Hot News – Jubilee Jazz Festival; New Roses Highland Views

Happy Jubilee M’am

HRH Diamond Jubilee oil on canvas Lee Campbell

Haven’t done any portraits in ages but couldn’t resist this one. What a heroine she is – in this age of self self publicity and power seeking, a woman who had power thrust upon her at a early age, she accepted the role with grace and carried out her considerable duties with dignity and charm worldwide for all these years. A national treasure and a real diamond!

Jubilee Jazz Festival at Strawberry Hill House 3 -4 June

Jubilee Jazz at Strawberry Hill – oil on canvas Lee Campbell

Delighted to be invited to show paintings at the Strawberry Hill Arts Village and have produced some new paintings especially for the event.

Jazz 1 – oil on canvas- Lee Campbell

Jazz II- oil on canvas Lee Campbell

See link to site:  www.jubileejazzfestival.com

Art Workshop at Warren House - 14th July 2012

In collaboration with Warren House I will be holding a one day Drawing and Water Colour Workshop. This an ideal place to explore drawing and painting skills in a fabulous location with a highly experienced professional artist – it is ideal for both complete beginners and those with some experience. Participants will be given a set of materials to keep and all techniques will be demonstrated. Buffet lunch, tea and coffee provided.

The Rose Room Warren House

Spaces are limited – to  book please contact Warren House; 
http://www.warrenhouse.com/event.php?id=163

Other exciting news this month was collaborating with Mike of Asana Health in Kingston to provide artwork for the purpose built yoga and therapy centre on London Road, Kingston. There are now two of my larger pieces in the centre – see below:

Revelation oil on canvas Lee Campbell

Petersham Dusk – oil on canvas Lee Campbell

News from Asana Health

A new series of monthly “Optimum Health Evenings” commencing on Monday 21st May 2012 @ 7.30pm which Mike and his team of therapists and yoga teachers think would be of benefit to you.

For more info please  visit the web site: www.asanahealth.co.uk

New Roses (or neurosis?)

Heart of Gold – Lee Campbell

Heart of Rose oil on linen Lee Campbell

Peonies oil on canvas Lee Campbell

Deep Red oil on canvas Lee Campbell

At least once every year I feel the need to paint roses and these are the latest ones. This began with a commission to paint a single red rose and reached it’s peak with the design of Union Jack comprised of roses on a baby grand piano during a public art project in Soho 3 years ago. May have been generated by growing up surrounded by rose patterned wall paper perhaps..they would ‘swirl’ in a disturbing way if I stared at them too long.

Since then I have produced several paintings of this design and it also available as a giclee print.

Union Jack/Roses – Lee Campbell

Highland Views

Loch Morar Sunset oil on linen Lee Campbell

Highland Cow – oil on canvas -Lee Campbell

Loch Morar – The Red Boat -Lee Campbell

 Loch Morar – Oil on linen – Lee Campbell

Delighted to be commissioned by Edinburgh Arts who produce quality Giclee prints of my work to do some painting of the  Scottish Highlands. This area is so similar to the South Island of New Zealand – an area I know very well having hiked both the Routeburn and Milford Tracks in Fjordland – that I feel a real resonance with these places.

For some superb scenery watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2kzFIXzFGk&feature=related

Romantic Paintings:

Coer de Luminiere – Lee Campbell Oil on canvas 24″ x 36″

This piece (Heart of Light) has a trompe l’oeil painted frame and is something of a departure from recent work which has been mostly landscapes.

Borne on the Mist – Lee Campbell oil on canvas

Tall Roses – Lee Campbell oil on canvas 40″ x 12″

Red & Gold – Lee Campbell oil on panel 8″ x 10″

Pansies – Lee Campbell oil on panel 4″ x 6″

Richmond Gold II – Lee Campbell oil on canvas 16″ x 22″

The Shard & The Savoy – Byrne Bros Project

Last autumn I began a collaboration with Michelle Tilley, Health and Safety Executive of The Byrne Group to produce a body of work based on two of their current projects – one being the state of the art Shard at London Bridge and by way of contrast – the refurbishment of the much loved old Savoy Hotel on The Strand. This project is almost completed now so time to reflect and share some of the artwork produced exclusively for their head office in Teddington.  Due to the nature of the on going work it was impossible to do more on both sites other than take photos and make notes, but as with most of my work a degree of imagination becomes an enormous asset in these circumstances.

