Category: Art

Apocalypse Now (Or Maybe Tomorrow)

So we’re all looking forward (in no particular order) to Christmas, The Mayan ‘Apocalypse’ 21/12/12, The Euro Apocalypse / the imminent Bond Market collapse, the next high flying celebrity to crash and burn, the next Flood, the first nuclear war, escape to the Moon/Mars…. etc. And I was thinking how could a painter find any relevance with all this going on. But the internet is a wonderful thing for connecting anything to everything and a reminder that these type of events constantly recur, that the oldest themes in art are the best and that there’s nothing new under the sun. Continue reading “Apocalypse Now (Or Maybe Tomorrow)”

Frames of reference

Autumn Statement

In his recent autumn statement, the chancellor George Osborne, as far as I know, did not make any reference to either falling leaves, early frosts, golden hues or mists and mellow fruitfulness and not that I am an admirer of Mr Osborne, I will never the less try to follow his lead and not dwell on its well know visual attributes. Because lets face it, as seasons go, autumn is a bit of a cliché and for any artist who doesn’t aspire to see their work adorning biscuit tins or tacky calendars it is definitely one to be avoided. This was (I convinced myself) my opinion when a couple of years ago I received a private commission to paint a picture depicting autumn and for a long time I pretended that autumn’s corny overtones were the reason I could never seem to start the picture. Continue reading “Autumn Statement”

Frames of reference

The Walls Of Toledo

Lottie said, ‘I don’t know why you’re wasting your time photographing autumn leaves, the story of Toledo is in its walls’. So, never one to ignore an idea for a blog post, and because there are few trees in Toledo, I began collecting images of the casco murallas. Continue reading “The Walls Of Toledo”

Frames of reference

Kite Paintings

Last Saturday, as a break from Christmas shopping and to escape the hectic West End crowds, I found a few moments of calm at the Gimpel Fils gallery amongst these wonderful Richard Smith paintings. The exhibition is called Kite Paintings and includes a group of rarely seen works from the 1970s, with canvas stretched on aluminium poles, recalling tents and sails as well as kites. Continue reading “Kite Paintings”

Frames of reference

Notes From St Ives

Just a few notes and pictures after a wonderful trip to St Ives. I was down to exhibit again with the National Acrylic Painters Association who were showing in the famous Crypt Gallery which in the 1940s was the venue of exhibitions by the Crypt group when St Ives was at the cutting edge of British painting and sculpture. Continue reading “Notes From St Ives”

Frames of reference