Venetian Regata

Venetian Regata (Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 ins.)

I've had to really bash on to get this one finished. I need it for tomorrow, when it will form part of the new Figure 8 show at the Biscuit Factory. The show doesn't get its preview until 6th June, but the work needs to be in a week early.

I had planned to put some of the Vaporetto series into this show, but they don't come out of the Myles Meehan Gallery until Monday, so I've opted for a mixed bag of work from the last two years. This new painting and one other (another of my old, unfinished pieces which finally found its way to completion this week) will be the only fresh work in my part of the show, but the audience for much of it is unlikely to be duplicated, I think.

I am a little concerned that, because of the experiments in approach I've undertaken in the last couple of years, my work may look a little eclectic in style. My hope is that the colour palette will hold it together and, if nothing else, it'll give me a chance to see how well (or otherwise) it all hangs together.

I think I may post everything here tomorrow (if you're interested?), when I've had a chance to photograph the other new one, and when I'm sure of what has gone up on the walls.

The Vaporetto Series

These are my paintings now showing in the Figure 8 exhibition at the Myles Meehan Gallery in Darlington.


Night Travel (Oil on canvas, 30 x 24 ins.)


Photographers (Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 ins.)


Sitting on the Rail (oil on canvas, 24 x 30 ins.)


Santa Maria della Salute (OIl on canvas, 24 x 24 ins.)


Caught in the Spotlight (Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 ins.)


Dorsoduro (Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 ins.)


On the Giudecca Canal (Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 ins.)


Passing a Palazzo (Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 ins.)

Colour Room

I finished all the work for Darlington at the weekend, but decided that one of them wasn't up to scratch. Nevertheless, when we took all the paintings to the gallery on Monday morning, I found I had just the right number for the space allocated to me.

We might have spent some time arguing between ourselves over the hanging, but Julie the Curator offered to let us go for coffee while she sorted out a suggested arrangement. When we got back, she'd come up with a hanging which gives each of us a wall to ourselves, and mixes in the other pictures in blocks which work well together. I'm delighted with the look of the show and am full of admiration for Julie's abilities. She's a very confident and competent Curator.

The Private View is on Thursday evening, and as always, I'm full of excitement and trepidation, in equal parts.

The show, entitled Colour Room, opens to the public at the Myles Meehan Gallery on Friday and runs for a month.