Tuesday 1.9.09

In today's post a thank you letter from Martha, an A level student who had been doing a study on me thanking me and telling me she had got an A grade for it. I eat my breakfast and do the correspondence in the garden when the weather is sunny and have been interested to watch the minute grey caterpillars that have been laid on the nasturtium leaves grow into handsome black and yellow beasts of about an inch and a half long that will of course turn into glorious butterflies - a recompense for the fact that the magnificent nasturtium plant that rambled down the steps with its bright orange trumpets have been reduced to leafless lifeless stalks. I wished Isaac and Samuel had been here to witness it as it reminds me of the Very Hungry Caterpillar story.

Thursday 3.9.09

Work on drawn head for Exquisite Corpses for  the Chelsea Arts Club (raising money for The Artists Benevolent fund).Go into the University for meeting with Ben Calvert, Dean of Campus Bob Head of Painting & Drawing and Nick Sergent head of photography. Particularly  pleased as they are keen on my suggestion to visit the National Star College.

Then back home to prepare for supper Alan McConaghie and Mark Coote (Conservative Parliamentary Candidate ) arrive at 7.30 we start with a chat much focused on the National Star College current dilemma (Mark had travelled up to  the Houses of Parliament  with students and staff to try to get an audience with the minister and hoped that he would come out to meet the students but he declined ). Followed by studio visit  then discussion over supper of possible fund raising event re the new development at CAG&M.

Friday 4.9.09

Richard sets off on his round trip to Paris to take them a new painting. En route he’s delivering my Mum to London as we treated her and my sister to a weekend with a visit to the National Theatre’s ‘War Horse’ by Michael Mulpergo. They visit the British Museum on Saturday. He’s then going to stay the night with Henrietta and Kev before driving to Dover to catch the ferry.

Meanwhile I’m going to have an intensive painting weekend, trying to make some headway.

Saturday 5.9.09

It’s wonderfully quiet and luckily the phone doesn’t keep ringing, so am able to make good progress. Richard sends me texts to let me know where he is at different stages of the journey. It is a wonderful way ot keep in touch. He doesn’t get very long in Paris as he has double parked outside the gallery and before long a dustcart appears and he has to move, which is a shame as it means he doesn’t get long with Michelle and Pierre Marie. But it does mean he’s on good time for his ferry journey back. After disembarking at Dover he drives to ‘somewhere in Kent’ to collect Henrietta, Kev and the boys from a celebration that friends of theirs are holding in marquees and garden. he then takes them back home and stays the night before.......

Sunday 6.9.09

.......he  goes to collect my Mum from the hotel in London’s Leicester Square and meeting our friends the Slosbergs for lunch on the way back. I’m working very hard as I always see it as a challenge to try and achieve as much as possible whilst Richard is away so as to surprise him on his return. I have managed to make three or four new starts, two on the wavy constructions that he has made for me as I know he will be particularly pleased about that ( he’d primed them and placed them in my studio in the hope that I would).

Monday 7.9.09

E mail from the Old Spot charity trust asking if I might write a recipe for their new cookbook by Gloucestershire people. It sounds to be a fascinating trust that was founded by three businesses and supported by several more, the idea being that it would the ‘charities, community groups and not for profit organisations of Gloucestershire...we want to help make Gloucestershire an even better place.’

Tuesday 8.9.09

I’m still catching up on e mails and am pleased to hear back from the great Roberto re series of performances that he and Theo Travis volunteered to give in Gloucestershire churches both for the benefit of the churches and the National Star College. This will take a lot of organising but will I am sure be a wonderful.

Wednesday 9.9.09

Good day working in both studios.

Richard resends the image of the newspaper work that I’m donating to the charity exhibition along with The Harlequin Cat for the Douglas and Elizabeth House. Both are children’s hospices. I’m donating 50% of each sale to them and the other 50% to the National Star College, both being the most wonderful charities. Lizzie Pickering and her colleague Kate, work extremely hard each year to raise the £4.5m it costs to keep the two hospices going. Brian Sinfield says they are quite remarkable in what they manage to achieve, especially in this day and age when there are so many good causes to support; they are all vying for the public’s compassion.

Thursday 10.9.09

E mail from Dr Margus on his way to a security conference. Also one from the Vaal Gallery in Tallinn who Richard is now in communication with, making initial arrangements for the exhibition there in April. Also one from Galerie Alain Blondel announcing the mixed exhibition.

Friday 11.9.09

Up very early  to travel over to Gloucester for the Bishop’s Breakfast meeting discussion which focuses on the dire plight of the young who are unemployed or unable to get into Further Education due to lack of Government Funding. Early afternoon R drives up to London whist I continue here in the studios. It’s a most glorious day, warm enough to be mid summer very good light in both studios. Call from Wallace who’s just come back from the US where of course he’s looked at museums and galleries and is full of the excitement of the trip. We also discuss the Open Studio with afternoon tea or supper later this month - he’s going to come and help, talking to groups about my work.

