Petersham Golden Green - oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
Happy to report an excellent turn out at the Open Studio weekend so a big ‘thank you’ to all who braved the cold and mud. I’ll be busy with commissions right into January and have enjoyed some interesting and requests as varied as boats in full sail and beach pebbles – also a large painting of The View from Richmond Hill using quite different colours – see above.
'Twickenham Gold' - oil on paper Lee Campbell
Twickenham Mist - oil on paper Lee Campbell
'Twickenham Blue' - oil on paper Lee Campbell
Thames Mist - oil on canvas, Lee Campbell
The Thames November Draw Off
This new series of local scenes feature the ‘draw off’ which takes place each November between Richmond and Teddington Locks to allow for the river bank to be cleared of debris. This year the draw off will last until 25th Dec to allow for repairs to Richmond Lock gates, apparently they are waiting on a cable to be sent from Russia.
This can result in some unusual views of the riverbed dotted with feeding birds – swans, ducks, coots, gulls, rooks, crows, cormorants, grebes and herons can all be seen easily from the bridge over to the island. Whilst these low tides reveal many horrors to be cleaned away by volunteers, they also reveal all sorts of treasures normally hidden beneath the waters. Under the rocks are hundreds of freshwater shrimps, crabs and eels. These range from 2-inch elvers right up to more mature specimens over a foot long. Marine biologists from the Zoological Society of London have previously recorded he freshwater gastropod, the river snail, pea muscles, zebra muscles, freshwater cockles, swan muscles, leeches and flatworms.
'Twickenham November' - oil on paper Lee Campbell
Draw Off - Sunday
Portland Gallery Christmas Exhibition
Opens 3rd December – all welcome
Christmas Exhibition Lee Campbell 2011
Other exciting news- I have been invited to exhibit 3 pieces of artwork in the
RCA’s Secret Eighteenth Birthday
Exhibition and sale of original postcard-sizzed artworks, donated by internationally acclaimed artists plus up-and-coming graduates from the
Royal College of Art from 18th Nov
To purchase ‘Secret’ Postcards register: www.rca.ac.uk/secret Postcards signed only on the reverse – last years contributors include Maggie Hambling, Peter Blake, David Bailey and Tracey Emin
Networking news
I have joined the very pro-active Kingston Chamber of Commerce run by Lisa Gagliardi and enjoyed an excellent breakfast last week at Bentalls – good food, good company and a goodie bag!
To find out more about the group see: http://kingstonchamber.co.uk/
Follies Galore
We visited the fantastic Pains Hill Park in Surrey with Holly one glorious autumnal day: http://www.painshill.co.uk
Folly on the lake
The Mill
Hours of pleasure exploring the winding water features, a mill, a grotto, a tower, a Medieval tent, bridges, forests and follies with excellent panoramic views across the Surrey countryside. Dog-friendly and on a week day very few people.
Dog Portraits
Speaking of dogs, after several commissions painting dogs I find I rather enjoy it and am now taking orders to do oil paintings of dogs from photos. This cute little chap was a pleasure to paint.
'Toby' - oil on canvas Lee Campbell
Have begun a series of drawings of Holly the Saluki and took this pic as she adopted her default setting – ‘Dreaming of Me’.
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
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.
2012 looming large and I’m happy to report that Holly is thriving and has grown her winter undercoat of white fuzz. We’re still running to the local old cemetery where Holly bounds around chasing squirrels and foraging in the undergrowth – so lovely to see her running free, wizzing around the gravestones and trees. We were surprised by a massive Great Dane last week who was also enjoying a free run with his owner but fortunately he was friendly and easily bribed with treats.
I’ve discovered that Holly likes sunflower and pumpkin seeds – is it okay to give these to dogs I wonder?
We went to Pets at Home to buy Holly a bed that her fur won’t stick to only to discover that all the leather ones had been withdrawn because apparently the dogs were eating them!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw
Dog running – July 2011
Almost a year now since we collected Holly from the rescue home and it’s hard to imagine life without her now. We’re both much fitter too having settled into a regular exercise routine of dog walking and running. We still don’t dare let her off the lead unless in a secure enclosure but she has learned to run alongside me while on the leash. So for as long as my legs hold out I can share the exuberance of bounding out the door at 7am and running with hound. This is not always safe (several collisions when she spots a cat have resulted in a great tangle of legs) or ideal – jogging with one arm stretched out while on the look out for cats - and people do seem to give us a wide berth, but the pleasure by far outweighs any discomfort or humiliation.
The next challenge is to plan a dog friendly holiday and to my delight I’ve discovered that there are several web sites with directories to dog friendly accommodation: http:www.dogpeople.co.uk
Guarding the studio
Riverside Delights – March 2011
Sunshine on the riverbank at Twickenham’s Embankment today, no ice cream van yet but hoping to see him any day soon. My journey to work is a delightful stroll from Queens Road across the tilted foot bridge to my studio on Eel Pie Island via the riverside. On days like this it’s tempting to have a bask in the sun on the benches with my ‘Muse Hound’ Holly the Saluki, who has become a regular feature of studio life.