The Savoy

Working from photos taken during site visits I produced oil on paper sketches and charcoal studies of each of the sites.

'Ballroom' Savoy study Lee Campbell

'Serpent' study Savoy - Lee Campbell

I was fortunate to be able to visit The Savoy just before the furniture was installed and to see the completed interior beautifully lit and this formed the basis for the completed 4′ x 4′ oil painting that resulted. Using details from the interior and gold figure who stands majestically above The Strand entrance, I designed a composition which I hoped would capture the sense of history and the unique mood created by the presence of so many notorious guests and staff. The variety of different styles proved a challenge – how to incorporate the elaborate decoration of the ballroom with the stylish deco chrome pillars and leopard skin patterned carpet with gothic glamour. I have, of course also included the mysterious ‘white lady’ who has been seen disappearing into walls as recently as last year by the security men.

Study for Savoy - Lee Campbell

I also included Kaspar the shiny black cat in the lower right hand corner  – the story goes that in 1898 a South African diamond magnate by the name of Woolf Joel was visiting London and held a banquet at the famous Savoy before returning home. At the last minute one of his guests had to cancel, leaving thirteen to sit at table, which one guest said was unlucky. After a successful dinner, Joel said his goodbyes and rose to leave; the same guest then said that the first person to leave would also be unlucky and would be the first to die. Joel was not superstitious and thought this remark very amusing — but a few weeks later he was shot dead in his Johannesburg office.

Kaspar

For some years after those events, anxious not to have a similar incident that could damage their reputation, the Savoy provided a member of the hotel staff to sit at tables of thirteen, to avoid the unlucky number, but that idea proved unpopular with guests wanting to talk about personal or private matters; so in 1926 a new solution was found. A British architect and sculptor called Basil Ionides was commissioned to design and carve a three-foot-high model of a black cat, which he produced from a single piece of London plane.

Kaspar in his display case at the Savoy Kaspar awaits a party of diners Named Kaspar, the cat now resides in his own display case in the entrance hall at the hotel, but whenever a party of thirteen requires an extra guest he is brought out to sit at table. He has a napkin tied around his neck and is served every course, just like any other guest. Winston Churchill became very fond of Kaspar, to the extent that he insisted the cat should be present at every meeting of The Other Club, a political dining club he had founded in 1911, and so Kaspar has been at all the fortnightly meetings — always held at the Savoy — since 1927.

During World War 2 Kaspar was catnapped by some mischievous Royal Air Force personnel and flown to Singapore, only to have Churchill himself demand its immediate return!

There are two theories as to the origin of the number thirteen being unlucky. One derives from Norse mythology, in which twelve Gods sat down to a banquet in Valhalla. The evil spirit Loki gate crashed the party as thirteenth member of the party and killed the Gods’ favourite, Balder. Thirteen also has significance to Christians, as there were thirteen people at the Last Supper, and the traitor Judas Iscariot was the thirteenth and last to arrive. As to why a cat — the animals have held an important role in mythology and superstition over the centuries, and black cats in particular are considered by many cultures to be lucky.

The refurbishment began in 2007 and over 1000 craftsmen, artists and builders had been involved in the £100 million re-fit. The whole neo-renaissance limestone facade had to be moved forward by hydraulics 0.75cm – a very complex feat of engineering. The original Edwardian style had previously been updated in the 1930s and these current sumptuous theatrical interior designs are by Pierre Yves Rochon. I was shown the sealed room No 878 where a murder had once been committed and told of the many famous guests who had graced this hotel with their presence; Monet and Whistler (a huge hero of mine) had both painted the splendid view of Thames from the hotels windows, Winston Churchill, The Beatles, Marylin Munro and Richard Harris. I was very gratful to my delightful guide Stuart Harvey, The  Project Manager, who explained that the company enforced strict rules about good behaviour and to facillitate this ran an education programme for the 800 strong workforce. A very impressive opperation.

