Bonfire of the Vanities

Gateshead Millennnium Bridge (work in progress)
(Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 ins)
Destroyed.

I began the difficult task of destroying canvases today. With a house move on the horizon, some downsizing is necessary and the studio contains some very big canvases which I know will never fit my new studio space.

Ripping up unfinished work that I know would never amount to anything was easy (psychologically, at least; physically it wears me out!), but when I got to one that I could see might well have been a good painting had I finished it -- that's hard.

The painting above was started in a greater mood of optimism than I currently enjoy.The canvas was one of several large ones I brought back from University and I began this painting of Gateshead's iconic bridge without any real thought of what I might do with it should it be finished. It soon became clear, however, that even were it to be finished, at four by six feet it would be much too large for me to transport to any of the exhibitions I could see in the future.

Looking at it now, I think it might be worthwhile doing a new version on a much reduced scale. File under: Future Thoughts.

O Sole Mio

(Serving suggestion)

I had a nice pair of sandals. Bought them at Next, oh, some years ago, and although they weren't particularly worn, I gave up wearing them because they had a fastening at the heel that I found increasingly difficult to get at as my back became stiffer.

Yesterday I slipped them on again, it being a sunny day, and went out to Newcastle with a pair of bags full of heavy books for Oxfam. Stepping off the bus in town, I thought the heel of my left sandal seemed to be sloping the wrong way. Also there seemed to be a lot of black crap sticking out from the sole of the right one. I scraped it off and walked on.

It's only a few hundred yards from the bus stop to the Oxfam shop, but by the time I got there, I could hardly walk. I realised that the soles of both sandals were in a state if disintegration. Handing over the two bags to the old bloke on the desk, I started to walk - hobble - out. He said, "You've dropped something off your shoe."

"I know," I said, "My shoes are falling apart. Sorry about that." I suppose he expected me to pick up the piece of black crap, but in turning back to the door, the whole heel of the right shoe fell off.

I kicked it out the door and limped across the road to the taxi rank. Ten quid to give some books away. Tsk.

Still here ....

I thought I should reassure my Regular Reader that I'm still here, still standing, still soldiering on.

Last month I had an operation on my left eye. It's taking time for the effects of that to settle down and I expect there will be other difficulties along the way, but I haven't given up my art. I had to lay down my brushes in March when I found it too awkward to work and I've yet to pick them up again, but I do have ideas whirling in my head for future projects.

Meanwhile, other things are also taking up my attention. I have a new computer which is giving me things to sort out to make it work the way I want it to and there's a house move looming. The latter will require a great deal of Declutterisation (go on, it must be a word!), so that 's occupying my thoughts a lot.

All of which I hope goes to show why there haven't been posts on the billboards down Boogie Street. I hope you'll stick with me, though: there's life in the old dog yet.