7 THE ANGELUSJUNE 2006
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
The Great Roberto arrives just at about 6 bright and smiling he looks well. I show him to a room where he can change then we have a cup of coffee after R's taken him on a tour round the new part of the house. Soon he's off walking down the lane to the church while I lay the table and wash the grapes and fruit. R's made a fish pie that he puts in the oven before we leave.
It's a beautiful sunny evening and we can see lots of people walking towards the church as we turn the corner after the kissing gate. Joyce, Kyla and Avalon are already there; Edward and Alyson Gillespie follow us in. Revd Ian greets us and I thank the ladies, Ann, Lynn and Janet who are going to serve wine and nibbles after the performance. We walk around the side aisle to the front and sit just behind Toyah who introduces us to Nick Park (the creator of Wallace and Gromit) and Martin Kiszko the composer (of over 200 TV and film scores & Composer of the year 2004). I tell Nick that Nathan had done some work experience with Ardman whilst he was still at school (arranged by our mutual friend the Canadian animator and artist Arril Johnson) and that Nick had been kind enough to give Nathan a lift into Bristol in the lunch break on a couple of days, when he was going to look for Beano albums.
Then there's silence as Robert settles himself to play. he wants no announcement. Suddenly the church fills with amazing sound, abstract and engaging it catches the imagination. I feel that I am rising up higher and higher; sometimes it's gentle like angels' laughter; at other times it's so powerful that I feel I can see the face of God, tears within his eyes, looking down at the man made destruction fighting one against the other and the ravaging of the environment. I feel my own eyes begin to fill. Part way through Robert stops and says that if people want to walk and move about the church he is happy for them to do so, the sounds will alter according to the listener's position. Through the second half of the performance some people do move forward and look at the paintings; I am aware of and elderly lady being helped by an younger man and I remember that 95 year old Charles Minnett is in the audience - he was in the choir here for 80 years from the age of eight and I smile to think that this lovely man who is one of our neighbours, has walked down the Lane especially to be at this event.
You can feel the audience being spellbound by these ethereal sounds and they are with Robert throughout his performance. The ending is quite moving as the sounds gradually diminish into nothing - there is perfect silence until after Robert has turned to bow his head towards the altar, then he turned back to the audience, stretches out his arms and smiles to rapturous applause. He says that it is very unusual for a rock musician to play in the sacred space of a church.
The conversation over supper is fascinating -Stories of meeting Fred Zimmerman and borrowing his Stanley Spencer drawings (which he kept in a drawer) by Martin. Toyah is a very good conversationalist and asks Nick (who is the most delightful young man totally unaffected by his iconic status) lots of interesting questions about the making of his films. He also tells us some very amusing anecdotes about being at the Oscars with Peter Sallis (the voice of Wallace) and meeting Dame Judy Dench. Robert and Toyah leave a little after 11 (as Robert has a lunch time performance at Pershore Abbey tomorrow. Nick, Martin and Wallace stay on until after midnight - there is a peal of laughter when I offer the cheese.
Call from Charles, a doctor collector to ask if he can visit the studio tomorrow morning.
Working on commissions.
Dr Charles comes with his wife Emma ( who is also a Doctor ) and their two children - they are returning via Cheltenham from a half term holiday.
E mail from Alain Blondel who has a client interested in seeing works on a horse theme.
Work in garden and studio. Gill brings my Mother back.
Call from the Bridgeman Art Library to say a French writer who has just completed a book on the theatre would like to reproduce one of my paintings and wonders if they could crop it to fit the proportions of the cover.
Working on commissions
Working on commissions.
Busy on all fronts in the studio
Packet from the Bridgeman showing copy of a magazine article which reproduces one of my paintings "Walking The Dog". Also parcel from Martin Kiszko containing two CDs of his music, one for the BBC TV series ' Battle of the Sexes' the other a cantata Sea Star recorded in Bristol Cathedral with words by Anne Ridier.
Henrietta arrives with Isaac; they are dropped off by Kev and his father, John, who are spending the weekend walking (eighteen miles per day ) in the Peak District. Though John thinks Kev may want to make stops at pubs to find out how the World Cup match is going, England vs Paraguay
The weather's still very hot; my studio becomes almost unbearable during late afternoons when the heat is so intense. Henrietta and I take Isaac on a long walk around the village. It isn't until we've been walking for three quarters of an hour and pass only one woman and one girl that it strikes me (when I hear shouts coming through the open window) that off course it's the England match! When we return we discover that they have won, only a single own goal was scored (by Paraguay).
