29 06 2018 friday

 Iffy watercolours of the lake at puivert. One is better than it looks, one worse. Hmm.

27 06 2018 Weds

Some days.... started when a random collection of big wood fell, unprovoked, and didn't kill me because I was too nimble. Then a lengthy and unpleasant nose bleed.

Remembered in kindergarten when little ones (not me that I recall) poured blood, the nuns would put a key down their back. I remembered them asking each other why it worked; the shock of the cold?
(Why would a nun have a key? Perhaps this memory is a conversation between a lay teacher - pretty northern girl in 50's frock- and a nun. Bearded in one case, fascinating)

Had been considering that young ones and old ones (ie my mother) get nose bleeds. Its a stage that humans go through. The key is for entering another place, to the next stage, a body-understood symbol?
Enfeebled by loss of blood, no doubt. The large - cold- key that I used worked, but only for 5 mins when the flow started again.

Then my beautiful and newly repaired Craven A clock fell off the wall, breaking, crashing into two photo-ready iron crosses which broke. Mended clock - well, it works but the casing is cracked - can't face the iron crosses yet.

oh la theres more inc photo taking for Magrie who have accepted me and now want statements.

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Went watercolouring in the afternoon at the Lake in Puivert. Very good fun, had one of those picnic tables to myself and no-one came near me - chauffeur John just went swimming. Haven't looked at the work yet.

26 06 2018 tuesday

 back from London, no chance of getting anything done for days; here are some random mnemonics

20 06 2018 Weds

Mondays drawing acceptable - at least one drawing usable - and have cracked on well with the 6th xtinction pic that remains unfinished. This morning will just about have time to clean up before off to London where my hospital appointment has been cancelled and I shall try to look at art instead, depending on the health. Been good lately.

18 06 2018 Mon

bought this yesterday at vide grenier - thrilled with it, the handling and structure are marvellous. Loose and concise. Crap photo but its under glass - will take decent snap when it goes to be reframed. One day.
Off drawing this morning. Strangely encouraged by long-dead painters availability. Looked up J. Nielsen but can find nothing.

17 06 2018 sun

decent days work yesterday, hacking at the 6th xtinction. Not finished, not very nice. LaLa. Dreaming of seaweed fronds in the armpit.

16 06 2018 sat

Pleased with myself - in Bobs absence am painting like I can paint though most of yesterday was spent preparing canvases. I'm layering in linen/calico/canvas, depending, and gesso-ing in. I'd forgotten the pleasure of involvement with the canvas, testing the tension, listening to the sound.
Above is St Pabo, ex-chieftain warrior and subsequent monastery builder. Its much better than it looks, the eye subtler.

12 06 2018 Tuesday

Four shepherds tortured under Diocletian, done, will look up their notes another day. Just so amazed to have finished something. Things.
Portugal wet but appealing. The contemporary art museum in Porto is the worst art museum I have EVER seen - no, the museums fine, its the art that was bad.Old conceptualism, doesn't hold up.

06 06 2018 Weds

Rien rien rien except may have sold a couple of pix. Just off to Portugal now for a week. Nothing continues to get done (though will take note book)