OCTOBER 2009 with Dr Margus Laidre (the Estonian ambassador) 31.10.09 Thursday 1.10.09 E mail mid afternoon from my Canadian dealers to say that three of the paintings have arrived then an hour later another e mail to say that all four are now there. It’s a long haul through the night finishing off the final three pieces to go to the photographers first thing in the morning - 6 am the following day to be precise. Friday 2.10.09 R’s up with the lark to get to the Darkroom with the paintings then back for another sleep until the transparencies are ready to collect. He collects them on the way to the printers in Suffolk. We could of course leave all this to the gallery to organise and design but it would mean we had less control and less flexibility on the timing as I’m always sailing close to the wind. It’s my dear Henrietta’s birthday. We were going up to celebrate it at the weekend but as little Isaac’s developed a sore throat Henrietta thinks it might be best to postpone for a week or two. Whilst R’s away I settle down to do the recipe for the Old Spot Trust Cook Book. They have been very patient. Decide to send my “two for one” “easy measure apple cake” plus “chocolate walnut cake bonus” as I’d cooked these last weekend towards the big afternoon tea for the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum. Saturday 10.10.09 Drive up to London to meet Lee my New York agent and Jim at the Chelsea Arts Club. They are already there when I arrive, looking comfortable in one of the leather settees reading newspapers. Richard joins us shortly after having parked the car. It’s always great to see them. R spots my contribution to the Exquisite Corpses which are figures made up of three sections each by a different artist, put together later so that the artists don’t know whose work their body part will be tripled with. He’s delighted as the figure topped with my drawing of a head at the moment has the highest bid on it. Lee says she wouldn’t have recognised it as mine which is good. When we go in to lunch Richard spots two artists that we know on the next table which appears to be a big celebration party. Lee admires several paintings on the wall including two by Robert Brough; she’s recently sold two works one being a Mary Cassat for $4m. Sunday 11.10.09 Finishing off paintings for the Brian Sinfield show. Monday 12.10.09 Ditto. Tuesday 13.10.09 Ditto. Wednesday 14.10.09 Ditto Thursday 15.10.09 R drives to Burford to collect the catalogues from Brian Sinfield Gallery and we post out those to America and Europe. Friday 16.10.09 Brian phones to say that he’s just sold The Lion the Lady and the Unicorn. Send out UK catalogues Saturday 17.10.09 Drove up to London, collecting Nathan and Ruth en route for a belated celebration of Henrietta’s birthday and also to take my Mum who is going to stay with them for a few days. The apartment they are renting on a short term basis is beautiful and overlooks Jools Holland’s St Cecelia Court (patron saint of music) which houses his recording studio. We all then (apart from Henrietta who is preparing the meal) and my Mum, walk down the road to look at the house they are buying; it’s very attractive and a bit bigger than their last house, to accommodate the now two little boys. Nathan entertains his two little nephews with wonderfully acrobatic games, each little boy wearing hat type masks that he and Ruth have brought for them. Isaac tells us he’s a nanasaurus a nice friendly type of dinosaur. A lovely time that goes too fast is enjoyed by all. We drop N and R off in Hoxton at about 11pm; this seems to be the time that the evening starts looking at the crowds gathering on the pavement. They immediately bump into another couple and Nathan introduces him as the Directors involved in one of the music videos he’d shown us earlier that evening. Sunday 18.10.09 We arrive back just before 3 am. Monday 19.10.09 Now the last leg, finishing all the paintings for the exhibition in the final two weeks. Tuesday 20.10.09 Working on the edges of a couple of the paintings that Richard has taken out for me to extend the image over the white area that goes behind the frame. The phone rings and its Norman Henry, friend and dealer from New Jersey wanting to know if I’ve got any works available. He’s in London at the moment. I tell him about the exhibition and he looks at the images on my web site. He says there are several he likes but his favourite is Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and says he’d like to buy it if possible but doesn’t want to pull things out of Brian Sinfield’s show in advance. E mail from Pippa at the gallery who has sold Bridge Players to one of Brian’s clients Wednesday 21.10.09 Surprise visit from Professor David Carpanini who was visiting Jim the framer in the village. David and I overlapped at art school; it’s always good to reminisce about fellow students. His work concentrates on the urban landscapes of South Wales with rows of little terraced