Families Apart- Together

I've been making paintings about  families for over 50 years, so  obviously they are very important to me.
While the present situation  of self isolation is hard I've been struck by how modern technology is helping us all get through it.
We've had several Zoom meetings with our immediate family - children, their partners and grandchildren, which has been lovely.
We have also had two with all strands of the Coney family together. That's 11 families and 29 people! From Seattle to Skipton, Sydney to Spain,  all talking at once and waiving to each other.
I can't help thinking that when this pandemic is  over, there is an idea for a painting in there somewhere. 

Keep Going and Carry On

I had planned to open my pop-up gallery this Sunday for the first of the new season 's tours but because of the pandemic, this is obviously postponed for a while.
Still, you can always try my VIRTUAL TOUR (see my website) and if you do, I'll donate the fee to our wonderful NHS.
In the meantime, I'll carry on painting - but more on that next week.

On With The Show

During lockdown I've been doing puppet shows for my grandson on Zoom. I performed
 'Sooty's Magic Show' and 'Muffin's New Friend' which I think he enjoyed (well, they didn't switch it off).
The puppets form part of my collection of objects I've used in some of my paintings - which you can see  on the PRINTS FOR SALE page on the website.
Muffin the Mule appears in 'David's Journey' and Sooty in 'Offrenda', both representing different members of the family.
My puppetry skills aren't great but these are challenging times.

Serves Me Right

It was my birthday last week and a friend sent me one of my own cards -the gift card showing my 1931 Morris Minor (you can see the drawing on the PRINTS FOR SALE page).
Her excuse was, because we are all confined to our houses, it was the only card she had, having bought a few from my Artist in Residence event last summer.
At least I didn't feel too guilty displaying it with the   other  (six) on the mantelpiece.

Garden Party

Last Friday we gave a 'Lockdown 'party in the garden for our immediate neighbours. Everyone brought their own glasses and we all kept well apart. It was also an excuse to show off my new garden gallery (only one person at a time as it's not big) before it is requisitioned for more practical purposes like storing essentials etc.  My latest paintings and related objects were on view.
We all drank each others health and it felt like the night before the war.

In Lock Down

What a difference a week makes! Not only is Open Studios postponed for a year but I will have to delay the opening of Ted Coney's Family Portraits until life becomes more normal again.
Just to get  our priorities right, Hazel and I rushed out to buy more canvases to keep us painting during the long haul.  I know I should have been buying toilet rolls - as I do use rather alot of them in my painting for blotting, rubbing and cleaning.

Full Circle

Twenty six years ago was the last time I took part in the Cambridge Open Studio scheme, having tried it first ten years earlier when artists just opened their homes on a random basis.
I have decided, as well as doing the tours,to open part of our home again this year during July . This is because I have  a regular supply of preliminary studies available (which sell better when visitors see the finished paintings as well) but also with our new garden gallery open, there is more to explore downstairs, besides the studio.
My Open Studio page is up and running on their website. Just type in 'Cambridge Open Studios' and write in my name.