FEBRUARY 2025

Saturday 1.2.25

Continue to work on the large canvas.

Sunday 2.2.25

Lovely e mail from Paul Azzalini attaching photographs of the newly hung Walking the Dog which arrived in Perth about a week ago. I’ve never seen it look so well as in their beautiful new home. The large room with its black and white harlequin marble floor is the perfect home for it. It doesn’t even look that big at six foot square, hanging with ample space both below (just above the backs of the dining chairs and above it. On the opposite wall, The Meeting (the large dinner party painting), two of the Four Seasons with Wednesday the corrugated newspaper work between them above the marble fireplace and the other two seasons round the corner on the preceding wall. It is the perfect hang, so well considered in this magnificent space.

Monday 3.2.25

This morning up to the cemetery for Faith’s funeral. When we arrive Adrian her husband comes over to greet us and tells us that a lot of people are inside in the waiting room, including Maxine and who I spot when we enter, Sheila, my friend from student days. Chatting to her when I realise there’s someone behind me talking to Richard and I turn to see Maxine, Sheila and my goddaughter (as well as Faith’s).  We lost Maxine’s lovely Mum Jane a friend of us all but particularly Sheila who was on the same course - eighteen or nineteen years ago. It is again a joy to see Maxine whom I haven’t seen for many years as she lives and works in Switzerland but she looks and seems just the same with her big smile, bright blue eyes this statuesque young woman looks like both her parents. She was only a girl when her Dad died but has all his confidence and charm. She gives a tribute to Faith who was obviously a very diligent godmother as Maxine tells us she taught her to cook, recommended books she should read. Faith who was Swiss visited Maxine there each year when she also visited family. A Celebrant conducts the service and Sheila commented on how it felt as if she really knew Faith. There are donations to Medcine sans Frontiers. Faith had spoken two or three languages and took in foreign students for much of er life. At the wake at the Royal Oak in Prestbury I also chat to their son Christopher and briefly to Kate their daughter. Christopher works as a journalist for Al Jazirra in Turkey and I give him a children’s art book for his daughter Alicia, who is very keen on art and also manage to remember to give Maxine and envelopes for her two daughters, Aimée 16 and Ella 9.  We also meet Faith’s sister who remembers me from many years ago who is obviously very distraught and shocked at losing Faith also Utah a lovely German woman we knew through Faith.

When we get back home we receive another sad message from another Maxine, who used to be pro vice chancellor at the University, saying that dear Brian (Professor Brian Maidement) had sadly died.He’d had pancreatic cancer and lasted a whole year after his diagnosis which was longer than they were expecting. Such a brilliant man he was at Liverpool John Moores University being professor of print culture -  his speciality was nineteenth century political caricacture.

Then it’s back to the studio

Wednesday 5.2.25

Nice long e mail from Ellie and another from Fran Singleton the curator from the Imperial War Museum who deals with post 2021 conflicts, before our Zoom meeting of this afternoon saying she hadn’t been able to open the photographs we’d sent last night.

The main event of today is that Zoom meeting with Fran. Richard had managed to resend the photographs via WeTransfer showing in particular the back and structure of After the Eleventh. She particularly wants to discuss things like the context, process, provenance, copyright and license. Our meeting lasts three quarters of an hour and suddenly comes to an end when the Museum’s free Zoom time expires. But I think we’ve covered most things and others I can put in an e mail. Then back up to the studio to get on with work for the exhibition.

Thursday 6.2.25

Continue working on the large canvas  “And so it Came To Pass”in oil….

Friday 7.2.25

The White horse feels quite ethereal and suggests that it’s rider should perhaps be an Angel.

Saturday 8.2.25

this new large oil painting

Sunday 9.2.25

Decide spend today working on the smaller canvas,

Some beautiful flowers arrive in a big box from Gill and Ian. They are lovely and their stock perfume fills the room

Monday 10.2.25

Worked on both the large horse canvas and the not quite so big Harvest Supper.

Tuesday 11.2.25

Lovely e mail from Paul saying that the paintings have arrived and how they look “astounding” in the flesh and that the very big one looks perfect in the den which isn’t where they had intended it to go but it was in there fo the unpacking and somehow looked just right.