The completed large oil painting took many months and had many transitions before reaching the final composition:

First study - Savoy - Lee Campbell

Second study -Savoy - Lee Campbell

The Savoy - oil on canvas 48" x 48" - Lee Campbell 2011

For additional information see:

Gilt trip: Refurbishing the Savoy hotel 8.10. 2010 – Thomas Lane

The refurbished Savoy hotel looks a million dollars – which is just as well because it cost more than £200m to do up. Happily nobody was to blame for the cost and time overruns – except possibly the owner’s insatiably lavish tastes- see images:
www.building.co.uk/buildings/gilt-trip-refurbishing-the-savoy-hotel/5006858.article

For a comprehensive history of the Savoy: Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoy_Hotel

The Shard

Renzo Piano, the building’s architect, worked together with architectural firm Broadway Malyan during the planning stage of the project. Funder by Qatar the tower will stand 1,017 ft (310 m) tall and have 72 floors, plus 15 further radiator floors in the roof. The building has been designed with an irregular triangular shape from the base to the top. It will be clad entirely in glass. The viewing gallery and open-air observation deck will be on the top (72nd) floor.

Keiren Long of the Evening Standard  has written a piece examining the impact that the Shard will have on the area: http://the-shard.com/shard

Andy Bowden – crane operator has also written a piece about the experience of being at the top of his game://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/architecture/8314250/The-Shard-of-Glass-view-from-atop-the-tallest-skyscraper-in-Europe.html

When I first visited the site last year I wrote a blog about the experience of going up the side of the building to a considerable height in a wire cage and The Shard is now almost finished. In fact it is clearly visible from Richmond Park, the Thames at Hammersmith and probably from most of London. It is already truly magnificent! So what a challenge to complete a painting of an incomplete building. It seemed right to show the exposed core while simultaneously showing how the glass membrane will look. when completed on one side. Because the painting is being commissioned by the people building it, I also decided to use the main construction materials to represent the two Byrne brothers – one who specialises in steel and the other in concrete.

The textures that occur on the pillars of concrete are truly lovely and it seemed such a shame to render then with a smooth concrete over layer. The patterns on the raw steel are equally fascinating golden textures which occur as the metal oxidises.

Charcoal studies - The Shard - Lee Campbell

Oil study - Shard - Lee Campbell

Top Floor - oil study Shard - Lee CampbellGround Floor - Shard -Lee Campbell

Below - Shard oil study - Lee Campbell

The Shard oil on canvas 48" x 48" - Lee Campbell 2011

Finding a good image of the Shard would have been impossible without the help of the photographer Mike ODwyer who was kind enough to allow me use his images taken from a helicopter to get a good perspective on the rapidly changing cityscape from London Bridge.

To summarise – the project has been hugely interesting and absorbing and I have learnt a great deal about both the process of refurbishment and the constructions of a new build. The contrast between the old and the new could not have been more pronounced  but I have attempted to make the work fit into the modern offices of the Byrne Group and am looking forward to seeing it in situ. 

A special thanks for the idea and support to the prize winning architect Cathy Stewart.

Other News

Summer Exhibition – Portland Gallery 2011

A selection of new work is now on display at the Portland Gallery on Hillrise Richmond

Petersham Hotel - oil on canvas - Lee Campbell 2011

The above paintings  show how I paint around the edges of the block canvas I use. They do not need a frame but can easily be set into a floating or suspended frame with a gap to expose the painted sides.

Eel Pie Sunrise - oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

Sailed up the Thames from Eel Pie Island to Chelsea on L’Estrelle – a big houseboat converted from a Dutch barge – she had been having maintenance done in the boatyard on Eel Pie Is. and was due to return to her moorings Cadaogan Pier. Lovely adventure! Thanks John and Harry.

Web Site Updates

The video of my moment of fame of telle – ‘House Gift’ can now be seen on my site: http://www.leecampbell.co.uk/Video

There is also a new Gallery entitled ‘ Commissions’ with examples of past projects and private commissions.

Music, Mischief and Battersea Peace Monk

 

Charcoal study ‘The Savoy’ – Lee Campbell

Drawing – I love it and charcoal is such a fantastic medium to explore ideas and solve problems, so forgiving and suggestive. This is a ‘collage’ of images of the Savoy from photos taken during the refit last year in preparation for a large oil painting. So many ghosts seemed to be lurking in the lovely old building – so many stories of excess and larger than life characters.

 

Kaspar the Cat

It was in the 1920s that the hotel’s most famous resident checked in and never left. Kaspar the Cat, a 3-foot-high wood sculpture of a regal feline, was expressly created to ward off any superstitions of guests dining at the hotel’s Savoy Grill. Apparently, to dine with only thirteen guests is ominous, and the first to rise from the table will soon meet with tragedy. Kaspar’s role is to be the official fourteenth guest, served with every course as normal, should anyone unknowingly hit upon the unlucky number of diners.

