JULY 2016
Friday 1.7.16
……R has to take the Tiger to the Museum first thing having already e mailed details for the new label etc whist I allow myself to sleep in. He comes back very excited about the way it looks as all the ladders have been cleared, everything polished and he shows me the installation shots he has taken.
We set off - its a nice bright evening - and drive over to Gloucester. There are already people here when we arrive. I thank Nigel and the lovely lady on the desk who always remembers our names. The first person I meet is one of the Bredons Norton art history society members who I gave a talk to earlier in the year - a very handsome man who tells me he is 81 but looks more like 61. Up the stairs to the first floor walking through the wonderful collection of furniture to the City Gallery outside which is a table laden with cheese and grapes, bread and wine served by Vicki the Museum’s Business manager and David Rice its brilliant curator. Many people comment to me how good the food, wine and hospitality is, all organised by the Museum. Almost the first person I meet it Kathleen who lives in Gloucester and owns three of my paintings. Then Judy and Peter Crouch and suddenly the gallery is full with so many friends like Janet and Maureen who I’ve known since art student days and their husbands David and Gordon. My sister Gill arrives early on with two of her old school friends she has been walking with today; its so good to see her recently back from her trip with Ian to Canada and Alaska. Paul and Louise from performing and creative arts at the National Star College; Kathryn the Principal and Gill and John Henry with their beautiful daughter Florence.
I’m amazed when lovely Pete Bungard tells me he and Carol who its a delight see, have bought my Piggy-Wig which Ian and Maeve tell me they would have had too. There are lots of people I haven’t seen for some time like Mark Coote. Suddenly R taps on his glass as its 6.30 and he’s seen that Richard Graham the MP has arrived; Lise Noakes the cabinet member for arts & culture opens the proceedings. It had been very much her suggestion that it would be good to have my exhibition there as part of their Summer of Music Art & Culture that made me expand the idea from just exhibiting my cheese rolling construction with Charles Gere’s 1948 cheese rolling painting. She also tells them that I will be giving a lunchtime talk next Wednesday. Next the Great Roberto (Robert Fripp) gives a superb oration on the quality of perfection. It is so eloquent and considered, his words are an example of perfection too. I then introduce Richard Graham who is also a most eloquent speaker and has just been to a service in the Cathedral to commemorate those lost in the Battle of the Somme and manages to tell us about that and the importance of it in relation to our history and brings it right round to art carrying us through difficult times. He points to one of the paintings by Smith and says that when it was painted in the 1870s, sheep grazed where he now plays cricket. He’s very generous with his words and says that just as Ivor Gurney was Gloucestershire’s poet a century ago so I am Gloucestershire’s artist for our time. I then thank all the Museum staff for making this exhibition possible, particularly David Rice for his encyclopedic knowledge of the collection - how wonderful to have such free access to the picture store which enabled me to have this conversation with past; all the friends and collectors who have loaned paintings and are now looking at blank spaces on their walls; to Richard for driving all over the country to borrow works and for being at the Museum every day this week arranging and helping to hang then to everybody for coming along to support.
It wonderful to chat to so many friends here tonight and I remember to introduce Mark (head of printmaking at the University) to Robert whose concert he went to last year and has been a life long fan. I’m really touched as the whole of the group of Artbridge students that I gave a talk to at a course run by Artshape of which I have the priviledge of being Patron are here. Also Jim, Nicky Seville’s brother who like Mark is also a musician as well as currently being artist in residence for the Artshape students.
I somehow seem to miss dear friends Mark and Viv who Richard tells me have bought The Dream and am also touched when Maxine pro vice chancellor of the University tells me they have purchased the Hare the Tiger the Owl and the Parrot. which Mark Coote says he was also about to buy. Candia and Tony who come from Gloucester tell me how much they have enjoyed it and Candia tells me she will send me a copy of Cotswold Life as well as being in the band Incubus succubus she is also deputy editor of the magazine and did an interview with me a couple of weeks ago. I also miss talking to Shona Arora Martin Horwood’s beautiful wife though do chat to him particularly about Maya his lovely daughter shadowing me on Thursday next week.
