Friday 1.8.08

The proofs come back for card and catalogue cover; only minor adjustments needed.

Henrietta, Kev, Isaac and Samuel arrive at about midnight, both babies asleep as they carry them up to bed.

Saturday 2.8.08

Brian Sinfield rings to say he's found a new premises in Burford on three floors. It's going to be slightly more exclusive so won't have a 'shop window' but he sounds very pleased with it - it's currently undergoing alterations.

We have a lovely time sitting in the garden eating Richard's freshly baked fruit bread rolls with H,K and the little ones. Isaac's very pleased with his new wheel barrow and pushes it around with the pot of growing sunflower plants (the seeds of which he planted last time he was here). He also says he wants to paint so he has a session at his little easel; quite a lot of action goes into it and I'm rather impressed when he says it's a rainbow and sure enough the curve of the large brush stroke and mixture of colours that have accrued both on the brush and the paper, make it look very like a rainbow. Two or three pots of paint get knocked over but as its really meant to be finger paint it's gelatinous so not too much is lost each time.

I mention to Henrietta that he seems to have grown since they were here at the end of June, I'd particularly noticed his feet when he was sitting on the floor and so decide to take him down to the village shoe shop ( to have them measured ) where we find some very nice navy blue and white shoes. We then go to buy some little vest like body suits for Samuel and Isaac chooses a toy for him.

Sunday 3.8.08

Henrietta, Kev, Isaac and Samuel leave about 11.30; they are on their way to Kev's parents holiday apartment on the coast in Devon so Isaac is looking forward to the beach and seeing more horses. He's spotted one trotting down this Lane this morning.

I work on the triptych during the afternoon and evening. Also write an e mail to Katherina a photographer who has asked if she could use the essay I wrote ('Portrait of the artist watching her children grow') for The Fruits of Labour - Motherhood and Creativity, The Women's Press 2001 edited by Penny Sumner, in a book she's hoping to have published in Germany. She says that my piece had been an inspiration to her; she would also like to reproduce images of the paintings I mention in the essay. It's a strange sensation reading it again after eight years and I'm surprised at how little I had remembered about it.

Monday 4.8.08

Today I work on both the Boy with Bird triptych and the small seascape with fruits before getting ready to drive over to Gloucester where we are donating and serving the drinks for the 'My Gloucestershire Past and Present' exhibition in the nave of the Cathedral. When we arrive John Holroyd says 'have you got the wine in the back of the car?' and I explain than we had had it delivered to the Cathedral so there's a sudden panic whilst John, the verger and I start looking in all the likely places - to no avail. By this time Richard has come in after parking so he phones Majestic to discover that it's in the Deanery Office. Although it's only across the Cathedral Close it's quicker to take the car than a trolly. The tables have already been set up so we are busy opening bottles and filling glasses which then go onto trays to be offered round. It seems fairly non stop but nice to serve some familiar faces amongst the delightful crowd of older people whose creativity this exhibition is celebrating. I see Bernard and Joan from my Mum's club amongst them; Henry Elwes (the Lord Lieutenant) say "Ah, I see you're the barmaid tonight". Luckily we seem to have ordered enough wine and elderflower pressée. and all the glasses come back intact. people are very courteous in returning them and all seem to have had a very nice time. There's a wonderful video showing an amazing chair which has been beautifully decorated with trees, plants and wildlife, a lovely creation held in time on film to celebrate this event. The exhibits are all of a high standard and beautifully fresh and sincere in their application; colourful hangings, three dimensional stitch work buildings, black and white mono prints, paintings, photography, stone carved lettering and ceramic heads all of which indicate how the creative spirit flourishes right through our lives and often blossoms after retirement.
Tuesday 5.8.08

R's put 252 glasses through our dishwasher to return to Majestic Wine but was somewhat baffled as we'd hired 300. Simon, the Cathedral verger rings to say he's discovered a box of 48 still at the Cathedral so is able to collect those to return with the clean ones. Also goes to the tip with the empties to the glass recycling containers.

