Roblog

February 18, 2007

Moved from Oxford to Edinburgh

So much has happened in the last three or so months that I don’t know where to begin. After I was offered the job at Edinburgh College of Art, everything became about my impending move and getting out of Oxford. I no longer had to pretend or try to like Oxford anymore. It was an almighty relief and very exciting – but I was still struggling just to got on with things as work in the final few weeks at Oxford Brookes continued to be relentless. Oxford Brookes is such an anonymous place and the University certainly did nothing to make staff felt wanted or part of any bigger picture. Fortunately on the art foundation we were a great tight knit team who just got on with it. I will miss them and the students.

In January 2005, I moved to Oxford full of expectancy of a lively and engaging place. I am sure it is for many, but somehow, my particular characteristics never seemed to work there. The art community was very literary and serious in a way I never felt I could adjust to. Values were so far removed from me. Of course I have had to adjust a few times having also lived in Aberdeen, Chichester and Hastings over the last ten years. Clearly Oxford was a move too far for me. I don’t regret it though; I made some good progress with the painting, met the wonderful Claire and Richard whom without my time in Oxford would have been utterly unbearable. And of course I met Catharine, who I now have been seeing for a year, and despite lots of ups and some downs, we are now in a great place. No, I would not have missed my Oxford adventure, but I did know instinctively almost from my first week there two years ago that this was not the place for me.

So in my last few weeks before Christmas, I simply survived and lived out my time. I was not in the best spirits to socialise or have leaving parties and the like. So, I would like to formally apologise here to those I never had the chance to say goodbye to.

Just before Christmas, Catharine and I went up to Edinburgh for a few days. Catharine had never been before and this was to be her chance to see if this was a place she could see herself moving to. Edinburgh was wonderfully Christmassy and we had a lovely time, staying in a rented apartment off the Grassmarket. It is clearly a big step for Catharine but I think she saw enough to make her less daunted by the whole move. We went over the Ballymena In N. Ireland for Christmas to visit Catharine’s dad. A peaceful but drunken time was had.

In January, I had to move out of my flat in Oxford before I took my Brookes students to Madrid for my last study trip with them. Funny my first and last work at Brookes was taking students to a study trip (Berlin in January 2005). In many ways, Madrid has been my favourite of all the trips with students I have been on. Apart from the wonders of the museums and galleries, it is just an amazing chilled out city with life in front of your eyes. This particular group of students were a great bunch and they gave me a great send off at the end of the week.

So then it was time to move to Edinburgh. I had hired a transit van to take me and all my stuff up to Scotland. How many times have I moved all my stuff around in a transit? But this felt like the last big move to me; like at last I was returning home. Even though I had only lived in Edinburgh for around 8 years before, it is the place in my head that I think of as home, despite all my time in Aberdeen. I had a week or so to wait before I could move into the flat I was to rent, so I stayed in at Donald and Duncan’s very wonderful but cold flat in Leith. All my stuff went into storage once again, including all my art. But it felt great to be back amongst familiar territory and smiling faces. I have male friends here – the type that I have never been able to find in England, except perhaps Hastings. So my job has now started, and while it is once again an onerous and complex admin workload – for now I want to do it. Perhaps not a job I would have taken somewhere else but just being back at Edinburgh College of Art and seeing lots of old faces has already been wonderful. Edinburgh of course has changed since I lived here in the 80s. It is a much wealthier place, with lots of new building development. It has the Scottish Parliament, but not been down to see that yet. I have even had a night out going to a couple of big exhibition openings and ending up in a famous spit and sawdust pub called ‘The Oxford’.

Don’t expect any new art on the site for a while, as I don’t even have a studio as yet.. But already I am thinking of work which just feels right to do here..

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August 29, 2006

Edinburgh to Glasgow to Edinburgh to Oxford to Dorset to Witney

My summer of hopping around the country continued over the last couple of weeks. Here follows a brief resume of where I have been. This has put an end to my making art and I guess I wont be able to do any new work until I am settled in a new place in Oxford in September.

