Portrait of a blog

SAVE BBC 6Music

It was in all of the broadsheets at the weekend and shamefully it seems that the Beeb is closing down the wonderful 6Music station. Where else can yopu listen to Captain Beefheart, Elmore James,  Iggy and the Stooges and be introduced to great new music like Mumford and Sons or CSS while you’re eating your porridge  at 6:30 in the morning. The station is loosely carrying on the good work carried out by John Peel. Lauren Laverns morning show is wonderful ( thankfully they gave George Lamb the elbow) and Stuart Maconie’s freek zone is unmissable.

My painting Khama is being seriously tested this year with the loss of Simon Mayo from 5Live to an uncomfortble drive time slot on Radio 2. Jonathan Ross is off and now the unforgivable news that 6Music is to be canned. This  kind of specialist  thing the BBC understands and does better than anyone and I can’t believe that they are going to pull the plug.

Here are some petitions:

www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consultation   (this is the main one)

www.petition.fm/petitions/6musicasiannet/1000/

www.facebook.com/pages/Save-6-Music/318069702319

www.facebook.com/group.php?wall&grid=278123313911

March 1st, 2010

Ben

Here’s a recent portrait coimmission that I did of a lovely guy caled Ben. He’s been travelling around South America for the past 10 months or so and getting into a series of scrapes en route . We had the sittings before he went and I paintied the portrait while he was away. The composition is influenced by the wonderful photographer Richard Avedon who I have always admired. I wanted the weight of the composition to be to the right of the painting and he’s almost leaning on the edge of the picture.

March 1st, 2010

The New Art Gallery , Walsall – 10 years old

I went tothe “Party” exhibition at Walsall Art gallery last week to celebrate 10 years in busines. It was a fantastic turnout to silence its critics over the years. In fact looking at this photo it looks like a biblical turnout. It’s still as popular as ever and it’s a great show to celebrate  called “Party”. I’ve got a small piece in from the Kitty series and there’s some great pieces by Gilbert and George, Paula Rego and a lovely one by Graham Dolphin -( I went to art college with his brother).

Here’s my wife Anne and her sister at the opening.

March 1st, 2010