23 11 2025

I'm a human photoshop now... Bev wanted these dinky pansies sans ashtray and cigarette. Rather sad thing to do, working over someone elses painting, especially as the original artist clearly didn't smoke (cigarette upside down) so it was tender souvenir - pansies, the thought, with a rose bud for emerging love - l was going to make the vase more suitable and bung in some other flowers but decided to leave well alone. Except to knock back some of the white highlights.

er, that's it. 

 

19 11 2025

 drawings from yesterday - there are many more, since the few minute practice reigns. (I don't know why, its supposed to 'loosen you up'.  I persist tense.)

Lots going on, in general. Bobs ill-health is much worse. Readjustments needed for us both.

05 11 2025

Despite swearing never to join a drawing group again, I returned yesterday morning. Can't remember why - just the need for quiet reflection, perhaps - very glad I did. Previous engagement annulled by the fact the fussy brits have gone; apart from an American and a Norwegian everyone there was French.  

 You wouldn't know it to look at this drawing but Boris the model was excellent and presented several gentle challenges. 

Plan to spend today overpainting some oils, after a little mound of paperwork is addressed. Joy.

21 10 2025

 A nice snap of Ian, from our unassailable days. A performance in gallery 291. Photo featuring Julia Claxton and the Virgin Mary who was about to break into a falsetto misrendering of Panis Angelicus. 

Still trying to clear out art store. 

19 10 2025

 Been clearing the artstock; removing paintings, washing them down, restocking them; taking out chests of photos. 

Certain amount of triage involved.

Painful physically and emotionally. On the plus side, remembering positive attitudes. My generation of artists, poets, musicians were happily overthrowing our parents past and absolutely secure in our convictions. We knew the world was changing, hurrah; what we didn't know is that the new world was nothing at all to do with us. We were working hard for our cultural extinction, which happened regardless...

tant pis.

Here's a portrait of me from ??? made by a computer. You sat in front of a camera and a machine typed out the image which is made entirely by text. Brave new world, eh.

15 10 25

 Blue Plaques docs in post - couldn't find out how to attach attachments electronically so went for the tried and tested, which means getting lost in transit; but I've kept copies.

Now to replace the books and generally tidy the chaos generated by the process.

13 10 25

 Everything  I'm doing is happening on a computer. Its coming up for my fathers 100 birthday and the societies concerned with his work are trying to generate an event or two. I've been charged with getting a Blue Plaque organised. Interesting process chiefly concerned with the building that the plaque will be attached to - and the yay or nay lies in the lap of the gods - 

Research, frustration, brief victories, more failures. 

His birth was registered, found that. His birth certificate doesn't exist. The govt site asks for info if something isn't right... another damn rabbit hole.

He'd started to reflect on an autobiog so mercifully a deal of unassailable info is there, published in David Ws book Think before you Think. 

Yeah, right.