January 2003     

Loads of teaching to keep me occupied, and the war in Iraq( See separate pages if you are interested in my perceptions on this.

June

Wonderful residential week teaching art. Having a job at the moment juggling art classes with my own interest to paint. This year I have taken on too many classes, it has pushed out my own painting.    Plenty of jobs round the house to do as well.

Sept 03

It has been a wonderful sunny summer here in Britain this year, my best memory of good weather for a British summer ever. It is still lovely even now on Sept 10th. In fact, I have been moaning about the heat sometimes.

A few good paintings in Majorca this year. We like 'The Med' like most people. It's a bit brash where we went, on the east coast....'concrete and cafes' Anyone out there need art tuition, classes now and then...when we are shivering here in the winter. 

I could actually be doing classes abroad, but its not the right time for me just now, soon, perhaps, just now and then. I do in fact have a great affection for the scenery in Britain, with the lush greens, driving rain on soggy days and the sea and moorland....soggy rain in small doses! 

Sept 14th

I suppose I nearly forgot how important observational drawing is to my development as an artist. I made the effort to try a still life painting of some onions my father-in-law grew. Lovely colours: orange, sienna, greys, yellows. Detail below.

So I arranged them all with brick, wood as a background in my garage corner which catches good light and is warm enough to work in at the moment. Then I get all my pastels ready, glasses found, radio tuned to BBC Radio 4 usually, and of course a hot cup of coffee in reach.

I spent a couple of days on this, three hours each day. It is hard work, whatever people might think, but very enjoyable as well. I am reasonably pleased with the resultant picture. The discipline involved reminded me again of that excellent book I read 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain', by Betty Edwards and the switch that takes place when we start to draw. We are looking for edges, shapes, spaces between shapes. It is entering another world to the one we are thrown into every day. Escapism? Well no, I will probably sell the painting sooner or later.