The Trouble with Wind

Disaster! I had put my A-board out as usual for Ted Coney's Family Portraits on Sunday morning and chained it to a handy post at the end of our track. I noticed it was a bit windy but hadn't realised how severe it had become. The next thing I knew, was a neighbour telling me that the board had blown over. How could it?' I replied, 'It's chained to a post'.
When I got there, I could see what had happened. The gails had renched the metal folding bar off the side and then the A-board had indeed blown over. Oh dear, does any one have a pot rivet gun?
On a happier note, my lovely nephew, George, who was staying with us, asked if he could join one of the tours. He is the first member of the family to do that and I think his comments and questions added to the experience for the other visitors. Bye for now Ted

Memories of a Bright Morning

Back in 1998 when I was on a cycling trip in Suffolk, doing some research for my painting 'The Enigma of the Chinese Mask' I made a big drawing of a cornfield on a glorious summers day. I suddenly remembered about that sketch, when trying to decide what to do with the background of some of the canvases of my latest painting 'Snow Angels and No Angels'. I had been unhappy about just leaving the background of the corndolly pictures blue, when the snow angel and mermaid images (which I am also using) were more intergrated and had an overall colour scheme. So working from this earlier study seems the ideal solution.
By the way, I have thought of a good title for my next picture. It's 'Got Your Number' Ted

Better Dead Than -

Hi There! The magazine my nephew edits in Spain called Hot English arrived the other day. As I may have told you, he has written an article entitled 'House Museums' (you can see it as a link from the News and Reviews page of Ted Coneys' Family Portraits) which includes a write-up of my venture. I am placed alongside such famous people as Charles Dickens, Sir John Soane and Jane Austen, so if I get lots of Spanish people looking for the house, I will know which magazine they have been reading. Oh dear, do you think they will be disapointed to find I am still alive? Ted

Is This What Fame is Like?

Hi On Saturday I attended the Muffin the Mule Members Day. I had become involved with this interesting bunch of people when I started researching Muffin as an icon of the 1950's for a painting I was doing about my brother, David, 16 years ago. At the time I had travelled to Budleigh Solterton to meet Ann Hogarth and make drawings of all the origional Muffin puppets. I made 11 drawings in five and a half hours! Four of these had been made into postcards to celebrate ten years of the club's existance and to my surprise I was asked by individual members to sign all their cards! The other person signing cards was the puppeteer who manipulated Zippy in Rainbow (he was also working Muffin) so I felt important for a brief moment! Best Wishes Ted

Pass - Me - Bye

YES! It actually happened. A couple came to Ted Coney's Family Portraits last Sunday purely because they saw my A board at the end of the track. They didn't know me,They didn't know of me, they didn't book, they just came. This is the first time that this has happened. I was slightly taken aback as I thought no one was coming and they wandered up at the last minute.
Anyway, once I got into my stride, I gave them the full works.
They staggered out 45 minutes later saying ' It's amazing ' Hope they meant it.
Best Wishes Ted

Self Revelation

Hi There! Last week I had a lovely family who had been to Ted Coney's Family Portraits before, and this time requested my 'Puppets and Dolls' tour. I rehearsed it well, as I had not done this one before, particularly the introduction. I trotted out the reasons why I sometimes used puppets or dolls instead of people in my paintings about the family. Suddenly, out popped something I had not rehearsed or even thought about before I said it. I revealed that the only two dolls (two teddy bears, infact) I had as a child, 'disapeared' when I was five years old.
Having said that, there arn't any sad looking bears in my paintings - yet.
I'll keep you posted Ted