28 05 2023

 Nearly finished the portrait I'm working on - which is a surprise as part of a larger picture, hoho, so no images till another day. 

Another Hommage done, nearly, and though lots LOTS learnt, think its for the shredder.

Got all the framing I'm doing to do, done. Have some notions about the Quillan show.

22 05 2023

 Didn't open on Sunday and rejoiced in my solitude :)

Moving paintings about, trying to reform website, done more framing.

Tomorrow going to Quillan to have another look at the gallery.

Got some charcoal, locally made, itching to go -

20 05 2023

 V pleasant day - only visitors happened to be visiting me anyway. Will not open tomorrow, not just because its cold and wet but because Bob and the family are leaving early morning and I'II be on my own on a market day; not comfortable with that.

Have eleven clear days!!!

19 05 2023

 People are being nice to me at the OFF which is most welcome. 

Sold two - very flattered as I value Mike Hincs work as an artist and his trust in my stuff.

It is so cold . 

Terrible time to be doing this but when it goes well, its good.

17 05 2023

Pleased with this mistake; did the poster, wrote OFF down the sides and it didn't show. Tried to do it with a drawing app and couldn't control it so just left as was, above. Lots of postings and re-postings on various social media platforms so that worked then.

Tiding, cleaning, hanging, jettisoning. 

 

12 05 2023

Signed and dated so it must be finished - however, its on the wall outside the studio pending further thought. For which I had to move Divorce, which is still sticky - these layers of oil may last beyond the apocalypse but they take a year to dry. Domestic Life is still there too, though that's pretty much dry - its there because, crickey, I like it. How did that happen.
 In the meantime, bigger frames and more smaller ones have arrived which means searching through the trillion drawings all of which now seem like pointless daubs. Which they are, of course. They served their purpose in their day and its only because I have some catalogues left over from the Deptford show that makes it sensible to exhibit them.

Family arrive today for 10 days. They're pretty good at letting me work while they are here but obvs I can't totally ignore them. Nor, actually, do I want to. Then Bob leaves with them and I have a clear 10 days to finish up and get everything ready before I'm away. All do-able.

08 05 2023

Grinding on... framing (got more frames coming, thanks to a local  buy n sell group -) though no idea if they are hangable; and is the Tree of Death finished?? Well, no. Nearly though.

Great excitement here yesterday. There's a bric-a-brac stall in the Sunday market by the fripperie and the man there had saved some frames for me, which I duly collected. Spotted a bust of Berlioz which looked a bit good so lashed out three euros for it; seemed to be carved out of a solid block of wood and beautifully done.

Got it home and found a signature. Turns out to have been done by a pupil of Rodins, one Seraphin Soudbinine, a Russian born artist who worked in drawing and painting and (chiefly) ceramics, 1867 - 1944. (Rodin did a portrait of him, a sculpture, knockout).

Somewhat blown away by holding this piece of history.

 

06 05 2023

 ...more of the same, getting a sweet collection of framed things together and fiddling intermittently with the Tree of Death and Rauls pic. It's very warm and very pleasant in the studio. Which will need a good clean when I've finished all this. 

05 05 2023

Fiddling... and framing. Trying to get a selection of drawings together for the June show and since I'm away for most of June this all must be done now, in May, or not at all- its not the actual framing (charmingly gauche, is my stance) its sorting through the dust of a trillion drawings for things I can bear to see again. And fitting them to the available frames.

And failing to register a protest about the situation in the UK.

 

02 05 2023

 Really shouldn't go on about health here, its like a curse. Having pronounced myself well I've been laid up with a bug. All well, as these things go, but as these things go it's rather scary. 

Slept for 48 hours and feel much much better. 

Now too far behind on the domestic front, despite knowing what I'm doing (of a sudden) Can't see much getting done this week. But thinking clearly.