NOVEMBER 2005
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Much the same pattern as yesterday.
E mail from Tarik giving me more details on wall heights for the proposed mural project in Jeddah.
I look out of my studio window to see Eddy, our fearless builder on top of the roof feeding a huge flexible stainless steel tube down the chimney stack. Richard was inside at the bottom pulling it down on a rope, through a hole unbricked in the chimney breast. After a while it stopped disappearing and surreally Eddy appeared to be struggling with an elephant's trunk that flapped in the strong wind, eventually lassoing it with rope. Another tug from Richard below and it half disappeared from view, the remainder Eddy lashed to the chimney stack.
Cafe foreground composition now becoming a lot more resolved. Still refining the two King Abdullahs.
Morning spent in studio.
Henrietta and Kev arrive during the afternoon, both looking well and happy. We sit and chat around the fire for a couple of hours before Henrietta and I go for a walk calling in on my Mum en route to collect her for supper. It's like a battle zone outside; the dark sky lighting up with flashes and thundering explosions. It's November 5th and the whole of the village and surrounding areas seem to be resounding in memory of Guy Fawkes who with Robert Catesby and friends had planed to blow up the King, Princes and Government in 1605 at the opening of Parliament but were discovered after filling the cellar of an adjoining house belonging to Catesby with about 35 barrels of gunpowder - enough to blow the Palace of Westminster sky high. Guy Fawkes, a sympathiser was an explosives expert and an old boy of St Peter's School in York where Richard's Uncle John was a pupil some 325 years later. It claims to be the oldest continuous school in the country and was founded by St Augustine.
After breakfast Henrietta and I go into Cheltenham for a quick shopping spree before they leave at 1.45 to visit friends who've had twins, a frequent occurrence in my paintings. It's back to the easel in the afternoon.
Make very good progress on all front in the studio today, working from morning till morning with just a break for dinner, the late night walk and a call from Tom Tempest Radford who wants to know if I have a painting that could be auctioned for Seeing is Believing, a charity set up by Standard Chartered Bank, to restore the sight of a million people though out the world.
R's in London; he meets up with Nathan at a Japanese noodles bar in Camden Town, to discuss the film which Nathan will start to edit this week. I working solidly in the studio, apart from walking with my Mum in the evening down to her skittles session in the pouring rain; I'm most impressed when a friend stops to offer us a lift and she declines saying that if I've made the effort to come out and walk with her in this weather, she ought to continue.
Whilst working in the studio during the morning I receive call from Wallace. We talk about exhibitions and the painting he is wanting to commission. He was going to visit on Sunday but we decide to postpone it until December as there are several deadlines looming.
During the evening a call from Rick Rumrell in Florida. We discuss the recent terrible hurricanes, Katrina etc. which luckily did not damage his homes in St Augustine or Key West. I ask him if they were frightening but in a Rick-like way he doesn't seem to have been too disturbed. He, Jo, Dylan and Tina are going to be over here towards the end of the month so were wondering if they could come and do a visit. It crosses my mind that maybe we should also invite Wallace.
At the easel all day.
It's Armistice Day when we remember all those who have died during wars of the last century and this. Two minutes silence at 11 am to contemplate their sacrifice; the numbers so vast it's almost too unbearable to think about. Interestingly the afternoon play on Radio 4 was written by Sian James who I had lunch with some years ago, with our mutual friend Nesta Marshall; it's a touching story called Billy Mason From Gloucester, about a young deserter who had enlisted at the age of sixteen saying he was nineteen. But he couldn't bear to kill anyone. Found by a middle aged female farm worker who tried to save him from dying but failed. A touching tale that brought home the reality of how difficult it must have been and still is for many young men to have to kill another; though these days it's more acceptable to be an objector and deserters are presumably not shot as they were in Billy Mason's time.
There's also an interesting little series on the radio about artists who listen to radio 4 while they work. One of today's was Norman Ackroyd the printmaker, who has a radio on each floor of his studio so that he doesn't miss anything when moving from one to another. he taught Richard at Winchester where R also used to print editions for him. I bought Richard one of his etchings at an auction at the Dover street Arts Club a few years ago.
Steady progress in the studio.
It's a bright sunny day but cold; so good light conducive to work. Interrupted only by forays into the garden to pick the last of the tomatoes and red peppers.