Good to be back in the studio again too now the weather is warmer – it gets so cold in there that ice forms on the inside of the skylights.

Studio in snow - Lee Campbell

Old boat winch

Would like to pretend we had ‘two feet’ of snow but it was only about 6 inches – however this is what my feet felt like working in there until I treated my self to some seriously solid and waterproof Ugg boots. Fabulous!

Two Feet of Snow

Lost in Music

Xmas was a delightfully cosy and musical affair with champagne and a CD of Dylans’ radio show choices – ‘Theme Time Radio Hour’ – an excellent selection of early American music. This was enhanced by reading ‘White Bicycles’ by Joe Boyd which provides an overview of the birth of Rock n’ Roll. I also accompanied Steve to the radio station where he helps out with mikes for the live recordings – Radio  Wey (named after the river Wey) where Martin Clarke runs a blues show on Friday nights (9 – 11pm). The live act that night was Marcus Bonfanti – who writes his own songs and sings them with the conviction  and experience of someone many years older -

I also revisited an old favourite of mine John Prine and watched this video of him – what a lovely person he is with a rare mixture of humour and compassion in his song writing. Was lucky enough to see him in the 80′s here in London.  Also revisited a favourite from the 80′s – great lyrics about ‘dealing with the hazards’ by King Trigger it was the soundtrack of my migration back to London from Melbourne in 1983.

Other favourites from this period were ‘Modern Love’ by Bowie, Joe Jackson’s ‘Stepping Out’ and ‘London Calling’ the Clash.

All this and Huey Morgan on BBC Radio 6 current on 6 times a week!

Peace Pagoda – Battersea Park

Last weekend we were visited by Reverend Nagase the Buddhist Monk who is the guardian of the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park. I first met him when he visited my shop on Ebury Bridge Road in 1998 and despite not speaking English very well his delight in art was obvious and we have been friends since then. Sadly, he is being ‘terrorised’ at the moment by a particularly tenacious vandal and is particularly vulnerable due to cut back in park staff. He lives alone and needs support more than ever so please help if you can – he welcomes visitors and can be contacted on 0207 2289620.

The Rev. Nagase spends his day in Buddhist meditation, ‘other works’ and in maintaining the pagoda, a job not made easy by the fact that people climb up it and make a mess on the second floor, an area forbidden to the public. He relies on donations to live and is grateful to the bread he gets from a local Caribbean bakery and vegetables from a Chinese vegetable shop. Any help is welcome, not least with his heartfelt pleas for assistance in cleaning the pagoda.

The idea of Battersea Park being home to one of Japan’s foremost Buddhist sects may strike the casual visitor as incongruous – to say the least. But to early morning joggers and dog-walkers it will not be a surprise. A saffron-robe clad Buddhist monk, gently beating a drum as he does a daily perambulation at sunrise from his temple to the Peace Pagoda, is a familiar sight.

The Reverend Gyoro Nagase first arrived in England in 1978 from Aichi prefecture, near Nagoya, in Japan, to assist in the construction of the first Peace Pagoda in the UK in Milton Keynes. In 1984 he moved to London, as part of a team of 50 volunteers and Buddhist monks and nuns of the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order, to construct the Peace Pagoda in the park, which was completed the following year. They were living in what is now the Children’s Zoo but, as the site was expanded, the Buddhist order was offered a storeroom, in the trees near the Old English Garden, by Wandsworth Council, on the understanding they carried out all renovations and the conversion into a temple. Gratefully the offer was accepted, the work was carried out by volunteers and today, with just one remaining monk, that temple has developed into a successful centre for the sect, attracting Buddhist followers from not just London and Japan, but also people from China, Sri Lanka, India, Burma and Taiwan who are now living in the UK.

The Peace Pagoda stands about 33.5m high, and is made of concrete and wood. It has four large gilded statues of the Buddha, one facing North, one facing South, one facing East and one facing West. A small temple has also been built nearby, with just one monk of the Nipponzan Myohoji order as permanent resident. The monk currently occupying this position is Rev Gyoro Nagase, who came to England in 1978 from Aichi prefecture in Japan. Each morning at sunrise Rev Nagase makes the short journey from the temple to the pagoda, beating his drum and chanting the Daimoku. He spends his day in Buddhist meditation and maintaining the pagoda, among other tasks. Rev Nagase is a regular participant in the annual London Peace Pilgrimage, organised by Westminster Interfaith, under the auspices of the Catholic Church.

