Another Year

 Our Christmas card this year was of my painting 'Another Year'  (you can see it on the PRINTS FOR SALE page on my website).

Using the image of Ely Cathedral, the painting told of another terrible year which finished with a ray of hope. My mother and sister-in-law died within a week of each other and this is symbolised by the gathering dusk. The dawn welcomes the birth of two Coney granddaughters about a year later.

Lets hope the role- out of the new vaccines is the start of a better year for all of us.

Happy 2021 !

Christmas Is For Giving

I was excited that the Cambridge Independent newspaper had agreed to do an article on my Virtual Tour and showed how serious they were by sending one of their photographers around to take pictures to go with the piece. He took shots of me with the Morris Minor and with my painting but  they never appeared!

This was disappointing as I wanted to do a big push before my  NHS Charities Together appeal finished at the end of the year. I'd hoped students and colleagues from my Cambridge days would know I was still alive and doing stuff, from the renewed publicity.

However, since then I've received two generous donations through the post, so I've not been forgotten completely.

Happy Christmas!

The Caganer

 I've just been setting out my 60 piece nativity scene as part of our decorations for the festive season. New this year is a serpent and jackal to accompany King Herod - and a  Caganer.

My nephew sent me the Caganer from Spain . I've had one in the shape of a shepherd for ages but this statue is a celebrity - the painter, Manet. Apparently, it is a great honour to be chosen to take on this role and is an old Catalan tradition.

A Caganer symbolises good fortune to the agricultural community and should be placed at the back of a nativity scene to ensue a plentiful harvest in the following year.

I've been using  nativity figures recently in my current painting The Wasp and the Ring' to symbolise the birth of  a grandson. I used the holy family, with angels and  Herod's soldiers to represent the good and evil he will face in the future.

Forget- Me- Not

 In a normal year, this would have been my last weekend of tours for my pop-up gallery until April. Except ofcourse, there weren't any tours  because of the pandemic.

However, I promoted  my Virtual Tour instead - which you can still see, available from my website www.tedconeysfamilyportraits.co.uk 

Looking back at my NEWS AND REVIEWS page I see that I had an article in Velvet magazine (I wonder what happened to that?) in the 2020 section in expectation of opening. I am photographed with my  painting 'Forget- Me -Nots'.

We certainly won't forget 2020, that's for sure.

Polytych

 At an art study day last year, the lecturer showed us a multi-panelled altar painting  and described it as a 'polytych'.

It made me think that my 37 panelled oil painting 'Limners' could be called the same.

As it's based on an advent calendar, I've just started opening it in the countdown to Christmas. You can see the picture on my website (www.tedconeysfamilyportraits.co.uk) on the PRINTS FOR SALE page.  There is also a good story about it on the NEWS AND REVIEWS page if you scroll down to a feature in the Cambridge News from December 2005. It made the front page .

Third Time Lucky

 I've just re-joined Cambridge Open Studio (type my name into their website to see my page) with a view to displaying my paintings under their scheme in July 2021.

I tried to join two years ago but missed the deadline for registering my membership. Obviously I was all set for this year until the whole event was postponed because of the pandemic.

You can read the section of a new book about my involvement in  Cambridge Open Studios on the NEWS AND REVIEWS section (News 2020) of my website. 

I was one of the original members 37 years ago and this inspired me to open my pop-up gallery.

Not In My Bubble

 In my next painting I'm trying to decide how to represent the family as individual objects. Previously I'd  invited everyone to choose their own object (see my painting 'Pharaohs and Mortals') so didn't want to repeat that again.

In 'No More Twist', I had shown each person as a character from early 1950s  Children's T.V.( which can be seen on the PRINTS FOR SALE page on my website.)

This time, I was pondering whether to symbolise each person as a coloured pencil - possibly half sharpened with the shavings coiled around.

 However, my latest idea is  bubbles. I like to idea of  translucency and been able to see through (more on that in another blog).  Bubbles equates well to the fragility and transitory nature of life which is one of the themes I want to explore in the painting.

When I was discussing this with my three year old grandson (I need  his help with blowing bubbles) he laughed and said rather perceptively 'Grandpa, I'm to big to fit into a bubble'.