Saturday 1.11.08

Sunday 2.11.08

Whilst working on one of the commissions, I'm surprised to hear Larry Viner from the Advertising Archives on Radio 4's programme Beanz Means Rhymes, a fascinating programme about rhyming slogans and catch phrases in advertising. I was interested that several of the catch phrases were by people who went on to become fairly eminent writers such as Salman Rushdie and Joan Bakewell.

Monday 3.11.08

Letter from Simon Quadrat at the RWA thanking me for the two works I had donated to the RWA's 150 @ 150 exhibition which he says was a great success both in terms of the number of works sold and the amount raised for the RWA.

Tuesday 4.11.08

R sets off to Paris to collect the paintings that are coming back here for people like Wallace, who bought The Automobile; Bags and Shoes for the Medways; Dance Perpetual for Brian May etc. meanwhile I'm working on a book project that I've had in mind for some time. It's quite exciting working late as the American election exit polls are beginning to show the likelihood of Barak Obamah succeeding. I work until 3 am by which time it already seems to be the most likely outcome. R's staying with Henrietta and Kev so that he can catch the 6.30am ferry.

Wednesday 5.11.08

When I get up I've already received an e mail from Richard telling me that Obamah has won. I turn on the news and feel my eyes filling with tears when I hear hs acceptance speech. This is such an historic and momentous achievement. I can remember that there was still segregation in certain American states during the 60's and the stories of black Americans being stopped from voting. But of course the appaling injustice was the slavery which dogged both American history and our own. So this feels like a major step forward for mankind. I think he might become a symbol of hope for humanity and recall that he was against going into the Iraq war.

Thursday 6.11.08

R arrives back at about 2.30am and after a good well earned sleep he delivers the paintings Dance Perpetual and Sail Away, the commissioned work for Brian May, to Rob Whittle.

All the papers are full of the American election victory for Barak Obamah. I can feel a newspaper painting coming on! The photographs of him with his family are moving, as are the shots of people like Revd Jesse Jackson, Mya Angelou with tears in their eyes.

Friday 7.11.08

Working on Wallace's commission as have invited him over to collect it and his new acquisition next weekend.

Saturday 8.11.08

A Wonderful e mail on my Blackberry from Loughran my American artist friend and her poet husband Larry, as follows

OH HAPPY DAYS!!!!!!!

Obama is President!

Times Square was an ocean of people, dancing and singing with joy.

I have never seen such joy since the day that J. F. Kennedy was

elected President. I was able to wake up the next day and say "Good Morning America!" and really mean it!

We are so glad to be proud of our President and our election process again. After eight years of suspicion and sorrow, embarrassment and shame, at last there is HOPE!!!

Our area, combined New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania

made up a solid block of support for Obama. Larry and I were so proud to walk into our local polling station and cast our votes. We were in tears during his acceptance speech, and just writing about it to you is bringing tears again.

I wish that you could be here to celebrate with us.

But please know that we are with you and with Britain, to walk

into the future together!

love,

Loughran

Sunday 9.11.08

Now back on Karl Monday's commission as it needs to go off to be there for next Friday and there are still a few things i want to do on it.

Monday 10.11.08

ditto

For the past week I've been having an exchange of e mails with a young banker about a commission he would like me to create, reflecting the current financial crisis. He's looked at images like Black Monday that Professor Ken Simmonds commissioned in the second half of the 80s and other works. Finally after our long e mail discussions and two telephone conversations we have decided on scale and approach. this will be an exciting prospect and I'm looking forward to painting it.

Tuesday 11.11.08

Working on the Monday commission

Wednesday 12.11.08

ditto

Thursday 13.11.08

R packs Karl's painting into the custom made box he has prepared but unfortunately has to take it back out when the shippers arrive for them to inspect. It is being sent next day delivery with DHL.

Henrietta, Kev, Isaac and Samuel arrive. Both boys are asleep but Isaac wakes as he's being carried in so I have a nice hour with him before he's tucked up in his cot.

