John Something happened this morning which I can never remember happening before. I reached the decision that I am simply not capable of undertaking the task I had set myself. Of course, it is a relatively normal experience that one decides that a pice of work, on completion, is disappointing. It has also been the case … Read more
I suppose that the good news is that I have been able to start a new project since my return from Canterbury. Regular readers of this blog will recall that for a long time I was having great difficulty in getting off the ground with a new project. At my worst I was starting to … Read more
I have bitten the bullet this morning and actually begun preparation for the gilding element of the project I mentioned in a previous post. I am afraid that a number of compromises are going to be necessary. Naturally, I went back to the text-book on ikons and wall painting. The experience has been rather deterring. … Read more
One reason why I have not posted for a little while is that I have been away on a course. The event took place in Canterbury, and the subject was Ikon painting. I did something similar eight years ago, but when I came to consider using this material again I realised that I really needed … Read more
This afternoon I had the privilege of visiting the studio of a well-known Yorkshire artist. It was an immensely re-enforcing experience. To begin with, it was good to be recognised as a colleague, even ‘though (as in Leonard Cohen’s song) he is “ninety floors above me” in the tower of art. Then, he had encouraging … Read more
I have just begun to re-read Lawrence Durrell’s “Alexandria Quartet”. Like Stella Gibbon’s Cold Comfort Farm, it is one of those literary creations to which I feel compelled to return every now and then. It only occurred to me today that, like Cold Comfort Farm, Durrell’s Alexandria is a very untidy place. The difference between … Read more
Recently I awarded myself one of my periodic “art retreats” in order to recharge the creative batteries. I spent three days in the Dales village of Kettlewell, walking and scouting for new themes for paintings. In some respects it was disappointing …. mainly because I had been unable to find suitable self-catering accommodation, as I … Read more
In the past I have found it very effective, when I have been seriously stuck in the attempt to create new work, to go away for several days on what I have come to call an “art retreat”. These involve my renting a small cottage somewhere in a relatively remote rural area, and staying there … Read more
So Charles Dickens opened A Tale of Two Cities. It seems to be an adequate description of the past four months. The move of house has naturally brought with it a sense of new beginnings and possibility. On the other hand, simply the task of creating a new home has turned out to be immensely … Read more
In the spring I moved house, and the transition to a new home has turned out to be very disruptive of my art activity. I am now beginning to re-establish something like normality, and hope to continue this blog in the future. I hope to be with you again on a more-or-less regular basis from … Read more