Its not until we’re just leaving at the end of this glorious evening after thanking the staff, that Richard tells me Sue and Andy have bought Walking on the Water, the new corrugated piece. I’m thanking them and discussing this on pavement outside with Wallace too so we invite them back for an impromptu supper. Gill has already gone back with the keys. Richard manages to put together a good meal of salmon with the pomegranite and mint salad and jacket potatoes followed by pineapple and cherries. Gill, who will have got up early to drive down from Bedford, turns in before midnight but we all chatter on until after 4 am. Such a lovely way to end one day and start another. Its actually daylight when they set off to Bourton and Wallace for Banbury.
Saturday 2.7.16
I’m able to relax in the warm sunshine in the garden where I do quite a lot of watering and tidying up of the planted pots which I have tended to neglect rather over the past week. The rosa filipes kiftsgate that was given to me by my then dealer Robert Sandelson, is glorious, full of clusters of delicate white blooms, almost like Titania’s bower.
Sunday 3.7.16
Its another lovely warm day so it feels a little like a holiday after the intensity of finishing works for the Gloucester exhibition.
Spend the evening editing May’s diary which Richard has now published on the website - now need to do the same for June. Oh how time flies.
Monday 4.7.16
The Bridgeman Art Library royalties statement arrives and Richard is excited to see that the publishers Wordsworth have reproduced one of the newspaper paintings. They did the rather big ‘Wealth of Nations’ which wears Money Matters on the cover and spine. And in the USA the Portland University alumni magazine; Macmillans ‘Sensation & Perception’ and Oxford University Press for Cambridge Primary English. It always fascinates me that paintings that have long left the studio and been living in someone’s collection can have this new burst of life on a book cover. where of course it reaches a totally different audience. As the Bridgeman Art Library handle it, I don’t have to do anything to give the painting this extra exposure.
Tuesday
Wednesday 6.
Over to Gloucester to give the lunchtime Culture Club talk at the Museum of Gloucester. Lovely audience many of whom I know and Jane and David have come with Sam one of David’s two twin daughters who is over to visit them from Australia. Melissa, Henrietta’s friend and Sheila her Mum, who I haven’t seen for some years; lovely Lyn Amos antique dealer from Winchcombe; a group of Art Bridge students from Artshape wonderful charity I have the honour to be Patron of. After the talk I take them round the exhibition.
Thursday 7. 7 .16
Maya, delightful dancing daughter of Martin Horwood who delivers her (Lib Dem MP for Cheltenham till the last election). We go over to the studio for an hour where Maya watches me paint working on the large canvas I’m creating for the Aston Project meeting room. But at 12.15 Richard drives us into Cheltenham to The Wilson where I am judging a children’s art competition to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the lifeboat that Cheltenham funded and symbolically launched on Pittville Lake before it went to the sea. Sophia of The Wilson and Angus Pryor from the University are my fellow judges. There is a wonderful array of work; Sophie gives us each a piece of paper to write down our ten choices. Maya is very efficient as she notices which ones I have looked at and also notices several of Sophia’s too. When we compare notes we find there are several works to of us have voted for which is how we select the ten winners. Its great fun as the works are so charming and lively and we all seem to agree. Then back to the studio where I paint for another hour adding an Ark to the Aston Project painting. Then at half past five we’re off again to the National Star College at Ullenwood as it’s their evening of Creative and Performing Arts. The first hour spent in the art department where there is a stunning exhibition of the students work - so moving. Louise and Sam, the teaching staff, manage to inspire their students to great heights in painting (Louise) and ceramics (Sam). Martin comes to collect Maya for her dancing class and we go on to the Star Performances which are astoundingly beautiful and so full of joy and happiness; some of the sequences like the shadow puppets with narrator are also wonderfully witty. I never cease to be amazed how each year they continue to be highly original and touch ones heart. Several members of the OrcheStar wave at us and remember that Richard played with them last year for the performance of the piece they had created inspired by my painting Nocturne - The Owl in the City. This evening is also mingled with a little sadness as its the first time we’ve seen Kathryn, the Principal, graded by Ofsted as Outstanding, since she wrote to us to tell us she is moving onto a position she has been head hunted for with a national organisation that strives to make life better for people with disabilities.
Friday
Back to work on Jose’s commission.
Saturday
ditto and prepare paints for retouching Sea Horse tomorrow.
Sunday 10 . 7 .16
Set off to Sutton Courtney near Oxford where I am giving Sea Horse one of the horses I created for the University and Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum to celebrate the centenary of the steeplechase at the Racecourse about six years ago a wash and brush up. It was bought by Sally Rowley Williams, horse owner and one of the founder members of Women in Racing. She and her husband Edmund are moving to Boca Raton in Florida where Sea Horse will be joining them so I’m up the ladder cleaning and retouching with Richard’s help, so that he arrives there looking ship-shape.
