No News but Reviews

Nothing to report on the arrrival of the new grandchild except that it is imminent. I've got a few ideas for doing a painting about it (that and my nephew's wife's baby next month) but we shall have to see, once it all happens.
However, you can view the News and Reviews page on my Ted Coneys Family Portraits website to see how Daniel (my new web designer) has put together all my press cuttings from 1991 until the present day and I think he has made a really good job of it. But then, I'm biased.

Over Complicated and Over Here

Yesterday, I had a charming family from Sweden booked into Ted Coney's Family Portraits. Parents and three well behaved and jolly daughters. I planned carefully beforehand and thought long and hard what I would show them. I chose 'Journeys' as the theme of my tour and started with the 'Snow Angels and No Angels' series, so the girls could see the paintings as they went through the house.Ofcourse I showed them the Morris Minor before they came in, so I could refer to it when we looked at 'Grand Tours' and 'Golden Jubilee Ride' which both feature the said car. I also talked about 'Young Lives' because I knew they could identify with Thomas the Tank Engine, which ofcourse, appears in the painting.
I had also blacked out the room, so that when the family entered, they would see both the dolls house and puppet theatre lit up and shown off in all their glory.
I also introduced then to Muffin the Mule and Mr Turnip and I fear at that point I may have lost them slightly. In my enthusiasm to do a good show I may have over complicated matters. A thing to remember, the next time I have any young people.

Getting Bigger?

The house next door is up for sale. How I wish we could afford to buy it, so we can burst through and make Ted Coney's Family Portraits even bigger. I certainly need more walls to hang my pictures on.
The family are selling it as one house but it is already divided into two flats and I would love to buy the bottom one. I have recklessly indicated that we would be interested in buying, but if it came to it, we would have to do some hard thinking about whether it would make us penniless. Still, it is quite fun to daydream about what could be and even, if I keep working, what might be possible in the next twenty years.

I Made It, But Only Just

To publise the opening of Ted Coney's Family Portraits I agreed to take the Morris Minor to the Eel Day celebrations last Saturday. The car is 80 this year and of course my current painting uses it as a time machine (but more about that in another blog) and I know that it certainly draws in the crowds. Anyway, the car had a very flat battery, and after several attempts to charge it up, I was advised to get a new one (a battery that is, not a car). I arranged to collect it on my bike as the battery shop was fairly near the station, where I come into after working in Cambridge. Disaster! I realised that the front tyre of the bike had a puncture, so I had to run home to get our modern car before the shop shut. With the Royal Wedding the next day, I knew the race was onto get the car fixed that afternoon.
I drove onto Jubilee Gardens with some panache and all my gallery signs and leaflets and spent an exhausting day talking about Family Portraits. Ofcourse, it's the Morris they will remember but just maybe, this will lead to more folks coming to visit.

Just Popping Up

Yes, I made it into two local newspapers. The pictures were fine and the headlines made great play on my being 'Ely's First Pop-Up Gallery'. One of the pictures was a bit small, but a copy of it fits nicely onto my new clip displayboard. Will it be enough to bring people into
Ted Coney's Family Portraits in the coming weeks? Someone asked me if it meant I was now doing pop art, so maybe I will need to educate the public more, in the coming months. With my new slogan I can pop down (or out) whenever I please and ofcourse I can open at other times, rather than just Sundays, if I get a booking.

See You Later, Trafficator

This morning, just as I was about to leave in the Morris for my talk about my paintings, to the Mepal Friendship Group, one of my trafficators fell off. That's indicators to you, but I wondered if it was a bad omen for the day?! No time to stick it back on, so I sped off (well I was doing 25m.p.h.) in search of Mepal. Ofcourse all the elderly ladies enjoyed seeing the car and that broke the ice immediately. Much as I enjoy doing the talk, I do get very nervous about all the technology but infact, it all went smoothly. I think they must have liked it because they have booked to come to Ted Coney's Family Portraits one morning in June. Will we have enough chairs and will they manage the stairs? I need to get organising.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

I've just had my photo taken twice in as many days, once for the Standard and the other for the News. It is all good publicity for opening Ted Coney's Family Portraits ofcourse, but I wonder which newspaper will produce the better photo? The young lady from the Standard took my picture very quickly and complemented me on how organised I was. As I want to push the slogan ' Ely's first pop-up gallery', both in the picture and story, I had gathered together all my signs and A-board and put them around the entrance to the garden. The chap from the News took considerably longer, wanting to play with the various boards and having me lean in different positions. It will be interesting to see which looks the most welcoming and making me seem less mad. Do look out for them