Roblog

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October 31, 2005

website updated

I am sure you will have noticed that I have updated my site to include the most recent work. I was too tired today to do anything except mess about on the computer… One of the reasons I do this blog and update my site regularly is so that people come back and see what has changed. So many websites , and particularly art websites, seem to stay the same for years, which is very annoying. I reackon I get more ‘traffic’ due to people coming back every now and again. It is always good for the ego…

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October 28, 2005

Too many paintings to finish!

This is me this evening facing up to these monsters I have created over the last two months. I am meant to have photos to send to the galleries by Monday and I am still starting too many new ones and not facing up to the trickier thing of putting some of them to bed. This has been a particularly tiring week and quite a difficult one for personal reasons. But I have battled on each evening after teaching to try and muster enough energy to work. I have also to teach school kids tomorrow and for the next three Saturdays as part of a taster portfolio preparation course. So this leaves even less time to get these pictures finished and framed and sent off in time. I am going to have to do the framing myself using my college workshop as it will simply cost too much money to get a professional to do it. So there will be plenty of blinding and cursing about ‘pictures not being straight coming up.

Anyway here is what I have acheived this week…

(The yellow painting below is a reworking of a picture I began at the end of last year in Hastings - which is already posted on my galleries pages in an unfinshed form. I quite like the mood of it now).

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October 22, 2005

nearing deadlines

and

Only about another week before I have to send images to the Scottish Gallery and John Martin Gallery for their Christmas shows. I now have about 18 unfinished images with some very close to being finished. But finishing is always the hardest bit for me.. I keep wanting to start more instead. There seem to three strands of work emerging: the very illustrational images with the cats, the darker brooding images withs beds, and a couple of more painterly colourful images. I am too close to them now to judge which is more effective.

I got notification today from the Chicheser Open that I had my two large pictures accepted. I am very pleased as it is always nice to get larger pictures an airing. I will try to get dwon there on the 4th November for the opening. There are good prizes… (dream on Bushe man…)

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October 19, 2005

more pictures in progress

Just another late night quickie after a productive evening in the studio. I am having some joy rescuing some of the unfinished pictures from my last days in Hastings. I seem to know what to do with them now. Well it is nearly 2am and I have to teach at 9.30am - so off to bed for me…

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October 17, 2005

The Eels and More Painting

On wednesday I went to see the Eels with Richard at the Royal Abert Hall. It was my first time on both accounts and while it would have been nice to know a few more tunes by the Eels before I went, it was great to be sitting up in the circle of this vast very famous venue. By complete coincidence, I met my friend and studio mate from Oxford, Anna and her husband Simon in the Albert Hall bar just before the gig.. and they had also been to the Nick Drake night I went to last week as well. I think they must be stalking me….

And so the weekend came and on Saturday, Nick from Chichester came to my studio with a van to take two pictures away to be entered into the Chichester Open. Nick (who is and old student of mine from UCC) is the administrator for the Open and wanted to visited Oxford anyway to see an exhibition at the Christ Church Picture Gallery. I entered my two larger paintings from last year: Battle for Chichester Cross and Battle of Hastings Gardens. Neither work has had an airing and I have never shown in Chichester before (accept at UCC) despite living there for 5 years.

Meanwhile back in the studio, the painting continues.. I worked abit more on these two:

Then I worked these slightly more loose and expressive works which are quite exciting me:

However, I have been concentrating too much on the so called jungle pictures inspired by rosseaux, that I had forgotten about the ones I have to do for the Scottish Gallery with the theme The Human Condition. So I dug out some halk finished pictures from the end of my time in Hastings which I had abandoned and sanded them back and started this series:

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October 11, 2005

new pictures update

Another relentless week teaching and painting, only interupted by a wonderful walk on Sunday up the Isis and back along the canel. Kind of appropriate consdiering the subject matter of my new pictures. None of the above are finished yet, but it gives a flavour of the new work. However, while on a break from these, I think I made another breakthrough with a couple of quick paintings.. but we will see how they go before I post them on here.

Off to see The Eels with Richard at the Royal Albert Hall tomorrow night. Ho hum.

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October 8, 2005

Return of the Cats

Another extremely busy week teaching, in the studio as well as fitting in an evening of Nick Drake at the Pheonix Cinema with a live band.

I have been plugging away on my small Oxford ‘Jungle’ paintings which are becoming infested with cats. I am loving that the cats are back in my work. It all sems to make a lot of sense to me. I have never painted such small images with oils which are so detailed. It is like learning a whole new technique. I have only a couple of weeks to finish these so I had a 4am finish last night. Bit tired today.

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October 4, 2005

Opera to Punk Karaoke

In between teaching and making art, I had time to squeeze in a couple of mad social engagements this weekend.

On Friday went to see a production of Carmen by Chisinau National Opera at the New Theatre Oxford with my friend Lucy. IWhen I was about ten, I was once in a production of Carmen as a little soldier boy who sang a cute song. So, I was looking forward seeing this bit - but they went a cut it out in this production!! Hurumph!! Still once the kid behind me stopped rustling his crisp packet, I really quite enjoyed it.

On Saturday, i went through to London to help Billy celebrate his birthday. As we did for my 40th birthday (see Roblog December 6th 2004) we went to the Punk Rock Karaoke at the Garage. I went along with Dug and Ohna and a bunch of Billy’s friends and had a great time. You sing to an actual live band who are fantastic. I sang ever fallen in love (with someone) by the Buzzcocks and thoroughly enjoyed it. Someone took a wee Mpeg movie clip, so I am sure it will find its way on to the blog soon enough.

Did some more paintng on Sunday and Monday and will post the results next time.

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