 

Gathering Battersea Park

Each year in June a ceremony for peace is held at the Peace Pagoda. Monks and nuns of the Nipponzan Myohoji sangha are joined by monks and nuns from other Buddhist traditions, in chanting and offering prayers in front of a temporary shrine set up in the environs of the pagoda. Representatives of other faiths and of secular peaceseeking organisations also offer prayers for peace. The ceremony finishes with traditional dances from India and Sri Lanka, and music of various kinds.

 

Peace Pagoda, Battersea Park

Nasty Scam – Artists Beware

This scam is currently targeting artists and people selling goods on line and from web sites.

It was quite a convoluted scam that took place over 5 weeks from the initial contact from a chap in Denmark asking about the artwork on my web site. This is quite normal  I get a lot of genuine enquiries, and after many e mails he finally selected paintings to the value of £6,000 and said he was also buying some furniture from Manchester and asked if the paintings could be transported there.

He then sent a cheque despite being asked to use Pay Pal or BACs transfer but alarm bells rang when I saw it was a UK company cheque – with someone else’s name.
Then he requested that I send him £2000 to cover transport – by Western Union – and this is where he came unstuck as I’d not agreed to pay for that.
I notified the bank and despite the cheque clearing initially it proved eventually to be stolen.   Easy come  – easy go!   It seems that this scam is being used worldwide and they are particularly targeting artists at the moment.  Such a waste of time but good lesson.

Points to look out for:

The amount offered not same as price of goods

Offer to send cheque only – they are stolen and will bounce

Poor English that becomes increasingly worse

Requests for money

Please pass this on

Winter Exhibition 2010- Hampton Hill Playhouse

'Embankment' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

Been frantic getting work ready for my new Hampton Hill Playhouse  Exhibition and what a delight to finally hang it today! I finished the last piece yesterday. This painting re-visits my old haunts in Pimlico. I lived in Dolphin Square and worked as Resident Artist on Grosvenor Dock during the week then Tate Britain in the weekends so I used to spend a lot of time cycling  along this stretch of the Embankment.
I managed to get 12 fairly large pieces hung in the space without it looking crowded.

The Exhibition is at 90 High St. Hampton Hill and will run till 24th January. For opening times please contact the Hampton Hill Playhouse  – 0208 4104541 or myself  – 07900 242997

'From Above' - oil on canvas Lee Campbell

'Battersea Glow- - Lee Campbell

'Revelation' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

Time now to concentrate on the on-going Shard/Savoy commissions for the Byrne Group and private commissions with Xmas deadlines.

Oil on paper study of the extraction tube at the Savoy - Sept '10

It’s been so good having Holly (Dog) and Huey (DJ) Morgan (Fun Lovin’ Criminal) to keep me company. I always try and get to the studio by 10 in time to catch the beginning of his show on Radio 6. He brings a gritty rock n’ roll reality to the station and has a genuine camaraderie with the musicians he interviews.

Twickenham Riverside

The Autumn colours have been fabulous and having a dog allows for much more time to appreciate them on the way to work and lurk in cemeteries (Holly’s favourite squirrel hunting ground) on the way home at dusk.

It’s also the time of the ‘draw off’ when the Thames is effectively shut down between Richmond and Teddington Locks so the river edges can be cleaned of debris – shopping trollies and the like. The boat dwellers complain of sloping floors as their home ‘bottoms out’ and things slide off tables.

Other news since the last blog was an e mail from my artist friend in Sweden, known simply as ‘Denis’ he sent me this amazing image of the painting that documents his battle with cancer.
He explains:
“I didn’t paint a face consciously. But rather worked on the whole painting in ‘one movement’ over a period of about six months. So the size (over 3mtrs) prevented me from making a deliberate choice of any specific image as such.(too close.. to physically see it.. I mean).

The work changed as I changed my acceptance and understanding of my illness and its psychological effect on my being as a male.(Penile Cancer does that to a man). I have worked on a version of ‘mind’ projection (sic: physiogenomic projection) method for over twenty years- now and over the last decade or so I have made efforts in integrating both emotional and spiritual content into an image relevant to my feelings and experiences of the world and life.”

What a journey and what a fine way of dealing with the battle.

Networking and enjoying my new role as Secretary /Treasurer of BNI Hammersmith, we have an all girl leadership team and with over 40 members are the most successful group in central London.

