March news

All a little quiet here with no immediate exhibitions in sight. There's a solo show lined up for later in the year, perhaps September, but all will be revealed in due course. In the meantime I've been pressing on with a new body of work - essentially rolling on from the cancelled exhibition in December. In addition I've been trying to push my collages to form a more solid direction. Some results below.

New Work

I've been busy updating the website with the addition of 5 new paintings and 7 new collages. I'll be adding even more soon - essentially all the new work that was being made for the now cancelled show.
Taster below.

Yellow Spring

The Crossing

The Happening

The Other Studio part two

It's got to the stage of the week now where I start talking to myself. Not just muttering profanities but openly discussing things with myself. I have been here four days. I think this is normal when Albert doesn't really answer back and the only person I spoke to yesterday was the coalman and his accent was unfathomable. It's not something I worry about - in fact I feel fully engaged with myself now - the work is flowing, I feel confident with it. I am missing Ruth and the kids but I'll be back with them tomorrow night. They understand. Peter has been telling Ruth that lot's of his friends Daddies live in different houses to them. Amateur psychologists on here are welcome to send me their thoughts.

I finished painting for the week late last night. Probably when you were all tucked up with your malty drinks. I do have another thirty or so hours here but I need time for it all to dry enough to transport back home. I'll do some more collage work today and I have to practice clay model for a couple of the art workshops I'm hosting over the summer. I may even go for a really decent walk this afternoon if the weather holds. There may even be a pub or two at the end of it.

I've put a few pictures up for your scrutiny below. None are finished pieces. It's mostly groundwork at the moment - I'll add the next layer and maybe some finer details in a few days when this layer is dry. And they may of course change completely.

Paul

collage in action

 

the one about a traditional folk dance that gets out of hand

the one about an alpine village experiencing an incident

the one about a disco on a cruise ship

the one about secret swimming and sirens

the one about the lido

the one about a jam jar with some flowers in it

The Other Studio

My dear friend Mark Kearns has asked me to keep him updated on how my week painting in isolation up in North Wales is going. It's going fairly well Mark. It takes a while to get into it. New studio set up, new environment - it messes with your standard working practice.
So day one. Yesterday started well doing a little collage work to warm up with. I tend to do collage when I feel I need to refresh my creativity - to stop taking the painting for granted and to look at things differently.
So a couple of hours of that followed by a walk round the top with my dog Albert. The sun was shining which was sheer contrast to when I arrived on Sunday. A quick trip into to town for supplies and then onto and into the painting.
A predictable slow start while the coffee kicked in but plenty achieved. Day one is all warming up and trying not to get too angry when things aren't working instantly. Day two is always better and I'll be going in shortly. Wish me luck.
I'll post a few bits and pieces of work over the week but in the meantime here is the set up.

Paul

downstairs bedroom/office now studio (note the 

use use of plastic to protect the furniture from blood,

sweat and tears)

The kitchen. Where outrageous collages are created.



And the room where the occasionally faithful Albert hangs out.

 

Bonus picture. The view from the top yesterday. 

See it can be sunny up here!