Kay - 7 Autumn colours

Not a very bright photo today..it's been cloudy and I thought the day light would be sufficient...but I was wrong. I've done a few hours on the chair arm so far..you can clearly see the area which is still red and awaiting it's other layers at the very bottom of the page.

I drove Annie and her friend Abi to school this morning, and when I got back I thought the trees in our Avenue looked so bright, i took a photo. This is the tree outside our house...I bet most of these leaves will be gone by the weekend.

Kay - 6

I've not got very far to go on this one now....I'm currently on the most boring section which is the chair arm nearest ..I'm putting a layer of red down, then green, then light blue and finally yellow ochre....I then have a few little extra bits to add in which will have a story to tell!

Today I've been doing a little more role play.I was at our local 'Super Hospital' which was actually the place i was born in!I had to play the role of a Father whose daughter had developed mental health problems..a lovely actress called Hazel played my daughter...we had to act out our roles in front of an audience of medical students...we were interviewed by some of then (one at a time). Hazel played the role so convincingly with tears and emotion. i had to be overbearing and interrupt my daughters answers...the scenario was supposed to cause the medical student to gain my confidence and then ask me to leave the room so that he could interview the Daughter on her own....this eventually happened, and she was then able to reveal that she was hearing voices and could smell dead bodies in her room...all things she had not told her parents and indeed could not whilst I was in the interview.

So a big thank you to Hazel for covering over my feeble acting attempts, ...now I'm back home resuming my original role....as a father!

Kay - 5 Nurse Betty's words...

Nurse Betty stood at the end of my bed..my nerves jangled to the staccato tap tap tap sound of her arterial forceps on the plastic observation record chart which she held in her fingers, i noticed strangely blood red painted and carefully manicured nails of which each one came to a sharpened point.....suddenly she grabbed out and took hold of the counterpane and whipped it back ...the cold air met my skin like a blast of arctic air....Nurse Betty moved swiftly without a sound around the bed towards me..as she bent her face towards me, i detected a sweet and sour tang on her hot breath as she spoke into my ear .........

Sadly I never got to find out what it was she said because I woke up.

I'm feeling much better today...my sinus's have stopped hurting and I'm left with a dull aching body.Never the less, I have been able to work and as you can see, I've progressed fairly well. I wonder if i should start advertising my services as a portrait artist?...

Poorly niall.

I am poorly today..hopefully i'll be recovered tomorrow.

Kay - 4

I feels good to lose some of the pencil lines and let the softness of the image emerge. whilst working on this I am affording myself time to work on sketches for my next big piece.Things are going well and I should be ready to start work on it when this portrait is finished.

Yet more unseen

Here's another selection of railway subjects..I used to be a big enthusiast at the time of these paintings. The railways has always been in my blood..me being the first family member NOT to work on the railways!

The paintings themselves are in my own estimation poor...I think I could do much better nowadays....

I 've always loved the sight sound and smell of of trains..platforms..everything associated....the fact of the engineering and scale of human endeavour for the soul purpose of getting you from A - B in comfort, something many people take for granted these days!.

More unseen

As promised, here are a few more 'unseen' findings from my vaults.This time I'll tell you a little about each one.
This is a watercolour of Jan..we were on holiday on the Isle Of Wight visiting our lovely friend Anna way back in the 8o's..I liked this pose and the colour..I drew the scene in pencil first before applying washes.

Here's a rather self indulgent self portrait..yes, i really did used to be that slim!!

Here an aborted dot picture which is yet again another self portrait. i pictured myself wearing a jumper I designed and Jan knitted ( In the days before I learned to knit!)..this would date from around 1987.

Here's a rather large drawing dating also i think from around 1987.There are large plain areas on this and it took ages and was very boring!..I try to fill the space in with detail these days!

This was an old girlfriend of mine. Ruth is pictured here in watercolour on our countryside walk in 1980. Ruth and i split up..she married a lumberjack!

Look out for more unseen as and when I dig them up!

Unseen..old paintings

Many years ago before I started dotting, i often used to work in watercolour..my passion at the time was for railway subjects.Earlier today i found a few example of my efforts...i thought I'd post a few here. I'm not a very technical painter, but found myself drawn to technical subjects...in the following photos I've decided not to edit them but show you them as I found them.They mainly date from around 1979,80 and thereabouts....lookout for more unseen soon!

Kay - 3 the cat and the Flapjack

I think I'm happy with the hair and much happier now that I've added light blue into the skin tones of the face . the majority of the picture is in tones similar to the wall behind Kay..which enables the figure to stand out...you'll see better as it develops.



Yesterday, as I was sitting down for my morning coffee..I thought, what about a piece of that flap jack in the kitchen?..Jan had baked some the night before but it was how shall I describe it..'crisp'...I lifted a piece from the tin which was on the work surface. It was difficult to sink my teeth into but had a distinctive flavour.I put the piece into my mouth whole and proceeded to try and suck it into submission. Then I thought..ah ha!..don't leave the rest out...put it into a covered container..so i got a knife and began to lift the individual pieces ...however, they began to fall apart.this shouldn't happen I thought due to the extended time they'd had in the oven...it was then that i had my 'miss Marple' moment...the flap jack open to the elements..which earlier had been covered by a tea towel..the cat that had run into the front room dragging a tea towel in it's mouth...the sodden pieces of flapjack...the kitty litter tray shaped baking tin..the distinctive (but unknown) flavour....My powers of deduction arrived at the only conclusion..how about you..does your conclusion match mine?