Day spent on the Cafe and refining King Abdullah but big bash through evening into Monday morning on the Sweetshop. R is fixing all the parts as I do more painting of the background around each and on the sweets within the pots themselves. It's after 6 am when I turn in and Richard still has to attach the Kit-Kats for me.
R takes Sweetshop to the Darkroom photographers early, before having sleep. I don't surface until just before 2 pm when I paint the strips normally concealed by the top (with the jars on) at either side, in my dressing gown. then after I've showered, a few last minute touches with my brush before R takes it away. Richard and Elaine, the commissioners, have been very patient as I've worked on it for the past eighteen months.
Just before R leaves my Mum arrives with Ann who I haven't seen for about twenty years. Recently awarded an MBE for her work in the Probation Service she's had a sad time over the last year or so as she's lost both her mother and her partner Peter. I'm interested to learn that she's converting to Roman Catholicism and is meeting her priest Father Bede for further instruction this evening.
E mail from the Bridgeman Art Library in Paris requesting reproduction of the Poker Players and asking if the publishers can crop it. Also one from a graphic design student at the University of Idaho saying 'thank you' for allowing him to reproduce one of the images on an educational project.
Great relief that the Sweetshop has now been finished and delivered though feel somewhat at a loss when I am talking to my Mum on the phone, not to have a carved wooden jar of sweets to paint as one fitted very neatly next to the telephone. But I'm able to surge ahead on the other projects.
Have been feeling sad for the past week since our dear friend Ronald phoned to tell us that his wife Margaret had died, losing a battle to cancer. A wonderful story teller, full of wit, humour and mischief and extraordinarily well read. She often regaled us with tales of her time working in Harley Street - the celebrities and their amusing ways. She had also worked as a teacher and book seller which seemed to have given her a huge bank of knowledge and anecdote on which to draw, finding an appropriate common ground with whoever she was talking to. I cannot think about her without a smile coming to my face. We will really miss her at all the gatherings and social occasions where she would circulate and talk to everyone, young or old with laughter usually coming from that direction. And all those witty and unusual postcards that would come just because she happened to have a thought that as appropriate to us or she thought the image would amuse. Today we exchanged these happy memories of her as we said our farewell at her funeral service.
In each news bulletin today there has been a mention of the American courts bringing a fraud case against Lord Conrad Black and three other other executives from the Hollinger Group. Sad really as I was commissioned to paint the directors of the Hollinger Group to celebrate the merger with Canwest Global in 2001 reading newspapers owned by the Group. I imagine the painting lives in the group's headquarters but certainly my friends Jane and David spotted it in a programme about Conrad Black whilst they were watching television in Tasmania.
A cold day as winter frosts have started but light in the studio good during the earlier part of the day. I don't like these dark nights as have to resort to the electric light. It's so cold in fact that we have now put heating in the building works so that it will warm enough to plaster without it freezing, which apparently turns it into dust.
Nice phone call from Professor Ken. He and Nancy are back from New Zealand for him to catch up with his teaching at Oxford and the London Business School. They are back to New Zealand early in December where he is Professor of Global Strategy at Auckland.
News today of the resignation of the Editor of the Telegraph, Martin Newland, who is often photographed in front of one of my newspaper paintings, so suspect he may either own one or has one in his office.
Nice card from Richard and Elaine saying the Sweetshop has far surpassed their expectations.
Also call from Caroline to see how the Cafe is coming on. We arrange a time on Sunday for them to come and see it.
Good day in the studio though not so good for our builders as although it's bright again, there's been a strong frost and it's several degrees below all day. They would have been plastering a ceiling but it's too cold even with the heaters.
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Caroline and Simon come to see the painting. Caroline says it's fabulous and Simon is outwardly enthusiastic though I can tell he's not quite sure about something. It's perhaps the colour of the cafe frontage. he's reluctant to let me change it as realises the whole balance might alter and mentions that the last painting seemed to have more luminosity; this is one of the problems of showing the work before it's quite complete as it's something I build up more and more towards the end. As a designer, he's sensitive to my position and says he wouldn't like it if his clients wanted to make change.
Nice card from Daphne and Michael sending a cutting from The Independent with photograph showing Martin Newland sitting underneath the newspaper painting.
