JUNE 2025

Sunday 1.6.25

Continue on the three small paintings…….

Monday 2.6.25

Richard delivers the one of the three  to Linc and one to Niki for the Cheltenham Open Studios launch at the Gardens Gallery, whilst I finish Journeying by Moonlight for the gallery and varnish the two larger paintings for their All Creatures Great And Small exhibition in July and August. They have already had photographs of these for the catalogue.

Tuesday 3.6.25

We set off for London just after two, arriving about twenty past five. They have hung my exhibition beautifully - I think Florence masterminded it and she says she thought there was the perfect number of paintings. Richard hung Journeying by Moonlight above the Leopard on the hook that was waiting for it. Twelve of the paintings have already sold in advance of the opening and by the end of the evening another three works including the new Journeying by Moonlight have also sold. I’m hugely lucky that so many dear friends and collectors come to the opening. The gallery is very soon full and buzzing with conversation.

Afterwards we cross St James’ Street to Cafe Murano where we have booked two tables together, one for nine and one for five. Henrietta Kev his cousin Steve and partner Sue are on mine as is my sister Gill, Martin and Shona with their lovely son Sami. Martin used to be the Lib Dem MP fo Cheltenham and Shona is a very clever doctor who works in London as well as from home in Cheltenham working towards protecting us all from the next pandemic.  Martin Kiszko and his partner Gill are on the second table with Wallace, Sheelagh and Richard. The food is very good and it is a lively conversationed evening. After Wallace, Martin Gill and my sister Gill had left I get Sheelagh to join our table where the converation gets even livelier as she had just been to the V&A’s new open store galleries which brings about a debate. Martin H is on Cheltenham Borough Council and is particularly intereted in Sheelagh’s ideas as she works in Bradford library and museum. She used to be a childrens’ tv presenter, film producer, singer and writer. so has a wonderfully outgoing and engaging personality. So there is a lot of exchange of e mail addresses at the end.

Wednesday 4.6.25

Richard and I go into the gallery again late afternoon as Isaac and Samuel are coming in as well as our French friend Isabelle so Richard and I take it in turns either taking the boys or Isabelle around discussing the paintings. It is interesting to get the boys’ takes on them.

When we get back Henrietta cooks supper for us.

Thursday 5.6.25

We travel back to Cheltenham after the boys loaded a scaffolding tower in to the back ofthe Land Rover which we had brought up some years ago for Kev to use.

Friday 6.6.25

I’m now working on two small paintings for Cheltenham Open Studios which will be in aid of the Great Western Air Ambulance

Saturday 7.6.25

they are both small but not quite miniatures.

Sunday 8.6.25

I am trying to finish the larger of the two “The Date” sothat Richarrd can photograph itand put it on a flyer.

Monday 9.6.25

Isaac arrives at 5pm haing driven down from Blackheath. He’s come to work for us - helping us and to earn himself some money. Richard is out so I start Isaac on cutting back the ivy around the arch to my studio. He’s doing a very nice job when Richard arrives back and we look at the walls of the studio which R has  already filled the small holes from all the year’s different hangings ready for painting white.We can do this because t the moment it is quite empty.

Tuesday 10.6.25

Isaac’s busy painting the studio walls white but is conconcerned that it looks darker in some areas and transparent in others but we explain it’s were it hasn’t dried properly - when it does it is a beautiful pristine white. It’s so nce having him around

Wedneday 11.6.25

Isaac goes up onto Richard’s workshop roof to clear all the plant life debris and give it a coat of waterproofing. The debris fills a whole garden bin. He decides towards evening that perhas he should set out this evening rather than tomorrow when there will be more traffic as he plays football on a Thursday in a friends and family team. He leaves here about twenty past seven and says he should be back by ten. Sure enough Henerieta rings to let me know he arrived back at 10pm.

