Traditional English Victorian Bread and Butter Pudding.

(Serving suggestion.)...actually you might like to arrange yours in a more apealing way...it looks worse than it is...but only marginaly!

Serves 4 (5 at a stretch) . Preparation time...24 hours approx.

Ingredients:
6 slices well buttered Bread
50g/2oz Sultanas
4 Eggs
25g/1oz Sugar
600ml/20fl.oz. Milk
A little extra Sugar

Instructions:

1.First, find two good friends whom you have known for quite a few years.Arrange for them to move house and then prepare for a house warming party invitation.

2. When invitation arrives..purchase bottle of suitably posh sounding wine (£5 or less!!) and dress for the occasion.

3.Since wife is in Oxford acting..attend party alone with grumpy daughter who perks up when she sees her best friends from school are also at the party.

4.Settle yourself into the party..open the wine (from an array of 12 other bottles!!) then chat congenially with people you've never seen before. Then make contact with the hosts who are lovely people.Next, find 'yummy mummy' who you recognise from the playground who is also there without their partner...chat ..drink...chat some more..laugh..drink..drink more...eat chocolate gateux...laugh..discuss favourite bands/movies/alcohol...more drink..

5. Wife arrives at party from Oxford.

6.Stop chatting with 'yummy Mummy' Drink laugh chat with wife, then Wife needs to go home because she has to drive to Oxford again the following morning at 6:30am.

7.Deal with screaming daughter who doesn't want to leave the party and hasn't eaten anything yet...

8.Eventually get home after walk with screaming daughter. realise that you still fancy more alcohol...find remainder of Bourbon bottle and imbibe the contents....

9.Allow to stew for 45 minutes..then try to have rational conversation with wife...due to the large blood alcohol content..I might have said a few things that were not heard in the spirit they were given...

10. Allow ears to stop ringing after basting from wife.

11.Go to kitchen to prepare a sandwich...Wife enters kitchen..I say wrong things again...end up getting angry and pummeling loaf of white bread with fist...this loaf suddenly become the focus of years of frustration and angst...it derserves all it gets!

12.Dust crumbs off knuckles and place bag of 'bread' back in the fridge. Sit on Settee with earphones on listening to the new album by Keane ....wake up at 4am and go to bed.

13. Get up at 10:40am after wife has left four hours earlier.

14. Begin to prepare evening meal at around 5pm

15. Preheat the oven to 170C, 325F, Gas mark 3. Grease a 7.5cm/3 inch deep ovenproof dish.

16.Take totally misshapen loaf from the fridge and empty contents onto work surface.Reserve 4 quarters (you may need to find an undamaged piece from another loaf!)for the top and arrange the rest in layers in the dish, sprinkling the sultanas between each layer. Top with the reserved quarters.

17. In a saucepan, heat the milk to hot but not boiling. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar then add the hot milk, stirring well.

18. Slowly pour over the bread and fruit, being careful not to dislodge the top layer of bread. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.

19. Sprinkle with a little sugar and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is browned and crispy.

20. Place servings in bowls with generous helping of hot instant custard.Serve to family...or what's left of them , one still being in Oxford..one out to church with his friend..one who is sulking in his bedroom and anyway he doesn't like sultanas...one who is an eight year old daughter who hates it and won't eat it.

21. And there you have it...the perfect recipe!

Balcony - 9...Delicatessen

Despite having a little quiet time to myself this afternoon, I only managed to complete the upperhalf of the gentleman to the extreme left..I can't seem to get my head inot gear to concentrate at the moment.I feel tired.

Anyway..I've been wanting to post some clips of my favourite films.If you're a a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that Amelie is probably my favourite film.The director of that movie: Jean-Pierre Jeunet has created other movies of equally wonderous visuals and concepts.You might recall that among these are 'City Of Lost Children''A Very Long engagement' 'Alien Ressurection' and the film i've posted a clip from today 'Delicatessen'.The scene which echoes the rest of the movie shot in muted colours, is a comment on what our bodies and minds are atuned to..the rythm of life.....and humour!

'

Balcony - 8

I've just got back from fetching Annie from school..it's turning into a beautiful Autumn.Crunchy leaves underfoot and that particular scent of decay. On the way home , Rowan who walked home with us spotted two cats with the tricolour markings that ours have...I caught myself for one second wondering if Tremble had actually survived and it had all been some silly mistake.But no,these cats were obviously adult sized. Continued walking home feeling quite sad.

Work on my picture continues though..I've added a new figure to the scene..I'm wanting to fill in the railing, but I'll hold off for a little while yet.I'd estimate I'm around half way through now...

Thank you again for more of your condolences especially to Devil Mood and Margret.

Balcony - 7

I can't believe how different photographs of the same piece can be...this version has a real blue tint to it which makes it appear cold...it's also very difficult to appreciate the subtle tonal differences in the dark area to the lower right which I have spent all day working on.The actual picture is more yellowy and much much warmer.I despair of my stupid camera sometimes...I am saving up for a new one!

