Archive for February, 2011
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWQwFSpsXWc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY36gf62nzU
Here is a recently finished drawing of the Birmingham based Jazz musician Andy Hamilton CBE. I think Andy is now around 92 years old. He’s been playing in and around Birmingham for years as well as internationally. I saw him years ago at The Bear jazz club in Birmingham where he played weekly for years. I’ve been meaning to catch up with him for a long time, a little like Kitty, and back in the summer I arranged to go around to his house for a sitting which went wonderfully. When I arrived he came gliging down the staircase on his stair lift dressed in his perfectly appropriate pin striped suit and trilby clutching his saxophone. Andy is exactly the kind of sitter I love to paint or draw because he looks so fantastic and authentic and also because of my interest in music.
This one will be in the show at Plus One.
February 27th, 2011
invitation-black-and-white-1.pdf – (click on link)
The Frissiras Museum , Athens. 2/3/11 – 31/7/11
The Frissaris Museum is about to stage an exhibition called “Black and White”. It features work from their collection of drawings, etchings paintings and lithographs. They sent me a catalogue yesterday because they are showing one of my paintings and it looks like a great show. I like the poster with the fantastic Greek typography. Quite a lot of the artists are Greek and I’m not familiar with most so it’s lovely to see what they are up to. There are a few names I recognise, Aurback, Hockney and Rego so we’re all certainly in good company. It’s nice to see galleries doing shows in monochrome, it’s a wonderful area to explore.
Americans Now, The Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. Continues until 10th July.
http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/americansnow/index.html
This exhibition features to of my portraits, Cormac McCarthy and Prof. Murray Gell-Mann.
In Focus, Plus One Gallery, London. 16/3/11 – 9/4/11
http://www.plusonegallery.com/Shows-Detail.cfm?ShowsID=215
This show opens in a few weeks and features the figurative work of 3 artists, Philip Harris, Simon Hennessey and myself.
February 27th, 2011
I met Ray a few years ago and admired his full body tattoo from neck to ankle in a japanes style. I invited him over to my studio for the day and took a series of shots. We decided to do the whole shoot with Ray naked , which kind of made sense. Anne had been out for the morning and forgot Ray was coming over and barged into the studio with Max, our dog. Ray was in a curled up foetus position and Max went straight over to inspect Ray’s bum. Quite an entrance. It was a great shoot though, we must have done about 18 different compositions and this is the first painting that I have done from the sitting. I liked the idea that he was levitating because it was such a calm, contemplative pose and I just imagined Ray in a Zen like trance, gently rising up just a few inches off the ground.
This will be in the exhibition in London during March ( together with other new pieces and some previous work) with the excellent artists Philip Harris and Simon Hennessey.
I’ll be completing my portrait drawing of Andy Hamilton CBE very soon so I’ll post that next week.
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February 19th, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpJ9G3jjxvo
I went to see C.W.Stoneking last weekend in Birmingham with Mike, my brother in law. What a great gig, he’s not too famous yet but I’ve been listening to him for the past 18 months or so and he’s great. A kind of fusion of delta blues from the 1920’s , New Orleans Jazz with a sprinkling of Tom Waits , and the strange thing is he’s Australian but it’s a great gumgo of sound.
February 19th, 2011
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