Very First Sketchbook (#5)

Naxos Alley, 27.9.85 (Fine point marker in A5 sketchbook)

Done the same day as the previous sketch, this was also in the winding passageways of the kastro (old town) of Naxos. The island was once under the control of the Venetians and the kastro has all the hallmarks of the alleys and passageways of Venice in miniature.

Very First Sketchbook (#4)

Naxos Doorway, 27.9.85 (Fine point marker in A5 sketchbook)

I was beginning to take more time over these sketches and you'll see here that I'd added a few colour notes. When I got home I made an attempt to make a painting from this sketch, but in 1985 I simply didn't have the experience or technical ability to pull it off.

Very First Sketchbook (#3)

Kiosk, Naxos Harbour (Fine point marker in A5 sketchbook)

The second of my sketches on Naxos.. It eventually led to a small painting, although in titling it, it seems I moved it to Paros.

Kiosk on Paros (Oil on board, 6 x 4 ins)

Very First Sketchbook (#2)

Monastery above Naxos
(Fine marker and grey Magic marker in A5 sketchbook)

Let's return to this occasional series. Moving on from Athens by way of a ferry from Piraeus, I found somewhere to stay in the kastro at Naxos. Walking out above the town, I made this quick sketch of a monastery. It's rather crude but effective I think.

Review

My good friend Paul Mingard, who, with his wife Christina, runs Hawthorn Cottage Industries, posted this lovely review of my show on Facebook.


Went to see Harry Bell's exhibition Town & Country at Newcastle Arts Centre. Not enough people were there though. Harry's paintings of Newcastle show his love of the city. His vision is romantic and optimistic without ever becoming sentimental. The paintings of the station at night really capture the feelings of anticipation and expectation you get when leaving on a train, or arriving home after a trip. His city is not the traditional one of Newcastle, 'Fog On The Tyne' and all that. It is very much a post-industrial metropolis; people hurrying for the metro; shopping and hopping on and off buses. It's a shame Newcastle doesn't love Harry as much as he loves the city. As a postscript the paintings of old hedges and walls made me want to go and study them for myself. He notices and records things we see, but don't observe.

Paul Mingard (9 August 2012)

Don't forget to check out Christina's fine paintings on the Hawthorn Indutries website.

Solo Show Photographs

End wall

I called in to Newcastle Arts Centre yesterday to see how the solo show looked devoid of private view crowds.and to take some new photographs of some of the works hung. While I was there, I decided it might be good to take a set of photos round the room. I may have missed a couple, but most of the show is shown above.

Gate Reflections

It was a lovely day in Newcastle today, thankfully free from any rain and bathed in sunshine. My attention was caught by these reflections in The Gate, reflections that only become evident when the sun shines like that.

The Wooden Spiral

The Wooden Spiral (Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 ins)

This is one of the paintings included in my exhibition currently running at the Newcastle Arts Centre. It's quite an old one - from 2004 - and for a while I was uncertain whether I would keep it at all. Recently, however, I took it out of the rack, gave it a bit of a tidy up. and decided I actually do like it. There's a more subdued lighting in it that suits Newcastle rather well.

The subject, in case you don't know Newcastle, shows at the left  what was built as The Oxford Ballrooms but has over the years had its name changed to reflect the need for something new for the yoofs. You may have heard of Thomas Heatherwick: he's the man responsible for the cauldron at the Olympic Games, one of his better efforts. In Newcastle he persuaded the Council that it would be a good thing to lay a pretend carpet of tiles made from crushed blue sherry bottles. the result was not the bright blue carpet he intended but a rather dull grey landscape. A little more effective was his cladding of a functional spiral metal  staircase in wood panelling. That's what you can see at the right hand side of the painting. It leads through a barren land of empty office buildings to a bridge over the Central Motorway - not one of Newcastle's highlights.

Cambridge Folk Festival

I never found out who they were.

Keb Mo

Who knows?

For our Xmas present last year, Pat's son and his partner gave us tickets to the Cambridge Folk Festival this July. A long wait for a Xmas present to come to fruition, perhaps, but well worth the wait.

The tickets we had were for the Saturday of the Festival and when we got there the band shown in the first photograph were playing. I never found out who they were, but I made my first attempt at photographing the acts then. I soon came to realise that for decent photographs you needed to be much taller than I am, so these are the only shots I came away with.

I discovered that standing up for the best part of elevn hours is not kind to my back, but eventually I found ways of coping with that and the sheer amount of music we saw made it all a great experience:

Fay Hield and the Hurricane Party
Tim Edey & Brendan Power
Habbadekuk
Keb Mo Band
The Unthanks with the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
Nanci Griffiths
Roy Harper
... and finally - The Proclaimers. Who knew The Proclaimers could be so great!? Naturally, this is what they finished their set with:

Lincoln

Lincoln Cathedral

Boats at Brayford Pool





High Bridge, Brayford Canal

I spent a few enjoyable days in Lincoln last month and thought you might be interested in one or two photographs I took there.

I liked Lincoln a lot and it was fun catching up with an old friend I haven't seen for twenty years or more. The visit was in the nature of a reconnaissance trip to check out potential hotels for a reunion of friends and in that it was very successful. I'm really looking forward to next year's event.

Invitation

Chimera

Chimera (Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 ins)

Another one finished for the new show.

Spectre

Spectre (Oil on canvas, 30 x 24 ins)

There's a lot of reflection on this, so I may have to wait until it's hanging on the gallery wall before I can get a good photograph of it.

