Dress Appropriately

 I taught art in schools and colleges for fifty two years and its nearly sixty years since I was a student at Bath Academy of Art. In those days art schools were very independent and often awarded their own certificates and diplomas.

So it was with great surprise that I found myself being awarded an honorary degree (BA) this summer for services to art education by Bath Spa University.

We were told the ceremony would be very informal and as it was very hot, I took them at their word and turned up in shorts and sandals.

It  was lovely to see everyone (most looking as young as ever) and great fun to dress up in robes and

mortarboards - if only for a few moments.

You can see a picture of me on my latest Facebook and Instagram posts.

Seal of Approval

 Seeing all the pageantry surrounding the Queen's funeral, reminded me of our visit to the Palace in 2006 when the Art department had been awarded a prize for our community projects.

We were presented with a certificate with a large wax seal at the bottom (think Magna Carta).

As I was the only  one returning  to Cambridge after the event, I was entrusted to take it back and hand it over to senior staff.

Unfortunately the seal got too near the radiator on the train and the wax started to melt. Hazel managed to help me botch it up and we hope nobody noticed.

Review The Reviews

 The paper reviews (newspapers, magazines, books etc.) have finally been brought up-to-date on the NEWS AND REVIEWS page on my website. 

The stories go back to 1973, when a picture of my 1931 Morris Minor was on the front of a college magazine for a piece about buying a new  minibus.

On my Instagram and Facebook posts you can see the same blog but I've used a picture of an article from the Agenda magazine showing readers around my pop-up gallery in 2009 after I'd recently opened. 

A Symbol

 I've been doing more sketches (this time in watercolour) of the boat hoist on Ely's riverside, which  can  be seen on my latest Facebook and Instagram posts.

Whilst I was working, a chap came up  and remarked that it seemed an unusual object to paint. I think he was expecting a beautiful view of the river.

 When I explained that the hoist was being used as a symbol for healing people (in my new painting 'The Councillor'), he sped away pretty quickly.

The Landscape Beneath

 I never thought my Iphone could be so useful when working on my paintings (except for taking photos, ofcourse).

While doing the next layer on my current painting, 'Dreamtime' I was able to refer  to earlier stages  by looking back over my photographs. I wanted to  reintroduce, in translucent but darker colour, the landscape that lay beneath.

My idea was to show the journey gradually engulfing the the puppet theatre and the figures as they moved across the surface.

You can see my efforts so far, on my latest Facebook and Instagram posts.