Thursday 12.6.25

We should have been going to the COLAB dinner at Owlpen but Richard has been working rather hard both supervising Isaac and preparing the studio for this weekend’s opening

I’ve managed to finish the little painting The Date which R used on an invitation to friends for the tea and cake Saturday and Sunday afternoon in the studio and dear friend Jenny Scarbro writes from Spain saying that she would like to buy the little painting if it hasn’t sold. She’s coming back early on Monday as her lovely daughter Zoe has fallen whilst playing netball and broken her hip.

Friday 13.6.25

R manages to hang the studio beautifully when he takes a call from Genevive who owns one of my paintings asking if she can come this afternoon s she will be away a the weekend. During the evening he makes three large tray bake cakes, fruit, lemon drizzle and ginger.

Saturday 14.6.25

When I go over to the sudio at two, Emma from the Great Western Air Ambulance is already there with her Mum who is a brilliant docotr who used to lecture in pathology at Cambridge. The studio soon begins to fill up and becomes very exciting. A very nice man called Ian decides to buy the small Journey by Moonlight Angel and Tiger painting saying he missed one at Gloucester City Museum which he had gone home to think about but it had gone when he returned, Another young woman called Helen also had her eye on that but bought the Owl and the Robin. I’m so very peased as this means the three paintings I made for the Great Western Ambulance have sold albeit that the Journey by Moonlight will be split between them and Linc. Lots of very interesting people come and towards the end of the day Sue and Andy who had been up to see my London show on Thursday.

Delighted to meet Moniqua a GP turned artist after Covid who has travelled all the way up from Bristol with her partner Richard. The works she shows me on the ‘phone particularly a painting of a lemon treeis beautiful. She is Spanish but lives and works here,

During the evening I look at the works from Gloucestershire College that Robbie has sent online so that I can choose who the winner of my award will be. It’s really difficult and I decide I will need to add three more prizes so check to see if I can transfer more moeny into the College’s account.

Sunday 15.6.25.

There is slightly more time to talk to everyone and I meet Katherine who lives not far away and tells me she often sits in the church gaining comfort from the Rood and my Altarpiece. She has a duaghter who has been diagnosed with autism, a clever girl who finds it hard to go out. Anne and John come; Richard only delivered their invitaion a couple of days ago and they tell me that Dvid and Eeanor will be along later. Elaine comes with he daughter Tilly; they had taken her husband out for father day to Dyrham Park. We have some interesting converations about my painting On The Brink. Edward and Alyson arrive and towards the end of the afternoon, Nicky one of the other Open Studio artists pops in with her daughter and Dominiqua who tells me she knows my work from The Wilson’s collection as she has been an artist in reidence there after studying illustration at the University. But now she is looking for funding to do a PhD as a means of survival.

Monday 16.6.25

Over to Gloucestershire College to see the glorious end of year art show and present the prizes. My first prize goes to Drew whose work is amazing, very surreal; their video seems much maturer than that of a seventeen or eighteen year old. They will be going to the University of Westminster and Drew made that choice over Camberwell as the studios were bigger and stayed open longer each evening. Maisie who also got one of my awards will be going to Falmouth; a deightful girl whose work also stood out as being maturer than her age.

Tuesday 17.6.25

Working on  the Cat Duet for Helen’s Burford Festival exhibition

Wednesday 18.6.25

Drive up to London to meet Ritsuko the Japanese florist who inspired A Delicate Art and her American husband Dan. They have just got back from the USA. She presents me with the most exquisite huge floral arrangement where she has picked out and selected flowers that are imilar to those in the painting. We have photogrpahs taken next to the painting particularly to send to Masa in Japan, its new owner. We take them for tea over the road in Cafe Murano as we need to be back at the gallery for 4 to meet Martin Bailey. We sit and talk and the gallery provide Martin and Richard with coffee, for an hour particularly about the catalogue raisonne or as Martin now thnks it should be called The Complete Works. He’s very good at encourging R who always feel invigourated after talking to him. He tells us the amazing story of two van Gogh drawings he had just been to Sotheby’s to identify; they were exchanged during the last was in Holland by Vincent’s nephew for butter and bacon and are now in the million pound category.