Saturday 12.9.09

R arrives back with Henrietta, Isaac and Samuel who have come to stay for a few days whist Kev is walking with his father in the Pyrenees.

Sunday 13.9.09

Anthony Oliver comes for tea with his two beautiful little boys Charlie and George, who are wonderfully patient with Isaac and Samuel. Much fun is had collecting insects to observe in Isaac’s insect magnifier. The centipede seemed to have escaped of its own volition but the ladybird, wood louse, minute caterpillar, ant and fly were all released again. I’ve managed to find some brilliant little Ladybird books on Bugs which I hope will add to the afternoon’s observations. We go and have a look at the studio as Charlie is very keen on drawing and painting and went on a course of Saturday classes at Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum; it’s something he’s obviously passionate about as apparently he draws all the time and has a very good visual memory Anthony tells me. They have just been camping in the Forest of Dean where they also canoed. The weekend before they were punting in Cambridge. Anthony’s a brilliant Dad.

Monday 14.9.09

We and Henrietta take the boys to Pittville Park during the afternoon. Henrietta comments again on how beautiful a Park it is which as she’s used to the magnificent Greenwich Park is quite a compliment.

Tuesday 15.9.09

R drives Henrietta and the boys over to Kev’s sister’s from where they will travel with Kev’s Mum for their reunion with Kev and his father (on their return from walking in the Pyrenees).

I’m now working quite intensely on the pieces for Brian’s show in preparation for his studio visit on Friday.

Wednesday 16.9.09

ditto

Thursday 17.9.09

Whilst I’m working in the studio I get a phone call from Lee re exhibition in New York next year. She’s been making preliminary arrangements and will be over during the first half of October when we’ll have lunch at the Chelsea Arts Club to discuss further.

Friday 18.9.09

Brian Sinfield comes to see the works for my forthcoming exhibition there and is particularly taken with The Lion the Lady and the Unicorn which I tell him I painted with him in mind. But he’s enthusiastic about all the available pieces and looking at the Gloucester College commission says he doesn’t know how I do it ! I’m also amazed when he comments that he thinks the painting is nearly finished as he knows my work really well; he says the same to Richard later who knows like me that I still have a long way to go.

Phone call from Andy Ginn. Henrietta Kev and the little boys arrive late and go straight to bed.

Saturday 19.9.09

H and K are going to a wedding near Salisbury so we are looking after Isaac and Samuel. Isaac says he would like to go to Cotswold Wildlife Park so we pack a picnic and off we go. It’s a lovely sunny day perfect for an outing- we spend almost five hours there. ending up with the train ride round the whole park. The Penguins and giant tortoise are probably the highlights of the afternoon (and the ninety nine ice creams which although they were the children's versions were still enormous).

Sunday 20.9.09

At 6 am I feel a little leg clambering down onto my mattress on the floor beside the bed so I give him a cuddle in the hope he will go back to sleep as I didn’t really sleep very well. But no such luck, Samuel hears us chattering so he’s now awake too. We are due to be at Upper Dowdswell Manor for an At Home to celebrate the wedding of Sarah, who has married Drummond; we first met when she did a study on my work for her art history dissertation whilst at the Ladies College and she and her parents have become good friends. So I’m hoping that once I’m changed I can manage to arrive without any squashed banana or hand prints on my clothes as dear little Samuel has taken a great liking to my breakfast cereal on which I always have a sliced banana. We get to Upper Dowdswell where Henrietta and Kev are meeting us a little late but all intact, apart from the big dinosaur balloon I’d bought for Isaac yesterday, which seemed to have split under the weight of their travelling bag. Isaac’s very upset but then I find the rubber frog we’d also bought at the Wildlife Park and reminded him that he’d like to stretch its legs a long way and that he could demonstrate this to his Mummy and Daddy - he soon forgot the balloon. It’s a warm sunny day which makes this party in the Manor’s beautiful grounds with its undulating lawns all the more glorious. Peta quickly spots us and introduces us to various friends. Sarah looks stunning in her Grecian style wedding dress with its jewelled halter neck. We’re surprised and delighted to see Edward and Alyson there; Alyson is going on to the AGM of the musicians union later. Before we leave Richard Hoyle takes us in to see his Kip engraving of the Manor and the surrounding landscape and we are pleased to spot R’s wood engraving of the Pump Rooms on the wall. Inspired by today's hot weather we stop at the Garden centre to buy some plants for the garden including two conical box trees; we muse that this is the same plant from which the wood for engraving comes.

Monday 21.9.09

Though I’ve been working hard on the paintings for Toronto I don’t manage to finish them enough to be photographed today so R will take them in the morning and send the images to the gallery for before they open.

