jul23

Home

Site Index

news

Exhibitions

Diary

Biographical

Contact

JULY 2023 SATURDAY 1.7.23 Still working on the Street Party - the Seven Ages so it’s a lot nearer completion now. THURSDAY 6.7.23 Up to the National Star in the afternoon to judge the Christmas card competition with Lynne, chair of the Art Society Corinium, who studied art history at UEA at the same time as Philip Mould. She has a lovely smile and is pleasing to work with. The designs are all enchanting and we took at least an hour to deliberate over which two of the ten they will print as Christmas cards. We ask Richard for his opinion and Paul for his too. Louise is head of art and loves them all equally. Zac the student who has created the first one we homed in on, is working in the Art room and when Louise tells him of our decision to use his design, he’s overcome with emotion and ‘phones his Mum to tell her. FRIDAY 7.7.2 Busy in the studio SATURDAY 8.7.23 Jane comes at about 2. It’s great to see her Nathan rings late afternoon to speak to Richard about the drawings of the maps for the film Harvest, which he is working on. He Sends photos of the landscape from different angles to give Richard more information MONDAY 10.7.23 E mail from Tiffany reminding us that today is the date when they need an image or images for their designer Strule to work on promotional material for the exhibition. Luckily we hadn’t forgotten as that is what I’ve been finishing these three larger paintings for, Street Party, The Ark and High Stakes. Tiffany’s response is really encouraging as she says “Wow! How very exciting; those all look amazing .. thank you!” I reply Pleased if you’re pleased. she responds with “I am most certainly pleased. 😊 And, I am sure Matthew will be too!” TUESDAY 11.7.23 Tiffany sends three different designs that Strule has put together. Overnight I have worked further into High Stakes but Richard has trouble with the card in the camera to take new high resolution images. Just after, John called to help us resolve the problem of the bronze sculpture award I had created by a student at the University in 2004. The brass plates on the base are now completely full of each year’s Star studentt winners since then. So we’ve had the idea that we could perhaps have a shallower but wider triangular base added to the existing one and have new brass plates put on that. John is wonderful at always working out ways to do things. It’s not Richard’s day as he’s gone into Cheltenham on his bike and as I am saying goodbye to John there is a tremendous downpour so Richard’s plan isn’t isn’t as easy as he though having to go to three different stores to obtain the right camera card. He squelches his way through Cheltenham to do so but as I’m working in the studio it crosses my mind that he has been quite a long time as unbeknown to me the chain came of his bicycle on his way back. He was still struggling to extract the chain from behind the guard when a white van stopped with Cycles written on the side. They enquire if they can help go and park the van safely and come to Richard’s rescue. He is by this time not only wet but covered in oil too. How kind, perhaps they were his guardian angels. WEDNESDAY 12.7,23 Richard takes the photos with the new card and sends them onto the designer Strule. I go back onto the Coronation newspaper painting canvas. Meanwhile Richard has been working for the past few days on a decorative map/paintings for a film that Nathan is working on as production designer. It’s an interesting project as it has to bear relation to both the script and the Director’s vision. THURSDAY 13.7.23 When I get up and go into the family bathroom I can hear the shower going in the adjacent room and I suddenly put two and two together as I’d heard Ricard answer the ‘phone earlier. I suspect he has been given an appointment to see a consultant which indeed he has, in Gloucester at 4 today. Apparently the PET/CT scan did show activity in the region of his lung so they are now planning a biopsy before which he has to go for another blood test to make sure his blood clotting is OK. he makes good progress on his map/painting as is hoping to send Nathan who is now based in Scotland on site where I imagine the fields of heritage wheat and barley they planted four months ago are now quite high. He’s getting stonemasons and roofers to convert a derelict barn into a row of little crofts for the film. FRIDAY 14.7.23 R had cycled into Cheltenham even though it is a little rainy, for his blood test but manages to be back within two hours having also shopped for provisions. We look at his map/painting now that the watercolour is dry; it looks beautiful so he decides to take a photo and send it to Nathan. I am working on the self portrait that I started some time ago but had put to one side as I wasn’t quite sure how to resolve it but encouraged by Sue and Andy who on two occasions have commented favourably and the reaction of Adrian, Christopher and his little daughter who said it was their favourite painting in the open studio, I decided to take it up again. SATURDAY 15.7.23 Richard receives a call from Nathan who had e mailed yesterday to say that the map/painting looked brilliant but needs to talk through the series they want with Richard. Still on Mise en Abyme, the self portrait, now continuing it onto the frame. SUNDAY 16.7.23 Return to the isosceles triangular Sisterhood painting with the beautiful heavier frame that John had made for it. MONDAY 17.7.23 I’m stacking profiles along the two steep sides of the equilateral triangle. I hear Richard talking on the ‘phone and wonder if it is the hospital with an appointment for him and it is - on August 1st again. But the nurse from the department ring up again within the hour to say there has been a cancellation and would he like to go for 8.15 tomorrow morning for his CT guided lung biopsy so of course he takes advantage of the offer, especially since his appointment with the haematology consultant is also on 1st August. He continues busily drawing a new map for Nathan