14th - 18th Aug eca summer school

I undertook my summer school class at Edinburgh College of Art this week. I had revamped my class from last year in terms of how I approached ‘Narrative painting’ and I think it went down much better in terms of student learning and final outcomes. I had 7 students this year including two japanese and they were extremely receptive and di some excellent work. During the week we visited two exhibitions which proved invaluable; ‘Girl Power and Boyhood’ at the “Talbot Rice Gallery”: and the Anne Redpath show at the City Art Centre. I stayed with Donald and Duncan for the first part of the week in Leith and then spent one night in Bonnyrigg with Jane and her family. I had one evening at Dave’s before spending the end of the week at my brother Chris’ house. At the end of the week, there is an exhibition of all the summer school work and I think my students’ work held up well with the other groups. I was a very intense and tiring week.

19th - 20th Aug - Glasgow

I trained it though to Glasgow to visit my friends John and Ciara and family who live in Bearsden. It has been too long since I visited them and Glasgow and it was terrific catching up with them. On the Sunday we all went off to the Kelvingrove Museum which had just been reopened after several years refurbishment. It has not changed much in essence but they have restored it to one of Britain’s finest museums.

21st Aug - Edinburgh

I went back to Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon as my Mum was visiting my brother in Edinburgh. I had a free day on Monday before I was due to return to Oxford, so I spent it doing a few galleries. I saw Barbara Rae at the Scottish Gallery which was very impressive, a mixed show at the Open Eye Gallery, Ron Muick at the Royal Scottish Academy and Moyna Flannagan at the Doggerfisher Gallery. It was a glorious day in Edinburgh and terrific to be wandering around. I particularly enjoyed the Ron Muick, who makes these extraordinary hyper real figures either larger then life or smaller.

22nd - 26th August - Oxford

I flew back late on Monday night and finally got into Oxford around 3.00am. I was house sitting for Claire and Richard in Headington while they were away on Holiday. (I am still homeless!). I was back at work at Brookes some of this week and also had to do a wee bit of clothes shopping for a wedding at the weekend. Richard and Claire’s house is a wonderful place to stay with an amazing garden. I finally got a chance to just chill out out a little this summer.

26th - 28th August - Dorset

Catharine and I went down to Dorset on Saturday to attend Emma’s (one of Catharine’s friends) wedding. This was taking place in the officer’s mess at Bovington Military Camp. Catharine was the chief bridesmaid, so she was very busy doing all that entails while I got acquainted with some of the other guests. I knew no one at the wedding so it was all a bit daunting at first but soon got into the swing of things. It was a fabulous traditional wedding, but I did have time to visit the Tank Museum on the camp. This is the biggest such museums in the world and while I would probably never had ordinarily gone there, I have to confess that the place was staggering; to see the design evolution of the design of these brutal machines was fascinating.

28th August

Catharine and myself had finally come to the end of our choices of places to stay while Catharine’s house was having builders work done. To give ourselves a bit more time until her house is ready we have decided to stay in a rented mobile home near Witney, about 10 miles from Oxford. So, here we are living like trailer trash on a lovely campsite for a few days. I am back at work for the rest of this week and I have to get paintings to Emsworth at the weekend for a show at the Queen’s Street Gallery. Hopefully the week after that I can move into a new flat and finally get painting again on new work.

