Wednesday 29 June 2016

It's Me Calling

I've just been on local radio again to advertise the reopening of Ted Coney's Family Portraits for the new season.
 I was interviewed by a  nice chap called Craig, who asked me about my latest painting . As I was explaining the ideas behind my picture, 'Bicycle Thieves' (different views on marriage) I also told him about my old bike which had actually been stolen . However, after five days of searching Cambridge, I had managed to track it down.
He joked that  it would be ironic if my bike was taken again today, while it was parked outside the Star Radio studios. I gave a hollow laugh, but was very relieved to find it waiting for me when I returned .
You can hear the interview on the MEDIA page on my website. It's just below the film and TV stuff.

Saturday 25 June 2016

In Giant's Footsteps

We've just had a brief holiday in Northern Ireland. A beautiful country with lots of interesting scenery to enjoy. On these sort of trips I always pack my sketchbook and a few art materials as I find by making  drawings it helps me to 'see' much more clearly than if I was taking a photograph.
The drawings  aren't particularly good but I did enjoy making a few studies at the Giants Causeway of the basalt stacks, which looked like enormous curtains sweeping  across the landscape.
I probably won't use them in a family painting - but you never know.

Tuesday 14 June 2016

In Control

Did I tell you that the  film maker, who made the  programme about my work, also plays the Fat Controller in Thomas The Tank Engine on TV?
It came up while he was interviewing me and I told him about my picture, 'Young Lives'. The painting uses the Thomas characters to visualise the various attributes of my children , nephews and nieces. I imagined the DNA  as railway lines, carrying ephemera the children had gathered through their lives. This was transported by various trains, each of which has its own single personality trait, 'greedy' , 'grumpy' etc. as described in the Thomas stories.
As we humans are much more complex, the children could be represented by more than one train.
It will all make sense  when you visit.

Wednesday 8 June 2016

Ship Of Fools

I do seem to have done a lot of family paintings  involving boats.
 My painting 'Encore!', produced after Arthur died, has ships sailing through the air. I was inspired by model  boats I saw in Norwegian churches, which were strung high up above our heads in the nave.
In the painting, 'In Three our Kingdom', I placed a tiny sailing boat in Richard's wine glass to represent the boat he and Arthur used to sail in, many years before.
A more recent piece, 'If The Boats Come In' shows our toy boats on  the pond at Sheringham, with several more out to sea, as if  knitted from wool. Are they unravelling or being drawn towards the shore?
There is a lot of symbolism connected to sailing, so the most significant moment for me last weekend at Max and Sarah's wedding , was our ride by boat between the official ceremony and the reception.
It could spark off another idea for a painting in years to come. 

Wednesday 1 June 2016

Life In The Raw

I try to be flexible about the opening times of Ted Coney's Family Portraits. The other week I opened on a Friday for some very appreciative visitors before rushing off to Max's Stagg weekend in Devon
I also had some bookings this Sunday but about a couple of hours before, Hazel began to feel sick. She seemed to get  over it, but then began again.
The thought of her being ill while I was trying to talk about pictures seemed inappropriate so I had to cancel.
I know my work is about family life but there is a limit!