Later when R goes to Waitrose he brings back the papers with all the pre match excitement - lots of patriotic red in the photos, just in case I feel a newspaper painting coming on.
In between enjoying walks with Henrietta and Isaac and playing with him, I have short bashes on the new Circus for Brian's catalogue cover. Try working late but my studio's very hot and I keep being overcome by drowsiness so call it a day at 1.30. Woken startled in the night by a terrific clap of thunder the storm that ensues lowers the temperature and reduces the humidity.
After a nice day with Isaac and Henrietta, painting in the gaps when he is being fed, I do work into the night in my old studio in the house, which is very much cooler, probably because it doesn't have double glazing and is north facing so doesn't get the afternoon and evening sun from the west. It's 4.30 am when I finish.
Very nice e mail from Andrew Fox, Heritage and Museums Manager at Gloucester saying that he still enjoys living with the paintings and music "...The gallery is a wonderful place to go for a quiet ten minutes. I shall miss them when they go ..."
R took the new Circus to be photographed this morning and then drove it over to Burford. Brian said it was just what he was hoping for, relief!!! Maureen called in just after 11 as she's bought a copy of the P J Crook book which she would like signing for Melissa (Ross's girlfriend), a lovely young woman who also works at the Appeals Office of the Star College. It's always a delight to see her with her bright smile and friendly demeanour. Maureen and I go back a long way as we were students together and she has always been wonderfully supportive, coming to exhibitions (even in Paris) and collecting the work. Henrietta says what a nice person she is, they have quite a long chat and Maureen has bought a present for Isaac, a wonderful multicoloured, many parts, textures and sounds, teether. She and Ross run an interior design business (Toucan Design) so it's interesting for Henrietta as Kev also has his own design business. Call from Rick Rumrell in St Augustine Florida, They have had a storm but they are OK.
Call from Louise Allen at Gloucester Museum to tell me that someone has added a little extra to my triptych; obviously they've thought that a 'work in progress' should progress. I had thought that all the pots of paint that I had made part of the exhibit had totally dried up but obviously one still had some wet paint beneath the congealed surface from which the brush had been forced and then used to add extra strokes to the hair and face of St John. I also tell her how touched I was that she bought one of the paintings from the exhibition.
E mail from Lisa at Artworks saying that a colleague who is head of fashion at the Fashion Gallery in Coalville would like to reproduce 'The Beautiful Game' on a postcard to coincide with an exhibition of football fashion and its history.
Paintings arrive back from the exhibition in Mold, all beautifully packed with a condition report on each. Museums always take meticulous care of works, especially in transportation. It seems strange to see the front room of my studio full of bubble wrapped parcels ranging from small circular to enormous oblong.
Letter from America from Pearsons the publishers who are wanting to use Time and Time Again again, in the forth edition of this particular book.
Have just received a letter from Bishop Michael of Gloucester inviting me to become a core member of a group who will meet for breakfast four or five times a year to try and get joined up thinking across the county. I feel rather honoured to be included as the other twenty or so invitees are heads of public services, vice chancellor, CEOs etc.
In the afternoon we went to the City Museum in Gloucester, taking Henrietta and Isaac to see the exhibition and to survey the additions to the altarpiece triptych, which are not too bad and don't look at all malicious - more like the work of an enthusiastic viewer wanting to contribute. Perhaps having called it a work in progress sounded like an invitation. I busy myself with a piece of sand paper to remove the rather thick brush strokes that have been applied. mainly to the hair of the infant and the shepherd. In between I answer questions from Henrietta about the exhibits. Isaac is very good and seems to much enjoy Robert's music which feels so totally part of the exhibition.
We've spent quite a lot of time in the garden eating our lunches this week, Isaac falling asleep on his blanket watching the clouds cross the sky and listening to the bird songs. He loves to feel the grass under his feet when I hold him up on it, even though he's only four and a half months he makes walking steps and speaks to the Madonna in her corner arbour, bearing the dried lavender that I have over the past year, placed across the fingers of her praying hands when I in turn say prayers there. Now either side of the archway up to the garden new stems of lavender, still green stand just right for a tiny hand to clutch. The blackbirds feeding their young, this annual renewal that somehow is taken for granted, is like a speeded up cycle of life.
