Creative and Performing Arts evening. We start with the photography exhibition which gets bigger and better each year even though I think they must have reached the ultimate each time. We manage to get round all the students. John Beach and Wallace are here too and it's particularly interesting to get John (an architect)'s response; he's full of enthusiasm for the students' work and interestingly points out one set of photographs as being outstanding which is very pleasing as it is the same student that Sue has recommended for first prize. The performances in the marquee, which has a dark starlit sky, are stunning - the first being based on 'How the elephant child with the satiable curiosity ( from the Just So stories by Rudyard Kipling), got his trunk'. The animal heads (that look as if they have been made in papier mache) for this performance are beautiful and it is the most delightful experience. The dance likewise is exquisite, on of the students in this, Luke, has just been offered a job with Gloucestershire Dance as a tutor.
When we get back about 11.00 pm I start work finishing off the final group of paintings. R turns in about 4 am after wrapping four, which leaves me finishing off three of the works, taking me through ...
...until 11.20 am when I go to bed. R's now delivered all the paintings (bar two other small works) to the gallery for hanging. I get up at 4.30 pm and do more to the last two works which will be labelled as still in progress.
I'm surprised to hear on the news that the Conrad Black trial has come to a conclusion and the jury have found him and his three co-defendants guilty ( although I think they are going to appeal) who were also in the painting I was commissioned to do of Conrad Black and the other directors of Hollinger and Can West Global communications reading newspapers from the group at the time of the merger.
We drive to Burford. The good thing about having a private view over two days is that you get longer to speak to everyone and I'm so fortunate that my friends always make big efforts to be there.
When we get back I work on Looking for the Ark as all but one of the small works have gone even though some were shown still in progress and I feel guilty if there aren't any for my small painting collectors.
We're off to Burford again. It's so good to see people though feel rather guilty when Anita, the editor of the Echo comes in particularly to see Locals, the painting I did featuring the Echo, as it had sold yesterday.
When we left the gallery yesterday we brought several of the works that
were not quite finished back with us, for me to do a little more to and
to have photographed.
Phone call from Margaret, the chief art consultant at the International Art Consultants, asking if I have work that she can show to clients later in August.
Lucy Rutherford arrives just before 2, to write a piece for the Weekend magazine.
We are extremely lucky that after a lot of grey wet weather today is glorious sunshine, perfect for the Awards Ceremony (A Celebration of Achievement) at the National Star College. It's situated in such a beautiful landscape. It is one of those occasions that is both full of joy and tinged with sadness for the students and staff who become great friends over the two or three years that each student spends studying there they are often sad to leave. The photography prizes come about half way through, the first prize was awarded to Jon McAuley whose work is quite brilliant (and large in volume). Jon has been awarded a place at Southend on Sea College to study Media Level 2.
Friday 20.7.07
Have been working on a small lion painting. Although there is incessant rain throughout the day we had not been aware that because of it, parts of Gloucestershire were flooding, until Richard tried to take my Mum shopping. I'm surprised when he quickly reappears saying they had to turn back as the main road into Cheltenham is like a river and has lots of abandoned cars along it, our next door neighbours amongst them. About 9.30pm I phone Jane and Roy to discuss our proposed lunch in Burford tomorrow which we decide to postpone; Fuschia Cottage where they live in an Oxfordshire village had flooded through every door during the day. Roy had been lifting man hole covers to let the water escape but it went down one and came out of another. neighbours had come to help him clear the water out and barricade.
At about 1 am. Richard and I walk around the village surveying the torrents of water that are sweeping down the lanes and roads of Bishop's Cleeve from the hill ; lots of abandoned cars.
Saturday 21.7.07
It's unbelievable to see the photographs in all the papers, of parts of Gloucestershire that have become flooded. Tewkesbury is totally cut off. All roads impassible with people being evacuated by boat. In the ariel photographs, The Abbey is totally surrounded by water. I try phoning the Gallery but Brian hadn't been able to get into Burford this morning to open it; he'd had to finish his journey home last night by tractor. And Miranda who works with him had to go and stay with relatives as it wasn't possible to reach the village where she lives.
We are just about to depart for London when I hear on the news that our water supply is going to be cut off as the water treatment plant in Tewkesbury is submerged. R goes round to my Mum's (as she is down at her club for their summer Fayre) to fill up all possible containers.
Monday 23.7.07
We're staying n the little studio house in Greenwich and also looking after Isaac in the day, this space means I can paint when he ;s asleep and after we've taken him home in the evening.
When I phone my Mum she's in a heightened state of Excitement after having queued for the free bottled water that is being distributed by the army with Police in attendance. She says there's a wonderful feeling of camaraderie reminiscent of the second world war!
It's my Mum,'s 85th birthday today but the birthday treat we had organised for her, lunch with several of her friends at a local pub, was not able to happen as due to having no water they and most other pubs and cafes in the area didn't open. There are now 'bowsers', large water tanks, placed around the village where people can draw water that can be drunk if they boil it first. Dorothy, one of her friends invited her and other friends to a meal there,so she had a very nice day.
Wednesday 25.7.07
After filling our car with an enormous amount of bottled water purchased from the Blackheath branch of Sainsbury's in the evening we stop at the Chelsea Arts Club to meet Nadine, a young woman art dealer who would like to exhibit my work. Arrive home 2.30 a.m.
/It's raining hard so fill house and studio garden's with as many containers as can find to collect the precious water it's great for washing in and that which drains off the roof for filling the cisterns for flushing the loos.
Friday 27.7.07
I'm very aware how lucky we are it must be very traumatic for those who have lost their belongings and have to leave their flood damaged homes especially the elderly and those with babies or young children.
for us it's just been an interesting challenge ( as the bowsers are already empty when ever we try them ) collecting rainwater in this Heath Robinson way seems like a resource that we should utilise more often. Water suitable for flushing toilets and washing returns for about four hours this evening it's been piped in from Strensham!
Henrietta Kev and Isaac arrive for a belated Birthday celebration for my Mum . I take Isaac down to the village in his pushchair to buy him his first pair of wellington boots -black with turquoise stars and spaceships and he manages to keep them on nearly all the way home in glorious sunshine!
Sunday 29.7.07
/
Monday 30.7.07
/
Tuesday 31.7.07
/
SEPTEMBER 2006 - OCTOBER 2006- NOVEMBER 2006 - DECEMBER 2006 - JANUARY 2007 - FEBRUARY 2007 - MARCH 2007 - APRIL 2007 - MAY 2007 - JUNE 2007 - AUGUST 2007