Meanwhile I'm still working on the 'Boy with bird' triptych.

Wednesday 6.8.08

Apart from the Paris paintings I'm also trying to finish a piece for the Toronto Art Fair.

Thursday 7.8.08

In today's post a scan of a new book cover using my painting Tango on Grandeur et déclin de Lily Bourbon, poétesse et catin. Lily Bourbon is thought to be the greatest Russian poet of the 20th century; I had thought this was Anna Akhmatova whose husband and son were both imprisoned, she wrote her moving poem which she had to lay down in her emory and that of her friends as she could not leave it on paper. Lily Bourbon was one of Lenin's lovers and went on to have many marriages including one at the age of 96 just after she had emigrated to America where she married a rich American 20 years her junior who died within a few hours from a heart attack. The writer, Iouri Droujnikov, is according to UNESCO, the most translated writer in the world, which surprises us as the great Russian writer Solzenitzen who sadly died earlier this week back in Russia after many years as a dissident for most of his latter life. What is so amazing is that this remarkable man survived the gulags and cancer (Cancer Ward being on of his writings of that period) and survived having lived in the USA. After he'd written the Nobel Prize winning Gulag Archipelago he was exiled from the Soviet Union in 1973 until he went back to Russia in 1993 when he was befriended by Putin and received the State Prize.

Friday 8.8.08

Working on finishing the works for Paris.

Saturday 9.8.08

Although I'm focussed on finishing the works I do start two new pieces; R points out that this always happens when I'm nearing the deadline. But it's partly to make a rounded exhibition and because Rob sold the Journey to the East.

Sunday 10.8.08

ditto.

At lunchtime we go round to number 80 which our tenants Mark and Natalie recently vacated, for an appointment with a young Chinese man, Tim and his uncle Sonny who has a restaurant in London's Chinatown but is also hoping to open one in this area. Sonny has lived here for twenty years so his English is very good. Tim will share the house with Tran (and his girlfriend) who is Japanese but has lived in Italy and has an Italian passport. Sonny has brought him over to cook Italian food. Tim's girlfriend is a student at Exeter University. We discuss the Olympics which had a spectacular opening on Friday; Sonny says it's very difficult for him, he doesn't know which he hopes will be best, the Beijing or the 2012 London Olympics.

Monday 11.8.08

Spend the day working on Saturday.

Tuesday 12.8.08

R takes the new small painting for Toronto to the photographers to have a transparency made for him to scan and e mail to the gallery in Canada for the Toronto International Art Fair.

The Russians, who had moved tanks and aircraft into the South Ossetia area of Georgia in an attack to stop the Georgians forcefully claiming the area and its resources which had asked the world to recognise its independence from Georgia in March this year, following the West's support for Kosova's secession from Serbia. The situation had become warlike but France's President Sarkosy who is currently also President of the European Community flew in for talks with the Georgian and Russian President and Mr Putin whilst George Bush made a strong statement condemning Russian retaliation as being out of proportion with the Georgian's offence and has asked all parties to retreat to where they were before this conflict erupted on Thursday. Today the Russians have claimed that they are withdrawing.

Wednesday 13.8.08

Work on the Rumba painting until 4.30 when I stop to change and we drive into Cheltenham where I am opening an exhibition by Rory Morrell. Rory set up and runs the Cheltenham School of Drawing and Painting, a hugely prolific and enthusiastic man who makes a marvellous job of nurturing and encouraging all his students. They range in age from the very young who he helps prepare folios for applying to art school, through lots of lovely ladies and some men in their middle years to two in their eighties who my dear friend Daphne, one of his hugely qualified (Royal College of Art etc.) students tells me he keeps going. It's rather wonderful to think of these fragile seniors students making it up the old wooden staircase into this beautiful bohemian set of rooms that are on two sites in the mews, Abbey Stables, Lansdown Crescent Lane. is a fine and obsessive draftsman, painter and sculptor and his exhibition of fifty works can be seen until 22 August and if you are someone who would like to either continue or take up life drawing I think this would be a great place to do so alongside like minded people; there may be a waiting list as I'm told nobody ever leaves!

