John Improbable as that may seem it does appear to be the case. My sketching project is useful, but it does bring home to me how different has been my habitual practice. It comes down to the fact that I have been painting, and to do that I have been working largely from reference photographs. My … Read more
Recently I have felt that I am attempting to reconcile two contradictory aims. For some time I have been promising myself that sketching will be a more regular part of my regime. Meanwhile, of course, as we approach the time when we will be moving house, I become more keenly aware of all the tasks … Read more
At the moment we are committed to moving house at some time in the near future. Not surprisingly, I find myself faced with the decision as to whether or not I want to take all of my hoard of work with me. I was startled last night, reading in preparation for a talk on the … Read more
Currently we are preparing to move house, and the fact that I am an artist adds a markedly different edge to the exercise. Of course, all of the usual problems have to be confronted about what we must take with us and what it might be opportune to leave behind. We discovered, in one cupboard, … Read more
We are planning to move to a new home in the near future. Of course, having lived in our present house for twenty-seven years we have accumulated a large amount of stuff, not all off which we really need to take with us. This sorting process is going to involve a good deal of time … Read more
I spent several hours this afternoon clearing up after an exhibition. The event itself was very satisfying, with a positive response from visitors during the discussion session. The theme was “Seeing and Believing”, and it took a broad survey of the different ways in which faith has been involved in my work over the years. … Read more
…. to quote Bob Dylan, although I’m not sure that it is correct to describe me as a “rolling stone”. Greatly to my relief I have found it possible to begin painting again, although I spend a good deal of my time fighting off distractions. The biggest of these is the fact that we have … Read more
A long time has passed since I last posted. All is not lost, however, and I am still in the land of the living. The primary diversion from art has been the fact that we have decided to move house. This has been a huge distraction mentally, and well as demanding a great deal of … Read more
A long time has elapsed since I last posted on this blog. The reasons for this have been complicated and tedious, including some technical problems, but also issues with my health. A gigantic diversion has been our decision to move house. Although we have not yet made the move the psychological and physical distraction entailed … Read more
It is proving very hard at the moment for me to make space for art…. at least, for the creative and productive aspect of it. The things which have occupied me have often been peripheral to anything that might be called “creativity”. I have managed to frame, quite successfully, a recent piece, thus salvaging a … Read more