Views to this site are at a historical low and its no wonder. The good news is that after an eternity I have finally arrived to my beloved countryside location after 6 months of agony and uncertainty. The enthusiasm to continue painting is certainly there although the logistics of setting up the studio mean more delays. The studio is currently full of our household contents. There is also a damp issue that needs sorting and there is no electrics or lighting. There is also the small inconvenience of a 4 month trip to Mexico starting mid November. However, all the elements of a full return to painting are there and hopefully I will be running through the cornfields with easel in hand by next summer.
THE FINAL PAINTING
No more paintings to come out of this current studio. Things have ended with a whimper rather than a bang, but its a minor miracle that I have been able to maintain any kind of normal routine over the last few weeks. Everything goes into storage and god only knows when it all comes out again. This has turned into a gloomy painting, an authentic reflection of my current mood. I am pleased with the outcome, and knowing the landscape I am moving to I am optimistic there is better to come.
Evening, Northumberland
AN UNSURE APPROACH
I have been debating with myself for the last 30 years whether I should be painting grass in an illustrative style. I had this conversation today, and again I fought against it. I may have to relent and get my Andrew Wyeth books out to see how it is done properly. It has always seemed such a tedious exercise, blade after blade, maybe there is an easier way to do it.
Evening, Northumberland. Day 7
A WILLINGNESS TO STRUGGLE
This has always been an essential element of my painting. Not being able to get it right first time has ruled out any chance of being a great fresco painter. A willingness to struggle and the return of some enthusiasm has come to the rescue. There is an odd quality to this Northumberland landscape, at least the kind that appeals to me. Its almost if the undulating hills and oddly placed clumps of trees are trying to communicate something. Maybe its me?
Evening, Northumberland. Day 6
CHAOS REIGNS
These titles aren’t very positive are they? Due to a house move my life and state of mind is being determined by others, if only they were rational and competent I wouldn’t have any problems. Unfortunately they are not. This painting was almost abandoned but I have turned myself around, momentarily, and have moved it forward a little more.
Evening, Northumberland Day 5
A FRAGMENTED MIND
This is not a film title about my life but my current state of mind dealing with a house move. It should only prove to be a temporary state but I am also offering it as an excuse for my unusually poor output. A couple of hours painting this morning has averted me from moving into a permanent vegetative state and I am expecting a full recovery once relocated. Hopefully then, the focus will be where it should be, on the painting.
Evening, Northumberland. Day 4
INFINITE POSSIBILITIES
This painting is at a stage where it promises much. It can either ascend towards mastery or descend into an oily sludge. I suspect it will end up somewhere in the middle. Still I must push on with optimism and hope that my modest efforts will be disproportionately rewarded.
Evening, Northumberland Day 3
TIME DOES NOT DRAG
I had packed my studio away ready for the move to our next location. Problem is its still 3 months away, unpacked the studio and started painting again. Now time does not drag, I’m doing the calculations to see how many paintings I can make before the move. This is an encouraging start.
Evening, Northumberland. Day 2
A LIFE WITHOUT STRUGGLE
I was hoping that my enforced absence from art would enable me to build a new life without struggle and disappointment. I mean artistic struggle.
As you can see I have not been successful. The struggle continues, and my life is all the richer for it. It seems when I am painting I engage more strongly with life and life seems more vital. An afternoons painting whilst listening to Scarlatti, is this suffering?
Evening, Northumberland. Day 1
A SIGNIFICANT MOMENT
My first drawings in the landscape for around 25 years. I don't want to contemplate the reasons as to why. My intention was to see if I still had a genuine engagement with the subject and try to reignite the enthusiasm I use to have. Thankfully the answer is yes. The results from this day are almost irrelevant, it was the start that mattered. My curiosity will now carry me forward, knowing that the subject will be on my doorstep.
FARM DEBRIS
FALLEN TREES
Trees in the river
AN UPDATE
Not sure why I’m writing this, maybe to confirm my own thoughts. Truth is I thought this 4 months in Mexico without any desire to paint would confirm that I had finally packed the whole notion of painting in. It has confirmed that although my passion for art has greatly diminished (the fire may reignite) I still like to be engaged in it. I have accepted that nothing will ever come of it but I enjoy the process of painting and the eternal challenge of making tiny incremental improvements.
Anyway the August return looks realistic, however the location has shifted a few miles east. The original house fell through but a delightful stone cottage in the countryside awaits. A large wooden workshop attached to the garage looks the most likely destination for my next studio. Having come to terms with the idea of a return I may start to scout this new location. Life seems to be in limbo at the moment. Landscape will remain the primary subject and I am right in the middle of it this time.
HASTA LUEGO
I think that’s it, the final painting to come out of this studio. The studio will not be transported to join Bacon’s. For one thing I am still alive, and another, its a very tidy studio, not much to see. This studio will now be cleared before I journey off to Mexico for 4 months, returning in March. I will resist the temptation to paint sunsets over the pacific ocean so this will be a lengthy break. The house goes up for sale on my return and then hopefully a quick transit to the countryside. Please tune in again around August 2022 for the final chapter in a fabulous painting career?
Northumberland landscape 1
MUSIC ON A LOOP
When a painting is going well you don't want to do something as mundane as change a CD. This meant I was listening to a 3 hour loop of Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons. Luckily, it was 'the best of'. The sky has improved and now has the subtlety, complexity, and dare I say it, the beauty of my initial idea. I think this painting is almost finished. There is a mix of ‘realism’ and odd abstract elements that gel and create an interesting dialogue between them.
Northumberland landscape 1. Day 8
LAST ROLE OF THE DICE
One day I hope my paintings catch up with the dramatic titles which illustrate my thoughts. More seriously, I can see some promise in my current paintings. My relocation next year really places me exactly where I would want to be as a landscape painter. From that point onward I cannot offer up any excuses in terms of my output. I cannot use the word commitment, I don’t think I have earnt it, more like consistency. I hope that at least it will re-ignite my enthusiasm, I feel I am dabbling at the moment.
PAINTING ON INSTINCT
The sky has been the most problematic area in this painting. That is due to the fact that I have pushed it so far away from the original image. My idea was that the shapes formed by the fields would find their way into sky. There would be an echo. All I knew about the previous version was that it was too crude and I was hoping for some divine intervention to sort it out. Well, there was only one way to do it and that was to keep repainting the idea until it slowly emerged. My immediate thoughts are it is much closer but the lower dark blue band should change to another purple, removing it further from a naturalistic state and more towards a decorative representation of sky.
Northumberland landscape 1. Day 7
ART THERAPY
You are always told, ‘Art is not therapy, you must stride resolutely forward and illuminate the world with your vision!’. Well, I am not driven by any great purpose, I am not sure if I have any story to tell. One thing is for sure, art offers me a warm comfort blanket from the world. I can’t imagine what response I would have got if I used that line during a critique. I am finding that art acts as an antidote to a world filled with technology. As technology advances it seems just to be a distraction from things that really matter. The act of mixing colour and making images is so elemental and primitive that it gives me a reassurance that some things will always be this way.
Northumberland landscape 1. Day 6
SCAMMERS
I have been contacted by a gallery in New York who wish to represent me. It seems I have significantly underestimated the value of my work. I have been selected above the tens of thousands of New York based artists who are committing their hearts and souls to their craft. What makes me so special?. I hope my scammers are reading this, you are based in the Netherlands, how does that work?