Then onto meet Henrietta Kev and the boys at Boulter’s Island near Cookham and the Stanley Spencer Museum, for a belated birthday celebration and to bring the boys back with us for three days. Isaac already has plans for things he would like to create.
Monday 11 . 7 . 16
Isaac and I go to the village shoe shop to buy some hight top white baseball boots and Richard goes to Tesco’s with Samuel to buy a football and some provisions. Then off to the splendid new playground in Pittville Park which has an amazing array of slides, chutes, climbing frames, trampolines, zip wires and even a kiosk selling ice creams and tea etc. Samuel wants me to play football with him outside this area on the grass under the trees which to start with I’m doing holding my umberella as there are short intermittent showers. Then home for creativity and tea.
Tuesday
Isaac now paints the baseball boots yellow. He also wants to do a project called vomiting rainbow for which he needs a white T shirt so Richard pops out to get a pack of 2 T shirts and 3 vests one of which Isaac starts to stencil shapes on from a set the Samuel has been given. He needs to paint his face for the rainbow vomiting where colours come down from the mouth over the neck and onto the T shirt - and draw large white circles around the eyes. Though Samuel does his own thing and creates several different faces cleaning each off with a pack of vitamin e wipes. We watch most of Roald Dahl’s BFG film when they are in bed.
Wednesday 13.6.16
Our copy of Cotswold Life arrives which R opens and finds the splendid piece Candia has written on my two exhibitions, Japan and Gloucester. She’s made a play on words using the P for playful and J for jungle. She’s written and presented it beautifully. But then as well as being deputy editor she’s also a designer - she studied graphic design at Gloucestershire College and also worked at the Museum for five years. And as if that wasn’t enough she and her husband Tony are also musicians - Candia is the singing voice of Incubus Succubus, Europe’s go-to pagan band.
We drive to Sports Direct as Isaac had wanted us to make a cap and I realised that we hadn’t really got enough time or the right materials. He again wants to paint it sos we get two white baseball caps and Samuel also chooses a black one. A few extra seem to appear by the time we reach the cash desk, a cricket bat and ball and a basketball plus huge tennis ball which were 2 for £5. Isaac painting the front panel of the cap in the same yellow as the boots which he is of course wearing and look very cool and the cricket ball which we are trying to get dry enough to paint the same dog motif on as the boots and hat.
Thursday 14.7.16
Terrible news of terrorist attack upon people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, where the driver of a lorry ploughs into the crowds at speed, killing 86 including 10 children. Hundreds more injured, some are on life support machines in critical conditions. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families, the people of Nice and France, innocents slain while enjoying themselves as people do, particularly in beautiful places on the coast such as Nice.
Working on refining commission for Nadine.
Friday 15.7.16
Into The Wilson, Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum, for the presentation of the prizes to the school children that Sophia of The Wilson and Angus from the University and I selected as the winners last week. They look wonderfully young and are quite shy too. It’s a delight to encourage them and perhaps boost their confidence. When I meet Richard outside, the car won’t start as the battery seems to be flat so I end up going home in a taxi whilst he calls the AA who sort him out fairly quickly and send him to Halfords to have a new one fitted.
In the meantime I’m back at work in the studio!
Later in the evening via BBC news, a coup attempt in Turkey.
Saturday 16.7.16
Still finishing the dinner party commission for Nadine
Sunday 17.7.16
More of the same.
Monday 18.7.16
To Buckland Manor for 1.30 to be greeted on the steps by the Great Roberto and Toyah. This is our first visit. Robert has invited us here beofre but either due to us not being able to make it or finding it closed. Its delightful manor house with very attentive staff. The food is exquisitely presented and tastes equally delicious.Its such a joy to spend time with them and we laugh a lot, exchanging stories and catching up with Toyah’s tour, festivals and filming and Robert in preparation for his forthcoming tour. They both look happy.
