I'm currently waiting for parts to dry on my painting 'THE COUNSELLOR' so am also starting a new work which I'm calling 'TRAVELLERS TALES'.
I'm making five A2 charcoal drawings of the dolls house from different angles. I want the drawings to be out of focus except for one tiny detail in each one. The object which is clearer will give a clue as to what the painting is about. More on that, later.
My latest Facebook and Instagram posts show the start of this project
The other evening we went to the cinema to see the film ' Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition' Have you seen it?
It was made at the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam where every known painting by Vermeer is on display. The exhibition is a sell-out, so the only way of viewing the paintings is on film. However, this may be an advantage, as you get to study the works close up without other people jostling for position.
I remember another Vermeer exhibition in 2001 at the National Gallery where packed crowds stopped me seeing his tiny paintings.
One interesting fact I learnt this time was that Vermeer was one of the first artists to concentrate on a detail to paint in focus while other parts of the canvas were subtly out of focus.
This had a huge influence on other painters as well as, later on, photographers and film makers.
Since coming back from Australia I've finally got started on my latest painting THE COUNSELLOR.
After making ten preliminary canvases I thought it was time I got started! I still didn't resolve everything but that 'not knowing' helps to keep the project interesting and challenging. Though at some point I may need to back back and do some more experiments. We'll see how it goes.
You can see the work in progress both on the NEWS page of my website and on my latest Instagram and Facebook posts.
I don't look inside the garden gallery very often in the winter when closed to the public , so I was horrified to discover that part of the ceiling had come down and was resting on the lights!
Luckily, the same firm who did the refit were working in the area and promptly returned to do repairs.
My little outside gallery may be small but I do want it to look beautiful. You can see it newly restored on my latest Instagram post or click on the Instagram logo on my website.
I've had a poster advertising my pop-up gallery on my 1940 bicycle ever since I opened over ten years ago.
I use the bike nearly every day and occasionally get asked about the poster by curious bystanders. It happened recently on a train going to Cambridge. I'd noticed two other cyclists staring at it as we all stood by our bikes and then they began to ask me questions.
Have they since booked a trip to the gallery? Not yet, though the encounter happened during the period I was closed.
I put a photo of my old bike and the poster on my Instagram and Facebook posts yesterday and to date I've had 500 Facebook viewings. Normally I get about 20/30.
And the moral of this tale is? Try old as well as new methods of advertising. Someone will eventually notice you.