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August 13, 2006

From Cyprus to Watford to Oxford to Hastings to London to Stranraer to Edinburgh

Well I never did do any more blogs in Cyprus - which is a shame as i had a great time and got a lot out of it once again. I thought it was about time I at least did a resume of the last three weeks as to not leave too many large gaps on this blog. This will be a treat for those Roblog fans who love reading about my travel arrangements:

12th - 23rd July: Cyprus

Catharine came out to Cyprus. I hired a car for the duration she was here and I drove over to Pafos airport to pick her up, via going to the Lempa site and driving over some of the hills to get more inspiration for my paintings. Catharine and I coped well with staying together in my little flat up the spiral staircase which used to be the the projectionists rooms in the old cinema. This was quite apt as I became the actual projectionist as I showed films in the cinema on through my laptop and projector onto the studio walls. Catharine and I had a few days driving around the island which included the long mountain journey over the Troodos to Polis. After a few days, Catharine got the painting bug and at first I joined her doing a couple of outside watercolours on the road from Pafos to Polis. She really got the bug and did numerous paintings over the next 5 days from locations she drive to over the island. I meanwhile, tried in earnest to paint in the studio while she went off. Another group arrived around the 17th to add the existing group and some also left. So, it was always a bit coming and going with the groups and maybe that did not enable a good social mix this year. The new group, however, did start to make a lot of work and use the studios well. Two old students of mine from Aberdeen were here this year; Nicola Galloway, whom I taught in 1995ish and Neil who I taught in 1998 (i think). Neil was in fact taking over my role when I left.

Limassol was at the centre of international news during all this time as refugees from the Lebanon were being ferried into the Port and filling up all the Hotels. I never saw anything of it despite being very close to the Port. There was the odd military boat and helicopter, but life seemed much as normal in Limassol.

24th - 29th July Cyprus

Catharine left Cyprus and once again I was on my own in the wee flat and I thought I would have a productive final week. Unfortunately, I could only manage a bout three hours a day and left with three pictures unfinished. I do now have many ideas and this time I want to continue my cyprus ideas when I get back which i have never been able to do. My last few days were a bit impoverished as I ran out of money so I cooked simple food with stuff from the market.. and swam in the sea. My flight back involved a 4.00am taxi and I slept through my alarm and somehow managed to wake up at 4.15am to see that my taxi was waiting. In the rush, I left my laptop power cable, which bothered me all the way home. I wont forget the clear view of Cyprus from the plane as we flew right across the island and I could identify all the places I had driven to this time.

29th July - 4th August Watford and Oxford

Catharine picked me up from Luton airport and drove me to her sister’s house in Watford. She is staying there while her house is having major work done. It was still the major UK heatwave which was weird after the heat in Cyprus. I was meant to be moving into a flat in Oxford this week, but it has been delayed for a month (dont ask!). I had to go into Brookes for three days this week and I met my new boss and sort out a few things for the new academic year.. No art as my studio is full of the boxes which are my life..

4th - 7th Aug Hastings.

I got the train down to Hastings (on my own) to stay with my sister’s family for a few days. Straight away I was thrown into wonderful BBQs, film competitions in a tent on the castle hill, picnics on the east hill, cinema trips with Mae and Harper, and then taking them on a time travelling adventure in their bedroom!!. A wonderful time and I will always speak up for the virtues of Hastings and especially at this time of the year.

7th - 9th Aug London and Oxford.

I trained it back up to London, where I met up with Catharine for a flying visit though the National Gallery and a wander, before I coached it back through to Oxford, where I stayed at my friends Claire and Richard’s. Had a super night out in Oxford with Claire, Richard, Beth and Hannah to see off Beth who is moving to Newcastle soon. I had one day back at work and I also put in an application for a job which has come up at Glasgow School of Art, Wont say much about it here as I dint want to jinx my chances.

10th - 13th Aug Gatwick Edinburgh and Stranraer.