We do a brunch for my Mum, Henrietta, Kev and Isaac. My Mother has so enjoyed spending time with Isaac, helping to bath him and pushing him in his pram; at 83 she still has the instinctive maternal touch.
During the week I've worked here in my old studio in part of the house whilst Richard is working in mine.
In the evening R returned The Cafe to Caroline and Simon who had been very kind in loaning it to the exhibition particularly as they'd only had it for a few weeks. I'm excited about the idea for a work that they want to commission this year
Today I've moved back to my studio across the road where I'm able to work on the larger commissions, particularly into the first of the two Haaj canvases. I'd made a start on it some weeks ago but having worked on other pieces in between it takes time to rekindle the relationship.
R returns The Jockeys Changing Room and Stewards Enquiry to the racecourse although Edward has kindly said they can be borrowed again when the exhibition travels to the Sporting Museum Melton Carnegie in September. He also takes the Winning Circle back to our friends and neighbours Richard and Rose.
The first Haaj painting is beginning to look stronger. I listen to Martin Kiszko's Sea Star today, with words by Ann Ridler. The music is glorious and the imagery it conjures magical. It's a Spiritual journey from the depths of the ocean up to the planets partly inspired by a trip to Antarctica
7 THE ANGELUS
Warm blood flows in our veins
And on the shore we hear the waves
That ring the bell of floating buoy.
The waves ring the angelus.
This was the angel's word to Mary
That God should be her child.
The word is for us also:
That human beings, born of the brine
Share the essence of life eternal.
We had an invitation from Sally Allen to the degree show at the University in Cheltenham but bump into quite a lot of other people as well. Karen a school friend of Henrietta's, whose younger sister Maisie has just done the foundation course; then Tristram Tyler who is also graduating this year - he won the commission for making the sculpture to be awarded to the student who makes most achievement in photography at the Star College each year; it's interesting to see his paintings as I've only seen his sculpture before - they look very good. I'm touched as he mentions that the prize and the buying of the other piece was a great help to him financially, ( he's a mature student with children). We also meet Michael Shinn who was head of the art school and taught me when I was a student there. We then bump into Dan Howard the present Dean of Campus we congratulate him on the high standard of work and at last we reach Sally's space on the balcony. We've known her for many years, she's the elder sister of Julia, one of Henrietta's classmates and her parents brought her to visit my studio whilst she was still at school. She and Julia both now have delightful little sons. there are some fascinating etchings and woodcuts, very much concerned with the environment. We end up purchasing a beautiful little wood carving and a tiny book of etchings that she and her son Essar have produced together. Essar tells me he will get £10 of the money.
On our return stay up until 4am putting the finishing touches to the Circus painting Richad will deliver to Brian Sinfield in the morning
Busy working on the commissions during the day but in the evening we drive over to Naunton to have dinner with Jane and David. When we arrive David has just completed pouring his bath water out of the window , down the roof into the guttering which carries it to a water butt. There's a hose pipe ban in their area (Thames Water). So they've been carrying buckets of it up the hill to their vegetable garden. They are rather cross as Thames Water have made huge profits, so the directors got enormous bonuses; it's owned by a German company who presumably aren't worried about the huge amounts of water that leaks out from the system each day - far more than the amount that would be used by hose pipes. It's a similar pattern all over the country, the pipes that transport the water are often old and in need of repair so vast quantities are lost. The wasting of this essential element for life is at great cost to us all and the environment as more and more is needed for the lifestyles we all lead in this era.
The first of the Hajj canvases is beginning to take more shape as I add even more heads and hands.
ditto
Interested to hear in the news that Robert Carrier the chef had died. he was friend of William Towers, an artist who we met when showing at the Portal Gallery in London. he produced rather wonderful appliqué pictures. Not making enough money at this he'd worked in a shoe shop all his life and lived with his mother. When she died, she left him the house which he sold, spending the money generously on friends and fun and when it ran out he went to live in Morocco and the last we heard was that he and Robert Carrier were seen scuttling away when the Americans bombed Libya.
Working on the commissions
Rather pleased to see a larger payment than usual has been credited to my account from the Bridgeman Art Library for reproduction fees, probably because of the Lloyds TSB 'The Art of the Advisor' campaign using my painting Latin American in the Financial Times etc.
Henrietta, Kev and Isaac arrive with the most beautiful hand tied bunch of lilies and other pastel blooms.