Thank you to those of you who have sent me condolences over the death of my little cat Tremble who was killed yesterday.Julie and Preeti, it meant a lot to receive your comments...thank you.

Tremble

Tremble.

2008.

Our beautiful little cat tremble was run over by a car in our avenue this morning.Jan and I were doing roleplay at Nottingham University when we had a phone call from our eldest son Sam ..he was in tears as he told us that one of our neighbours had found her in the road and brought her to his front garden. We'd only had Tremble and her sister Wilba since June, and she'd quickly become a part of our family. Her mother was a Manx breed of cat, and this is were she inherited her 'Stumpy' tail from. She was a fearless cat used to climbing and was often seen on the street hiding under cars.

Incredibly friendly and loyal, it was devastating news to hear that she had been killed.On arrival back in Derby, i dropped Jan at home to comfort the boys whilst I went to fetch Annie from her friends house. I will never forget telling Annie as we sat in the back of our car..we hugged each other and cried.

Later Tremble's body was brought back to the House, Will and his good friend Dominic dug a hole at the bottom of the garden next to the grave of our beloved cat Dusty who died in 2003 aged 18.The most moving sight was as we stood around looking at Tremble curled up in a shoe box, her sister Wilba came over and licked her little head.

There were tears as we buried Tremble in the failing light..it was cold..we said goodbye.

Balcony - 6 and Mikado

This picture shows you how i work almost mechanically when building up areas of one shade..to stop it being too tedious, I work in blocks. I find that keeping my mind on what i intend the finished picture to look like, keeps me going! The result that I'm looking for here is to replicate the depth of shade you can see below the guy in the baseball cap's arm...to do this I first put down a layer of dark blue..then over that goes blue...then red, then yellow ochre then perhaps green...then a further layer of blue or red.

Below is the finished poster I designed to publicise the Mikado. I've produced artwork for the Rose Hill Musical Society for four years now.

Balcony - 5

The jostle of people is beginning to take shape...I have decided to wait a little longer before I start filling the rail in...I don't know why..perhaps when there is more around it..I think it would be better to do it all in one as opposed to in sections.

Balcony - 4

This close up shows what it is about the Hyperpointillist technique I love...sadly the dots have become a little pixelated by my cropping of the photo...but you get the general idea I hope.

Balcony - 3

I've not been able to spend much time today working..but as you can see, I've begun to add darker areas..The overall effect (which I'm aiming at) is a soft hazy feel...

Balcony - 2

I must say..this chap is wearing a very fetching pink t-shirt isn't he?..I like the fact that it gives a softened feel to the scene which will become more apparent later as there are some very dark areas around him. I've meant to do some blurred images of people ever since the picture of 'St Peter's Street' I did early on in 2006.

Balcony - 1

I've begun applying red dots to the figure's face and arms and some dark blue for the jacket slung over his arm and what forms part of a person next to him. As always, the aim is careful increments of contrast and tone.

Balcony. Pencil sketch.

It often takes a week of so for me to put together the composistion for a new piece of work.Following on from 'Orbits' I have the basic concept for a new related piece..some time ago I wrote about 'seeing' a picture in my mind which I hoped to use at a future date. whilst preparitory work continues on sketches for that...I have gone back to a picture I started work on a year ago.The Westfield shopping centre in Derby has now been open a year and this sketch comes from photos i took at the time of it's opening.

It will be a colour picture which whilst being an excercise, will allow me unhurried time to develop the next piece.

Orbits - finished.

' Orbits'

2008

55x38 cm

Orbits - 45 Penultimate session.

I've been doing my role play acting today in Stoke On Trent.I played a 51 year old man with chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.I was interviewed by four different assessors. So I didn't have much time to work on Orbits. However...there's not much left to do now.So I've worked on the sea...here you can see the progression of detailing has moved from right to left as far as the ship on the horizon...I need to add a little more texture to the shoreline then I'm finished! If all goes well, tomorrow will see the final hours on this.

So join me then for the unveiling!

Orbits 44...."It's more important than that"

The late great Bill Shankley who used to be manager of English football team Liverpool F.C once said something along the lines of "some people think Football is a matter of life and death...they're wrong,It's more important than that!"...I think the same thing about art (literature too, but i'll stick with the visual arts if you'll pardon me). In these days of 'The Credit Crunch' global downturns in the markets...bailouts and bank crashes...you'll be forgiven for considering art as a frivolity..a luxuriant extra.perhaps the acquisition of art commercially has slowed.but the relevance for art has never been more vital. Art is the heart and soul of a communities identity, it is the culture and foundation...but also the aspiration, the inspiration...it is worth so much more than just money..it is something beyond the life of it's creators bearing the riches of it's nature into the future far beyond our life expectation...it can help us make sense of ourselves and our world..it causes us to question..to rejoice..the regret..to revolt..to find perspective and at the same time wonderment and other worldliness.

