Happy Families

 Last week Hazel and I ran two family workshops to run alongside my exhibition 'Every Object Paints A Picture' at the Norris Museum in St Ives.

The workshop was entitled 'Your Object- Your Story' and each child and parent was asked to bring a favourite object as the theme for their  painting . You can see some of the results on my latest Facebook and Instagram posts.

To start the workshop, we took everyone to see two objects and two of my paintings in the gallery. When I asked for any questions, one little boy asked me if I had made the marble statue of Oliver Cromwell which stands permanently in the corner!

The Bigger Picture

 Last week I did my first pop-up Artist in Residence event at the Norris Museum, to run alongside the exhibition.

As you can see from the photo on my latest Facebook and Instagram posts I am working in a much bigger space than I normally do at home. There is hardly room to move in my tiny studio, so to work in their meeting room was a real bonus.

I managed to talk to quite a few visitors during the day while starting the first of five (small ) canvases which will make up my painting, OLD WIVES TALES.

I wonder if my work would get bigger if I had this studio, permanently?!

Curtain Up

 My exhibition at the Norris Museum has begun!  You can see from the photos on my latest Instagram and Facebook posts there was quite a crush at the Private View last Thursday evening.

At the last minute I was asked to make a speech - which I kept very short. At that point I knew no one had seen the exhibition (not even me!) so I just mentioned one painting that  was on the poster.

I explained that we opened 'Limners' one window each day over the Christmas period with the tradition  of asking  guests to take on this task. I gleefully (as they were  at the Private View) spoke about my  grandchildren who always complained  that they would have preferred chocolate.

You can't please everyone.

Topsy- Turvy

 Its been a topsy-turvy few days. My latest painting THE COUNSELLOR has been framed and I felt it looked great. However, something bothered me about the image until I realised that the left hand canvas was upside down ! (see my latest Instagram and Facebook posts)

I was then contacted by  the Norris Museum, as they wanted to show me that  the first painting - ANOTHER YEAR was up in the exhibition. Unfortunately, the top of the picture was  the wrong way round! Ofcourse all these things are fixable - can't wait to see  what happens next.

By the way, I'm 80 today so happy birthday to me.

Attention To Detail

 Two large vehicles arrived last Tuesday to transport my paintings and objects to the Norris Museum for my forthcoming exhibition.

They were accompanied by four  museum staff who spent the day taking down pictures and objects and packing them carefully away. Each object/painting was photographed before packing, with a description written as to its condition and title.

 When I mentioned how impressed I was with their attention to detail, the Curator laughed and said 'It's what we do'.

In My Own Image

 The first article (hopefully there will be more!) about my up coming exhibition at the Norris Museum is out now in the Ely I magazine. You can also see it in my latest Facebook and Instagram posts.

The photo to accompany the article was taken by my wife. Since then we've had a visit from the Norris's official photographer who spent about five hours here on Monday. He was very painstaking and professional as he took photos of me, the paintings and objects.

I know I'm very difficult to photograph as I often close my eyes at the wrong moment but hopefully there will be a few, looking wide awake.

Give Us A Clue

 I'm currently experimenting with ideas and ways of showing  images in my new painting - 

 'Old Wives Tales'. There will be five canvases, each one to represent my grandmother or  her four sisters. The women all had a personal tragedy in their lives which I am trying to suggest  with one object (or small group of objects) in the painting.

I'm currently working on Beatrice, the eldest sister, who lost one her  sons when he was a young man. You can see my efforts so far on my latest Instagram and Facebook posts.