Star Wheel Press - Love is Rest

Last post since February - aheem. Anyway Christmas is upon us and I've printed some Christmas Cards. The wee proofing letterpress - (Mr. Stephenson Blake) is getting through a large amount of work and people seem to like what they see. The one shown seems to have practically sold out.
Getting through some paintings and I need to finish quite a few. Love to have an exhibition soon. There is a desire though to beat the credit crunch - its not a nutty snack with money in it - its actually like reverse Robin Hood - steal from the poor so the rich can have bonuses and houses for their ducks.
Want to start training before Christmas - triathlon yes it's three disciplines Judah, Aria & Mercy (My three kids).
Art seems like an indulgence right now if it doesn't magically transform into money then it isn't worth it. The thing is though I don't know the secret of the art genie - what makes money and what doesn't - although if I knew would I only create what sold? Well probably not. New shop online...Check it out
http://thetemplegallery.bigcartel.com/

Life Hindering Treacle

My goodness its been awhile. Do you get struck off the blogging world for not keeping up. Feels like everybody else is on the ball - and I fumble after. Trip over things, damage things, hurt myself - normal day. Triathlon training to pot - painting and sculpture work slow. I think I've bathed in a life hindering treacle.

Excited about the possibilities of my work after visiting a Baroque research day at the National Gallery of Scotland. 2 curators and 1 academic exposed their passions and I got overly enthused started stalking them the whole day. Court order fixed that.

That'll do for now

Artist's Book Festival

Great news the Artist's Book Festival is getting close 4th October is the opening day.

Triathlon, Art and Appendicitis

Cycled to the gallery this morning on my Planet-X carbon fibre supercharged triathlon beast. Its a shame but I haven't been on it much - its such a good bike and amazing for races but not the best with my jeans, flat cap (helmet was in the studio) and brogues. My feet keep slipping off the Look clipless pedals. 

Since the appendicitis if I haven't already told you (I've been boring everyone for a year now) - I did a Half Ironman ( 1.9km swim, 56mile cycle, Half marathon) and all the training with a leaking appendix it then decided to finally give up after the race - I came over the line crying like a baby. I didn't realize of course but had been ill with it for about 2 years.

I got a prize for the first local male (there was only 3 of us and one dropped out) but I went from ironman to wet lettuce. I was so green and I felt so sick afterwards. The cycle part of the race was giving me such a sore leg that I couldn't wait to stand and start running. Of course it was my appendix complaining. Anyway still troubled with it - I've cut down on milk, starchy bread and meat and its helped a lot.

6 weeks after the race they finally found this septic mess and I had the afore mentioned problem removed. I've called it Simon as I think it was actually my twin that had been growing inside me.

Therefore I feel wasteful - expensive bike with little use and a body that fatigues so easily - artwork has suffered and everything I made during my post operation has nearly been chucked as it is just not up to standard.

It was good to use it this morning as my commuting machine has no wheels as all the spokes fell out when I was cycling along just coming up to Wade's Bridge. The salt from the road (winter's curse for cyclists)had eroded where the spokes were mounted and they just pinged out. Funny as I had my ipod on and could hear a faint flapping noise that turned out to be my wheels crumbling beneath me. 

Anyway I've lost a morning talking to my blog/therapy. This was supposed to be devoted to the work of Stuart Duffin (shown above) as he's a genius and he's having an exhibition at the gallery - great news...

Portraiture

Portraits....

I never set out to be a portrait painter - but like my previous post the public seem to think differently. The painting opposite is a painting of my wife and again it was never proposed as a portrait but as the definition of portrait suggests I suppose it must be. (Portrait: noun an artistic representation of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders.)

But my point is this - Is all figurative art portraiture? Do we need only art by association? As in do we need to know the person to appreciate it as art. For some to purchase a figure painting they must know the person directly. 

A couple came into the gallery the other day and we were speaking about this. The guy made the point that in the modern world today we require association. We need the souvenir, the relic of association - some connection of our relationship with the object. We want the object that speaks to our ego and not so much our artistic appreciation.

Don't know if I agree completely but it got me thinking about portraiture and our relationship to it. I have always felt that a painting should be appreciated and owned even if there is no relationship with the person. But maybe that's just me willing everyone to buy whatever I desire to paint and not just commissioned portraits. In saying that I only do 3-4  a year so I can't complain. The above painting sold quickly so there are many who seem to enjoy figurative art on a similar plane as a person is more than just the sum of their features.

There are 4 of these head studies influenced by Ken Currie and Robert Macmillan. People coming into the gallery see them as scary but they were never intended to be seen that way. The background was supposed to make comment of the faces and not to be overly descriptive. Seems that that isn't the case and that maybe the background is stating too much.

They began as studies of proportion and appearance in the face and are not supposed to be portraits - A women who came in to the gallery today told me that she painted dead people. I looked at her again. Thinking she was a mystic seance type - but she gets commissioned by the relatives of the deceased from a photograph. I think that's why my paintings which are in the window of the Temple Gallery at the minute seemed to scare her. Haunted portraits of the Dead - sounds like some Horror B-Movie of the the 50's.