Near The Rookery

Near The Rookery (Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 ins)

The first of the new Rock and Tree series paintings is finished. Titles are always a problem, and I'm not certain I'll keep this one, but I'm very happy with the painting.

And one more ...

Chimera (work in progress)

I wasn't planning on doing another piece for the upcoming show, but I came across this while I was in the studio. I drew it onto canvas a few weeks ago, but put it to one side. Trying to see if it would work, I got some colour onto it this afternoon.

Part of it is based on a sketchbook drawing from our first trip to The Rookery in 2010:

I'm unsure of it at the moment. It may work out, but whether it'll go into the show ....

Further Work

Log Figure (work in progress)

Not a good photograph, but decent enough  to demonstrate the addition of the forest in the background. A little more work on that background and some fiddling here and there, and it'll be done..

Third New Painting

Baroque (work in progress)

This is the third new painting for next month's show and probably the last I'll be doing for it. It's a fairly small picture, only 16 x 16 ins, and is edging into slightly strange new territory for me. I'm intrigued to know where it might be leading me.

Second New Painting

Rookery Rock (work in progress)

Another new painting begun today, continuing the Rock and Tree series.. This one is based on a sketchbook drawing I did last year at The Rookery in Bishopdale:



Sketchbook drawing.

New Work

Log Figure (work in progress)

Even though my two man show is currently running at Alnwick right now (still time for you to get up there and catch it!), I'm working out some new subject matter for my next show, which will be a solo effort throughout August in Newcastle .

I've been thinking about my Rock and Tree series and how that might be enlarged and expanded upon. The shades of Graham Sutherland and Paul Nash are sitting in the studio right now giving me advice and this is today's freshly started painting.

Private View at Bailiffgate

Across the mezzanine.

Three small paintings in a display case.

Three Prague  Tram paintings.

Guests.

A while ago the Private View for the Bailiffgate show was changed from last Tuesday night , when the weather was as decent as we've come to expect for summer, to Friday when the forecast was for torrential rain and flood warnings were out for just about everywhere you could think of. As a result the turnout of guests was not all we might have wished for. Even the solid gold I'll be theres I've come to count on called me up and apologised for their absence.

Luckily, the  Bailiffgate Museum is run entirely  by volunteers who do a sterling  job and many of them turned up to help dispel any feeling of abandonment. The chairman made a splendid speech and overall we had a good time.


In keeping with the zeitgeist, my camera batteries failed on me and I had to keep taking them out and turning them round just to take these four photographs.

Thirty Paintings

I spent three and a half hours on Sunday with Pat and Tony Montague setting up the Harry Bell & Tony Montague show at Bailiffgate in Alnwick. It looks good, if I say so myself, and with thirty of my paintings on display (Tony has twenty-nine), it's easily the biggest show I've ever put on.

The exhibition has started, but if you'd like to come to the Private View, it's on Friday at 6.30pm. I'll be there and happy to talk to you.

My Next Exhibition

Poster for my next exhibition. Make a note in your diary!

Staithes Harbour Office

Staithes Harbour Office (Oil on canvas, 12 x 12 ins)

I'm not sure this has gone in the direction i thought it would, but I'm satisfied with the end result.

Boat, Trogir Marina

Boat, Trogir Marina (Oil on board, 30 x 30 cm)

This needed only a little work to finish it, so it was a good way of easing into the day's work.

Seven Cakes and a View of Glasgow

Seven Cakes and a View of Glasgow (Oil on canvas, 16 x 16 ins)

I've worked on this one off and on for some time and finally decided today to just have a good go at it and pull it together. I think it works now.

I'll be taking it to a meeting of the Painters Group on Saturday where I'm unsure of its reception. The tutor and several of the painters seemed to find the concept puzzling last time I showed it to them. I find that puzzling.

First Staithes Painting

Harbour Office (work in progress)

This was one of the subjects I'd like to have tackled while I was at Staithes, but standing on the beach with the wind howling against my back made it impossible. Once I got back, however,  I really wanted to have a go at it, so trying to shake off the current mood of "what's the point of it all", I got down to it today.

I think it's working out well. It would be possible to leave it as it is, I guess, but that's not my way. Having said that, there's not a lot more I need to do to it - some railings, a bit of defining of boat shapes and some lightening of the sand areas here and there.

A Little More Cathedral

Cathedral (work in progress)

I've been struggling recently to get any painting done, partly because of some kind of existential angst - what am I painting for? However, I did drop into the Art Club last week and move this painting of the Cathedral and Black Gate along somewhat.

The buildings are working out OK, I think. I can now turn my attention to the top third, defining the town in the distance a little, and then settling the sky.

A Week in Staithes (7)

Stone and Brick Wal, Staithes Beck 
(Pentel Brushpen in 21 x 26 cm sketchbook)

Although I'd been happy using the fine line marker for some of these drawings, it did seem to need quite a firm hand. Last year, I'd so enjoyed exploring the qualities of the Brushpen that I'd been a little disappointed to realise it didn't easily lend itself to the depiction of buildings.

Sitting on one of the concrete stepping stones that cross the Beck, I decided that this crumbling old wall was just what I needed to get out the Brushpen again. It really is a joy to use.

A Week in Staithes (6)

Round the corner, Staithes (0.8 fine line marker in 21 x 26 cm sketchbook)

You can probably begin to appreciate how much I was trying to avoid standing in the wind still blowing through the town when I tell you that this subject was quite literally round the corner form the front door of our cottage. Having said that, it wasn't out of desperation that I decided to draw it; I walked past it every time I went down to the Beck and was always taken with the way it seemed to fold in on itself.