Peter and his ferrets
Today we encountered Peter walking his 2 pet ferrets and Holly was astonished to see them curiously sniffing up to her and not in the least afraid, in fact she actually hid behind my legs. The riverside is a joyful collage of rowers, joggers and mothers with babies feeding the ducks, (I spot a pair of Ruddy ducks and several Egyptian geese) coots, rooks, crows, pigeons, gulls and swans that congregate noisily where the high tides wash right up to the grassy bank.
Holly amazed by fearless ferrets
Ready for my close up...
Pondering
Party Girl
December 2010
Festive
Holly - recovered minus toe
Happy to report that Holly has made an excellent recovery after her op and no longer has a limp. We had our first day in the studio since the really old weather and she was absolutely fine.
November Update
We’ve had Holly 4 months now and what a delightful companion and integral part of our daily lives she has become – so you can imagine the shock when we were told by our vet last Frid that she had a tumour on her toe and that it would have to be removed! She had a slight limp when we got her and had been checked several times by vets who had found nothing wrong. It became much worse so we had her seen by a local dog physio – Fiona Buchanan who actually makes house calls. Fiona noticed that one of her pads was larger and more calloused and she thought it might be a corn. (Steep learning curve here – who would have thought that dogs got corns!) so back to the vets which resulted in a speedy diagnosis and the amputation of her toe yesterday.
Post Op
The xray showed that her lungs are clear so we just have to wait for the biopsy results now to see if the tumour was malignant and this can take 3 -4 weeks. Meanwhile, she is hobbling around and emitting a series of moans, whines, growls and sighs and looking very sorry for herself. No squirrel chasing in the immediate future for Holly but with the cold weather she seems quite happy to make quick excursions to the garden after being carried down the steps.
Squirrels?
August 2010
We collected Holly from a rescue centre in Tottenham where she’d been since being rescued from travellers in Ireland. She’s about 2 years, very quiet and has been a delightful companion since she arrived (although I’m told it can take 2 weeks for a dog’s true character to emerge). Her foster carer was French and we thought she might suit a French name – any suggestions? Someone suggested ‘Rosewell’ as she has an alien look. We thought Dijon as she’s slightly mustard coloured. She makes a splendid ‘studio dog’ and I can talk to myself now with impunity. A visitor commented, while stepping over her to enter the studio, that she was the most chilled dog he’d ever seen.
Autumn at last – clear fresh air and bright colours, my favourite season. Having a dog means I have an additional reason for being out in the early mornings so can really appreciate the changing sky at dawn as Holly (aka Dijon – still haven’t decided which name) and I trundle the streets of Twickenham. The problems with sight hounds means that it’s difficult to let her run free as her recall is pretty well non existent and last week she merrily sailed over a high brick wall of the one place I had thought was secure – with an 8 foot drop onto a road! Miraculously she was unhurt but it means I daren’t let her run free until I find an even more secure place.
Holly is mostly Saluki – Salukis are apparently the royal dog of Egypt, and perhaps one of the oldest domesticated dogs known to man. They were named after the Arabian city “Saluki” in the Middle East, which no longer exists today. Their bodies were often found mummified along side the bodies of the Pharaohs themselves, and their pictures appear in ancient Egyptian tombs dating from 2100 BC. The Muslims considered them a sacred gift of Allah, and they were never sold but only offered as gifts of friendship or honor.
She’s proving to be an excellent ‘Studio Dog’ and I can see that it’s only a matter of time before she appears in my paintings.
The ‘Muse Hound’ sleeping on the job.
I worked all weekend – spent a whole day doing a painting which was rubbish and then the next day repainting it – the pain, the pain of wasted hours. It’s actually quite lovely in the shed though, shrouded in golden leaves and listening to Absolute 90′s Rock with the rain belting down on the tin roof – reminds me of our farmhouse in NZ. Having Holly (the muse hound) helps too, she’s great company – although not too hot on art criticism.
Surprisingly, she actually fits snugly in this bed when she’s curled up but spends most of her time stretched out on the carpet. I thought it seemed a shame to keep her tied up so one day decided to trust her of the lead while I went out to fill the kettle – seconds later I caught a brindle flash out the corner of my eye as she disappeared off through the boatyard at great speed. She was finally captured but with no recall, clearly can’t be trusted unleashed.
Getting ready to join my paintings in Florence for the Biennale -
but first a big ‘Thank You’ to all the people who braved the cold and wet to visit my studio in the weekend. Old friends and new it’s always good to get direct responses to the work – and meeting the people who buy my work and hearing their enthusiastic comments is just the best thing.
Studio interior -Lee Campbell
It’s always great to see all my work displayed in one place too, albeit a rather small one – I have a better sense of where it’s going. It’s also is the only time the studio gets a really good clean and becomes a ‘gallery’ space rather than a working/teaching studio. Most importantly it provides time and space to stop completely and contemplate the work before moving onto new things. Otherwise one thing tends to merge into another and I am beginning a new series of paintings and also some 2D relief sculptures so it all feels refreshed and echoing with the energy of positive visitors.