Friday 14.11.08

In the post, two copies of the newly published book THE DOG 5000 years of the dog in art which turns out to be a splendid tome, beautifully illustrated, well written and includes a large reproduction of Time and Time Again which I painted in 1981. I'm pleased with how perceptive Tamsin Pickeral's essay on my painting is.

E mail from Sharron to say the parcel has arrived but that Karl isn't going to open it until tomorrow. Whilst we are in the Park with the boys pushing them on the swings and looking at the peacocks, a second e mail arrives, this time from Karl who says "WOW absolutely stunning...I cannot put into words how pleased we are..." I'm so pleased and relieved as it's such a responsibility when someone entrusts with a commission to try and get it right. They hadn't wanted to see an image of it in progress as last year they had so enjoyed the surprise element of the piece Sharron had commissioned.

Saturday 15.11.08

Late afternoon Richard and I drive to Tewkesbury for a service at the Abbey to celebrate Gloucestershire's Companions in the Faith, a Diocesan calendar, which includes includes the saints Kenelm, Alphege, Arilda then William Tyndale, Katherine Parr, Edward Jenner. It was a wonderfully picturesque occasion; dusk had fallen outside so the Abbey's lighting added to the ethereal atmosphere with the smoke from the incense suspended above us as we processed around this glorious building. During the Eucharist we collect in the presbytery after which the service concludes and we make our way to a reception meeting dear Anne Cadbury en route. As we leave the Abbey Bishop Michael comments that there weren't any artists amongst the companions of faith and says with a grin we'll have to do something about that but later Richard comments that of course we were surrounded by the work of artists in the magnificent building itself. We also briefly chat to Henry Elwes. We don't get back until 6.30. I enjoy bath time with the little ones and later supper cooked by R with H, K and my Mum,then chatting around the log fire.

Sunday 16.11.08

Another nice day with H, K, I and S. We look after the little boys (whilst Henrietta and Kev go out to lunch), ending up at Pittville Park again. By the time we leave the peacocks are roosting high in their tree; the rabbits and the chipmunks had turned in for the night.

After an early supper they set off on their return to London.

Monday 17.11.08

Wallace Farley's commission is back on my easel again for the final finishing as he's coming on Thursday evening for dinner, to collect this painting and also the work he purchased from the Paris exhibition.

Tuesday 18.11.08

Richard is very excited when I come down from the bathroom as a very large box has arrived from Fortnum and Mason. we have great fun opening it to discover a beautiful wicker hamper containing bottles of wine and port, a Christmas pudding, cognac butter, a box of exquisite chocolate squares of different flavours, a tin of Piccadilly biscuits, Mr Lunn's savoury biscuits, a jar of Fortnum's pickle, a jar of duck rillettes, smokey earl grey tea and a jar of cornichons. Wow! what a feast. who can possibly have sent us such a magnificent parcel. Karl had said something was arriving for us on Wednesday and though today is Tuesday the little card says thank you for the fantastic painting, with love from Karl and Sharron.

I'm working in the kitchen on Wallace's painting, having vacated my studio for Richard to repaint and reorganise. But the weather's good so he has also been tidying and cutting back both the studio and house gardens.

Wednesday 19.11.08

Richard again rushes down when the doorbell rings and there's another big box from Fortnum and Mason. We can't think what this one will contain. It is like Christmas every day. When R lifts it out it's the most beautiful basket of exotic fruits many of which we don't recognise. It is so picturesque it feels like one of my paintings! again it's from Karl and Sharron who must know that I'm a fruitaholic.

E mail from John Holroyd re the Bishop's Breakfast next week and possible dates for the meeting next year, including the one I am hoping to organise at the National Star College.

Thursday 20.11.08

Still putting the final touches to the Deco Club. Wallace and his friends Ralph and Lucy arrive about 7 but I wait until we have finished dinner before wheeling in the easel on which his commission is veiled. We have to do the unveiling two or three times as he would like a photo and I'm too fast at whipping off the cover. Wallace stands peering at it trying to absorb the contents; he's really good value and spends most of the rest of the evening gazing at it or giving me big hugs. But at last we go over to the studio to see his other new acquisition, The Automobile which he also loves and tells me that Ralph collects toys and has a cabinet full of them which sounds rather like Nathan's with robots and mechanical objects. I'm really pleased as he also comments how powerful my new demonstration painting is and Ralph likes the street scene (which Wallace remembers has been in progress for years)

Friday 21.11.08

E mail from Greg Smith's PA offering three alternative dates for a meeting. Wonderful e mail from Wallace saying thank you for the supper and that the commission has far exceeded all his expectations.