E mail from Fran, curator of of post-2021 conflicts who enquired about the weight of After the Eleventh  which we are able to weigh ourselves with the new scales purchased for weighing Paul’s three paintings before their shipment. Luckily it comes in at 34.9 kg and she had hoped it would be under 40 kg so hurrah! we are really pleased.

Catarin phones to confirm that the National Star have received their cheque for £4,833

John pops in. It’s his birthday on Thursday. He brought another ten exquisite little frames he’s made for my charity open studio next Christmas.                                                                                                 

Wednesday 12.2.25

Nathan flew to Lisbon to design a commercial for Amazon.

Henrietta, Kev and Samuel take Isaac out for a meal to celebrate his forthcoming birthday.

Thursday 13.2.25

Richard has his two hour appointment at the Complex Leg Clinic at Stroud hospital today.

I start two new paintings, a larger interior and a smaller landscape.

Henrietta Kev and Samuel do a birthday tea at home for Isaac.

Friday 14.2.25

Today is Isaac’s birthday, which is why his second name is Valentine. He’s gone back to university (he’s been home for reading week and to play football last night with his team which includes friends and family). His student chums have organised a joint birthday celebration for he and Monty - who has given him a gift and they have organised a birthday cake for him.

Saturday 15.2.25

Making progress with the smaller of the two new works although floundering around somewhat with the larger.

Sunday 16.2.25

Henrietta rings; she and Kev are on the way for their Valentine’s treat to a country house hotel where they can swim in the pool and walk in the beautiful grounds

Monday 17.2.25

Today is the funeral of dear friendna and collector Professor Brian Maidement at 1.15 in Lytham St Annes. Unfortunately think it would be too much for Richard with his legs and fatigue. Send a donation for Trinity Hospice. Professor Brian was an expert on political cartoons particularly from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and wrote many learned papers and a book of which he gave us a copy, ‘Comedy, caricature and the social order, 1820-50’. He and his lovely partner Maxine (formerly pro vice chancellor at the University) have a large collection of my work. She tells us that most of his books papers and library have been donated to Yale. I know his works and books will go on inspiring students for generations.

Still struggling with the larger of the two works The Elephant in the Room although the smaller one is fairly well resolved compositionally.

Tuesday 18.2.25

Sadly have had to decline painting one of the large charity sculpture trail eggs for the London Egg Hunt as I’d only really have a week to paint it in and that would include drying time for both paint and varnish and it travelling first to my studio and back to London.

Lovely e mail from Nick saying thank you for our congratulations to him for winning not just but two BAFTAs for Wallace & Gromit - Vengeance Most Fowl. It’s a brilliant film and so well deserved. We were so fortunate to go to the Bristol premiere

Wednesday 19.2.25

Richard’s been busily checking and updating my entry in Who’s Who which he’s been doing every year since 2012. Not sure how I came to be in it but am very touched to have been included.

Thursday 20.2.25

Ellie phones first thing to say she’s had a lovely client in who has sadly missed the painting she had come for but went away with another for her husband as a gift for his birthday so fingers crossed that he will like it.

‘Phone call from Jane who is gradually recovering from her half knee operation and fractured femur and is sounding much stronger.

Back to work in the studio on the interior Waiting, the Passage of Time.

Friday 21.2.25

I’m still trying to resolve the composition and create some sort of  plausibility within it. Richard reminds me that it always takes me a long time to resolve this sort of complex composition.

Saturday 22.2.25

It’s a nice sunny day so the light is good in the studio. I go straight into the studio to try and make more headway and don’t come out until the evening when Richard returns from taking things to the charity shop, collection  of a lamp from Habitat and doing his shop at Waitrose as he’s out in the car rather than walking or cycling into the village as usual.  The intensity of my stint does help me resolve some of my problems within the structure of the painting which is always encouraging.