My art to me has become my life..I sit at home in my little bedroom...I work...I try to take time off..but those days are not what I live for.I take pride in my work, but I feel dissatisfied with it which is good, because it propels me towards making the next piece 'The one'. but sometimes art passes beyond the visual and even beyond the object that it is...it's when it touches or brings us into contact with others who we wouldn't normally have met...sometimes it becomes more important than we could imagine.


I hope you'll forgive me Claudine, but I wanted just to mention that it is through my art that I became aware of you and your battle against breast cancer. you have commented with great generosity of heart about my work and that in itself is wonderful..but you mentioned that you aim to fight your decease and aim to come to see my work...and that is something I find to be an incredible privilege...and a deeply moving prospect. Art is a matter of life and death..it is also more important than that..it bridges cultures, it bridges nationalities and oceans..it transcends our awareness and invades our lives taking our minds and bodies to greater places.

I am thankful that my art has brought me such meaningful and wonderful friendships with people i have never met. I'm sure all my readers would like to join in me and wish Claudine a speedy and prompt recovery..that her battle against this enemy is successful. Please take some time to drop by her blog which you'll find here.It's not in English..but your comments will be read and understood.

Today I've been working on introducing the clouds that i spoke of yesterday..a lot of the composition is vertical..I wanted to add balance by creating a wider effect..a vista..next you'll see how I plan to enhance this effect.

Having completed Honey's stockings..I begin to make waves!I firstly pencil in some guide lines..then dot along these to denote the waves

Gradually making the line closer and less distinct towards the horizon..also making sure not to make them too uniform..

Finally having darkened the horizon and broken some of the lines to give the effect of the waves, I start to add texture to the foreground. The panel I'm working on here between honey's legs and her staff is nearly finished..the area to the right has yet to be given the detailing...I then go over to the left of the staff and then the end of my work is really in sight.

Orbits - 43 The Frill Of The Chaste or Ruffled Feathers

Not much more to do now..the clouds need tidying up a bit and I have been meaning to introduce a few wispy threads of dark clouds (you'll see what I mean when I've done it!)..the sea and anything I decide to put in the foreground..possibly more grasses. All being well I should finish by the end of the week!

Klimt

I am a Man who likes Women..seems an odd thing to say.I love women..I respect women..I am aroused by women..but i also 'like' women..I generally prefere the company of women, i like the sensitivity of women,the humour and the sadness of women.I understand the irony that the beauty and magnificence of women is counterpointed by pain, and takenforgrantedness.

I think that Gustav Klimt must also have had the same opinion as myself. Now you don't need me spouting off a historical lecture about an Artist..a Symbolist..a great painter...muralist and draughtsman such as we're looking at here...there are a myriad websites you can glean all the information you want.

Famous in most peoples knowledge for his painting 'The Kiss'..a million student bedroom walls will attest to his brilliance in capturing the tenderness, eroticism and sheer beauty of the young man and woman surrounded in gold and darkness.but i am drawn often to his portraits...his nudes. You will know by now that my pictures are indeed symbolist in nature..each part of the composition has a symbolic meaning weather known or unrevealed. so with Klimt...only better!Way way better!

I'll stop writing in a short while and leave the pictures to do the talking, but there's one thing I'll ask you to do, not necessarily with the examples I've posted here, but with all his other works as well. Hold you hand in front of yourself so that the face of the subject (in the case of the portraits) is covered.Look at the rest of the painting.Often no reference is seen to the fact that a person exists in the composition.A random abstract conglomeration of geometric forms, organic swirls can be seen. To me this suggests that Klimt is trying to show us that whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in,whatever life throws our way, it is ourselves and the character we are that defines our place in the world. It is the nature and personality contained in the faces of his women, that Klimt has used to define the painting..to bring perspective and relativity.

I love klimts paintings, I love women.

Potrait of Helen Klimt

Hope

Gold fish (to my critics)

Danae

Adam and Eve.

The Three Ages Of Woman(detail)

You can see more by visiting : http://www.ricci-art.com/en/Gustav-Klimt.htm or look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt for a historic perspective.

This post is dedicated to a special lady,Susan Stewart.

Orbits - 42 ...Corset is!

Moving on from yesterday,honey is now laced up nice and tight in her corset.Again i wanted a shiny satin sort of feel but got it wrong again...however, I'm quite pleased with the progress. It's now that the end is near that the overall atmosphere of the picture starts to come through..

Orbits - 41

A few people have asked to see the whole picture ...so here it is.Progress was good today getting Honey's shoulders and breasts in place..I like the growing counterbalance between the Starman and Honey.When I put waves into the sea, you will know the end of this piece is very close!incidentally, the dimensions for the picture are 59 x 42 cm.

Orbits - 40 Opera gloves..but no fat lady.

Dressing honey is taking longer than I thought it would! 5 hours today. My neck aches and my eyes are tired....I worked on the planet again..the clouds and the gloves..I actually wanted the gloves to look as if they were made of satin, but the way I've done them, they more like black latex!..which I probably prefer actually.