towards the film - shooting starts in a month’s time. Meanwhile I’m still working on Mis en Abyme TUESDAY 18.7.23 Richard’s procedure is a highly skilled and technical operation where the female consultant works via numerous scans that he is passed into the scanner for. He mustn’t move and has to take the same breath each time both in the scanner and as she is performing this hugely complex operation through his back, having to miss the shoulder blade and carefully manouveur between the third and fourth ribs to the plural sack to remove three small pieces of tissue with the slender cylindrical straw-like tube a bit like a a miniscule apple corer. The whole procedure takes about half an hour but he has to rest and be observed for four hours afterwards and then have an x-ray to make sure that no air has escaped and that he isn’t coughing up any blood. Miraculously he isn’t doing either. What a skilful surgeon this consultant is. We can only ever be full of praise for the NHS. and all those who work within it. WEDNESDAY 19.7.23 E mail from the RA Magazine asking for image to go with the exhibition listing. THURSDAY 20.7.23 E mail from the Administrator of the Broadway gallery saying he will be there on Tuesday at 10.30 when we can reclaim the works they have by me in stock there, although one of them wasn’t on the list but he thinks his agent might have missed it. FRIDAY 21.7.23 Went to the National Star College for their awards ceremony, which is always such a moving occasion; seeing students, particularly those who are leaving, receive awards for their achievements at the Star. But it is also mingled with the sadness of leaving their friends, carers and staff behind. One girl burst into floods of tears when she is receiving hers. I feel privileged to be here to present my art award to Luke Turley. He’s an mazing illustrator who is so enthusiastic he brings his abundance of skills and talent both to his education sessions and during his quiet times in the evenings and weekends. His go-to favourite vehicle is the ice-cream van. That obsessive need to be creative will carry him through life. After the ceremony we’re taken to see the superb new student residences that have just been built and furnished. The cutting edge technology in this beautiful new single storey building with their own gardens are truly breathtaking being situated up here at the top of the hill at Ullenwood. It seems almost impossible to believe that when we first came here the College mainly consisted of the Manor House, the sports hall, the pool and octagon court but the art department was in a terrapin hut then. The expansion has been amazing and like this building, Scott House and Bradbury House, the funding has come mainly from trusts, generous donations and a legacy. This is a place where I really feel AI comes into its own; a fridge will inform you on a panel on the door which foods are coming to their use by dates, what you have in there and suggest recipes for meals that could be made with these items and how to prepare them. The kettle, the lights, television and curtains are all operated by verbal instructions to Alexa in this communal kitchen. There’s also a launderette stacked with washing machines all in very beautiful, tasteful, restful colours and the wide corridor has a carpet which is striped in such a way that wheelchair users can follow the central panel. SATURDAY 22.7.23 Richard goes into the village to collect me a few more plants for the garden, including some called balloon plants plus cherries and apricots in readiness for Henrietta, Kev and the boys’ visit . They arrive early evening bearing two glorious bunches of gladioli - pink for R and bright red/orange for me. The boys both look beautiful and Isaac tells us about his week’s work experience with a firm of special effects film makers which he has really loved. They gave him his own workstation. One day he got to sit in on a meeting via Zoom with a young woman who negociates with directors and production companies and the director also asked Isaac’s opinion on one of the items they were discussing. On another day, he astounded the director of the company who gave him some software that he’s never seen before and had solved it by the time the director came back who said it normally takes their graduate juniors two years to understand. He e mailed Nathan, who had got Isaac this week experience to say what ‘a clever and cool kid Isaac is’. and said he could go back whenever he likes. I’m delighted when Samuel wants to come up to the upstairs studio. He looks at the paintings, which we discuss and when we’re looking at my triangular painting The Sisterhood, our conversation ranges to world events and looking at the newspaper painting, politics too. We later cross the Lane to my other studio with Henrietta. Samuel asks if the tape measure on the bottom section of the frame on High Stakes is real. We also discuss Richard’s wood engraving and I show him the woodblock, how it’s made up of several sections of boxwood and how finely cut the lines are. He notices that it is the opposite way round to the print. Richard cooked a lovely meal from the recipe book Henrietta sent him for fathers’ day, Chicken with avocado, rice, spinach and pommeganate and of course to give it that kick, chilli. It is really delicious but unfortunately poor Richard gets a piece of chicken stuck in his throat so is unable to eat any more. We decide that if he’s still in discomfort in the morning we’ll get in touch with the hospital. SUNDAY 23.7.23 My sister Gill arrives bearing some beautiful wild geraniums that she has nurtured for us, purple, white and pink. Also some solar lights. Henrietta rings 111 as recommended by the hospital and a clinician rings back shortly afterwards. She again asks lot of questions directly to Richard and decides to send an ambulance which seemed to arrive in about fifteen minutes. Two really nice paramedics (who comment on what a beautiful house it is) do a lot of tests, oxygen bp, chest and an ECG. Their computer system had been