Shortly afterwards Henrietta arives then her friend Daniella who is a doctor and scientist who was working in Switzerland at the time of the opening. So I take her around the exhibition telling her about each painting. Daniella’s husband Alain had bought a small painting for her from my last exhibition. We again go over the road to Cafe Murano for cocktails, sitting up at the bar. Daniella is then off to meet a collegue for dinner so we drive back with Henrietta, picking up food for supper on the way.

Thursday 19.6.25

On our way back we call in at the gallery. Florence had invited us for a celebratory lunch or tea. But we are running  a bit late and they have an online course on to recognise money laundering so we sit with her and Jamie in the private viewing room with tea and goodies and Jamie tells us how pleased they are with the exhibition, that it has been a geat success as previous exhibitions earlier in the year have been down 40 - 60 % and that they will be showing my work in mixed exhibitions in the gallery and at Art London etc. between now and my next show in 2027. We receive and e mail Florence on the journey home saying that Venetia and Ben had called in this mornign and particularly like The Elephant in the Room but later afer we had left Tim Congdon had come in and purchased The Elephant in the Room that seemed such a coincidence to her - but not to us as Tim is Venetia’s father. What a lovely way for the exhibition to round off.

Friday 20.6.25

When I come down Richard has already had a ‘phone call fom Dr Jess Bailey head of Oncology and the brilliant radiography consultant who designed his treatment nearly two years ago to eradicate the lymphoma tumour that was wrapping itself around his right lung. At that time his body was clear of lymphoma. She said that although he now has four lymhoma tumours they have grown very slowly which is often a characteristic and that unless they are causing him any trouble or other symptoms they probaly won’t need to treat them with chemotheray until they do, as of course it is a very powerful poison as well as a miraculous treatment which will have side effects. If only one of the tumours got out of hand or became troublesome she may well be able to zap it with radiotherapy. This is such uplifting news so that evening whilst we are having our tea in the garden, I broach the subject of the holiday that Henrietta and Kev have iinvited us on and we decide that we think we can plan to go.

Saturday 21.6.25

Amazingly Kev e mails to say he has managed to book us onto the same flight as them which is truly wonderful

Sunday 22.6.25

I’ve been working on a new Saint Jerome painting so continue where I left off

Monday 23.6.25

This time Jerome is sitting within the library bookshelves on the right hand side again with his lion keeping guard outside

Tuesday 24.6.25

Sam delivers four of the new twelve frames we‘ve ordered from him as a set

Wednesday 25.6.25

Continuing with Saint Jerome …

Thursday 26.6.25

… and also putting more stars in the sky of The Duet

Friday 27.6.25

Paul brings back the sold paintings Tea with the Bear for Edward and Alyson and Homage to the Wonerful Mister Lear for Martin and Shona and The Dream which I wantd to keep as it a very early work.

Saturday 28.6.24

Richard drives us up to London as Henrietta is preparing a special birthday meal. The journey takes a bit longer than expected so Gill and Ian have already arrived from Blunham in Bedfordshire. It’s a glorious warm evening and the bi-fold doors are totally open which makes the room look enormous reaching out over their terrace and garden. It’s a delightful evening - Isaac and Samuel are both here and Henrietta and Kev have prepared a feast and a spectacular three-layered cake with strawberries and raspberries across and inside the layers of whipped ream between the sponge cakes that Henrietta has so beautifully made, the top totally covered in fruit with very  tall silver and gold candles. There are flowers from Nathan and a card. He’s in Marseilles working on his latest project but says he will come and visit us with a cake on his return. Henrietta has brought back the most gorgeous Morrocan striped throw in pinks reds and oranges. Gill and Ian have given me an 106 year old silver peppar grinder and the boys a black denim jacket and a card game with female heroines. Most delightful of all, Henrietta had given me a pink tie and dye scarf she had made at one of Jai’s workshop, the dye a beautiful pink being made from avocado stone.