Tuesday 19.7.16
Wednesday 20.7.16
Travel into Cheltenham for event at Willans the solictors to celebrate the fact that they have raised nearly £11,000 for LINC (which has been their charity this year) - a truly wonderful achievement. They’d held several events including the glorious carol service at Cheltenham College Chapel, a quiz night and a bake-off for which one of the lovely female solicitors tells me she cooked a beetroot and chocolate cake with beetroots from her own allotment. This was also a photo opportunity to publicise their work and LINC’s
Thursday 21.7.16
Off to National Star College early for their Awards ceremony; always a moving occasion hearing how much students have achieved during their two or three years there. though tinged with sadness that they will be leaving the Star. My Capturing Art bronze trophy is this year awarded to Jodie Parker-Hall who has achieved a huge amount particularly during her last year studying art. She has worked with great enthusiasm listening to what others say, taking it on board to learn more about herself, learning by her mistakes and even when tired and stressed and very busy had knuckled down and achieved not only two course works but a job when she leaves. I also get to present the student and staff photography prizes based on Friendship. Though rather sad this year as Kathryn Rudd the young Principal, is moving onto a new job where I am sure she will be making life better for even more people with disabilities. But we will miss her. She is the fourth Principal at the Star since we have been involved over which time it has grown in size and gone from strength to strength so I have no doubt that it will continue to inspire and empower all the young people who become students there helping them to reach their full potential.
Call at the nursery in Gotherington where amongst plants I also buy a blueberry bush and they give me the one and only goji berry bush which was looking rather sad probably due the intense heat of the past few days (when the temperature has reached 34 ) and being overshadowed by other fruit bushes in front of it. So I’m hoping I might be able to help it to regain its glory.
Back in the studio mixing colours both for the Portugese commission and some new corrugated pieces that R has constructed for me and primed in different colours; they look very exciting lying on the large table.
Friday 22.7.16
Start one of the new vertical corrugated pieces.
Saturday 23.7.16
Henrietta, Kev, Isaac and Samuel arrive early evening. Its lovely to see them all - Samuel entered wearing a wonderful black horses head and Isaac that of a white unicorn. They are as usual full of energy so some football and trampolining first! The boys are intrigued to see that Richard has a folding wooden 2 metre ruler; when he holds it out to demonstrate Samuel decided to limbo beneath it - something he turns out to be really good at and wanted to keep repeating with the ruler getting lower each time. He’s very determined and seems to enjoy the challenge. We eat outside by candlelight; dusk when we begin but dark when we finish.
Sunday 24.7.16
It would have been my Mum’s 94th birthday today so Richard and I go to the cemetary taking the Henrietta an the boys bearing geraniums. The boys are very interested in the cemetary and Samuel comments on how nice it is and park-like with it trees and bushes. As we walk to my Mum’s plot Henrietta asks me tell the boys about one of the other grave stones which marks the life of Daniel, the younger brother of one of Nathan’s friends who was tragically killed cycling down the very steep Post Office Lane colliding with a lorry. He sadly died whilst only seventeen. They are very interested to see my fathers tombstone to one side of my Mother (their great grandfather whom they never knew as sadly he died in 1991) and were intriuged to hear about Henry (buried on the other side of her) who five years later became her partner but who sadly died in 2002. The boys place their geraniums and we the lily. I tell them they can say a little prayer if they like and we then sing Happy Birthday. They are interested to know how the three plots being all together came about and I tell them that I purchased them all at the time my father died.
Monday 25.7.16
In the evening we drive to the Centaur at the Racecourse where the Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards are being held. Its a very glamorous occasion - a greeitng party awaits outside with Mike Lowe the Editor, Adam Henson and the MD of Archant the publisher. We meet Marion Sweet the Canadian of Damselfly inside. She used to be deputy editor of the Echo and her PR company now does a lot of work for the Star College and other charities - it was she who asked me to head up the Longfield Hospice’s Art for Life project. She tells us we are sitting on her table along with Katie Jarvis chief feature writer and Sir Henry and Lady Caroline Elwes. We are chatting near the table when Laurence and Jackie Llewelyn Bowen arrive and thank me for a card we sent after Jackie had lost one of her grannies. Its good to catch up with them and hear how their lovely neighbour David who recently been in hospital is. Its exciting to see the short films of the shortlisted local food and drink producers, pubs, restaurants and hotels. We’re rather pleased as we have eaten at Lumiere which gets the first prize and Eckington Manor in another catagory where Robert and Toyah took us for a lunch a year or two ago. Cotteswold Dairy who deliver our milk also receive an award. The dinner is excellent and served beautifully by the waiting staff who surround the table and place everyone’s plate upon it at the same instance. The last award goes to Food Hero of the year and we’re delighted to see its Rob Rees MBE who founded Wriggly Worm a charity that works training disadvantaged youngsters in catering. He also founded the Star Bistro at National Star where students also learn the skills of both preparing food and serving it which has been a brilliant success. Rob set up the No child in Gloucestershire to go hungry project and is currently living in Australia with his family where he is doing the same. Candia, who had invited us, also comes up during the evening.
