March 2006
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Exciting post today including the posters from Japan for the forthcoming exhibition at the Morohashi museum of Art, opening in April and from Alitair in Saudi Arabia a book on Mecca and Medina for reference when I am creating the painting on the Haaj. I 'm still working on the Jeddah street scene which is now feeling a lot more finished.
Some time ago I was approached by Tom Tempest-Radford to donate a painting to a charity auction that Standard Chartered Bank (who own two of my works) are organising called Seeing is Believing. Tom suggested that I donate a large Newspaper painting that they had borrowed. As it was rather more than I would normally give to a charity other than the National Star College for severely disabled students, I suggested that half the proceeds should go to the Star College, which is what happened with the work I donated to the Spinal Injuries Association. This originally seemed to be OK but earlier in the week I received a phone call from Tom, followed by an e mail from the Bank's head of corporate Development asking if I would donate it all to Seeing is Believing as it would otherwise complicate matters. I explained that I had offered a smaller painting in it's entirety but Tom had particularly wanted this work as it was similar to the two the Bank own. I had a dilemma. As Patron I see myself as an unofficial ambassador for the Star College and of course my first duty lies with them. After some thought I came up with what seemed a good solution benefiting all parties concerned. I would give the painting in it's entirety to Seeing is Believing, (also a wonderful cause), if the Bank in it's turn would donate to the Nattional Star College an amount representing at least a quarter of the value of the painting I was giving - and it worked!! The head of Corporate Development has pledged to either give the money himself or the Bank will. It's a good outcome and Tom also made a donation to the College.
Colm, the deputy sports editor from the Irish Examiner phones. They are going to do a piece on things to do and in Cheltenham in their supplement for race week. he would like information on the exhibition and scanned images of The Outsider and The Big Race. Then in the afternoon journalist and photographer from Severn Magazine arrive to do a feature covering the exhibition. A very lively and humorous photographer who tells me that his partners grandparents own on of small paintings. Later i pick up a message from Tim Russon; his wonderful telegenic voice telling me he's going to do a live interview on ITV on Friday evening and that he's asked Edward to be at the Museum by 5 past 6. Poor Richard's had an exhausting day as he drove all the way to Salisbury with the CD for the Japanese museum show with Eiji's amendments. How we manage to balance on the precarious knife edge I don't know. In the evening he meets Rob Whittle just outside Birmingham to collect the octagonal horse painting which I hd loaned to him.
Colm from the Irish Examiner says they might use one of the paintings on the cover which is exciting.
Journalist from the Echo rings. They are going to do another piece. Strangely enough it takes a minute or two to realise she is interviewing me rather than having a conversation. Gloucestershire Echo have been really good as in their 'Going out" section of Friday last there was a reproduction of Big Race headlines 'Race to se PJ's paintings'. It must also be Anna at the museum's good PR work.
Nice e mail from Victor Chandler and another from Robert and Toyah.
Although I'd given Richard all the paintings to deliver to the Museum yesterday for placing, I had requested that three of them came back this evening for me to do some further finishing.
I finally give the paintings back at midday; then spend making preparations for tomorrow after the opening, ordering food from the local cafe and home made cakes.
The traffic's bad as we make our way to the Museum; I have a horrible feeling I'm going to miss the live interview going out on ITV. But luckily it's not until 6.15 and I arrive just after 6. Tim Russon and his cameraman are already set up; there was a truck outside where another technician splices the recorded bits in. The interview's very fast moving (just like Tim) so after the chatting warm up it seems to be over very quickly and the guests start arriving. One of the first to introduce himself is Dr Margus Laidre, the Estonian Ambassador; it's the first time we've met although we've had a long e mail correspondence. I introduce him to Toyah who tells him she's been to Estonia. Then I manage to catch Robert's eye; I know Margus is a big KC fan so it's really nice to make this introduction. All sorts of wonderful friends and collectors old and new are here. I can't believe it when I see Richard and Isabelle Bacon who now live in Atlanta but were at their London address when the invitation arrived. Val and Mike Earp and Bob and Jacqui came from Bath. Then I spot my cousin Neil who have come all the way from Stevenage we've only met once before when he and Merrill came down for my mother's 80th birthday. I'm really touched when he says he wants to buy The Bet for his Dad (my Uncle Les) particularly he says as he'd spent much of his childhood waiting outside betting shops for him, which is interesting as most of my gambling paintings are inspired by my father's passion for gambling though Neil's father is actually my mother's brother. We go back to the house where Rose has opened up, lit the fire etc. My dear friends Maureen and Joyce from student days are there; they've always supported me even travelling as far as Paris for openings, and Wallace who has driven down from Banbury. Sometime during the evening I take a group over to the studio to see the Saudi Arabian paintings. Brian Sinfield is particularly interested and I have some interesting exchanges with Isabelle who has travelled a lot on her own in Muslim, countries like Syria, on business.
By the end of the evening I realise that there were lots of people who who were at the opening, like Cressida Connolly and Charles Hudson, who I haven't had a chance to speak and Jane and David back at the house.
