25th oct 2017

In the course of cleaning up, have found many diversions; yesterday was framing a drawing I did on monday and it looks like a direction to me. Off today to england so will check it fresh when I get back.
Got a ticket to the Warburg, lecture on Renaissance art, meeting up with Yuri; got tickets to The Barber of Seville which I'II go to after seeing the Cezanne portraits at the NPG;thence to a (hopefully) stimulating conference.

21 10 2017 sat

Application for NOA residency rejected... one less thing to worry about.
Studio blitz coming on well. Now able to create patches with equipment for some projects I've had in mind. Will be fit to work in when I get back from the UK.
All rather cheering.

10 10 2017 Weds

Friends for the weekend that kind-of helped with ideas for the VSM book - at least helped with what I do NOT want to do - then stuff, stuff, stuff - today will also be lost to admin and domestix . As will tomorrow. Sooner or later I'II run out of excuses. Then I'm off to England.

11 10 2017

Drawings... did some editing yesterday and liked these three. Still cleaning. Studio gradually grumbling back to life; bit like myself.

02 10 2017 monday

Drawing Joachim today.... he does not use a deodorant and had cycled in in waterproofs. What with that and the usual background noises it was a multi-sensory experience and therefore rather iffy for the drawing. Which I haven't yet looked at. Saw it veering  to the dinky and reflected that at the arts at Magrie there were many artists who'd made pretty stuff and that didn't sell either - wonder why anyone bothers doing anything.
That said, I sold the Bishops Palace painting.
Pierre (?Dont know the rest) who bought it took he to his house and showed me his collection. He'd already got one of mine :) and the rest of his stuff was brill. I was knocked out. Like discovering Prince Charming really exists and really loves you.
Also got to invitations to exhibit, one near Maisailles, one at St Columb. Will see.

01 10 2017

Being at an arts fair counts as work, right, so I'm working... feels like it. Being upright and pleasant (in french) for three days is sure an effort. Terribly dispiriting too. There are 100 artists and the work is uniformly uniform.Even so, no-one is selling; no word of a single sale. Huge event and lots of music and so forth so its very popular, lots of visitors. No collectors, no critics, no debate. There has been a prize-giving  where prizes went to the artists who can make  pastels look like a photo, whilst avoiding the vulgarity of hyper-realism. That's a real art. Packing up today and (again) let this be a lesson to me...