Monday 2.2.09

Eddy my builder arrives at 9 to start knocking the wall down above and beside the two doorways into the second room of my studio over the Lane, making a better space for working on the big commission. Of course the downside is the dust, dirt and debris. But I have no doubt that in a couple of weeks it will be looking pretty good again. Since I received confirmation from Greg at Gloucestershire College last week that the scale and dimensions were right for the situ in which it is to be hung, I’ve been able to set both Eddy to work on the studio and John, my expert carpenter on the construction of the framework for the three panels.

Meanwhile I’m painting like mad in my newest studio or eyrie as Richard calls it as it’s upstairs and has a wonderful view through the large (ex chapel) circular window along the Lane and past the church tower to the Malverns. It has been particularly fascinating to see children perambulating up and down in the snow.

Tuesday 3.2.09

I’m at Cleeve School at 11.45 and am shown round the magnificent new building by the deputy head, Pam Bright. It’s really exciting and a few ideas start to formulate in my mind. Afterwards she takes us in for a chat with Allen McConaghie the Head; an amiable man full of enthusiasm for the school, its students and this splendid new building.

E mail from Alan Freedman in New York of the Jewish Sports Museum saying the two pieces are beautiful thank you very much.

Wednesday 4.2.09

Call from Paul McKee from Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum asking if he and  the Director of the Music Festival Meurig Bowen can come for a visit next week.

Spend the latter part of the afternoon running through my speech for tonight’s opening. We arrive at Cleeve School at 7pm. the building looks equally stunning from the outside, now illuminated which seems to emphasise its curve. It’s already buzzing with plates of nibbles being handed round by students. We are very pleased to see John, a dear friend and Henrietta’s old history teacher. It’s really quite crowded and lovely to see all these bright faced young people. After chatting for a few minutes Alan the head, Sue the chair of the Governors and I make our way to the podium from which Alan thanks everybody concerned with the raising of the £9m, the builders and the architect whose practice designed it. He then introduces me and I make my speech. Luckily (as I don't like to use notes) I seem to remember it well, forgetting only one thing I had planned to mention, the multicoloured recycled bottle top panels on the back walls of the toilets. They look like an impressionist painting or as Allen says - a Jackson Pollock. As I come to the end and cut the ribbon, a cascade of balloons float down dropped by the young students all around the top balcony. I am touched when the deputy head picks one up to show me that it reads ‘Cleeve School New Building, opened by PJ Crook 4th February 2009’. There’s a lovely atmosphere and many people generously say that they thought my speech was inspiring.  I’m particularly pleased when two cool, long haired (sixth form ) musicians, members of Riff Raff the School’s rock band, come and thank me for the plug I had given them. We’re delighted to meet amongst the guests Revd. Malc who is new to the parish of Bishop’s Cleeve although we have already corresponded by e mail regarding Robert Fripp’s concert at the church in May. We go up to look at the marvellous big science lab again where experiments have been taking place all evening. We are introduced to a couple of 6th formers, one of whom is apparently a neighbour and often sees us crossing the Lane to and from the studio when he’s walking his dog. They are all so charming and delightful. Allen, the Head, says if you treat young people with respect they reflect it back.

Home again bearing two balloons and a black jewellers bag, a present from the School, in which I discover a beautiful hand made silver wire broach, souvenirs of a happy  and memorable occasion. 

Thursday 5.2.09

Today Jeff the electrician comes to reposition light switches made redundant through the alterations. Eddy’s already at the thistle coat of plaster.

Friday 6.2.09

E mail from Lisa Buchaudon for authorisation of reproduction for Milan Publisher, France. They want to reproduce my painting Leonardo in a book about works inspired by La Giaconda - The Mona Lisa.

Saturday 7.2.09

E mail from Nadine to see if I have another work of similar scale and theme, as she has sold my Hat Shop painting but unfortunately I don’t.

Sunday 8.2.09

Spent day communicating with people I am hoping might become patrons of the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum.

Monday 9.2.09

Eddy finishes work on the studio having now also filled the gaps in the floorboards where parts of walls have been removed and replacing skirting boards.

Tuesday 10.2.09

R has been wheel borrowing all the bricks that Eddy removed over from the studio garden  to our materials store off the vegetable garden.

Wednesday 11.2.09

I hear a whistle outside from my studio window. When I look out I can see that it’s Richard with John my carpenter. I go down to invite them in for a cup of tea and we discuss the construction of the huge triptych  painting for Gloucestershire College. The marine ply that he ordered from Stroud has already arrived and he’s hoping to start work on it next week, which is very pleasing as the studio space over the lane has now been opened up and plastered in readiness; Richard is in the process of painting it all and cleaning the floors.

Thursday 12.2.09

E mail from Pippa at the Brian Sinfield Gallery saying they have sold my big elephant painting.

We go to Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum for an evening behind the scenes for new Friends so that I can get a feel of what we could do on a special evening for Patrons. It’s a delightful event the Museum staff are all wonderfully informative sharing their expertise with passion and wit we were guided by members of the Friends committee who also charmingly served wine and nibbles.

Friday 13.2.09

The Director of the Music Festival, Meurig Bowen and Paul McKee, the Arts Development Officer of the Outreach Museum Service, visit the studio bringing with them a string quartet of instruments made redundant by the schools music services for me to paint as part of an exhibition that Meurig wants to put on with the Museum for the Cheltenham Music Festival. A small ‘cello, a small viola and two small violins. They are of course already beautiful, being of the most exquisite shape and form. Meurig’s also brought a spray and a can of special paint for the priming.