Breakfast networking people

One of the new members is the charming Dereck Celis who visited my studio with his girlfriend Georgina and entertained me with travellers tales and this great picture of himself with Johnny Depp  channelling Keith Richards.

I took some great photos of Keith off the telle of him during an interview and although I haven’t done a portrait for many moons his face is such an inspiration that I’m really tempted.

Blasted slag and Dr Feelgood at London Bridge

Q. What grows at 3m per day and has roots 50m deep?
A. The Shard – destined to be 72 floors high it will be the tallest building in Europe when completed in 2012.

This magnificent building designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano had already climbed to 21 storeys high when I was invited on a site visit with the architect Cathy Stewart by Michelle Tilley of Byrne Bros who has commissioned me to design and produce artwork for the foyer of the Byrne Group who are the concrete sub contractors who are building the core structure.

What an amazing experience it proved to be – after penetrating the tight security we were kitted up with glasses, gloves, boots and high vis. jackets by Rob Moore who gave us an in-depth tour of the site. Rob shared my love of rock music and had been the tour manager of Dr. Feelgood when they had played Melbourne where – by coincidence – I had seen them play in the 1970’s – people have such multi-faceted interesting lives these days. Quite bizarre to be discussing this in a wire cage as we were pulled the side of the building, past the crane driver reading his paper, to the 21st floor with London sprawling  below on a glorious sunny spring day.

With the 2 Robs

The tour started with the 3 levels of basements we clambered down the narrow stairs into a noisy hive of activity and witnessed the rendering of the huge pillars of concrete textured with spirals and ridges (like ancient Romanesque) by the earth and clay walls of the bore holes that the concrete was forced into.

The scene was reminiscent of a Piranesi drawing – with activity deep below and high above, glimpses of glowing welding sparks, gigantic metal tubes, sheets of metal – some steely grey others golden with corrosion. It is the sheer scale of everything reminiscent of the lair of one of James Bond’s villains and the noise of all the activity – felt quite  relieved when it was time to return to ground level and ascend.

There had been an enormous ‘pour’ the previous week which had been organised along the lines of an army manoeuvre: over a gruelling 36-hour operation, 700 truckloads of concrete were deposited at the London Bridge site. The 5,500m3 single concrete pour ranks among the largest ever undertaken on a building in the capital, with trucks arriving on site at 2 min intervals from Battersea and Greenwich it marked the first major milestone in the construction.

This culmination of the building’s groundworks package has created the huge raft foundation that will support the tower. The build is a ‘top-down’ construction which involves casting the ground floor slab and excavating the ground below while work on the superstructure above continues.  Fascinating process with concerns for safety due to the busy location and the heat generated as concrete cures. A ‘secret formula’ was used and described by Don Houston (the snr. project manager of Byrne Bros, ground granulated blast furnace slag to replace 75% of the cement. Plasticisers and retardants are also added to increase the flow.    At last  – the language of artists! Which reminds me why I am there… my brief is to complete 2 pieces – one about the Shard and the other based on the Savoy Hotel re-fit which Byrne Bros. are also working on. I am off to visit the Savoy next week and can’t wait to see how things are looking there – what a contrast to a spanking new build where, as Renzo Piano so beautifully put it – one is ‘taking from the city – the air – but you give back the land.  He is referring to the angle of the design which allows the sky to continually reflected down to the street.

Following the visit Cathy and I crossed Borough High St to the café in Southwark Cathedral where I was astounded how similar the oldest part of the walls were to the most recent parts of the Shard. I have so many images, sounds and ideas buzzing around in my head, can’t wait to begin.

Who says concrete ain’t sexy!

 

Art on the Move and Moving Art – Hot Art and Cold Ash

At this week’s BNI breakfast I used my 8 minute speakers’ slot to prove to the group of 30+ business people that everyone can draw – even the most difficult of subjects such as people. The brief was to produce a continual line drawing very quickly (1 minute) without thinking – and the results never cease to amaze me even though I’ve seen this done many times. It is one of the first exercises in the ArtActive Drawing Workshops that I produce as a Team Building activity or for groups of individuals and interestingly, when asked to repeat the exercise with the opposite hand, the results are even better – producing lively, actively connected drawings. Sadly the drawing below was abandoned so I am uncertain as to which hand was used or the artist, however I think that it is a very powerful image which could be seen as a symbol of our group which supports each other in business.