Kay - 2

I'm getting to the point where the contrast in the hair is about right..i intend to strengthen the eyes a little more and start adding flesh tones to the shoulders and arms.

Kay - 1

If I thought work on this piece was going to be quick...i was wrong...at least whilst I'm taking great pains to get the eyes nose and mouth correct..don't get me wrong..this something I relish.I think once I'm happy with the face, it will be relatively plain sailing from then on.This photo was taken under my daylight bulb...it looks so washed out , tomorrow i'll make sure you get the right representation.

Finding time to work is at the moment is difficult...it's the school's half term holidays ..Jan is busy every day rehearsing for a busy 64 date tour which begins on Friday, so we don't actually see much of each other...when we do it is as if we are purely business partners..this has been our condition for some time now, so we make decisions about the practicalities of life..so the kids are my priority..the big lads argue and demand money..stay in bed till afternoon..stink and eat and ignore any request that emanates from me!..(why is it that their Mum can utter a single word and they fall over themselves to obey?)...it's a major issue trying to get my 13 year old to take a shower which he somehow seems to think he will only do it if I pay him, where he gets these ridiculous ideas from is beyond me!! the stress and anxiety all this causes is enough to throw my sensibilities into disarray thus rendering me incapable of reaching the desired level of concentration to work... then Annie has a fairly complex list of play dates and sleepovers ..and believe me, it would be so easy to take the easy option..ie..stick her in front of the TV, but I try not to. Some times..just some times..I find a quiet oasis in the day to work...until the next meal is due....and it's me who cooks it.

OK..rant over..thanks for listening..I'll be back to my boring old self tomorrow.

Favourite Artists - Jim Burns

Jim Burns was born in 1948 in Cardiff, Wales.After a time in the Royal Airforce, he joined Newport School Of Art to do a Foundation Year in art and design.After this he went on to complete his diploma at St. Martins School of art, London. Working for newly established arts agency 'Arena' who he still works for. today he is one of the foremost contemporary science fiction illustrators of our time. He won the 'Hugo award for best professional artist' three times( The only non American to have won it).

I love his work ..it's grandeur and contrasting images of people set against huge mechanical machines and space ships.Browse through any sci - fi section at your library or bookstore and you'll see covers by Burns.He also worked briefly with film director Riddley Scott for the design of the movie 'Blade Runner'.

I hope you enjoy the pictures here ..you can find further examples at: Jim Burns

If copyrite has been breached by my inclusion of any of the above images, I apologise and will remove if requested to do so.

Oskur der Wyld Munkee.."its mee..Ey kan droor!"

Elow! Oskur der Wylde munkee ear agen! yoo myt remebur dat ey riyt foor mi mastur wen ee iz avin a dey ovf..ee iz verryee tyurd. sew ey fort dat ee izunt ser ownlee woan oo iz a arrtyzt..ey kan droor azwel! EEr iz a pikchur ov mee..itz a cellf pourtarayt..doo yoo lyk it?..iyt tuk mee ur lonng tym tu doo annd a lot ov beeuur and bernarnurz...hic!...ey fink ey wyl treye tu du a payntyng necks tyme.

Iv yu wont, ey kan cel yu mi pikchur..iyt iz ownlee a fouzand powndz..veree cheep foor ur werc ov arrt wot iyt iz! won dey ey wyl bee a faymuss artyzt..butt ey downt fink sew..ey fink dur mastur wud bee a gud faymuss artyzt..dur ownlee trubbel iz..ee iz nott ded yet...hoe wel...

ey av tu gow nouw and ruun der baff foor dur mastur...gud biy fanz...siee yu sooown.

luv oskur

xxxxxxxxx z and bernarnurz.

Finished Balcony.

Balcony

Derby Westfield Centre opening day 9-10-07.

(October 2008)

25 x 11 cm.

I'm proud to present the finished picture..and for once I'm happy with the reproduction here of the colours.I've had to fiddle around with the settings on my digital camera programme , but this is as close to the way they look .

I'm going to spend the rest of the day taking things easy....work on my sketches and ideas, and if they don't look as if they're ready to work on just yet, i'll get something else up and running.

Balcony - 14

I thought I'd post a photograph of the picture before I filled in the rail (which I've begun work on already.) because the difference it makes is quite dynamic. The completion of this picture will be tomorrow and to be honest, it's taken less time than I thought. ..and although ideas for the next big picture are fairly advanced, I'm not yet ready to start..to complicate matters even further, I've got ideas for yet another picture which will fall into the same series as 'Ball Of Wool' and 'PWM' (the chess picture).