houses and industrial coal mines etc. he was Professor of Art at Wolverhampton University and President of the Royal Society of Painter Etchers. Whilst R is collecting my Mum from her stay in London with H,K,I and S, I receive very nice e mail from Professor Nancy Kotler in Chicago enquiring about the price of the Bridge Players which of course has already sold! E mail for the Great Roberto asking if we’d like Toyah and the Humans debut performance in England and the first of a small tour to be at St Michael and All Angles. Also one from Caroline and Simon enquiring about using St Jerome as their Christmas card. Thursday 22.10.09 I’m busy finishing off sides, tops and bottoms of the painted frames etc. and of adding a new figure or two to some of the works! Imagine that some of the people will spot the difference from the reproductions in the catalogue. Friday 23.10.09 ditto E mail from Lucy Parford at Weekend Magazine to say that they are going to do a feature in next weekend's magazine on the Burford exhibition; could we send images. Saturday 24.10.09 Call from Brian saying he has some people in the gallery who are interested in my work - so Richard takes several over so that they are there for when the gallery reopens after lunch. Sunday 25.10.09 Finishing the works that Richard will be delivering to the gallery on Tuesday. Monday 26.10.09 ditto Tuesday 27.10.09 R takes a hired van with several of the paintings to the Gallery where he and Brian hang the biggest. Wednesday 28.10.09 Lucy Parford rings to do an interview on the phone. Thursday 29.10.09 R goes back to the Gallery with the remaining works so that he and Brian can hang them. Friday 30.10.09 Working on a small painting that I’m going to use for Mince Pies, Miniatures and Mulled Wine event for the National Star College that we’re going to hold on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th December. Saturday 31.10.09 Up earlier than usual to drive to Burford for the opening. En route we pick up copies of Weekend magazine and are very pleased to see a wonderful two page spread with five large reproductions - they are always so supportive. It’s so good to see so many friends old and new . It’s a bright day and lots of people are making a day of it in Burford or doing the exhibition and lunch. I’m touched that people like Sir Henry and Lady Caroline Elwes come, especially as it’s a day off (they have one of the best collections of snowdrops in the country at Colesbourne Park, with over 250 varieties) ; and dear Margus (the Estonian ambassador) all the way from London. I’m delighted to meet a very nice couple, the Roberts, who already own two of my paintings and have this morning added two more to their collection, Ladies Who Lunch and The Walkout demonstrators; it’s particularly nice as she studied graphic design. Several of the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum have come along, amongst them the Storms, Michael often gives talks at the Museum, his areas of expertise no doubt enhanced by the two MAs this remarkable man has completed since retiring; they have just become the owners of my little painting The Cardplayers, I think because it reminds them of playing Scrabble with the friends they have just been staying with. Peta and Richard Hoyle are going onto the Ashmolean in Oxford for its reopening. Nice to see Andrew Fox who is head of Gloucester Museums Service - we have some interesting discussions about the stories within the paintings and then rather appropriately as its Halloween, about the ghost in the Museum. The door slowly opens and a small boy in a red bat covered shirt and shoes is standing there grinning. It’s Zac Taylor with his Mum and Dad; Martin and Chris have one of the best collections of my work in the country and have just added The Lion, The Lady and The Unicorn to it. Later in the day after a visit to the Cotswold Wildlife Park, Zac returns with a painted vampire face to frighten us all. Fascinatingly it looks quite Japanese. Bearing beautiful roses, Wallace arrives with Madge and Eamon. Surprise surprise, Bruce and Barbara Fireman arrive just as I’m going out to admire Andy Ginn’s beautiful motorbike. Eamon’s standing on the pavement so the admiration society has increased. Interestingly Andy had been having a long chat to Allen and Maggie McConaghie; I had asked Andy and Allen (and Peta and Richard Hoyle) all to become Patrons of the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum. Bruce and Barbara bought my first large painting in 1979. One of the first people I’d met at the gallery this morning was Mike Mckiernan; he is a doctor who has written an article based on my painting Deadline for The Journal of Occupational Medicine. Lovely to see Bobbie Reisel and Jack; Bobbie’s late husband Oscar made a film on my work some years ago which won prizes. My dear friends from student days Janet and David come towards the end of the day bearing a jar of conserve and a jar of chutney.

