brisk.....

......that's how I would describe the weather today.

I'm trying to revel in the winter, rather than let it get to me.

Walking about yesterday I wandered through a big pile of fallen leaves. One whiff of the musty earthy smell from them threw my mind back to being a kid in Bradgate Park.
All a bit Merchant Ivory, soft focus back-lit memories of mittens and cold ears, but an involuntary smile can't be fought off, or argued with.

I wonder if in thirty years, my kids will catch a whiff of frigid salt air somewhere and be transported back to childhood ?

Blue Peter ?

Does anyone else remember asking their Mum to save washing up liquid bottles and cardboard when they were a kid ?
I remember how even more important it seemed at this time of year, because it was time for the Blue Peter Christmas craft assault.
Wire coat hangars, tinsel (fireproof of course !), candles, what could possibly go wrong ??
John Noakes, Valerie Singleton, Peter Purves..........am I mistaken, or did the object emerge week by week, with each of the presenters adding their own creative flourish ?
Lots of ; "Here's one I prepared earlier".
Of course it seems obvious now that some poorly paid research assistant had done the earlier stuff, but back then I actually believed that Valerie had spent all morning sorting the technical difficulties, in order to make the process even easier for me.

I only bring it up in response to Beachfreak's comment on the last post.
I think he may be right on track.

Off to the beach now to get some materials.....................see you there.

onwards and upwards

Bit of a gap there..........technical issues, and general fatigue.

On a more positive note, a good amount of work done at the studio, including a couple of commissioned pieces. Always nice to get paid !

The leaves are all off the trees here, and the rain is currently lashing the windows. Not easy to get out and paint in such conditions. I'm resigned to sitting by the fire and burbling away on the laptop.
Thinking back over the last week or two, I realise that for the first time in several years, we didn't do anything much for Halloween, or Bonfire Night. Just another sign that the kids are getting a bit older, where does the time go ?

Christmas soon........I'm thinking traditional, you know, a walnut and a spinning top for the kids, maybe a single posh chocolate for herself.............

we don't have an initiation ceremony.....

at the life drawing group, but I'm thinking of creating one.

Maybe we all get lashed, put huge canvas' on the floor, pour paint all over each other and drag each other across them ?..........artists naked, model sitting on a stool fully clothed ?

I wonder if the public at large are stupid enough to join in with the slightly hysterical tone of the BBC this morning ?
Picture the scene, some eighteen year old students, who have spent the last five to six years being constantly pressured by educational establishments and their parents, are away from home for the first meaningful time in their lives. Knowing very few people in their new environment they nip out for a couple of pints.
Next thing they know, they are are prostrate, vomiting with a bag on their head, being screamed at by a Nazi..............which of us can honestly say they have never found themselves in a similar situation ?

Anyone who joined H.M.Forces in the 1980's will be very familiar with this sort of training.

Apparently the military still indulge in this sort of thing. Really ?
Men and women who are about to be sent to, or have just returned from, wars in hot foreign countries feel the need to get thoroughly trollied with their mates, and arse about.

The people should be told, it's an outrage, and such a new phenomena.

Old Hogarth was perhaps using a little artistic license, or maybe he tidied things up and the reality was worse, my point is hopefully obvious, people getting hammered and making themselves look stupid is not a new thing.
It's not big, or clever, but at one time or another most of us have got a bit Pinot Grigio'd and made errors of judgement.

If my vague memories of being young, enthusiastic, callow and inexperienced are correct, I was feeling the pressure a bit.
Economically the country was in a hole, and I had joined the military for work. However, as a thinking young man I took the responsibility of that decision fairly seriously.
The received wisdom at the time was that Ivan the Terrible could rip through the Fulda Gap any day he liked. A good friend of mine in a forward unit in Germany had an officially stated life expectancy of six minutes, post kick-off.
Odd though it may seem, we sometimes got a bit pissed up.

Could it be possible that these kids are just letting off steam ?

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.