I had about early call as I had to get the Gatwick express coach at 4am to catch a 6.25am easyjet flight to Edinburgh. But once I woke up (3.30am) I soon realised that really I should have got the 3.00am coach as I was cutting it very fine as the check in desk closed at 5.55am. I got to Gatwick at 5.53am and ran to the check in. But this was Thursday 10th August and as I am sure most of you will know, this was the morning which there was a major security alert at airports all over the UK. No hand luggage at all alllowe on the planes. The easyjet checkin were total chaos and no lines moved for over 2 hours. However, eventually, my flight was called to check in and somehow I made it to the plane which took off 3 hours late. Good job as all other flights after this were cancelled. I was relieved my laptop bag survived the luggage hold… I had hired a car from edinburgh airport as I was due to spent three days over at my mum’s in Stranraer. I had a lovely drive through to Ayr and down the cost to the Mull of Galloway. Nice to see Ailsa Craig (the rock in the irish sea) again. Had a great time at my mum’s. We drove about the area and I helped her in wonderful garden. At one point right down at the botton of the Mull we could see the Isle of Mann, Cumbria and Northern Ireland all at the same time.

So today I drove back off to Edinburgh, this time via Dumfries and Moffat. I drove through Edinburgh and down to Leith to find Duncan and Donald’s flat where I am staying. I dumped off my bags and had a cup fo tea with Duncan, before driving back to Edinburgh airport to hand back the hire car. I have just bused it back into Edinburgh and down to Leith to write this.

Tomorrow, is my first day teaching on the edinburgh college of art summer school which I am doing all week. I am also due to stay at Jane’s in Bonnyrigg, my brothers in in Stockbridge and John and Ciara’s in Glasgow at the weekend. Phew! Will I survive?

Find out in the next exciting installment of Roblog - coming soon.

(pictures will be added to this Blog when i get round to it.)

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July 1, 2006

Oxford to Cyprus

Well here I am in Limassol, Cyprus again. I have been here a week and have just about settled in. But more of that later.

The last two weeks in Oxford were full on to say the least; the Brookes foundation shows went up and had a jolly private view. Then we had to assess all the work and then I had the humiliation of the external moderator telling me I was too lenient and that I needed more training. My boss also had a couple of retirement dos - She is retiring at the end of the summer. Brookes have only just made a short list of replacements for her post and I was livid when i found out that they are going to interview when i am here is Cyprus. So, by the time I get back to Oxford, I will have a new boss. Terrific!

I also moved out of the room I was staying in Oxford. So thank you Rachel and Michael for making my stay in your house easy and relaxed. This is now my 26th move in my 41 years of life. I moved everything out just before my exhibition at Sarah Wiseman Gallery on Saturday 24th July. It was an all day Saturday opening, so I hung around most of the day at the Gallery, meeting friends and visitors who came along. it was great that Billy and his whole family came from London with their bicycles. They went for a bike ride after seeing the show. I think my work looked fine in the show, but I am too close to it to judge. Catharine came along later in the afternoon as she works on Saturday morning. I had all my stuff for Cyprus ready and packed, so Catharine picked it all up and me and I stayed in Reading on Saturday night, so she could drive me to Luton airport early on Sunday morning.

All was going well on Sunday morning as I was driving in good time to make the airport along the M40 when all of a sudden a pick up truck in front of me lost the inside perspex moulding of its container and it was sitting right in front of me of the carriage-way I was driving. I jammed on the brakes and tried to turn into the inside lane which resulted in the car skidding and not quite missing the debris. I somehow managed to get the car to the hard shoulder. The car was mostly ok but there is something up with one of the wheels when we drove off again. We were both extremely shell shocked for the rest of the journey and were very luck not to be killed.

So I flew out to Cyprus on Sunday and got to Limassol about 7pm. No one was at the college and I suspected they were all out watching the England - Ecuador game in a bar. I was right. Andros, the College and Studio manager, met me a took me out for a simple dinner in Heros Square. I am staying in the flat above the studios which used to be the projectionist’s rooms in what was an old cinema. This is where Grahame Parry lived before he moved back to England a few weeks ago. He is the Artists who has run and lived in both the Lempa and Limassol sites for around 14 years. The absence is very noticeable. In fact everything is pretty quiet this year. There are only 11 students and the town seems a lot less manic than last year. The students are a nice bunch; they have all been here for at least a week longer than me as I had to wait until after my exhibition opening.