A friend of mine who makes chutneys,jams,cakes etc and I have decided we'll have a sort of mini Christmas fayre to sell to family and friends..so I might decide to produce something for that. I am not short of things I could do..but you see my problem..once I commit to a piece,I'm looking at a couple of weeks for the smaller works to a couple of months for the large pictures....it's a problem I like having!

Join me tomorrow to see the finished 'Balcony'

Balcony - 13

I'm moving into the final stages of work on this picture now..I've just about completed the figures above the railing..I shall finish this area to the lower left hand corner then the rail itself.the final act as always is to rub out the pencil lines of my signature.

Looking at the picture, it's interesting to note that railings, barriers of all kinds provide a way to divide ..in this case to stop the shoppers falling onto the floor below. People of all walks of life,race and creed, wealthy or poor are for this little moment connected by the rail and held in check from certain death ...but each unaware of the others circumstances whilst having absolute trust in the work of the builders who put the rail in.

Vegetarian roast marrow and cheese sauce.

I cut one large Marrow into three pieces then cut each piece in half lengthways. I hollowed out the seeds and pullpy bit then laid the pieces skin down in a roasting pan. I brushed a little vegatable oil over then and placed them in the oven gas7 to roast.Meanwhile I fried one large onion,2 cloves of Garlic, some sweet peppers, sweet corn and soya mince until cooked and spooned this over the marrow pieces..i then poured a can of tomatoes over...returned to the oven and covered with some baking foil. In another pan I made a basic rue sauce and added some cheese...I had intended to pour this over the dish in the oven but oprted to serve it separately. I also cooked an amount of french green beans .

Here you can see the mixture over the marrows before serving..the beans were served next and cheese sauce generously poured as required by each of us.

A successful meal for once..this might also have had something to do with Helen being our guest (sitting on the right far side)for the evening..Helen is playing the lead in 'More Story please' which Jan's theatre group is staging in 64 venues across the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire up until Christmas.

I didn't make a pudding!

Balcony - 12 Bye bye Pudding!

I've now finished the lady in red..(There's always a lady in red!)...it was a case of diffusing the colours and adding in more layers until the correct intensity was reached..ie so it matched the other figures...now I've moved on to the next figure and the back ground.

For those of you following the 'Pudding gate' saga...I disposed of the remains last night.Earlier i'd made a vegetable curry and had eldest son state his detestation of it and my daughter erupt in tears at having to have it for her tea (she never even tried it!)...I complained when Jan got home that no one eats my food anymore..Jan said " When have I ever refused your food?"..at this point I should have kept my mouth shut..but no..male brain engaged and activated..I told her i'd made the Bread and Butter pudding just for her and she'd refused it..so off she went to attempt to eat it...but no..she complained it was like 'Soggy bread' ...she told me she's hated it ever since her Mum made it for her as a young girl ...sometimes one cannot do right for doing wrong. I managed to refrain from saying things like: "Well what do you expect, it's been in the fridge for nearly three days and has developed it's own intelligent life !'...and......'If your Mum couldn't make it, then how can i expect mine to be as good as hers?...and since hers was awful,I can only imagine what that relegates mine to being!'

she's due home in 1 1/2 hours and bringing a guest...what am i going to cook?...I'll tell you tomorrow..( If I'm still alive!)

Balcony - 11 A closer look

Having put a layer of Blue/Black ink to denote the darkest areas of the rest of the picture..I start to develop the skin tones of the two gentlemen standing at the back,

A simple layer of scarlet dots is enough to begin with..these two ladies heads are close together and the one on the right is wearing a bright red coat..so there Will be a lot of colour bleeding between faces and coat making it difficult to see any boundaries.

Here I'm beginning to add the yellow ochre over the red..I have to keep the lady's feature indistinct to match the others..just a simple suggestion of eyebrows and chin is what I'm looking for..

Here I've rubbed out some of the pencil lines so that i can see clearly the areas I need to blend into each other..this creates the the soft fuzzy out of focus effect. the ladies hair is a mixture light blues dots, red dots and yellow..then shadows are picked out in green .

Balcony - 10

It's amazing how a pudding can become a metaphor..for life..for marriage..for whatever.This is the world in which i live...I used to sign each of my pictures in the bottom right hand corner with the letters. SIAT..Ok, so it was a bit pretensions after the PRB..(Pre -Raphaelite Brotherhood). But my letters stood for Symbolism In All Things. I believe this statement to be true as far as my work is concerned.But I don't really need to put that on my pictures nowadays as they generate so many questions and theories anyway!

It can also be a bit of a hindrance when one is looking for meaning in all things when there is nothing more than "Do you want sauce on your chips?"....actually, that sounds like a bit of a euphemistic question...and therefore a minefield of other meanings.I wrote to someone recently remembering the late great Ronnie Barker who famously said: " The thing about double entendres is that they can only have one meaning!".

Anyway..I digress.Today I've worked on the man to the left...there's not much more to go now..in fact I should finish this week.I'll do some more this evening..so until tomorrow..goodbye!

PS..There are still two servings of Bread And Butter Pudding left in the fridge..Middle son tried it and said..."Urgh Dad...it's got bread in it!"...Jan just didn't even try it!...now what is the symbolism there eh?.......