Tuesday 26.7.16
Over to Gloucester for Bishop Rachel’s garden party, a delightful event. Rachel and her husband Guy greet each guest as they enter. How fortunate we are to have the first female diocesan bishop. She’s proving to be both inspirational and very popular. I’m delighted to see Kathryn Rudd, principal of National Star here as it was me who invited Bishop Rachel and the Breakfast Group there towards the end of last year and Bishop Rachel stayed on for a tour of the College, her first visit, and agreed to become a Patron. Lots of interesting people including the Archdeacon Robert Sprigget who I congratulate on shortly to become Bishop of Tewkesbury. He introduces us to Alison a barrister (in June’s chambers) and deputy chancellor of the diocese. Also chat to Mark and Julia and Jane Jenner Fust and her daughter. Also Stephen the vice chancellor of the University.
Wednesday 27.7.6
Clear day in the studio.
E mail from David Rice curator at Museum of Gloucester telling me that a child had pulled a small piece off one of my exhibited paintings but also how pleased they are as they have about 8,000 visitors since it opened, which is breaking their records for a City Museum exhibition.
Thursday 28.7.16
Drive over to Uley to have lunch with Nicky and Karin at Owlpen Manor - Robert and Toyah are also guests. Owlpen is always fascinating particularly as it houses many paintings of the house made at different times in its history. Interestingly David Rice at the Museum of Gloucester told me that they also have the Griggs etching in their collection from the same edition as Nicky’s. Karin is a brilliant cook and has made a wonderful moose using eggs from their own chickens as a starter served with lettuce from the garden. Karin is Swedish so the gravd lax salmon cured in lemon salt and sugar with a dill sauce was divine. A variety of different tomatoes some she has grown from seeds from Italy and Spain weighing up to 8oz sliced and fleshy with smaller yellow and red tomatoes. Followed by the most beautiful cerise coloured summer pudding with a lemon compot in a separate glass. The first course served with a Montrochet after which an extrordinary rare and highly prized malbec from Mendoza which Robert has brought back from Argentina. As Nicky takes us out to show us the glorious garden, the sun comes out adding to the joy of the experience of this personal tour. At the end of the garden there are steps up to a beautiful bridge-like platform from which to view the house and Nicky points out the dates of the three bays at the same time telling us some of its history dating back to the early fifteenth century. The last being seventeenth century. He showed us a yew tree room and explained how the yews had to be cut back. He then takes us on a tour of the house, all of particularly great interest to Robert who have owned and lived in historic houses such as Cecil Beaton’s Reddish House in Wiltshire. It has been a delightful afternoon and as we are leaving Nicky tells us how much he enjoyed looking at Roger Head’s Queen Anne Highnam Court which Roger like Nicky has lovingly restored and recreated the garden. Roger and Dame Janet came recently to look at Owlpen. Passionate about gardens too, Roger was studying with great interest as he walked round the perimeter of Bishop Rachel’s garden at the Bishop’s palace on Tuesday. After saying out goodbyes its back home to work.
Friday 29.7.16
Drive to Gloucester to meet Professor Richard and Anne Bailey from the station to take them round the exhibition. David Rice, curator, meets us and later tells me that the Cheese Rolling is the favourite work of most people who come. I’m very impressed as when I introduce Richard Baillie to him he immediately remembers it is he who has loaned The Deep. Whilst I’m walking round with them R does the small repair and there is now a rather splendid yellow barrier in front of the work. Richard B says how good it is to see The Deep hung between the two very much older moonscapes and says it gives you a new view of it. He tells me how pleased he is with that particular painting and also The Citadel, he and Anne, who is an artist al bought a dinner party painting at the same last London exhibition. They really enjoy seeing the exhibition and on the drive back here for tea, we discuss the virtues of the City of Gloucester particularly its ancient architecture. After tea R drives them to Guiting Power where they are joining Jane and David at a concerts part of the Guiting Festival.