OCTOBER 2009

with Dr Margus Laidre (the Estonian ambassador) 31.10.09

Thursday 1.10.09

E mail mid afternoon from my Canadian dealers to say that three of the paintings have arrived then an hour later another e mail to say that all four are now there.

It’s a long haul through the night finishing off the final three pieces to go to the photographers first thing in the morning - 6 am the following day to be precise.

Friday 2.10.09

R’s up with the lark to get to the Darkroom with the paintings then back for another sleep until the transparencies are ready to collect. He collects them on the way to the printers in Suffolk. We could of course leave all this to the gallery to organise and design but it would mean we had less control and less flexibility on the timing as I’m always sailing close to the wind.

It’s my dear Henrietta’s birthday. We were going up to celebrate it at the weekend but as little Isaac’s developed a sore throat Henrietta thinks it might be best to postpone for a week or two. Whilst R’s away I settle down to do the recipe for the Old Spot Trust Cook Book. They have been very patient. Decide to send my “two for one” “easy measure apple cake” plus “chocolate walnut cake bonus” as I’d cooked these last weekend towards the big afternoon tea for the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum.

Saturday 10.10.09

Drive up to London to meet Lee my New York agent and Jim at the Chelsea Arts Club. They are already there when I arrive, looking comfortable in one of the leather settees reading newspapers. Richard joins us shortly after having parked the car. It’s always great to see them. R spots my contribution to the Exquisite Corpses which are figures made up of three sections each by a different artist, put together later so that the artists don’t know whose work their body part will be tripled with. He’s delighted as the figure topped with my drawing of a head at the moment has the highest bid on it. Lee says she wouldn’t have recognised it as mine which is good. When we go in to lunch Richard spots two artists that we know on the next table which appears to be a big celebration party. Lee admires several paintings on the wall including two by Robert Brough; she’s recently sold two works one being a Mary Cassat for $4m.

Sunday 11.10.09

Finishing off paintings for the Brian Sinfield show.

Monday 12.10.09

Ditto.

Tuesday 13.10.09

Ditto.

Wednesday 14.10.09

Ditto

Thursday 15.10.09

R drives to Burford to collect the catalogues from Brian Sinfield Gallery and we post out those to America and Europe.

Friday 16.10.09

Brian phones to say that he’s just sold The Lion the Lady and the Unicorn.

Send out UK catalogues

Saturday 17.10.09

Drove up to London, collecting Nathan and Ruth en route for a belated celebration of Henrietta’s birthday and also to take my Mum who is going to stay with them for a few days. The apartment they are renting on a short term basis is beautiful and overlooks Jools Holland’s St Cecelia Court (patron saint of music) which houses his recording studio. We all then (apart from Henrietta who is preparing the meal) and my Mum, walk down the road to look at the house they are buying; it’s very attractive and a bit bigger than their last house, to accommodate the now two little boys. Nathan entertains his two little nephews with wonderfully acrobatic games, each little boy wearing hat type masks that he and Ruth have brought for them. Isaac tells us he’s a nanasaurus a nice friendly type of dinosaur. A lovely time that goes too fast is enjoyed by all. We drop N and R off in Hoxton at about 11pm; this seems to be the time that the evening starts looking at the crowds gathering on the pavement. They immediately bump into another couple and Nathan introduces him as the Directors involved in one of the music videos he’d shown us earlier that evening.

Sunday 18.10.09

We arrive back just before 3 am.

Monday 19.10.09

Now the last leg, finishing all the paintings for the exhibition in the final two weeks.

Tuesday 20.10.09

Working on the edges of a couple of the paintings that Richard has taken out for me to extend the image over the white area that goes behind the frame. The phone rings and its Norman Henry, friend and dealer from New Jersey wanting to know if I’ve got any works available. He’s in London at the moment. I tell him about the exhibition and he looks at the images on my web site. He says there are several he likes but his favourite is Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and says he’d like to buy it if possible but doesn’t want to pull things out of Brian Sinfield’s show in advance.

E mail from Pippa at the gallery who has sold Bridge Players to one of Brian’s clients

Wednesday 21.10.09

Surprise visit from Professor David Carpanini who was visiting Jim the framer in the village. David and I overlapped at art school; it’s always good to reminisce about fellow students. His work concentrates on the urban landscapes of South Wales with rows of little terraced houses and industrial coal mines etc. he was Professor of Art at Wolverhampton University and President of the Royal Society of Painter Etchers.

