JUNE 2007
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R sends three images of works that are going to be in the exhibition in Toronto at the Loch Gallery; will send the others next week before the actual paintings go.
R is interested to read in Jamie Reid's column in the Financial Times 'How to Spend It' Magazine that he predicts the winner of the Epsom Derby and also the French Derby at Chantilly, both ridden by Frankie Dettori.
Working on the newspaper painting for Toronto.
Phone call from Hazel Kitchen re. the opening of the new Garden Gallery next Saturday where I will cut the ribbon and give a short opening talk after the Mayor (a very nice man who we met at the National College) has opened the newly restored (with Heritage funding) Imperial Gardens. There are a few things she would particularly like me to mention. She has worked so hard (with the aid of dedicated colleagues) for fourteen years to bring this dream of a community gallery to fruition.
Working on the pieces for Toronto.
ditto
Wednesday 6.6.07
ditto
Thursday 7.6.07
ditto
Friday 8.6.07
ditto
Call from Jane who's sounding very good; she is listening to a CD of the concert staged for her last month. It's interesting how I too relive feelings and sensations of it from the sounds echoing behind her voice. She's inviting us to a party for Roy's birthday in July. She had asked her doctor about having another brain scan but he advised that if she was feeling good, why risk spoiling that with the worry. I agree entirely. We pencil in a date for lunch one week into my exhibition at Brian Sinfield's; Roy had booked another holiday for them in Sardinia shortly after that. He's brilliant at organising treats for her, like the Christmas lunch at Le Manoir and lunch at the Fat Duck at Bray. Then we are off to Cheltenham for the gallery opening in Montpellier Gardens. As we walk through the gloriously restored Gardens in the bright sunshine, there is a lovely party or festival atmosphere. The old proscenium building has also been beautifully renovated for its new gallery status. Hazel and a couple of her colleagues are already there, they have been working non-stop all week in preparation and hanging its first ever exhibition; works form the 600 strong member ship of the five different art clubs or groups from the Cheltenham area who will exhibit there.
R has made boxes for the works that are going to Toronto. He's already packed three of them. I spend the whole day and night up until 4 am finishing the newspaper painting.
After I've checked the np painting and Marquee before Richard packs them, {having already taken the former to the photographers). It's about 2.30 by the time he's finished and off to Fedex at Heathrow. They are scheduled to arrive in Toronto tomorrow morning!
Amazingly they do!and a few of the invitation cards arrive here. We see on the gallery website that one of the paintings has already sold before the exhibition opens.
I've now transferred all my energies to a final burst trying to complete the works for Brian Sinfield's show enough to be photographed for the catalogue.
Eddy, our builder, brings pages from two of this weeks edition of the Echo from his friend Councillor Eileen Hutton, with photographs of Saturday's opening of Montpelier Gardens and the Gallery.
An e mail from Edward (he had also seen the piece in the paper and then visited the Gallery ) saying how nice he thinks it is.
Sweet card from Hazel, thanking me for my ribbon cutting talk. They had 1, 043 visitors that afternoon.
Heads down for the finishing lap as I work intensely, only stopping for dinner - I can't let anything break my concentration.
R starts to take the paintings to the photographers
David Rogers arrives at about 4 to see the painting commissioned by his wife Julie as a surprise present to celebrate his birthday. The painting is still in it's infancy as I want him to see how they evolve. A very interesting man he's the chairman of the Wychwood music festival which he and a business partner started three year ago Badly Drawn Boy, Camera Obscura and Country Joe and the Fish were amongst this years performers at the racecourse last weekend
The Canadian newspaper painting now has its full red spot.
Working on Galerie du Temps and the local newspapers canvas all day and all night !!
R takes these last two works to be photographed before going to the printers with these final images. It's 10.10am when I finally go to bed, feeling relieved I had managed to get more done than I had thought possible.
I've now had three transparencies made of the Galerie du Temps !! (as I keep discovering elements that are not quite right; two of Objects of Desire !! and two of the Lion, Lamb and Angel !! Each time requiring another trip to the photographers !!
R's very pleased to find on his return that the Loch Gallery now have a red spot on Marquee.
Such a relief to have got the works for the catalogue finished by the skin of my teeth. It's good to be back on Butch's commission.
Statement from the Bridgeman Art Library for reproduction fees ( three of them from German newspapers). We also hear from Hugh at DGM that the Great Roberto would like to use The Trickster and the Evangelist on a double CD
Also e mail from someone researching a book and who would like to reproduce Time and Time Again.
Quite a big post today; a wonderful parcel from Margus containing the most beautiful book on Juri Arrak's work which transports us back to Estonia and memories of the exhibition, works from which are reproduced here in this marvellous book.
Also the proofs for the catalogue which are on the whole good though a few of the works look darker than they should be so R has offered to drive the actual paintings to BAS so they can check with the true colours.
I'm working on Butch's painting full time, refining.
Gill and my Mum come to supper. Gill's just been to a reunion with old school friends.
R's gone to the printers in Southampton with Maison du Chapeaux and Objects of Desire so that they can compare their proofs with the actual colours in the painting.
Sylvia Vetter from the Oxford Times arrives just after 11; she says there is flooding on the main road here and on the end of our lane. She's very interesting to talk to and seems perceptive to what I say about the paintings. We spend an interesting couple of hours discussing the works. Richard returns just after she leaves.
I'm working on Butch's painting when he phones
E mail from the Loch Gallery in Toronto saying they would like to keep the exhibition on for an extra week.
R receives and e mail from Karl Monday in the early hours saying he has just looked at the forthcoming exhibition on Brian Sinfield's site and is intrigued by Time Piece. He's almost woken Sharron in his excitement. R e mails back to tell him that like other paintings in the same series it is occupied with time past present and future.
My Mum, Minnie, Richard and Rose come to supper, they just got back from Cyprus yesterday; Rose has made me a beautiful and very large table cloth and napkins for the new kitchen table and Minnie has brought me back a hand carved and painted wooden giraffe and both my Mum and dear Tammy have made me beautiful birthday cards.
R tells me that he exchanged further e mails with Karl again in the early hours and that he had woken Sharron up to get her to look at the works (what a good tempered person she must be) and she had also chosen as her favourite Time Piece; which confirmed his decision to ask her to phone the gallery when it opened to reserve it. What dear and decisive collectors they are.
Saturday 30.6.07
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