deja-who

Went to a friends birthday party on Saturday evening. The gent concerned, and his wife, are renowned for their gatherings, and true to form it was a very pleasant evening.
Another thing they have a reputation for is their taste in art, which leads me neatly on to the
piece above. They own it, you see.
I really enjoy knowing where most of the 'big-bits' are, and not only is this a large canvas (28"x36"), but it is also one which I am very happy with. Another nice thing is knowing that it is on a wall being loved.

As a foot note, here is the sister painting to it, which I doubt I will ever sell;

arrivals and departures

A busy couple of days, with oddly conflicting emotions.

Yesterday a good friend of long-standing rang me out of the blue. Because of his work abroad, and our mutual crapness as regards keeping in touch, his call was entirely un-expected.
It transpires that he and his lovely wife are expecting their first child in December.......I was very excited at this news, and hugely amused that they are expecting a girl.

Sadly, two other pairs of friends lost family members yesterday. One of the lost was a very young child, the other a lady of advanced age.

Big stuff, big thoughts.

our two main weapons are......

speed and surprise !

Sorting some work out earlier, I stumbled on this from a couple of weeks ago.
All three are obviously quick sketches, and are not hugely accurate. For me, the speed and vibrancy are the thing here. I often struggle to get that feeling of life and movement into large finished paintings.

Maybe the answer is not to try. Working with pastels, on big sheets of paper, is really working for me at the moment.

The format of the class also helps. The clock is ticking, the pose may be only five minutes long. You can't mess about, so getting on with it instinctively yields results that are either really wrong, or really right.

welcome.......

if you're new here today, and you live in Norfolk, you may well have dropped by after reading the piece about blogs/blogging in today's Eastern Daily Press. Welcome.

Have a good look round, and feel free to drop in whenever the mood takes you.

ok, in that case, what about this one ?

It's bigger, so more expensive, therefore an even better investment.


In other news, what a great day for getting the washing dry...................

.......speaking of good investments

Don't bother with Banks, buy art.

Look at it this way, it's inflation proof, can't be effected by men in red braces having a bad day, does not come from a whole in the Middle East, (so no-one will invade your country for it), the pipeline won't be shut off, is transportable if you move to Outer Mongolia, is easier to carry than bullion, is tax deductible if you hang it in your office, looks way better than a pile of share certificates, and if I die before I do many more the price will skyrocket.

I can be contacted by the usual means.

back to the easel.....

It's good to get back in the saddle, so to speak.
For various reasons, the last few weeks have been a nude free zone. Like so many things, drawing from life is about practice, so I was rather happy to fluke this piece on Tuesday evening. It's nice and big too (A2), I think it deserves a frame.

On a slightly less satisfying note, have a look here;

NUJ film shows police obstruction of journalists

Obviously I have an agenda here. As anyone who worked with me in my previous life will remember, my attitude to being 'moved on' by the boys in blue, was occasionally a bit militant.

The reasons why are many and varied, sometimes I just wasn't having it, sometimes I wanted to finish my cigarette, but mostly I was standing up for what I believed......and still believe.....was the whole point of being a photojournalist.

If individual police officers are allowed to obstruct journalists, either with or without the tacit approval of their superior officers, it's a short step to needing permission to attend a news event/protest/riot/carnival/magistrates court.
What next ? 'Embedded' photographers, journalists and TV news crews in each major Police Headquarters ?.........now where have I heard that idea before ?

Beware the ever creeping erosion of press freedom. Once the pesky irritation of mouthy press snappers is removed, you'll only see what your local Superintendent allows you to.

Apparently everyday folk like all of us, are being told to put their camera's away on beaches, in town's and many other public places. I can't wait for that to happen to me.

You'll probably hear the bang from wherever you are.................

i'm trying a new approach

to selling the work -

ebay.

I have bought and sold a few everyday items over the past year, so I reckon it might be worth a go. It might just be luck, but I have had nothing but good experiences with it so far. I seriously hope that things don't change now. Here is a link if you fancy a look.

http://art.shop.ebay.co.uk/items/_W0QQ_fromZR46?_nkw=beautiful+nude&_sacat=60435&_fromfsb=0&_trksid=m270.l1313

Plans are also afoot to get some things organised at the shop for Christmas. (SORRY, I know it's WAY too early to mention the C word, but I'm only bringing it up to make you understand that I have not been just sitting on my backside all week).

In fact, in other news, I went back to Gatwick in the early hours of yesterday to pick up my friends. (See the post 'long day' below). They landed safely at 4.47am. Sadly their holiday was a bit of a trial, they won't be going back to Morocco for an all inclusive pool holiday anytime soon, but there was no aircraft drama. Praise be.

Oh by the way, for you local folks interested in life drawing, the next six week series of classes begins next Tuesday, (The 9th). For more details, drop me a line.

The piece at the top of the post is a quick sketch of the achingly beautiful Claire. Trying to do her justice in ten minutes is a very tall order, but this is one of my favorite recent attempts.

Back soon. x