So what have I done so far? Well I have visited some of my old haunts; swimming by the rocks by the harbour, the beach, Petros cafe for a ‘special’ sandwich.I did a talk on my work outside in the yard on Monday Thursday night and then we all wnet on the bus to Troodos to see the mountains. It was lovely a fresh this year; almost cold. And then it rained like I have never seen before, so much so that in the cafe I was eating, the rain found its way onto my (half cooked) pork chop. This was the cafe I vowed never to return to last year and it was even worse this year and I refused to pay for my lunch. I have started some small paintings on card but it is taking me a while to get into after the last few weeks of madness. I have moved into an another studio space today as I was not doing to well in the first one I chose. As the world cup is still on, most of the group are watching the games on tvs in cafes around the corner. Tonight is England - Portugal. My prediction, just for the record is England 0, Portugal 2 with Rooney getting injured.

Well here is the beginnings of new Robbie Cyprus work. it is fairly familiar territory from previous year, but they are just me warming up. Hopefully i will be a lot more productive this week.

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May 22, 2006

motoring frames and pictures

Here are my six paintings all at the ‘nearly there’point. it was excactly 2 months ago that I started these and one month until they are on show at Sarah Wiseman. They all need some final tinkering and clearing up. The big pidgeon man/lady is my least favourite just now, but perhaps with a little more work..

I am glad to be coming to the end of this period as work at Brookes is getting very fraught as we near the students diploma shows. I am quite relieved that the vast majority of the foundation students got into their first choice degree course, which is the main aim of the foundation art. While I do miss the higher level of teaching on a degree, I do love seeing these students make their first steps into mature artists and designers.

Last Tuesday, was a bit of a day out for me: (travel details warning robloggers!) I was to pick up the cyprus pictures being framed in Reading and take them to Sarah Wiseman who was taking them to the Bristol Affordable Art fair. I was borrowing Catharine’s car after I had given her a lift to her work. However, as soon I got into the car it would not start - we got out the AA - who then found out that we had not used the immobiliser on the keyring!!! Stupid!! I had a nice drive up to Chipping Norton (north of Oxford) to pick up some other pictures from the Manor House gallery. My brother Chris shows there, and he had delivered some work he had of mine from various shows in Edinburgh. So it was then back down to Oxford to deliver all the work for Bristol to Sarah Wiseman. We were meant to go through this weekend for the art fair, but was too tired I needing to get on with the paintings. Still to find out whether I sold any…

Well hopefully, the next time I blog, I will have finshed all the pictures and perhaps ready to update my website.

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May 2, 2006

May Day in Hastings and paintings

Now I have got my web server sorted out - just time to do a quick blog. had a great weekend down in Hastings for the Jack in the green where there where hundred of people who looked like this;

Plus at least 5000 bikers! Fabulous.

The rest of the weekend was of course spent in the studio - and I think there is finally light at the end of the tunnel for these two pictures:

I am going to try and concentrate on finishing these two by the end of this week. On friday night I was unable to decide which one to work on so I texted Barry (a roblogaholic) in Aberdeen to ask him which one to work on. He said he thought the one with the trees looks tricky to paint and I should do that one. So it did. But, now I have been avoiding the big one with the pidgeon lady/man (time will tell). Big paintings are such are diferent kind of energy. Maybe tackle it next weekend? Barry? We shall see..

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April 8, 2006

Easter Holidays, White Horses and paintings

Easter holidays at last. The last few weeks at Brookes have been difficult and seemingly endless. We had a huge number of students to interview for next year and it was the grueling period where our students get their portfolios ready for interview for degree courses. It got to the point where I was physically ill and incoherent while I was at work and immediately much better when not.. This is the problem with trying to fit a nearly full time job with the need to paint. And now I have the added but welcome distraction of going to Reading to visit Catharine. It is fantastic she is a painter herself and values the time we have to spend alone in the studio. So I have now managed to get a bit more work done in the last few weeks despite everything that has been going on. I am now back in my routine of 7am swim, 9am - 5pm work and 6pm - 10pm paint.. and weekends in Reading and day off monday in the studio. Glamorous lifestyle huh?

