MAY 2005
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Today I spend time on the giant parasol with it's hanging paper strips that twist and sway in the air as it proceeds. Also more work to the carrier. Then a further bash into the early hours on the paper lanterns.
R sends and image of the photo he's taken, to Alstair who is travelling somewhere in the world with MJ on business. Looking at the LADY SHIZUKA painting, it now seems far less complete by comparison with the WHITE HERONS - still a lot to resolve.
struggle with the trees on the LADY SHIZUKA canvas. Once I start to give them more structure they seem to become less problematic and more interesting an area.
Cheque arrives from Tempest Radford for the new newspaper painting which still isn't quite finished!!!
Very pleased to receive e mail from Alistair saying that MJ likes the latest painting, had nice things to say about the work and is pleased with the progress so far. Which is great relief as it's such a big commission.
It was Les, one of our builders, birthday yesterday, so we take him a bottle of port. he's now in his 74th year.
Working intermittently on the LADY SHIZUKA and the new newspaper work.
Wallace rings in the evening. His niece has just got into Goldsmiths to study textiles. He's recently been to Germany where of course he saw some wonderful art including stained glass windows by Marc Chagall. We talk for two hours then my Mum rings and like me she's still trying to decide how to vote. I read out the various election leaflets we've received from the different parties.
Bright sunny day as I walk down with my Mum to vote. We've both decided upon the Liberal Democrats.
Most efforts today spent on the big Saudi Arabian newspaper canvas which I'm enjoying as I particularly like the shapes and forms that the throbies make, which are not dissimilar to that of the newspapers.
By midnight have taken the heads, hands and papers right up to the top of the frame, whist listening to early election results and forecasts. It seems that Labour are going to succeed again but with a much smaller majority
Finish painting in the photographs of President Chirac kissing the hand of Condeliza Rice at the Pope's Funeral and others that are still blank. It's an interesting painting as the papers on that day, APRIL 9th cover not only the Pope's Funeral but also the Royal Wedding and the Grand National. Still painting photographs on the newspaper work up until 3pm when R has to take it to the photographers. Have transferred back to the LADY SHIZUKA canvas for a couple of hours when I'm suddenly filled with a sense of panic - I'd glanced at the calendar and realised that my New York dealer, Lee, will be expecting to see images of her commission very soon. And since the canvas looks like an abstract divided horizontally in two colours, the upper one graduating into the lower, I decide I'll have to spend time working out the composition which I do until R returns. He's impressed in that encouraging way he has of convincing me I'm in with a hope - although does admit that time is running out and for me the canvas still looks rather blank. I reward myself by mowing some of the lawn outside my studio, with the new small manual rotary machine that R has bought for me so that I can cut the grass rather than Thomas (our gardener) with his large noisy machine which had disturbed the beautiful ring-collared dove who's nesting in the honeysuckle outside my studio. She'd flown away after his last cut and didn't come back for days but she doesn't seem to mind me.
All efforts on the LADY SHIZUKA canvas as hope to send image to Saudi Arabia tomorrow or Monday.
It's fascinating to watch the ring-collared dove and her spouse working on the nest. She sits there patiently whilst he delivers twigs and leaves which they both seem to miraculously weave in with their beaks. He looks like the dove returning to the ark each time he comes with his beak laden full of plant life.
More work on the Saudi Arabian newspaper canvas which R photographs to send in progress with the almost completed LADY SHIZUKA.
E mail from Alistair saying MJ has approved the LADY SHIZUKA and also likes the Saudi newspaper painting in progress. All energies now on the New York commission.
R's gone to London to deliver the square newspaper painting to Tempest Radford. He also goes to the Christie's auction, where he manages to buy back one of my large water-colours but not the small corrugated work which goes to a telephone bidder. Professor Ken meets him there shortly afterwards; they go for a coffee and then watch the rest of the sale. later he visits Nathan whose flat is full of props he is building with Sam and Jenny for a music film that is being shot tomorrow.
Meanwhile I'm working non-stop on Lee's commission which has fallen into place pretty quickly but I'm still struggling with the figures.
Nice e mail from Alistair saying I will start receiving moneys for the Saudi commissions on 1st June.
Tom from Tempest Radford phones to say that their client has bought 24th SEPTEMBER. He says how well they've done with my work and suggest the idea that Jane is going to put to me about hanging a whole wall of my big works for three months if I can spare anything.
Work on Lee's commission until just before 2pm so that Richard can photograph it to send her. I keep doing a little more, R rephotographing it each time as we wait and wait for Federal Express to arrive. just before 7 we rang and were told they won't come today. So rather later than we'd hoped, we go shopping, first to Blooms to buy a plant each for Janet and Joyce for a shared birthday celebration tomorrow. Also lobelia and other plants for the garden. Then on to get food but as I shop so rarely it's an opportunity to spot other good buys - like a set of Sir terrance Conran saucepans for Richard, sundae dishes and soft red place mats.