BNI Teamwork

There was a lot of activity directed towards transporting my artwork this week – firstly the Biennale paintings had to be crated up ready to be shipped to Florence by their own Italian Shipping Company. Fortunately they were finished and dried in time and a splendid crate was produced by Jonno Shankster a skilled Ships Carpenter based on Eel Pie Island. I was very lucky that he had time as he is always in demand. My next shipping challenge was to find a courier who would transport the large Union Jack painting to USA. It has been purchased by a local woman who is relocating to Conneticut and wants something British, so I have found a specialist art transporting company who will arrange everything. It’s a very complicated process involving insurance, customs and above all – timing… having both the art work and myself in the same place at the right time..is that why it’s called ‘logistics’?. I will also be waiting for a delivery of limited edition prints from Edinburgh Arts to be signed then recollected and returned to Edinburgh and finally a delivery of canvas’s from my supplier Bird & Davis. Dare I leave the house at all this week?

Hot Art

This painting is called ‘River Glow’ and is the most recent piece I’ve done. I always do one or two ‘hot’ pieces this time of year to keep the studio ‘warm’ and lively. They also provide an pleasing contrast to the very soft and misty paintings that I’ve been doing.

Notable Visitor of the week was Duncan Richardson of the marketing company called JDI (Just Do It). They are currently promoting a fantastic new concrete alternative made by a company called Rock Tron http://rktron.com
The product is made from the slag heaps of waste ash from coal fired power stations and could simply change the world. Some of the images of the particles on their site remind me of a painting I did during my residency at the National Physics Lab earlier this year entitled ‘Particles’.

Teaching Art and Fat Birds in Jeopardy

Most disturbing event of the week was discovering a damaged Wood Pigeon (aka Columba Palumbus) all hunched up and hiding under a bush as I made my way to the studio on Sunday having negotiated a large number (a pant, tramp, pound – collective noun?) of fun runners in the town centre preparing to dash off into the chilly morning – I picked up the bird which struggled even though it’s wing appeared damaged and it had several tail feathers missing. I had to hold it with both hands to prevent it flapping and hurting itself but this meant that I couldn’t open the door or anyone’s gate on the island to find a box or some help – so I carried along the path feeling very silly holding the bird in front of me and hoping meet someone. No one appeared so I placed it carefully on a roof near an ivy-covered tree, where I hoped no cats could reach it and wished it well. What should I have done? Bearing in mind it is early on a Sunday morning…vets? RSPCA? RSPB? Any advice would be welcome for future reference. Wood pigeons are our favourite birds and nest in the lime tree outside our kitchen window. Well padded – their feathers weigh more than their skeleton does – they waddle along our wall with their feather ‘bloomers’ and give us many a laugh with their clumsy antics

Columba Palumbus

Really busy week for teaching – firstly a talk to 45 Probus ladies at the Hampton Hill Playhouse – what a delightful audience they were too. I spoke about my residencies in unusual locations (church, dock side, science labs. etc.) and showed them examples of work I’d made earlier in the year during the residency at the National Physical Lab. I was invited to give a talk for the National Trust by one of the members of the audience so perhaps a new career is looming??? It is easier than teaching but I do have to talk a lot more.

My next gig was in a very modern building in the city – 133 Houndsditch, what a fantastic foyer it has! Over one million pounds worth just in slate alone. I had been booked to do a Drawing Workshop for a group of ladies from the Women in Property group. It was a completely sterile environment apart from the people and flowers on the reception desk, however I had soon spread the boardroom table with a lovely muddle of organic gubbins – leaves, friut, veg, rusty objects and wooden mossy twigs for the participants to draw. They proved to be a very talented group and quickly produced a wonderful ‘gallery ‘of drawings. The power of drawing always amazes and it’s just such a great feeling to see people who thought that they couldn’t draw produce really excellent work.

Two evening classes at the architecture gallery and a private student in my studio so it was an unusually busy week – but the diversity is just what I love.

Was shown around St Mary’s College campus by the Head of Art Department on Friday. What a lovely old building (complete with chandeliers) – I do like those big ornate rooms – such a feast of decoration and ghostly old paintings. We could see how Horace Walpole’s (Strawberry Hill) house was still ‘wrapped up’ but it should be ready early next year. All in all a very interesting and diverse week ending with a visit to the Landmark Art Fair (lovely work Helen) and party on a boat moored off the island.

Notable Visitors

Alastair R and his family plus two American ladies from Richmond Virginia. They had come to choose a painting from the studio and see work in progress.