Home

 We've recently seen a wonderful theatrical experience at our local arts centre.  Entitled 'Home '  its about what happens to a family who have to face the threat of flood waters rising  were they live in the fens.

The writer/director of Temper Theatre who inspired the production, used to live in Ely but left home after school to study drama in London. He only returned to the area during Covid to be with his parents in lockdown and was inspired by the history of the fens during his enforced incarceration.

The show has already been seen in London, Cambridge and the Edinburgh Festival and will currently be touring China  

Search Continues

 I always keep scraps of ephemera (postcards, magazine clips etc.) for inspiration, in a folder ready to start the next painting.  This happens over the course of about a year.

Recently, I've just stuck all these bits  (you can see them on my latest Instagram and Facebook posts) on to the drawing board while I begin experimenting for my current work 'Old Wives Tales'.

One thing I haven't found yet is a painting of a scrap of paper I want for reference. I've looked through  Dutch old master catalogues and googled 'paintings of paper' but no luck so far.

 Any Ideas?

Too Damn Big!

 I've recently taken some more of my postcards (of my paintings) to sell at the Babylon Gallery. This includes the drawing of my 1931 Morris Minor (see latest Facebook and Instagram posts). I am hoping to take another batch to the Norris Museum when my show opens there.

Although the Morris does appear in the painting 'Who Stole the Toothpaste?' which will be displayed at the Norris, the actual car won't be one of the objects I'll be including in the exhibition.

There are no entrances big enough to get it into the museum. A pity, as it was such a hit when I drove it into Ely Cathedral a few years ago.

Shaping UP

For Christmas I received some oil bars to experiment with, for my  painting, OLD WIVES TALES.

You can see the results on my latest Instagram and Facebook posts.

Working on preliminary canvases, I found that using a shaper (a semi hard, rubbery tool) to push the  paint around seemed to work best.     I am looking for a slightly out of focus effect for the house in the background. Not quite there yet but I'll keep trying.

Planning

 Yesterday I visited the Norris Museum to meet Claire and her staff to discuss my exhibition, which takes place from late March to the end of June. Exciting stuff!

I watched as they laid out thumbnails of my paintings in the gallery to try and work out where each one would go. They have to juggle this with  placeing the display cabinets, as my objects will be an integral part of the show.

We also planned  events to run alongside the exhibition. A talk by me, workshops and a pop-up studio showing my latest work-in-progress all look possible.