Twickenham at Dusk
I’ve recently returned to working on small (6.5 x 4.5 inch) wooden panels which are displayed in a block of wood cut with a groove. This gives the work a 3D presence, more an accessible ‘object’ than a painting.
Following a convergence of couriers, with artwork wizzing between Edinburgh Twickenham, Conneticut and Florence – my week settled into a delightful mixture of doing my own painting work and teaching visiting students. One student was keen to explore pen and brush drawing which made a nice change and reminded me what a lovely medium it is. By coincidence I also heard from Alexis Hunter this week who is the only contemporary artist I know who excels at this technique – www.alexishunter.co.uk
Miniatures 6" x 6"
I’m working on a new version of ‘The View’ from Richmond Hill at the moment, a subject I never tire of. It’s become my equivalent of ‘Monet’s haystacks’ which I can happily paint in any number of imagined colour combinations or light effects. I do tiny miniatures 6″ x 6″ which I use to experiment on and then scale up larger if the image is successful.
Nocturne 28" x 28"
Coming home from the studio tonight there was an almost full silvery orb of a moon hanging in the misty sky between the wet branches and lighting up the soggy pumpkins left over from last night’s Halloween; still visible as I crossed the bridge it shone down on the swans and geese floating with the leaves on the dark water washed down with the high tide. It’s easy to take the island for granted after working there for more than 8 years but tonight it was impossible to ignore the magical reality of the dark Autumnal scene both above and below me.
November
Following my business breakfast on Frid. I had a meeting with Prof. Hans Haenlein of Hammersmith – he is one of two architects who are also members of the BNI group. Dodging joggers and cyclist (many of whom greeted Hans personally) we walked along the river bank into the morning sun with Hammersmith Bridge behind us until we came to the beautifully secluded and historic part of the river bank where he lives and works. Visiting people at their place of business gives a deeper insight into how they relate to their community in both business and social senses and Hans is a man very much at one with his environment. He showed me models of his projects and photos of designs and earlier achievements. We spoke of the links between science and art, Kelly’s personal construct theory, values and ideals which reinforced my impression of Hans as an architect of integrity and a master of the process of change. www.haenlein.com
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.
There was a launch of the book about the musical history of Eel Pie Island this week in Michele Whitby’s shop Par Ici. It had taken much patient research by Michele and Dan Van der Vat to collate all the images and anecdotes of the wild and rich history of the old hotel and now it is all together in one lovely book. It was a joyous gathering of locals and friends with fond memories of the 60′s and 70′s concerts and live gigs – spilling out onto the cobbles of Church St. which glistened under the damp evening lights.
On display were many of the photos and old ephemera included in the book. The shop is also an outlet for my prints and I had just had a large one done from the painting ‘Union’ the union jack and roses, so it was lovely to see that and other artwork included in the festivities.
'Union' - Lee Campbell (Available as giclee print)
After a morning of painting on Saturday I joined Steve for a ramble along the riverside – it must be one the most beautiful urban riverside walks anywhere – starting at the Twickenham Embankment we head for Richmond past the Balmy Arms, the White Swan, Marble Hill House (Ham House on the opposite bank) – past the floating home and gardens of our resident hermit and soon reach Richmond Bridge.
'Richmond Bridge'
Into the town centre for a spot of shopping then over the bridge across the A316 and down into the Old Deer Park. We head for Richmond Lock passing a chap using a kite to pull himself along on a skateboard – looked great fun!
The Lock is a glorious old piece of functional Victorian ornamentation which provided an excellent view of the sky and river in both directions. An odd cloud appeared near Isleworth. Love clouds – we’ve taken up cloud-spotting and have a book on it and they often feature in my strongly paintings.
Check out this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/gallery
Weird alien cloud
Visitors and Persons of Note
Earlier in the week the intrepid Timi Phillips made her way to the island – braving torrential rain and the noisy working boatyard for a meeting in my studio. She is a Personal Concierge who helps international travellers to organise their lives. A fascinating business which involves a great deal of organisation, diplomacy and sourcing of unusual requirements. She will be entertaining some US visitors and is looking for unusual places to take them.
It can be quite daunting to walk through the boatyard as they are often welding and hammering the huge rusty hulls of the river boats that come up the slipway for repairs. The other visitor to brave the boatyard this week was the photographer Tony Harris who has been a photographer all his life and has an amazing catalogue of images www.TonyHphoto.com
Another very intrepid visitor and dear friend is Valerie aka Aunty Plantie – the garden coach – www.auntieplanty.com – who joined us at our breakfast meeting having spent the last week walking around the Isle of Wight. Valerie wears many hats, Kew Guide, Horticulturist and she is also a broadcaster with an agony aunt programme – for troubled plants no less.