I was very excited yesterday to receive a call from Tom Tempest Radford telling me that the newspaper painting I donated to the Seeing is Believing auction, held by Standard Chartered Bank for Sight Savers international had sold in the auction for £19,000 which means that 1,120 people will be given back their sight from the proceeds of this painting. It's wonderful to have the opportunity to make this difference.
Nicely written article and good spread by Rachael Harrison in the Weekend magazine. Day spent in the studio working on the Jeddah Fish Market painting whilst Richard goes into the Museum and bumps into Rita and Peter who again I'd not managed to speak to last night. I start to pack paints in the evening to take up to London.
Disastrous trip after the day had started well. I was up early and shopped in Cheltenham en route. We're nearing High Wycombe when there's a pop and smoke starts coming from the engine. Richard pulls onto the hard shoulder and calls the AA; after an hour we are recovered by a recovery service and dumped at a Shell garage just off the motorway. It's very cold and we have to wait for an AA man to assess the problem. It's hour and a half before he's arrived and told us that we're irreparable!! so we'll be recovered and relayed to our destination. But of course this takes another couple of hours. Then we're in the truck of the vehicle, with our Volvo riding on the rear. The truckies a jolly young man who kindly turns the heating up as he knows I'm rather cold. he regales us with stories so the journey doesn't seem too bad although we're probably four and a half hours late. They drop me at the end of Henrietta and Kiev's road where I'm in time to give little Isaac a big hug.
The hotel we are booked in at is fine. Not as slick as they usually are though expensive for the larger space.
It's a bit of a panic getting Isaac ready for his first trip to the baby clinic between feeds, which are still two hourly. he's put on another 9 ounces. Nathan arrives after doing a film making workshop in a nearby school with 30 fifteen year old girls. He and Isaac have built up a good rapport; Isaac sleeps on Nathan's shoulder for the next two hours. Nathan dozes as well whilst I keep an eye on them both though Nathan strokes Isaac's back all time. I persuade Henrietta to have a rest. When Kev returns from work Nathan drives me to the hotel where we meet Richard and walk into Blackheath for supper.
I watch over Isaac and draw him whilst Richard takes Henrietta to register his birth at Woolwich Town Hall. R then drives to Salisbury (in H&K's car as ours is a write off) to check the proofs for the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art's catalogue. H and I take Isaac for a walk in Greenwich park in his pram. When we get back I persuade her to have a rest whilst I hold a sleeping Isaac
R travels down to Cheltenham on the train to meet the shippers at the house as they are collecting the works that the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art are borrowing for the exhibition that opens there next month. He's also collecting another Volvo that we are buying from Ebdons. Whilst there he picks up a message from the museum in Cheltenham asking if Ottakers the book shop can have permission to do a window display of books and catalogues from the exhibition. I take a taxi from the hotel to Henrietta's but R is back in time to collect me at about 9pm.
In the evening we move from the hotel suite into the little house, which proves to be ideal. Small listed 1960's open plan and fairly minimal.
Start to work out my exhibition statement.
Most of day spent finishing the artist's statement for the Morohashi Museum, bringing up to date the cv, composing a piece on writers and poets that I enjoy and selecting a couple of photographs for them to use within the exhibition. They are rather overdue so it's a big relief to get them completed and sent. It's good to spend the afternoon at the easel, set up in this nice light little house. We've covered the floor with card, paper and bubble. It's amazing how quickly we adapt it into a studio living space. There's an enormous television and R spotted a copy of Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman' with Dustin Hoffman which I'd earmarked for this evening but when it comes to it I decide to make a small round angel painting for the Gloucester Museum show instead.
Morning spent working on Fish Market then in the afternoon start to brush in a couple of horses heads on the Karl Monday commission. Later we walk to Greenwich Park to meet up with Henrietta and Kev pushing Isaac in his pram. It's cold but still quite bright; a lovely walk through the sleeping flower gardens to the deer enclosure then kev points out some of the wild parakeets that have made their home in a hole in a tree at the edge of the park. The week before last they spotted several of these bright green exotic creatures flying out of their hollow. As we are walking back to Blackheath we get a phone call from Nathan who is with Rebecca parked in his car outside Henrietta and Kiev's house. As soon as we get in he is stroking Isaac's head then lifts him out of his pram to give him a cuddle before Henrietta feeds him. We have a cup of tea and chatter when Henrietta and Isaac come back down and Kev returns from a run. Richard, Nathan, Rebecca and I leave shortly afterwards for supper in Greenwich. It's only the second time I've eaten in a Cafe Rouge and both times I've enjoyed the meal cooked in the traditional French manner without a lot of the over elaboration that many of the fashionable English chefs seem to delight in sometimes creating a cacophony of flavours all vying with one another. On Monday we all had Bouillabaisse and tonight I had the cod on ratatouille both flavoursome and nutritious.
E mail from Eiji at the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art saying that the statement and other material I had sent will make good information boards.