My wife has always been forthcoming with her observations about my work. More than that, her opinions are backed up with reasons, and usually well-founded. Rarely, however, have I been on the receiving end of quite such a forceful plea (yes: a plea … or was it an order?) that I should not exhibit a … Read more
Over the years I have come to value immensely the contribution my wife makes to my work. I have learned that she not only has a good eye for what is right and what is not, but she has the ability to express her opinions in clear and definite form. Today I was sizing up … Read more
For some time now I’ve been attempting to learn Italian, by one means or another. The latest means by which I’m addressing this problem is by individual conversation tuition on line. It’s entirely a novelty, as previously all of my attempts have been undertaken in groups, and what is more groups which meet face-to-face. This … Read more
Today I had the opportunity for the first time to sit down and read through the comments which visitors had made to my two recent exhibitions, at the Manor House in Ilkley and the South Square Centre in Thornton. It was a surprisingly encouraging experience. I feared that comment in this kind of setting might … Read more
I may be swamped by the demands of domestic maintenance at the moment, but there is evidence that my aesthetic sensors are still functioning. In order to make a more convenient provision for our collection of plants in the new conservatory we bought, the other day, a three-tiered arrangement of baskets made of hemp cord. … Read more
I thought that I knew my wife pretty well. An interest in football has never been a part of what I have come to expect of her normal profile. Imagine, therefore, my surprise when yesterday she said quite suddenly, “I agree with Gary Lineker.” What is more, she was able to explain the basis of … Read more
The answer would seem to be Neville Cardus. The name will almost certainly not be familiar to readers from other countries (unless they play cricket), and because Cardus died in 1975 I imagine that a large proportion of others will not have heard of his either. He was an interesting man, and my attention was … Read more
Following yesterday’s post in which I put together some rather hostile thoughts about art critics. To my surprise, when looking through the quarterly newsletter of the Estorick Collection today, I encountered the following statement. “Regard art critics as useless and dangerous.” The source? This is a quotation from the Futurist Manifesto, that appeared in the … Read more
I’ve just finished re-reading Iris Murdoch’s novel The Bell. As I usually do on such occasions, having read the novel itself I turned to the introduction. It’s a kind of principle, I suppose, that I don’t want to be told what to think before I’ve read the book. It was an instructive experience that has … Read more