Saturday 14.2.09

We travel up to London, collecting Nathan and Ruth en route, for Isaac’s third birthday, arriving at about 2.30pm. The birthday boy, looking very beautiful in a red and white checkered shirt, is very excited at the sight of four guests, a cake with candles and presents. He enjoys lots of very lively games with Nathan. He and Samuel particularly like the box (which they crawl into) that the basement addition to their doll’s house has arrived in - I don’t fit into it quite as well when he invites me to do so and then clambers onto my back for a musical ride. I get to read him stories from his new books. I love being together as a family. arrive back home at 2.30 am.

Sunday 15.2.09

Continue working on outstanding commissions as I have been for the past few weeks.

John calls in on his way back from Cheltenham with a car full of timber for the giant triptych. Having also been a teacher and musician he’s an enormously talented but modest man.

Monday 16.2.09

Rob and Sandra arrive about 11.30am bringing with them a cheque as payment for a painting that sold last year. They wanted to look to see if there are any works underway that they could show at two art fairs in April.

R packs and send off the two small paintings for Alexander, Lord Bath’s Wessex collection at Longleat. The moneys from which I am putting into the Starart account to go towards the new Creative Arts Centre at the National Star College.

Tuesday 17.2.09

Go into Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum to meet with the head Jane Lillystone and Anne Strathie Development Manager & Funding Officer- particularly to discuss a date and format for the special evening for  the Patrons. It’s a good meeting and we cover a lot of ground including an exhibition idea from Cressida which gets a very enthusiastic response.

Wednesday 18.2.09

Attend Bishop Michael's Hunger Lunch to launch a Lenten fast. He is wanting to encourage some serious fasting as our forebears used to -“partly as a personal and spiritual discipline, partly as a way of reclaiming a simpler life style which our planet desperately needs, partly as an act of solidarity with the world’s poor, partly so that money saved may go to help the poor.” Humbling thoughts with Lent beginning in one weeks time.

Thursday 19.2.09

I realised on Monday when Rob and Sandra enquired about the Stack’s commission with a view to taking it to art fairs, that it must look finished; but there are still a few little details that I’m refining.

Phone call from Dr Charles Slosberg to ask if the injured Jockeys Fund might reproduce The Big Race on a jigsaw. I also mention Wentworth Wooden Jigsaws to him who have often used reproductions of my work on them for Museum shops etc.

Friday 20.2.09

Have been working on Amer’s commission today as well as some finishing off on the Stack’s.

Richard has been busily sanding the varnished surfaces on the little violins, viola and ‘cello ready to prime at the weekend so that I can start work on them, whilst I’m waiting for John to complete the construction of the giant GC triptych and then for Richard to fix the canvas and gesso it.

He comes in rather excited in the evening as he spots (on Brian Sinfield’s gallery web site) that my little Zebra and Putti painting has also sold; which means all three from the catalogue he put out last month have been purchased.

Thursday 19.2.09

I realised on Monday when Rob and Sandra enquired about the Stack’s commission with a view to taking it to art fairs, that it must look finished; but there are still a few little details that I’m refining.

Phone call from Dr Charles Slosberg to ask if the injured Jockeys Fund might reproduce The Big Race on a jigsaw. I also mention Wentworth Wooden Jigsaws to him who have often used reproductions of my work on them for Museum shops etc.

Friday 20.2.09

Have been working on Amer’s commission today as well as some finishing off on the Stack’s.

Richard has been busily sanding the varnished surfaces on the little violins, viola and ‘cello ready to prime at the weekend so that I can start work on them, whilst I’m waiting for John to complete the construction of the giant GC triptych and then for Richard to affix the canvas and and apply the gesso.

He comes in rather excited in the evening as he spots (on Brian Sinfield’s gallery web site) that my little Zebra and Putti painting has also sold; which means all three from the catalogue he put out last month have been purchased.

Saturday 21.2.09

Cheque arrives from Brian for both the Elephant and Zebra & Putti paintings; he is brilliant at paying as he’s only just got back from his trip to Australia and New Zealand. I phone in the afternoon to thank him and ask if he enjoyed his expedition; also to discuss details of my exhibition with him in July (?)

Sunday 22.2.09

The studio over the Lane looks pretty good as Richard has also painted the woodwork and radiators. It feels like a much bigger space. As if to colour co-ordinate, my string quartet now  consists of four pure white instruments; R’s giving them just one more light sand before bringing them over to my studio in the house.

Monday 23.2.09

Shrove Tuesday we have a pancake party as a pre Birthday celebration for R, just my Mum, Minnie, Richard and Rose.

Wednesday 25.2.09

First day of Lent and Richard’s birthday. He had a nice time opening cards and presents. We attend the Ash Wednesday service at St Michael’s where we have the traditional ash cross marked on our foreheads.

Thursday 24.2.09

Finishing off the Stack’s commission.

Friday 27.2.09

R hires van to collect the three big structures that John has made for the Gloucestershire College big painting.

Sue and Brian Stack come to see their commission during the afternoon. I’m really relieved as they both give me numerous hugs. It was a bit of a tricky one as there are several likenesses in it of their family; Sue is the younger sister of my dear friend Joyce who studied art with me, so our friendship goes back to those early student days. It was a little difficult in that I needed to put some figures in profile and only had frontal photographs, the second being that most of them were smiling with teeth showing, which if you look at the history of portraiture is rarely done - apart of course from people like Frans Hals; and thirdly I needed to retain the ability to make them look like a convincing part of the scene and composition. Working from photographs is more difficult than working from life where one can try to capture the elements of the sitter that are particular to their personae, qualities we take for granted in everyday life but somehow become all the more apparent when one observes and scrutinises as an artist. Perhaps that’s why it’s easiest of all to paint those that one loves. The latter quality being the reason Sue had wanted to include references to her family.

Saturday 28.2.09

Working on Amer’s commission.