NOVEMBER 2024

Friday 1.11.24

With images of Venice still imprinted on my minds eye from our recent trip, it’s amost irresistble not to make another painting inspired by it. And The Library still lingers there too so I think that’s the direction these two beautiful almost box-like frames will develop towards.

Saturday 2.11.24

Continue with the two mainly blocking in the basic structures.

Sunday 3.11.24

Receive a nice little message from Charles Orange who had “won” my Eight Badgers Digging in the kidney transplant auction and says how pleased he is with it.

Monday 4.11.24

Hear from the Chelsea Arts Club that they would like to use one of my images as a Christmas card.

Working on the new box-like frames

Tuesday 5.11.24

Royalty statement from the Bridgeman Art Library, mostly for sub and secondary licensing fees although in my last one was very surprised to see that a German card company had produced a greeting card with my Emperor Penguin called Kaiserpenguin. Most surprising as it was one of my charity Christmas miniatures a few years ago.

Wednesday 6.11.24

Continuing with the Venetian painting. I recall the little  eighteenth century painting by Pietro Longhi in the National Gallery of a rhinocerous that was in Venice for the Carnivale. It’s a beautiful little work and very meaningful as Nathan won a prize from the National Gallery for writing an essay about it when he was a child. But the dear little rhinocerous was minus it’s horn and being displayed in what looked like a sandy enclosure with masked revelers observing him in the background.So I decide it would be a good idea to give this beast its freedom and its horn back by placing him on a bridge crossing one of the side canals.  And there is my subject. Easier said than done of course -I now have to build from memory a Venetian environent around him that feels both plausible and exciting.

Thursday 7.11.24

Continue with the same.

Friday 8.11.24

ditto

Saturday 9.11.24

I’m now looking at the libary and wanting again to connect it to Saint Jerome the patron saint of of books, libraries, children, spectacles, archivists etc. In my last one Jerome was painted on the lower part of the outside of the frame so obscured whilst looking at it straight on but in this one I decide he should be the red robed and cardinal hatted figure in the ditance and that his lion - from whose paw he removed the thorn - and one of his other symbols, the owl, should be protecting the library with the help of again an angel. So it will depend which of these two takes full shape first as to which will go to Art London, knowing that the other will be needed for my forthcoming London exhibition next June at the Portland Gallery

Sunday10.11.24

Continuing with the Library.

Monday 11.11.24

Ellie comes with the giclee, framed poster and photograph. She’s very pleased as she had said to Richard that if the exhibition did well she was going to buy a new van and she excitedly says she has now got her new van and is going to call it Byron. It has been such a joy showing with her - I think we make a mutual admiration society.

Tuesday12 .11. 24

Richard goes off for his appointment with his haematology consultant at Gloucester Royal. After waving him bye bye through the upper studio window, I take my water pot down to clean and refill and decide that I’ll forego my exercise regime  and make a start on two new paintings I’ve been mulling over to surprise him when he gets back. Carrying a new canvas which he had prepared into the studio from the adjacent room, put it on an easel and start to brush in the idea but then decide I’m not sure if it is the right size so go to one of the other easels that he’s put a very large freshly primed canvas on and decide half way through trying to move it that I’m perhaps being rather foolish as I have the two box-like paintings balanced on the feet below it, especially  when it begins to slip onto the shelf below. So I start to angle one corner of it towards the floor. Luckily it doesn’t touch the two paintings below and I mange to lift and prop it against the wall. But it makes me realise how lucky I am to have Richard who usually moves them around for me. But having removed this one a large square is revealed behind with an interesting rounded frame rather like that used on Dr Margus’ commission so I decide that it might be worth trying the idea out on that (after first moving the two smaller paintings underneath). By winding the easel down I can move the canvas and frame on. Then on turning I see my attempt on the smaller square and decide it is in with a hope after all and I’ll give it another shot before trying again on the larger one. So I begin to form a relationship with it using a largeish hogs hair brush and some terra cotta paint. This is the beginning of A Delicate Art.

I’m beginning to get into it when Richard rings from the x-ray waiting room to give me his progress report. He’s seen the consultant who has ruled out the lymphoma metastasising to the skin of his legs but says there is an indication of what looks like (from the recent PET/CT scan) a lymphoma mass in his retroperitaneum on the same side but below where he had the radiotherapy treatment to his lung in September last year. The consultant wants to check out the pneumothorax so sends him for an x ray via the hospital pharmacy where he collects steroids and other ‘bits and pieces’ to protect stomach etc. He is going to discuss his case at the group meeting of consultants who will jointly decide on treatment but thinks it will be another round of chemotherapy with retuximab.

I work hard on the painting to try and impress him on his return. So by the time he gets back I have got the gist of a composition on the canvas. He immediately relates it to a work I did several yeas ago which is exactly right. Whilst he’s having a sleep I start the other smaller piece. He says he’s amazed I managed to do so much on it whilst he was having a nap but it is still only the bones of the composition.

Wednesday 12.11.24

Work a little more into the smaller painting that I started whilst Richad was asleep last evening whch later becomes known as the Chicken and Egg

Thursday13.11.24

As well as working on Supper, the course of time and Rhinoceros on the Bridge for Florence of the Portland Gallery, I manage to paint in an idea of one of John’s wonderful new shaped miniature frames a Guardsman.

Friday 15.11.24

Send images to The Portland and hear back from Florence shortly afterwards who says “How wonderful…so much to unpack in both scenes…” and that she is particularly enjoying the pointilistic style in The Rhinoceros on the Bridge.

Saturday 16 .11 .24

Continue with the rhinocerous

Sunday 17.11.24

Get up early, shower, wash hair etc and set off to Bristol on this beautiful sunny though chilly morning. We’ve been invited by Nick to the Friends, Family & Crew premiere of Vengeance Most Fowl his latest full length Wallace & Gromit film that the BBC will air on Christmas Day. Then later it will be on Netflix. It is being shown at Showcase Bristol which has a huge shopping complex so is full of cars. And the cinema’s car park is full.

It is a fabulous film so very witty so very moving and exceedingly clever. later we drive Nick and Martin Rose to the resturant where Nick and Mags are treating us all to a meal it’s a glorious celebration of Nicks huge achievementand we are so touched to be part of it.

Monday 18.11.24

Contemplating the rest of the beautiful set of miniature frames that John has so imaginatively made…

Tuesday 19.11.24

… mixing new colours for the purpose

Wednesday 20.11.24

MomArt come to collect the large Sumo wrestlers painting, A Bout for the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art in Japan, packing it beautifully. and stapping it into a very large van for the start of it’s very long journey by road and air.

Thursday 21.11.24

Sadly we have to miss Gloucestershire College’s Higher Awards ceremony as it is the University’s Fine Art graduation ceremony at 2pm where I presented my award that had been split into two as I couldn’t decde which.

Friday 22.11.24

Working on the miniatures

Saturday 23.11.24

ditto

Sunday 24.11.24

Jane F comes to lunch. She asks if I might paint a peacock on one of the miniatures after she had some enchanting encounters with Percy the Peacock whilst working in the gardens of Sudeley Castle.

Monday 25.11.24

Working on the small miniatures

Tuesday 26.11.24

Aga service

Wednesday 27.11.24

working on miniatures fathoming out what to paint on each them

Thursday 28.11.24

R to give blood at surgery.

Friday 29.11.24

Trying to start as many miniatures as possible …

Saturday 30.11.24

… as it is now only two week until the charity open studio weekend