Tuesday 22.9.09

R has done a great job of recovering the seats of some of our old French Provençal dining chairs. I’ve mixed a couple of different shades of the Farrow & Ball eggshell paint in a pale blue to go with the blue of our clouded walls. Later I pick out in paint the carved decoration of each.

Wednesday 23.9.09

Putting the finishing touches to the pieces for the RWA

Thursday 24.9.09

R delivers the works to the Royal West of England Academy. He calls at Ikea on the way back to get some extra glasses and four large dishes for my Mum’s bread and butter puddings for use on Sunday. Meanwhile I am working on the paintings for the exhibition in Toronto  and the Art Fair there.

Friday 25.9.09

Trying to complete the pieces for Toronto as am hoping to send them off on Monday

Saturday 26.9.09

Arrange studios & house to make enough space to accommodate the large numbers of Friends who will be coming tomorrow. At midnight make a large apple and almond cake using windfalls from the garden plus a chocolate walnut cake for the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum studio visit and tea tomorrow.

Sunday 27.9.09

But when I come down stairs I’m confronted by a wonderful array of cakes that Richard has already made - a large ginger slice, a magnificent Victoria sponge and an iced lemon drizzle cake which all look very tempting he’s also made sixty rock buns. so added to my Mum’s four large spicy bread puddings and the sandwiches that she and Amy (our young helper who’s just taken the first half of three of her science GCSEs and the younger sister of Adam who’s coming to help this evening) I think we should have more than enough to feed five thousand. Suddenly the afternoon is upon us. Heather, the chairman of the friends arrives and then Wallace with a glorious bunch of roses, some cutlery and teacups for us to borrow. We’re lucky with the weather so are able to serve sangria or elder flower cordial in the garden before commencing the tour of the studios. I take one group across the Lane to see the Gloucestershire College commission and works for the Toronto Art Fair whilst Wallace conducts the other half through the house and up to the top studio whilst Richard made egg & cress and tuna & cucumber sandwich fillings. Both groups are wonderful and ask very pertinent questions, particularly an older lady called Bunty who is obviously an artist herself. Elegant and articulate and very excited to see Richard’s book on the wood engravings of Clare Leighton. I’m delighted to see that over tea she and our dear friends Daphne and Michael are chattering; Daphne of course is also an artist and textile designer. I’m determined to introduce her to Richard who I know will be delighted to talk to a fellow engraver and manage to do so just before she leaves. Heather’s been very good at selling Raffle tickets so we have a set of prizes for the afternoon including two bottles of wine that my Mum has donated, a large tin of biscuits we’ve bought for the purpose and a jar of gooseberry jam. It adds to the fun of the occasion.

Somehow the afternoon almost runs into the evening. We are pleased when Adam (who I first met when I opened the beautiful new building at Cleeve School in February - he lives in the same Lane and got the deputy head to introduce us) arrives; he and Amy work very hard through the evening session. Wallace lights some huge flare like candles for me and places them in the garden for the evening pre tour drinks - this time of wine, sangria or elder flower.

George and Rachel are some of the first to arrive; it’s always a joy to see them, George of course founded the Friends when he was Director of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museums and it was he who proposed my first exhibition there in 1986. It’s also a great joy to see Graham and Eileen Lockwood (who George had not met before). Graham is chairman of the trustees of the Museum and wrote the splendid history of the Cheltenham International Music Festival. Peta and Richard Hoyle were also amongst the thirty five guests; I’m delighted they agreed to become Patrons of the Friends. Peta comments that Richard is making fish pies on an industrial scale and she is very good at cheering him on. My Mum has made four large bread and butter puddings for sweet which Richard serves with the help of Adam who managed the bowls and Amy did the ice cream. Then the cheese course and during the coffee and mints the second raffle is drawn. I’m really touched when the first prize winner, Christina who works at the museum, chooses my apple and almond cake rather than the bottle of champagne or tin of biscuits. Am delighted that before she leaves she presents me with a beautiful little mouse she has made who is related to the two in the animated film that was made by Bruce and his colleague with my painting and the figures of Henrietta and Nathan with his Punch and Judy. It’s also very touching when the second prize winner went for Richard’s Victoria sponge and finally the fourth prize went to our dear friends and collectors Anne and Jeremy. Its been such a fun evening although it has again raced past. Our two helpers had left earlier to a round of applause but Wallace stays on to help with the clearing up and leaves about 2.

Monday 28.9.09

As I hadn’t managed to finish the Canadian paintings on Friday, I spend all today and most of the night working on the pieces to go to Toronto.

Tuesday 29.9.09

The paintings have gone off to Toronto this afternoon in Richard’s beautiful boxes by Federal Express. I’m working very hard finishing off the paintings to be photographed for the catalogue for the show with Brian Sinfield at the end of October, beginning of November

Wednesday 30.9.09

Working on The Lion, the Lady and the Unicorn and other canvases to finish enough for photographing in the morning for the BS catalogue.