Not For Sale

My effects to publicise the last two Sundays (this Sunday and next) of
 Ted Coney's Family Portraits before it closes for the winter, have proved rather unsuccessful.
One local paper promised to do a story with a photograph of me with my painting 'A Christmas Carol' and although it did appear in the on line version, the paper edition was less satisfactory. They failed to put in a photograph, which was disappointing, because I wanted to advertise a Christmas themed tour for next week. They also mistakenly implied that I would not be opening again next Spring, whereas I had said just the opposite!
The other newspaper were very disinterested. The reporter implied that it didn't sound very newsworthy but said she might be able to weave it into a feature about Christmas shopping in Ely. When I told her that I didn't sell anything from the house (only on-line) then she seemed to loose the thread and never rang me back.
Lets just hope that word of mouth might bring in a few visitors.

Know Your Place

I donated one of the preliminary studies, made for my painting 'Against The Light' to  the
Timebank charity, recently.
I didn't really do what they wanted, which was to buy a canvas from them, paint a picture and then donate it back to be sold. Luckily, 200 other artists did just that and I hope they sold lots.
Mine was the wrong size (every canvas was exactly the same) so they decided to put my little offering into a raffle they were running alongside the main event.
When I attended the Private View I noted that my picture was the fourth prize. Ahead of me were food vouchers, an Ipad and three workshop sessions with another painter.
Wouldn't it be amusing if I won my picture back?

Fish And Chips Preferred

We've just been visiting the Holbourne Museum in Bath and I made a sketch of some beautifully painted buttons (in a painting) which I thought would be a useful reference for my new work,
 'Forget-Me-Nots'.
 I was interested in the way the objects seemed to partly dissolve into the background.
Fifty Two years ago we used to paint in studios very close by and I must confess that I never visited this wonderful museum in the three years I was there.
At lunchtime, the students used to rush passed it, to buy fish and chips and eat them in the Abbey square.
Ah, the folly of youth!
We nearly had fish and chips this time, but went for a rather indifferent Indian meal, instead.

It Must Be Her

People visiting Ted Coney's Family Portraits are always treated to a short film introducing my work, when they arrive.
 I always joke that they are been watched over by six generations of the Coney family while they view. The display comprises of framed photographs, which are tightly packed around the walls of the hallway, where everyone is standing.
Recently, while watching the film, someone mentioned that one of my Aunts looked just like the Queen (I think it was the hairstyle). The visitor then turned to a photograph on the wall and exclaimed 'AND THERE SHE IS!!'
This was a picture of me with Her Majesty, when I visited to Buckingham Palace, several years ago.
Infact, you can see a video capturing the moment on  my website. Just click on MEDIA.