Jai has just got a place to do am MA at the Royal College in Textile Design.

Richard had given me, in the early hours of the morning a portrait drawing of our house that opens up to reveal all the members of te family in different rooms with their own pursuits and interests. Such an immensley enjoyable day.

Sunday 29.6.24

Once we’re up we go round to see Gill and Ian after Kev has given them a cooked breakfast before they drive back to Blunham. Henrietta had ordered a taxi to take us to Greenwich but it was running late so Kev drives us down the hill where we walk briskly to the landing stage for the Clipper which we just manage to catch on time for a picturesque trip up the Thames under Tower Bridge, past HMS Belfast (owned and run by the Imperial War Museum) spectacular architecture either side changing from wharfes to skyscrapers then as St Paul’s comes into view we stop at Bankside to just opposite the entrance toThe Globe Theatre were we meet Samuel and his delightful girlfriend Annabel. We have timed it perfectly as we collect our cushions and buy our programe to make our way up the wooden staircase to the top gallery. Henrietta, Kev, Richard and I on the lower seats with Annabel and Samuel just behind us. It’s a stunning performance, witty and beautifully conceived version of Romeo & Juliet. Set in the Wild West the fued somehow makes it seem very relevant and of today, the fact that so many young people carry and use weapons is brought home by this powerful and ultimately very moving presentaion.

Again it is a very hot day and we see a couple of paramedics attending totwo of the standing audience who were exposed to the intense heat.

Afterwards we cross the little courtyard to the Swan and go up to the Bull Room which we have booked for a private tea. With the windows open there is a gentles beeze, a view of St Paul’s and the Globe itself. The teas are fun as they are Romeo & Juliet themed. Each of us has our own layered cake stand starting at the bottom with the savory course and working up to the top for cakes via scones and cream. There’s a rather magnificent mosaic of a bull behind Henrietta and me. It is the perfect setting. We then make the return journey on the Clipper  although Samuel and Annabel travelled by train and got back before us as we walked along the riverside in Greenwich to see the tiny hospital of the trinity built in 1613.

Monday 30.6.25

Henrietta prepares brunch for us before we set out for Tate Britain and home.  It is an exceedlingly hot day and will be up to 32 as we drive through London. After bidding our farewells we arrive at Tate Britain at 2.20 and parking opposite. There are two exhibitions we are going to see, the first being Edward Burra whose work we have always loved; when I had an exhibition in Rye we met the widow his and his parents’ doctor and she regaled us with stories including that Edward used to send his washing home from New York which is probaly the only way his poor mother knew he was still around as sometimes when he left he didn’t tell them. But the doctor probably knew him well as he always had poor health due to his rhematoid arthritis. It’s a brilliant exhibition and music drifts through from his record collection which echoed his paintings of Harlam jazz clubs and the ballets and operas he designed sets and costumes for. An exhibition well worth seeing. Then as we come out of that there is the entrance to the Ithell Colquhoun is next to it. She and Burra were born almost at the same time 1905 and 1906. Although Ithell was born in India she grew up in Cheltenham and studied at the Art school here before going to the Slade. Her work is very compex, often focussing on gender and the sexual relationships between both men and women; also spirituality, the occult and even a set of tarot cards. She seemed to be intriuged by art and its relationship to all other forms of being. I like best her earlier works particularly as they bear relationship to Burra’s figurative work from the same era. There’s even a painting of a red canna plant borrowed from The Wilson, Cheltenham Art Gallery & Msueum. We spend three hours at Tate Britain enjoying these two exhibitions.

After the cool of the galleries it’s a reat contrast going out into the great heat again but we feel suitably fulfilled and happy that we have made the most of our time. A lovely way to finish the month