Yesterday was the first full day of my very short easter break and I had a welcome day off from everything. Catharine and I drove out to Wiltshire to see six of the famous white horses carved into the chalk hills. I had only really been aware of these due to the wonderful Eric Ravilious painting
’TRAIN LANDSCAPE’.

I had not realised that most of them dated from the the Victorian times; I had presumed they were far more historic and heathen than that. They were fantastic nonetheless and a great way to explore the countryside on a bright spring day. Maybe they might appear in my work at some point..

So on to the new work; well i am working to the theme ‘there is something about Oxford..’ for the Sarah Wiseman Gallery. This has allowed me to explore further some of my demons about how I am coping with life here. I am simply using backdrops from some the common places I inhabit in Oxford and placing figures and fantasy characters to see what crops up. Once again, giant men are appearing and i think this is about feeling clumsy and unrefined in such a ethereal place. I like the giant scotsman in Christchurch playing fields placed as a visitor attraction. I think he may crop up again. I am posting pictures of these in a very unresolved state as they are on this late saturday night and am feeling very unsure about how they will turn out. Well I now have a few consecutive days to build up momentum so perhaps I will get some finished this week.

Interestingly, on the train back from Reading this morning, there were a number of morris dancers obviously off to a pagan festival. It was a busy train and I heard the sounds of shoe bells before I looked up to find a small group of feathered and hatted pagan types looking for free seats. Quite bizarre and it reminded me of the work I did in Hastings about the pagan festivals. I think I am going down to Hastings for the the May Day festivities and it will be nice to see it all again.

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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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July 31, 2005

Final Day in Cyprus

I am off home to Oxford tomorrow night and have been winding down art activities in the last few days. Above are most of the pictures I have produced in Cyprus. (There are three more which I have not got round to getting pics of yet). On the whole I am pleased with what i have produced, but even more pleased with where i think I can take the work when I get back.

The most dominent part of my last week here is simple spedning my afternoons down on the rock by the old pier. It has become the place where the group go late in the afternoon to swim and bath. It is also where fisherman dock their small boats. In recent weeks we have befriended a group of Egptian fisherman. They have been great company and twice now they have given us a large fresh tuna to take home and cook.You have never tasted anything like a tuna straight out of the sea. I fried it with a little flour, lemon and flat leaf parsley ans served with cyprus potatoes and tomatos. Lovely!

Many people have already gone home and more are today. Spending a month in such intense proximity with new people has been great. I have not got on with all but it is a very stimulating enviroment.

There has been a big loud beer festival over the last few days down near the pier. Loud power ballad english rock bands and various euro beers, arcades and lot of people. One particularly ‘fine’ singer belted out; Lets make a commune and build it up together.. Inspirinf stuff.

Well next blog will be back in blighty. I will try to update my gallery pages before I get off to Edinburgh for the summer school there.

Bye Bye Cyprus, I will be back!

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July 6, 2005

Cyprus!

I have now been in Cyprus for five days. I am a member of Staff at the Limassol Studios in Limassol, which is part of the Cyprus College of Art. It is not exactly a real teaching job as I am just there to provide support to a group of student, while we all make art and have a holiday. I was at the Lemba site back in 2002 as a punter, and it provided a wonderful spur to my art when I was bogged down working in Chichester (see Cyprus 2002 in Picture Galleries).

Well so far I have got to know the group, drank a lot of Keo beer, done a bit of drawing and painting, enjoyed the 30 plus degree temperatures and eaten a lot of pork! It was never going to be the fantastic experience of 2002 as I had built that up in my mind as once of my most recent happy experiences. The group are cool,if now hugely dynamic and it is nice just to amongst a group of working artists. It was nice to see Graham, Lisa and Andreos who run the studios, but I am dying to get up into the hills again and back over the Pafos at some point. I will try and see if I can connect my camera in the internet cafe so I can put up some pictures of what the place is like and some of my new pictures. It is very nice to be making some new pictures after 6 months of constipation in Oxford. Why is it so easy to work here and in Hastings?? Is it the sea?, the people? the food? Who knows!