Thursday 14.8.08

It's head down now until the Paris exhibition, particularly over the next few days as everything has to be photographed for the catalogue by Monday.

Friday 15.8.08

I'd stayed up late last night working on The Storyteller and the small square French newspaper painting which I continue on today until 2.30 when Richard takes them to the Darkroom in Cheltenham to be photographed.

Saturday 16.8.08

The urban street scene has now taken the form of a demonstration; I've added more figures and banners. During the evening I transfer to Paradise Park and the Arabian Girl.

Sunday 17.8.08

/

Monday 18.8.08

Hard as I peddle I'm still a little behind schedule finishing the works enough to be photographed for the catalogue. But as R points out, I did start two new pieces two or three weeks ago.

Tuesday 19.8.08

Letter from the Royal West of England Academy saying that they have sold the two works I donated for their 150@150 exhibition.

After some prolonged negotiation with a Swiss lawyer we have confirmed the deal; he is purchasing Weekend (Sunday) for his collection which specialises in works inspired or featuring newspapers. Others include a de Kooning and a César. He had come across my work After the 11th (the corrugated painting that included international papers from the day after 9/11) reproduced in the Neue Zuricher Zeitung a couple of months ago.

Wednesday 20.8.08

/

Thursday 21.8.08

My Mum arrives at about 11 looking bright and beautiful; excited about her holiday. R's driving her up to London to stay with her younger brother, my Uncle Les and Vera his partner for a few days. Then on Sunday afternoon Kev will collect her to go and stay with them.

Meanwhile in the studio I'm painting the sides of the urban street scene demonstration and the Food of Love (Objects of Desire). But in the evening start a larger canvas with a larger demonstration. R arrives back about 8pm.

Friday 22.8.08

Demonstration.

I've not had as much time to spend on the garden but have enjoyed picking and eating the plums which although not as plentiful as some years, are particularly beautiful.

Saturday 23.8.08

The proofs for the catalogue arrive today. It seems almost impossible to get perfect reproductions, so to us they look a little dark. In the first instance of course the amount of lighting used during the making of the transparency is never quite sensitive enough to pick up all the variations in tone. I never know whether its that or that being reproduced at such a comparatively small scale (4x5 inches) means that they look more saturated in colour than they actually are. The scanning also will vary plus the technician who works with the image on the screen. The printers also print for all the big art galleries and museums in London like the Tate but on the other hand it still seems like a miracle that the sciences of photography and printing can create the exhibition on paper writ small.

Sunday 24.8.08

Trying to resolve the composition of the new canvas (the demonstration) work on it intensely until 2am.

Monday 25.8.08

/

Tuesday 26.8.08

/

Wednesday 27.8.08

It's Nathan's birthday today but he's preparing the set for a music video being shot tomorrow so is postponing it until Friday.

Thursday 28.8.08

/

Friday 29.8.08

We travel up to London for a belated birthday celebration with Nathan and to collect my Mum. Richard drops me off at Henrietta's to look after Isaac and Samuel whilst she goes for a swim. My Mum, who has enjoyed the last few days with them, looks very well. R arrives back shortly with Nathan - Isaac's very pleased to play football with someone who's rather better at it than I. When Henrietta and then Kev arrive back we have the birthday tea; Isaac always loves watching the candles. We then drive over to Stoke Newington for dinner at The Fishery which served very good mackerel. We then go to his local, The Shakespeare, where several of his friends are gathered to celebrate his late birthday.

Saturday 30.8.08

/

Sunday 31.8.08

E mail from dear Margus (HE the Estonian Ambassador) saying how much he likes the paintings in the exhibition and two that he particularly related to. Also attached is a copy of a recent photograph of a skyscape; black clouds with a shaft of light piercing through - very Beethoven.