Sunday 23.2.25

Find myself working back on the smaller painting as I had wanted to add a small horse and rider in the background more visible than the glimpses of the tiny figures harvesting beyond the trees. I take the opportunity to strengthen various aspects of the composition. I’m working on it until Henrietta rings. They had a nice time with Gill ad Ian on Saturday evening who had made them a lovely dinner but they had to leave earlier than usual today as Samuel was arriving back from his skiing trip to Italy with Jacob and his family. He’d sent  short film to Henrietta which she forwarded to us of himself skiing down a slope at great speed but managing to stop at exactly the spot Jacob was standing with his camera. We were really impressed as Jacob obviously was as you can hear him exclaim “Oh Yeah”.

Henrietta passes the ‘phone over so have a long chat with him too which is so good. When Isaac ‘phoned Henrietta he told her they had been down to the Lizard so he’s certainly getting to see lots of different parts of Cornwall.

Henrietta said that when she and Kev went to see the Noah Davis (Nathan knows  and has worked with his brother the director Kahlil) exhibition they bumped into David and Eleanor who they hadn’t seen for some years and spent about an hour chatting to them.

Just as Henrietta ‘phoned an e mail had arrived from Nathan. The filming in Lisbon is going well and they seem very happy with what he has done so far. He’d had a lovely weekend meeting up with an old friend who partially lives there, going to museums etc.

Monday 24.2.25

A lovely sunny day again. Kimmy was here to do her regular clean which saves me so much time. She’s been a really good find and is very happy and helpful.

Tuesday 25.2.53

Today is Richard’s birthday and it is a lovely sunny day. One of the presents I bought him that was to be delivered today they but they took  it away again as we weren’t up to receive it but the other, a beautiful new Bosch manual mower did arrive and he took advantage of the sunshine to take it into the house garden to give the lawns their first cut. It is eight centimetres wider than the old one and he seems to do it in no time., probably because its not corroded and clogged up like the old one. He goes to collect Henrietta from the station for 6.30 and she arrives beaming and bearing a tin with a chocolate birthday cake she made last night and has carried down with her today. It is wonderfully light and she says she used a recipe with oil in it as she ran out of butter and melted Green & Black’s chocolate. She had even brought the candles and holders. It is a lovely birthday meal tuna steaks marinated in lime juice and a freshly made salsa. Such a lovely way to send R’s birthday evening and so sweet of Henrietta to travel all the way from London for it.

We usually hold a birthday supper party for Richard but various friends seem to have the horrible cough and cold virus so we thought we’d do something later in the year

Wednesday 26.2.25

Henrietta has a zoom meeting with one of her students and a work meeting with a colleague first thing, so we have a latish breakfast together before Richard takes her for the train at one minute to one. About half an hour after they have left Gill arrives bearing two magnificent pots of purple polyanthus. She said one had fallen out of the boot as she opened it so she’s had to gather up all the compost and put them back in before she came to the door. It’s lovely to see her. She’s driven all the way from Blunham in Bedfordshire especially to celebrate R’s birthday and bearing gifts for him. Henrietta and I had thought what a nice day ot was for her to drive down on but she say she’s had sunshine AND very heavy rain too. When Richard arrives back she gives him his birtday presents, a beautiful illustrated edition of The Remains of the Day by Kasuo Ishiguro. and also a wonderful Le Crueset skillet for making crepes plus a pancake recipe book. This will probably guarantee that I get a pancake next Tuesday. Richard has prepared gravadlax and  pomegranate salad and afterwards we have birhtday cake and strawberries. It is such a joy to see Gill and as usual the time goes much too quickly so at about 4.30 she leaves so that she can get home before it’s too dark.

Then it’s back to the easel where I start a new painting. ..

Thursday 27.2.25

… Tea With The Bear in which a chocolate cake not dissimilar to the one Henrietta made for Richard’s birthday, takes centre frame.

Friday 28.2.25

Michael Murrel’s funeral. Dear Michael had been fragile for quite a few years; a brilliantly clever manwho went to Cambridge and was then on the Russian course. He worked for the nuclear power authority and had connections to GCHQ. He and Daphne (who had studied textiles at the Royal College and got a travel scholarship to the USA) made such a handsome and clever couple though some years later he suffered a catastrophic injury to his brain which although it took away so much and he had to learn to speak again, he never lost his ability to play chess brilliantly and retained his love of birds, nature and history. Such a dear man we will miss him greatly.