hacked during the week so they are having to fill in everything by hand. They are very thorough and say that they would really like Richard to be checked out at A&E. So to save their time and enable them to go on to another call my sister Gill drives us in with a bag I’ve hurriedly packed with a few things for Richard including pyjamas, book (Weekend Wodehouse) medication and toothbrush. And some fruit and cereal bars in case we have a long wait as we hadn’t really had lunch. Te triage nurse takes Richard’s vitals and details and says she has come across this situation before with something lodged in their throat and that it can go into spasm. She says it will probably be and hour before Richard gets to see the doctor. Henrietta rings when they are nearly at Devon so I go outside to put her in the picture. The wait is probably more like two hours as they have ambulances bringing in patients all the time and they sensibly have to treat emergencies and those in severest need first. When he gets to see the doctor he explains the situation and the doctor said it is what they call ‘steak throat’ but it’s very unusual with chicken which is more fibrous. He doesn’t think it is to do with Richard’s recent lung biopsy though a chance it could be the lymph nodes in the throat but thinks it is more likely to be connected to the hiatus hernia. So they are going to put him on a drip with a medication to relax the oesophagus and trachea etc. but if that doesn’t work they will do an endoscopy in the morning. So Gill and I come home and sit over supper followed by cheese and biscuits and glass of wine. We reminisce and chatter until almost 2am. The reason Gill had come today was that she was bringing plants particularly for our Mum’s grave as it would have been her birthday on the 24th and she also puts plants on Daddy’s grave and Henry’s which are either side of my Mum’s. MONDAY 24.7.23 Today was my Mum’s birthday We collect Richard at about 12.30. They have removed the piece of chicken which had got stuck near the entrance to the stomach but they would like to do a biopsy and further exploration to find out why it happened. After a cup of tea and some bread and honey, Gill sets out for Blunham in Bedfordshire going via Stratford to visit a friend en route. I get a text in the evening to say she’s home safely Manage to get a bit done in the studio this afternoon whilst R is asleep. Call from Tom Hodson to say that his Mum, Beverley, as been in hospital through July but is now home where she is receiving care. I ask about visiting and he says that although she can’t speak, she can still hear so I say I would like to visit towards the end of the week but will ring him to make sure it’s OK first. TUESDAY 25.7.23 Richard’s back on form having caught up on his sleep so drives over to Broadway to collect my paintings from the gallery there whilst the Administrator’s agent is there. He has to get a bit cross with him though when the agent tells him that my large painting The Dream is not on the list so R tells him that he’s about to get very angry as we’ve sent numerous lists, photographs and a catalogue duplicated to both hard copy ad e mail to the London office of the Administrators and the more local office. And it was also on the list that James the administrator sent to me saying it could be collected. So Richard tells him to get onto the ‘phone to James right away who then confirms that he can take it. However my large watercolour Mes Enfants is not there even though R had seen it in the store a couple of weeks before they closed. Richard’s back working on the beautiful maps he’s creating for the film Nathan is production designer on whilst I’m back in the studio working on Overflow… WEDNESDAY 26.7.23 …which I continue on today until about 2am. Richard’s been busy working on a new map which Nathan says he likes. THURSDAY 27.7.23 R takes a sad call from Tom Hodson who says that his Mum, Beverley has sadly died. Beverley had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for a few years and many years ago was also treated for breast cancer. A high flyer Beverley had been at Blackheath High School before reading English at Cambridge where she got a first and was a tennis blue. Though she tragically lost her mother in car crash when she was only twenty one. She loved the theatre and worked for some time for the National. She became head of retail at Boots and was on the Board of many companies including NFU Insurance Later Richard gets ‘phone call giving him an appointment to go to Cheltenham General for his second endoscopy at which they will also take a biopsy. They gave him antacids to reduce the inflammation. He’s continuing on the maps whilst I’ve been working on Uprising and In Transition. FRIDAY 28.7.23 Richard went to the Brian Sinfield Gallery in Burford, taking another two small paintings to Helen while I am working. He has also started a new map for Nathan inspired by an illustration in this week’s TLS SATURDAY 29.7.23 I’m working on the small painting The Edge of the World whilst Richard is on his sixth map. SUNDAY 30.7.23 I’m really enjoying eating so many different fruits form the garden, starting with the red currents on my breakfast earlier in the month, green gooseberries from my studio garden. loganberries, raspberries and now blackberries too. I think the cherry trees should be offering fruit too but the birds seem to be enjoying those. The plum trees are laden though the fruit is not ripe yet and am picking up windfalls from the Bramley tree which are delicious cooked as a sauce to accompany mackerel - the rhubarb suits that well too. I love going out to pick the fruit even when it’s raining it feels like the way we probably scavanged the hedgerows in earlier times. Doing more work to the little hares … MONDAY 31.7.23 … which I continue today Royalty statement from the Bridgeman Art Library. Interesting to see that the New Statesman has or is using a reproduction of one of the newspaper paintings. Nathan says Richard’s new map will probably be the Director’s favourite.