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January 14, 2005

Berlin Museums

Well I am now at the end of my week in Berlin and I must say I am complelely saturated with visits to museums and galleries, walking, U and S Bahning, eating, drinking beer and keeping students enthused!! But Berlin is a great city and I woould like to take some time to write a bit about my week here, but I am too knackered to be honest. Will di it when I get back.

Anyway, below are links to some of the museums I have visited and you can see for yourself for the time being….

bauhaus archive
Deutsche Guggenheim
Jewish Museum
Brücke Museum
New National Gallery
Hamburger Bahnhoff
Pergamon Museum

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January 13, 2005

Berlin

Well this is my 5th day in Berlin and I am completely knackered from all the walking. museums and galleries. Too many things to mention as I type this from the Hostel staff computer. (German keyboards are all all over the place, so finding it tough just to type this.) Today we are going to the Neau Nationalgallerie and the Jewsish Museum. My new students seem very nice and are of a very international flavour. Eating too much carbs and sausages!!!

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December 14, 2004

tunbridge wells, chichester, emsworth and oxford

This is especially for those of you who like to read about my travel arrangements, which have been many and varied this year;

On Sunday I trained it from Hastings up to Tunbridge Wells where I met Suze and Erin who who drove me back to Emsworth where they live near Chichester. On Monday, Suzie and I went into see my old colleagues at University College Chichester. I was a bit nervous as I still have the scars from the job, but in the end, it was lovely to see everyone and everyone seemed pleased to see me. Went over to my old collegue Vicki’s house (whose iMac I am using now) for tea and red wine, which was a very pleasant evening.

Today (Tuesday) I had another one of my many train connection journey, this time to Oxford, to meet my new boss, find out more about what I am going to be doing and meet some of the other staff and students. I was a bit nervous, but they al made me very welcome. Trained it back this evening, and now I am helping Suzue babysit Vicki’s kids, while she and Mike have a night out with all my old colleagues in Chichester. They did ask if I wanted to go, but I felt that would be just abit too weird for me just now.

Back to hastings tomorrow and Rochester, for the last time on Friday…

Oh, and a big thank you to all my hastings chums who made it out with me on Saturday night for drinks at the FILO (first Inn last out) and then for those who made it to Harpers and put up with my guitar playing and “singing’!

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September 7, 2004

Frames, Trains: Part 2

Who would have thought I could get 9 paintings from Hastings to London for a mere £17 on the train and taxi. I was so relieved to get them there safely to the John Martin Gallery in one piece. John Martin seemed pleased with the work, but we shall see if they sell at the art fair next month in New York. Pity I wont be able to go over myself to see…

While I was in the area, I had a look around some of the commercial galleries in the Cork Street area. Three shows caught my fancy: Chris Gollon at the Arndean Gallery, Mauro Perucchetti at Beaux Arts and Patrick Hughes at Flowers. I had not come across Chris Gollon before, but his work is rich, brutal and with deeply loaded images painted in a robust, but ham fisted manner, very suitable for his subject matter. The Mauro Perucchetti was a joy - jelly babies encased in a clear plastic cross and other exquisite objects. Now, Patrick Hughes is one of those artists I love and hate. He is famous for creating 3D optical perspective by painting onto carefully measured and built angles. But, there was one lovely work, With Gusto, where he had painted all of Philip Guston’s major works in Gallery space, with his trademark optical device. Marvelous.

