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August 31, 2005
Crash
Just back from seeing Crash, a movie writtenand directed by Paul Haggis. it is the most mature, grown up and wonderful film I have seen in a good long while and I would thoroughly recommend it. Built ina similar style to Magnolia and perhasp some of Robert Altman’s films, it looks at racial tensions and relationships through the intimates eyes of a group of disparate people living in LA and whose lives collide through a series of encounters and real crashes. Take my word for it.. go and see.
It has been tropical in Oxford this week. Very hot and humid; more like one expects in the deep south. Left the cinema to a wonderful thinder storm which has not done much to clear the air.
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August 29, 2005
bank holiday weekend at billy and ohna's
I spent a highly enjoyable weekend at Billy and Ohna’s house in London (as part of my homeless weekend series).
On Saturday, I made a beeline for the Tate Modern to see the Frida Kahlo exhibition at last. It was truly wonderful to see just about all her paintings in one place and despite the show being ludicrously busy, I got so much out of it. For me, her work resonates way beyond the limited contrainsts of ‘art’ and is a true dialogue of her life, times, politics and social history.
On Sunday, we all popped down to the Notting Hill Carnival. The Bank holiday weather gods were on our side and it was a glorious day in the thrawl of jamican beats. So, thank you Billy and Ohna, Kiloh and Apoa for having me along!!
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August 26, 2005
Website Updated
I have finally updated my website to include work from 2005 in Oxford and Cyprus.
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August 25, 2005
Unleashed
Staying in Halls this week while I wait to move into new home. Last night I saw Unleashed at the movies (also known as Danny the Dog). Ludicrous mix of martial arts, london gangster (set in GLasgow!!) and romantic morals. But very enjoyable with that and just what you need when you are staying in an anomymous room. Say no more about it.
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August 21, 2005
wherever i lay my hat...
Just a quickie. Spent a lovely week staying at Claire and Richard’s family home in Oxford while I looked for a new place to stay. They were so kind and made me feel extremely welcome as well as feeding me wonderful food. Went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Claire and her son, Alex and friend Frankie. I loved it! Especially the first half of the movie.
I found a new place to stay in Oxford, but wont be able to move in until the 5th September, so I am going to stay in student halls until then and visit friends at weekends. I went down to Hastings this weekend to visit my sister’s family. I haven’t been to Hastings since March, and it has been a lovely weekend by the sea catching up with some of those I met here when I lived here last year. It was the end of the Hastings Old Town Festival and we managed to catch the cavelcade on Saturday afternoon. There are so many truly extraordinary events throughout the year in Hastings.
Back to Oxford tomorrow and back to work at Brookes in earnest..
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August 16, 2005
adventures in scotland!
(It is now exactly one year since I started this blog. I am still not sure why I am doing it or who it is for. I meant it to be a place to put information about my work in progress, but it has perhaps become more like a personal diary and from time to time I have written stuff on here I have regretted; especially when I have been down. So, perhaps I should try to stick to art and art related stuff…)
Another day another bed!
I am now back in Oxford after my week in Scotland. I had a fantastic time, but one in which involved much travelling and staying with a number of great friends.
On Tuesday night, my mum came over from Stranraer to stay with my brother Chris to help look after his kids while he painted for his next show in Glasgow and his partner Jeffy was at work. It is the first time I have seen her since last August (see blog from august 2004). It was lovely to all sit around a big table with my family and catch up. My eca summer school class continued all week and my students worked extremely hard and it was also a very demanding but enjoyable week for me.
I had to move out of my brother’s on Wednesday as my sister Claire and her whole family had also come up from Hastings to stay as they were going to go up to Lumsden for the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Scottish Sculpture Workshop, which my dad set up all those years ago. There simply was not enough room for me to stay and I had other options.
I was delighted to be invited to stay my old college chum Jane’s house in Bonnyrigg (just south of Edinburgh) with her husband Gordon and their two children Rosie and Francis. It was wonderful catching up with them. Jane is a printmaking lecturer at eca and was also teaching on the summer school and Gordon is a sculptor who runs the Edinburgh Sculpture workshop. Lots of great food, drink and catching up.
On Thursday, all the summer school groups were invited by Summer School Director, Geraldine Prince to go around all the other classes studios and see the work. I was slightly put to shame as some of the other classes work was outstanding. Geraldine invited me out with two seasoned summer school students to her house in North Berwick where I stayed the night. Another great evening of good food, wine and chat (with guided tour of Geraldine’s art collection).