Rob Whittle rang to say he had sold the Cat, Fish and Gull to the client who owns the Roulette painting .

Saturday 22.11.08

I'd had a letter from Brian May earlier in the week saying that he was "absolutely delighted with the painting, it captures everything I had hoped for and looks stunning with Dance Perpetual ..." making this a very good month as I've managed to complete three commissions and all the commissioners are happy which in turn makes me happy. So now I can concentrate on finishing the Stacks, the Abbots and starting Amer's, the canvas for which R has now stretched and primed.

I'm also finishing three pieces for the Fosse Gallery Christmas exhibition.

We make a big mistake going out for dinner in the remoter parts of the Cotswolds and arriving exactly one week early. Poor Jane and David looked rather shocked to see us at the door bearing a bottle. It is our mistake as I remember Jane had e mailed to postpone for a week but we hadn't changed the diary entry or added the new date. With so much happening like also postponing Wallace we thought that this was the second date. Poor things had just got back from London on the train after meeting David's daughter Kathy on a stop over en route to or from Australia to suddenly be confronted by two hungry faces at the door must have been a little disconcerting. We beat a quick retreat.

Sunday 23.11.08

Time divided between the Stack's commission and the small paintings for the Fosse Gallery.

Monday 24.11.08

ditto

Tuesday 25.11.08

R delivers the small works to the Fosse Gallery.

Wednesday 26.11.08

Call from Brian Sinfield wanting the image for his catalogue.

Thursday 27.11.08

Trying to finish the Elephant enough to be photographed for B. S. to reproduce.

Friday 28.11.08

We're up very early to travel over to Shire Hall in Gloucester for the Bishop's Breakfast meeting at which Patricia and Peter are presenting a paper on sustainability. Most members are heads of large organisations and are confronted by huge increases in their power bills so are making every effort to reduce consumption by having campaigns to switch off lights, computers etc. I suppose it's like our domestic bills magnified to an enormous degree. One member said that their electricity bill cost £70,000; it's an ever increasing dilemma as I read in the paper that Cheltenham General Hospital is needing to cut back due to the large increase in food and fuel bills. I know that I personally have been trying to cut down, making sure that I switch off where not needed and where things can be done manually rather that expending electricity or petrol as with my manual lawn mower which is a joy to use, keeps me fitter, doesn't pollute the atmosphere with fumes or excess noise.

Wallace comes to dinner and discusses having a card made of The Deco Club.

Saturday 29.11.08

We set out at 9 to meet Ken and Nancy at the Gateway Hotel at the top of Burford High Street. It's wonderful to see them both looking bright and well. Nancy works out that it's four years since we last saw each other as Ken's been Professor of Global Strategy at the University of Auckland during that time. We eat a late breakfast and then sit and talk exchanging news. Ken is also Professor Emeritus at the London Business School and we recall when talking about the current financial crisis how during 1987 he commissioned me to paint Black Monday which he has hanging in his office at the School. I tell him about Amer commissioning me to create a work reflecting the current situation. We then walk down the hill into Burford to have bowls of soup - Nancy and I had butternut squash and pepper; Richard and Ken had mushroom. Whilst we are enjoying this and more conversation I become aware that a small boy is banging on the glass at me whilst he is queuing for a seat. he has a very big smile on his face as if of recognition; it takes me a moment or two to realise that it's Zac the 6 year old son of Chris and Martin Taylor (who also have a big collection of my work)and when I look up they are are standing there with him. After returning home for a couple of hours we set out for Naunton and supper with Jane and David who are not returning to Australia until next year. A lot of discussion on the big losses they have suffered on their stock market investments.

Sunday 30.11.08

Working on the Stack's commission.