Didn’t spend too long in London as I had only a cheap day return and wanted to get back to the studio before the day was out to give it a little tidy and think about the next paintings I will do. I am now quite glad I did not take the Job in Lancaster, as I so want to continue my progess with the painting. Despite being rather poor…

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September 6, 2004

Frames, Trains and Lancaster

Well - quite a week. Getting all my work framed and also getting up to Lancaster for my interview at the University - it is almost like having a full time job again.

I think I have got too used to my casual lifestyle in Hastings as, as soon as I have real stuff to do - I panic. I had to get up to Lancaster for Friday morning, so (as I think I complained in my last blog), I had to take several trains to get there. Hastings - Charing Cross, Charing Cross - Paddington, Paddington - Reading, Reading - Wolverhampton, Wolverhamton - Preston, Preston - Lancaster. Phew… There were easier routes, but I didn’t want to get stuck on a a busy Manchester train. I quite enjoyed it really. And those lovely Virgin trains have sockets - so I could plug my iPod in.

Well, I arrived in Lancaster about 8 at night and got a taxi to the campus, which is a strange concrete village a bit like the Barbican Centre in London. It was sooo quiet and eerie, with the nose of the nearby M6 the only thing I could hear. I was to stay in a halls room, but I had to find the porters lodge first…. it was all badly lit and a bit confusing to find anything… Finally I got into my room, which was too hot and I wanted to find out if there was a bar open. After following the campus map, I eventually discovered a rather empty bar, with only ‘They Think its All Over’ on the TV for company. One pint of lager and a packet of crisps later, I headed for my room. Which was STILL far too hot!!, And as I was on the ground floor and right next the entrance to the building, I didn’t fancy having the window open all night.

My interview was set for ten, so I got up early and had a better explore of the campus in daylight. There were bars, bookshops, cafes, building societies all around this concrete campus - and at last I found a coffee shop.

My interview itself went as well as it could have, but I was not sure if it was a job I wanted. I know no one in Lancaster and I would have to move all over again. I thought that I probably wouldn’t get it and, after a wee look around Lancaster itself, I got on the train home. ( I won’t bore you with the details of my connections this time).

Well no sooner had I settled into a train slumber listening to music, than my mobile went and it was Lancaster University offering me the job. I could not belieive it. I did not say yes as I was not at all sure if I wanted it, or whether, I could afford to go and live up in Lancaster, even it is for only six months… I would phone back over the weekend.

I then spend a very agitated journey back to Hastings.

Saturday morning and I had to pick up my frames for the work going to New York. I still had to stain, wax and put in the pictures. It had to be just about the hottest day we have had all summer on Saturday in Hastings and my studio was unbearable. But I got them done, but was still pondering about the job. All through Sunday I was taking the Job and then today I was not taking it. I could put it off no longer and finally phoned and declined the job this afternoon. I feel it is the right decision, but I also would have liked to have done it, as you never know how things might turn out… but now I have to live with it.

Oh and my frames make my work look so much better… (see picture above). Now all I have to do is drag them onto yet another train tomorrow and taxi them to Picadilly…. what fun!!!

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August 26, 2004

Back from Stranraer

Well, now I am back from my week long trip to visit my mum in Stranraer with my sister, Claire and her children, Harper and Mae. We had a fine trip despite the weather being a lot colder and wetter. I wasn’t planning to do a lot of drawing, but I ended up doing some at the Logan Botanic Garden which was a lovely place.

View image	View image

I don’t, however, think I am going to to suddenly produce a whole series of botanic garden pictures. Not just yet anyway.

While it was great to get away, I am gagging at the bit to get on with my painting. John Martin of London have asked me for work for the AAF Contemporary Art Fair in New York (formerly the New York Affordable Art Fair). So, I am now busy getting pictures framed etc.

On top of this, I have a job interview for a Painting Fellow at Lancaster University on the 3rd of September. But, actually, it is nice to be busy in this way; to do with my art, rather than busy with beurocracy.

So yesterday I found a great framer in George Street in the Old Town of Hastings who can do it in time and is very reasonable. So now, I can at last get back to my painting down the studio..

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