Joyce arrives at about 11 and is helping R by preparing the fruit salad when I go over to the house from the studio. It's so good to see her, it seems a long time since we last met although we have exchanged e mails and the occasional phone call. Janet and David arrive shortly after, bearing beautiful plants. We have a lovely time exchanging gifts (Joyce has bought me some marvellous garden torch/candles which I'm sure will look quite magical in the dark), drinking champagne and a trip round the studio before lunch. R's made a magnificent fish pie. We exchange news and reminisce; these are two of my dearest friends from art student days.
Fedex still haven't collected !! We'd also had a call from Miranda at Brian gallery asking about THE LAST TODAY TODAY painting as she has a couple in at the moment looking at it.
Continuing with the New York commission.
Leave message on Lee's answer phone during the afternoon which of course is morning in the Big Apple. When the phone rings at about 9pm I know it will be her, having seen the image of the painting on the internet. Luckily she is pleased with it although as usual would like a couple of additions.
It's been a beautiful day; we sat in the garden with my Mum having tea during the evening.
Exciting morning as Tim arrives with all the frames he's made for the Saudi Arabian commissions. I'd had the timber turned in one piece this time so that there wouldn't be as much work in putting them together, therefore fewer joins.
R makes crate for Lee's commission which of course I'm still working on.
E mail from Jerome in New York who says that the money transfer for the payment I'm making for two of my earlier works that I am buying back from him, has arrived in his account. I'm really pleased as banks often hang onto it for a long time. The paintings have arrived in this country by air and are scheduled to be here by Thursday midday.
Royalty cheque arrives.
Even after R has brought back the New York commission from the photographers, I do another hour or two work on it before he insists it goes into the crate for Fedex to collect in the afternoon. I spend the rest of the day refining the two Japanese Festival paintings.
Much thought on the subject matter for the second Saudi Arabian canvas, which I think will be the historic and ancient city of Al-Dirriyah, the one time capital of the first Saudi state. A most exquisitely beautiful honey coloured set of architectural buildings enhanced by the gradual decay of the ages now in the process of being restored to it's authentic glory by the government. Most of the day spent mixing up new colours for it, only interrupted by the arrival of a crate from New York with the two paintings, Playing for Time and Roulette which I have bought back from the Pustilniks who have owned them for over twenty years.
Joyce calls in for her plants and we chat over a cup of tea before she goes off to visit another friend. As she's leaving we notice Rose traversing the new building site to get into the garden carrying two trays of bean plants that her Richard has been growing in his greenhouse and is now very sweetly planting in our kitchen garden which he has already dug! and put the bean poles in.
Peter, the Appeals officer for the National Star College, phones to cancel lunch with us as his wife has just gone into labour.
E mail from New Hall, Cambridge University, saying they have updated the page on their site about Radio Pram. This is the second communication I have had from them this week, the first saying that Anne Londale, Principal of the College, had bought the postcard drawing I had donated to their recent appeal to support the collection, which is the second largest collection of works by women artists in the world, the Museum in Washington DC being the largest.
Nice e mail from Jane at Tempest Radford putting forward the suggestion that Tom had mentioned, about hanging a group of my large paintings at the headquarters of one of the biggest insurance companies in the UK.
Spend morning contemplating the Al-Dirriyah canvas. I've been turning the composition round and round in my head after making just a few tentative marks on it with my brush last night. It's late afternoon before I have either the decisiveness or courage to begin. But as usual once I've started, it isn't half as daunting a problem as it had seemed although I do keep edging the pillars further apart, forcing the composition slightly more to the right. How to show the ruins beyond this particular building had been part of the struggle but I think it's going to work!
I'm relieved to have made the start on the Al-Dirriyah painting but it isn't until late afternoon when I start to put figures in that it really begins to gel. They feel like the ghosts of the people who once inhabited this city.
Tim brings round the frame he has made for the racecourse painting that I'd painted on birch plywood in the early 90s which never having had a frame (and being 33 x 70 inches wide) had bowed. But Tim has solved the problem.
Lee rings from New York to say the painting has arrived today and she loves it. Great relief as have been anxious; it should have been delivered on Friday so not having had a response was worrying me.
Work into the distant ruins on the upper section of the Al-Dirriyah canvas.
Add more figures to the foreground of Al-Dirriyah canvas
Paint the King and Princes in one of the election photographs in an Arabic paper on the Saudi newspaper canvas.
Gradually trying to create the illusion of rubble and the decay of time over the surface of the Al-Dirriyah canvas.
Eddy and Adrian are now working on the roof of the section of the new building that joins the existing house. it's exciting as it begins to take shape and we try to imagine how it will eventually look creating on such a large scale is thrilling!
Brian Sinfield rings to say that one of hs clients has bought THE LAST TODAY TODAY, someone who's new to the work.
Henrietta and Kev arrive about 5 having driven from London. They look well. We are joined by my Mum for a lovely dinner; Richard's cooked a vegetarian moussaka and a buckwheat and lentil slice.
I work on the Al-Dirriyah canvas whilst H&K take my Mum out to lunch. It's interesting to get their reactions to the work on their return; they comment on the difference between the Japanese canvases and the Arabian. This canvas reminds Henrietta of places she visited in India.
Kev goes back as he has to work tomorrow. His design practice is thriving.
The French, as expected have voted non to the referendum on the European Constitution.