Work through until the early hours of 4.30.
Envelope from Martin Bailey also sending cutting from The Independent with Martin Newland.
ditto.
Although R took the painting into the photographers early this morning to have the transparency made, when I look at the painting I know there's more I want to do. R's very sympathetic and phones Mike the printer who was travelling to The Darkroom to collect the transparency, to stop him driving up from Bristol on his way back to Swindon; he offers to take the painting in to be photographed again first thing in the morning and drive the transparency down there tomorrow himself. So it's another long night.
Woken by message from Mike, who says he could meet Richard in Burford this afternoon to get the transparency. But R's already nearly in Swindon when I phone him, which is good as it means the printers can get a proof done this afternoon.
I'm busy making refinements on the two King Abdullah paintings when R returns, having bought a sink unit and rug.
Proof arrives for the card it looks good but a little too pale so R speaks to the printer who will make the necessary adjustments.
Busy refining the two King Abdullah paintings again.
Rick and Jo Rumrell, their son Dylan and Tina his brand new fiancé (he proposed on top of the London Eye this week) get here at about 1pm. This exactly coincides with Wallace's arrival. After introductions we sit and chatter over glasses of champagne. My Mum makes her entrance next shortly before we make a foray over to the studio whilst R is cooking the lunch. It's really good for me to get their reactions to the paintings, particularly the King Abdullah canvases which they all seem to like. They are also very keen on the Café painting so am really pleased. We discuss Wallace's commission and show him the frame and panel I am thinking of using for it.
Lunch is fun, Rick says this is our Thanksgiving meal as we exchange presents. Lots of chatter, laughter and telling of stories. R has managed to get the BlackBerry working this week - Rick had been so enthusiastic about his last year that it persuaded us to get one but R has only just had time to synchronise it with our computer and mail. He tells us with glee that an e mail has just arrived on it from Saudi Arabia it's Alistair saying that they will be in the UK briefly early in December and would like to have a meeting with me for further discussions following up my meeting with Tarik. Also to discuss the other Saudi paintings. Rick and family leave at about 6.30, they are driving back to London in their hired car and will return to Florida on Monday. Wallace leaves shortly after.
Back in the studio, at work. An e mail from Alistair saying that they have just hung all the paintings in the Headquarters in Saudi Arabia and they look very impressive. I'm pleased as it's good to get a reaction.
Call from Caroline to enquire if we've had a proof of the card and also if they could have a transparency and disc of the painting for possible publicity purposes.
Gloucestershire makes the news today as we've had another snow fall and the roads are in chaos; but when we go for our late night walk after the days work in the studio it not too bad underfoot ; the chill air and silvery light are wonderfully invigorating.
Tuesday 29.11.05
E mail from Sue Bezani at the Star College saying they are now returning the sculpture exhibition to the University sculpture campus. Also telling me about their recent trip to Tate Britain to see the Roger Fenton exhibition, an early brilliant pioneer of photography. He was particularly famous for the series of photographs he took during the Crimean War in the 1850s.
More refining on the two King Abdullah paintings - absorbed in the details.
Wednesday 30.11.05
E mail from Gretel. "...was so sad to read about Margaret's passing. I will never forget her forthright attitude, her humour and her robust views on the state of story writing! ...."
They had got on very well, despite the generation difference, when they met at our parties. They were both very keen on literature, Gretel having written, illustrated and published children's books herself and margaret having been a teacher and bookseller who was still working with young children on voluntary basis, helping them to learn to read.
E mail from Caroline in response to receiving the new image of the painting saying "...It's absolutely fabulous - well done! We're both thrilled with it. Thank you! ..." Am greatly relieved as they didn't see it again before it went to the photographers and printers.
E mail from Alistair in Saudi Arabia re. the meeting next week saying
that if the mural commission, which is still very much under discussion,
was to go ahead what reference materials would I need to work with as they
might be able to bring some with them for the meeting. then a little later
a call from him in response to my reply. he said the five Japanese
paintings and the Saudi newspaper which are
all hanging there look stunning and that a Japanese visitor there last week
recognised that one was Kyoto. Again I'm so pleased as it's a huge responsibility
to get commissions right. which is why of course I'm still working on the
King Abdullah canvases.