Whilst R is collecting my Mum from her stay in London with H,K,I and S, I receive very nice e mail from Professor Nancy Kotler in Chicago enquiring about the price of the Bridge Players which of course has already sold! E mail for the Great Roberto asking if we’d like Toyah and the Humans debut performance in England and the first of a small tour to be at St Michael and All Angles. Also one from Caroline and Simon enquiring about using St Jerome as their Christmas card.

Thursday 22.10.09

I’m busy finishing off sides, tops and bottoms of the painted frames etc. and of adding a new figure or two to some of the works! Imagine that some of the people will spot the difference from the reproductions in the catalogue.

Friday 23.10.09

ditto

E mail from Lucy Parford at Weekend Magazine to say that they are going to do a feature in next weekend's magazine on the Burford exhibition; could we send images.

Saturday 24.10.09

Call from Brian saying he has some people in the gallery who are interested in my work - so Richard takes several over so that they are there for when the gallery reopens after lunch.

Sunday 25.10.09

Finishing the works that Richard will be delivering to the gallery on Tuesday.

Monday 26.10.09

ditto

Tuesday 27.10.09

R takes a hired van with several of the paintings to the Gallery where he and Brian hang the biggest.

Wednesday 28.10.09

Lucy Parford rings to do an interview on the phone.

Thursday 29.10.09

R goes back to the Gallery with the remaining works so that he and Brian can hang them.

Friday 30.10.09

Working on a small painting that I’m going to use for Mince Pies, Miniatures and Mulled Wine event for the National Star College that we’re going to hold on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th December.

Saturday 31.10.09

Up earlier than usual to drive to Burford for the opening. En route we pick up copies of Weekend magazine and are very pleased to see a wonderful two page spread with five large reproductions - they are always so supportive.

It’s so good to see so many friends old and new . It’s a bright day and lots of people are making a day of it in Burford or doing the exhibition and lunch. I’m touched that people like Sir Henry and Lady Caroline Elwes come, especially as it’s a day off (they have one of the best collections of snowdrops in the country at Colesbourne Park, with over 250 varieties) ; and dear Margus (the Estonian ambassador) all the way from London. I’m delighted to meet a very nice couple, the Roberts, who already own two of my paintings and have this morning added two more to their collection, Ladies Who Lunch and The Walkout demonstrators; it’s particularly nice as she studied graphic design. Several of the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum have come along, amongst them the Storms, Michael often gives talks at the Museum, his areas of expertise no doubt enhanced by the two MAs this remarkable man has completed since retiring; they have just become the owners of my little painting The Cardplayers, I think because it reminds them of playing Scrabble with the friends they have just been staying with. Peta and Richard Hoyle are going onto the Ashmolean in Oxford for its reopening. Nice to see Andrew Fox who is head of Gloucester Museums Service - we have some interesting discussions about the stories within the paintings and then rather appropriately as its Halloween, about the ghost in the Museum. The door slowly opens and a small boy in a red bat covered shirt and shoes is standing there grinning. It’s Zac Taylor with his Mum and Dad; Martin and Chris have one of the best collections of my work in the country and have just added The Lion, The Lady and The Unicorn to it. Later in the day after a visit to the Cotswold Wildlife Park, Zac returns with a painted vampire face to frighten us all. Fascinatingly it looks quite Japanese. Bearing beautiful roses, Wallace arrives with Madge and Eamon. Surprise surprise, Bruce and Barbara Fireman arrive just as I’m going out to admire Andy Ginn’s beautiful motorbike. Eamon’s standing on the pavement so the admiration society has increased. Interestingly Andy had been having a long chat to Allen and Maggie McConaghie; I had asked Andy and Allen (and Peta and Richard Hoyle) all to become Patrons of the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum. Bruce and Barbara bought my first large painting in 1979. One of the first people I’d met at the gallery this morning was Mike Mckiernan; he is a doctor who has written an article based on my painting Deadline for The Journal of Occupational Medicine. Lovely to see Bobbie Reisel and Jack; Bobbie’s late husband Oscar made a film on my work some years ago which won prizes. My dear friends from student days Janet and David come towards the end of the day bearing a jar of conserve and a jar of chutney.