Saturday 30.7.16
Off early to Gloucester where I am helping to judge Gloucester’s Art in the City competition where artists set up their easels etc at various points around the city that they wish to paint or draw or even make prints on the spot. We meet Jason of Marketing Gloucester, the other judges, Russell Haines and Ed Swarez at Blackfriars Priory for an introduction and briefing, before we set off on foot to the Docks. Richard is a judge too, standing in for lady Bathurst the High Sheriff whose husband is unwell and in hospital at the moment. Its wonderful to happen upon artists, often tucked away , with an easel , sheltering against a wall or sitting, capturing the many glorious views of Gloucester. One young woman in straw hat who is creating a fasinating street scene tells me she is part of Cheltenham Open Studios. Jason takes us for lunch at Carluccio’s before we walk around the dock area where several of the artists have settled. I also see Kate who was an intern at Artshape and is now employed there who is creating a beautiful little linocut. We are so lucky that the weather is warm with the sun peeping through at intervals. All the artists seem to working quietly and dilligently in a very un flashy way. We make our way through the city taking the Dean’s favourite route from the Docks to the Cathedral, stopping to talk to artists en route, two nice ladies from Swindon at the Cathedral and a student creating a wonderfully ambitious lino cut using six blocks. We then go to the site where the graffitt-type street atists are at work on enormous panels which is really very exciting. Jason asks if I’d like to have a go with the cans of a sixteen year old young man who Jason tells me already has a tremendous technique. I’m pretty hopeless at it as I don’t seem to be able to get the spray paint to come out consistently! I’ve written I Love Gloucester but its very pale so Jason invites Richard to add some, perhaps because he has rather stronger wrists and fingers he rapidly emboldens it. It,s fascinating to see how they work, some from a small picture held in their left hand others using stencils or templates. They have come from all over the country and I’m surprised to find that most of them are rather older than I’d imagined but very passionate and professional about it. I chat to Stomp from Brighton who is working with stencils creating a large work that looked as Richard said, like a Victor Vasarely. he’d studied art but couldn’t make a living a painter showing in galleries so decided to take to the streets. From Brighton, he also works with young offenders. As we are heading for the shop window where the Star College photography winners are exhibited, we pass a stand where Jason stops and buys several badges for us. Jason brings Gilroy, a handsome black man over to meet us; he has founded a charity encouraging youngsters to give up weapons and to work for the good. Then into an ice cream parlour where Jason buys us cornets - I have a lemon and passionfruit sorbet!
On from there to the Guildhall where the artists have brought back their paintings, prints etc. and are busy framing them. The young woman who’s organising us tells us that she needs to put them into groups etc so Jason takes us round the corner to the Raikes House, again a very old probably Elizabethan bar and restaurant beautifully restored house that used to be lived in by Robert Raikes, the founder of the Sunday School. We sit in the courtyard at the back until Jason receives a phone call to say all is ready for us to go and judge. I always find these things very hard to do as there are so many works of merit and everyone has given up a whole day - some having travelled a long way, like the ladies from Swindon. But we each select two works which make up a shortlist of ten which are then taken by the artists again to Blackfrairs. There’s a harpist playing outside as we enter through the gate so we stand and listen to her for a few minutes before making our way through into the quadrangle. The pictures are already set up on easels around the perimeter. Wine and elderflower being taken round and trays of canapes too. Its a very nice atmosphere and a lovely mild evening. Candia and Tony are there and Jason introduces me to headmaster of the Crypt School where he’s hoping his son will go. We also meet Mari, Jason’s wife again, who I had briefly spoken to on the way in this morning.Its very nice as Russell’s two delightful boys, 10 and 11 have accompanied us through the day and evening and had a very good eye and quite decisive takes on what they liked when we were judging.
We end up selecting a very beautiful well observed watercolour of the docks by Vivien Townsend and a rather fine oil of narrow boats in the docks as second. The student prize we had already decided on, going to a young woman who had been making a large lino cut using six blocks that she was cutting when we visited the Cathedral close earlier in the day. Swarez spoke about and commented on two highly commended works. I speak about the beautiful oil painting which receives the second prize and then award first prize to Vivienne. We’re probably there for another fifteen minutes and its about 9.30 when we leave Gloucester. I phone Henrietta on the way back as I’d missed a call from her and they are on their way back from a holiday in Devon.
Sunday 31.7.16
Good to be back in the studio working on another vertical corrugated seascape and a horizontal three curved piece on the three graces as am working towards my exhibition at Panter & Hall at the end of the year and my Chelsea Arts Club show that opens 30th August running through to 27th September.
