An Eye On Ely

One of my paintings made the front cover of a local magazine, 'Ely I' this month. You can see it as the top story in the reviews section of the NEWS AND REVIEWS page in my website. (complete with inside piece about  reopening on 10th April)
Although it is a painting about my family, the images are of Ely Cathedral in a circle, so it almost looks like an eye of Ely.
I just made it in time though, as from the April edition, they are changing from an image of an eye in the title (very 80s according to Bridget, the editor) to the letter 'I' .
My painting wouldn't have worked so well, then.

Message From A Snow Angel

I created the painting 'Snow Angels and No Angels' in 2008 to commemorate the death of Queen Eleanor of Castile in 1290. I followed the same route by bicycle from Harby, Lincolnshire to Westminster Abbey in London as her cortege had done, all those years before.
 Her husband, Edward 1, commanded that crosses should be erected at all the stopping points on the journey, to celebrate her passing.
I laid flowers at the site of each cross to celebrate the lives of fifteen women in my life - all of them members of my family.
I was reminded of all this recently by Julia, as she wanted to place a typed history of Eleanor and my ideas for the work, behind the framed print she had bought of her section of the painting.
 Julia was one of the five 'snow angels' (which I saw as a negative image) to symbolise relations who had either died,  lived along way away or we hadn't seen for many years.
You can see the painting - all fifteen canvases, from my PRINTS FOR SALE  page, on my website.
 

Strangers On A Train

I was returning to Ely by train from Cambridge after work, the other afternoon.
 It was while having to stand, that I got talking to a middle aged lady, whom I didn't know but had  just moved to the area. Although I told her all about the delights of Ely, I  modestly refrained from mentioning my pop-up gallery. As I bade her farewell she asked me for my name.
'So you're Ted Coney!' she exclaimed in surprise. She then explained that a friend had been telling her about Ted Coney's Family Portraits that very morning.
 I swiftly gave her my business card, so maybe she will visit.

Opening Soon

I've just announced on my NEWS AND REVIEWS page that I'll be opening
 Ted Coney's Family Portraits for the eighth season on Sunday 10th April. I will be taking bookings for the tours from next Monday either by phone, Email or from the website.
As I can only take six visitors at a time maybe you should make contact soon!
This year I will be working on my new painting 'Bicycle Thieves', so you get to see how it is progressing at the end of your tour.

Finding Mr. Toad

It has always been said that E.H. Shepard used Ely's courthouse  for the inspiration for his illustrations of Mr Toad on trial in 'The Wind In The Willows'. He is supposed to have made drawings of the forbidding courtroom, which was built in 1821 - only I can't find any proof that it actually happened!
Everyone (including a local author of a booklet on the subject) says it's true but after an exhaustive trail through his sketchbooks, which are now kept in his archive at the University of Surrey, I can't find an evidence to substantiate this.
This is a pity, as I have a vague idea for a painting in the future, which would require me to make drawings of this wonderful interior. I've got various ideas of who in the family could be symbolised by Toad as 'on trial', only I can't use this material unless it really happened - or can I?.