Last day of class on Friday and my energy levels were teetering, but all my students ended up with fine finished paintings which were shwon along with all the other classes works in a wee exhibition with wine and a finger buffet. There was a great atmosphere with an award ceremony and prizes.
Met up with my old edinburgh pals Donald and Dave along with Ashley who had come down from Aberdeen on Friday night. Donald and I had gone along to an opening at some new studios in Leith first and then we met the others in Black Bo’s Diner, a favourite haunt of Dave’s. Again it was great to see and catch up with all, but Black Bo’s eventually filled up with very unpleasant ‘neds’ so we made a swift exit to the Waverley bar on the High Street.
I stayed at Donalds fantastic flat in Leith and then I was picked up by Claire and family in their car to drive up to Lumsden over Glenshee and through Royal Deeside. A visual feast of a journey! Harper and Mae were so delighted to see me again and were holding onto me for much of the time. I do miss them very much.
We arrived at my Dad’s house to find Fred in his usual postision in the very cramped living room. The same position he has sat in for many years and the one I painted him in for a portrait in 1994. (see Scottish Gallery 1994). He is looking a bit like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings with his long grey hair and beard. Despite being unwell, Dad was in good form and it was lovely to see him. It was also nice to see my half sister Anna whom I had not seen for over 4 years. She has just graduated in sport science from Glasgow university. Fred was not up to going to the workshop party so some of the workshop sculptors walked along the road (about 50 metres) with a large tray of cuts from the suckling pig which had been roasted up at the workshop. It was a very touching and moving moment. Dad’s memory is not what it was but he was visibly moved by the gesture.
We all went along to the workshop for the feast and there were around 150 people having a good time tucking into pig and other delights. I even met a fine art lecturer from Oxford Brookes; Rhona, which was utterly bizarre as we both had no clue of the connection. I met some old faces and one or tow of my old students from my time teaching at grays in Aberdeen.
Then it was all along to the local hall for a Ceildh with a live scottish band. It was marvelous! I had a wee dance with my niece Mae, but we all had to leave about ten as Claire and family had booked into a hotel in Aberdeen (about 40 miles away). I got a lift into Aberden too and I stayed with my good friends Joe (Fan)and Fiona and their daughter Maisy, whon I had seen in Cyprus. I was shattered (but still managed to wolf down some of Joe’s noodles before bed.
On Sunday Joe and I walked down to his newly converted studio where we met up my Barry (McGlashan)and Allan (Watson). So, all of us met up with Claire and family and went for a Dim Sum feast at the Yankse River (the oldest and finest chinese restaurant in Aberdeen). So yet another great time of catching up, eating and drinking.
Back on the road again to Edinburgh on Sunday night. We all stayed once again at my brother Chris’s. So it was another big food night with 9 of of us around the table.
Monday morning Claire, David, Harper, Mae and myself set off to drive back home (to Hastings for them). It was a long tiring day as they dropped me off at cambridge where I could get a very slow (but cheap) bus back to Oxford. Of course I am still homeless so I had arranged to stay with my Oxford friends Claire and Richard and their family this week while I try to get a place.
So here I am back in my office at Brookes getting ready for the new academic year and trying to get a room. It has been a wonderful summer for me and now I am determined to make my time in Oxford just as rewarding this year. I have paintngs to do for John Martin Gallery Christmas show and I also am going to try to show my work somewhere locally.
We
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August 8, 2005
Edinburgh
Spent five days last week back in Oxford. I was trying find a new flat before I came up to Edinburgh to teach on the Summer School. My luck ran out as i got a bad back as soon as I returned and found it difficult to get around. But thank you Anna so much for driving around newsagents of Oxford to find ads for rooms. So I had to move all my stuff to my studio on Saturday (thanks to Walter who helped me move). Did not manage to update my website with the Cyprus images which is a shame. Had just about enough time to prepare my work for my summer school class before i hopped on an easy jet flight to edinburgh. I am staying with my brother Chris, who took me down his wonderful studio on Sunday morning. He is doing some amazing pictures at the moment and if he allows me I will post some pics of his studio if I get the chance to photograph it.
Had my first day teaching at the eca summer school today. I was surprised and delighted to see that one of my old degree show paintings is still hanging next to the college show. it is a big painting called ‘adventure in the kitchen’ (see degree show section of galleries for image). It is very crude but it has a great spirit to it and was an important work in my final year.
Teaching went ok. I have a group of 8 and we are in one of the fantastic old painting studios with huge windows looking over to Edinburgh castle. The fringe is on just now so I walked home through the Royal mile to see all the street performers. So today was a real walk down memory lane.
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