little bundles of joy - pacchettini di gioia

My Christmas present to me... a box of oil colours what a lovely surprise to find them all wrapped in their own little bubble wrap jackets

Mi sono dato per Natale... una scatola dei colori che bella sorpresa di trovare ciascuno avvolti nel loro giacchine di pluriball

small objects of desire

Been working on some sculptures lately. These are smaller than your fist  and are inspired by small roman and etruscan bronzes … others are larger… thinking about what we recognise as human. How our brains look for faces in everything and how figures however disfigured register with us… More laters...

Finalmente… esce nel mondo - stasera a Vinosofia, Spello

Finalmente questo quadro di cui ho documentato il progresso qui in questo blog esce nel mondo. Sara alla mostra - Side by Side a Vinosofia a Spello stasera per il vernissage e poi fino a 3 Dicembre. 

Vi aspettiamo dal 17:00 in poi Stasera

Finally the painting I have documented here is to get out in the world. It will be on show at my show Side by Side at Vinosofia, in Spello. Tonight for the private view and on until 3 December. 

We look forward to seeing you there from 5pm tonight

A3 - olio su telo 

in situ a Vinosofia, Spello

Vinosofia, Spello

A penny for the Guy

Shadow Man – Wiggo

Lovely sunny day here yesterday and just look what its thrown up. I have a slightly (well completely) stalled project to make a knitted man and wife, - the knitting got to me. Anyway Wiggo as Adrian has dubbed him is loitering about the studio and creating his own art. Not sure if he'll lead me somewhere or is doomed to be just a folly - only time will tell. Maybe I'll burn him tomorrow night for Guy Fawkes. A penny for the guy?

art is where you find it

What can I say…. sheets of joy. I'm blown away

this morning

I love our morning walks with Ugo. Trouble is I often get left behind taking photos of mud and the like. here are a few I took this morning. It is so incredible to me how these plants, this earth, this sky can be so much of the countryside and yet so gritty, graphic and abstract.  So much work to do - buzzing with ideas. 

home again

UGO

Well it's been a while…. back home again from NZ and back in the studio at last with my faithful studio assistant.  Framing ready for "Side by Side" an exhibition at Vinosofia in Spello next week and getting organised to take some works to brighten up our local "Festa della Casagna" here in Manciano.

Things I love about Italy… I have been down to the local blacksmith - still pretty common in these parts… and he's going to make me some steel frames for these couple of paintings (red on red on red and blue/black). I'm really hoping that this will turn out to be an answer to an ongoing issue for me.

che meraviglia

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but che meraviglia I found on a pre pranzo quick walk just now - reminds me of the sculpture work I need to get time for - nagging away the pile of iron scroungings I'm collecting for the purpose. This find was swiftly followed up by a sounder of boar complete with "boarlets"- all making quite a racket and far too close for comfort - Ugo barking we high tailing it out of there. Luckily they decided to go the other way - fantastic to see them running full tilt through a newly mowed grove. This is the second sighting we've had in less than a week which is unusual in broad daylight. Sadly they are far too quick for decent photos. Maybe next time.

September 1939

"cross 1939" - August 2014 

It's hard to imagine the idiocy the allowed the world to go to war again only 20 years after the debacle of the first world war but as we watch the events unfolding in Ukraine and the Middle East maybe its not so hard. I find it difficult to comprehend the violence, arrogance and sheer stupidity of men.  The cross is a symbol which haunts me and recurs often. When visiting France years ago we came across a German WW1 cemetery with row upon row of iron crosses. On closer inspection there were 4 names per patibulum/horizontal - it was a sobering sight not forgotten. Today is the day that when I studied the "The Origins of War" at school they said the second world war started. Now it seems to be  a more vague date but back then things were more set in stone. As I write a quick flick to the news tells me that Poroshenko and Putin have agreed a truce - let's hope it holds.

busy busy busy

I wouldn't say I'm all that fond of ants, they bite for one thing, but you have to hand it to them I think they are probably our closest relative the busy lives sense always fiddling about doing something. Spotted this this morning when walking Ugo. A very nice and quite unusual example of their industry. Anish Kapoor eat your heart out.

love or war

I don't know anything about slugs but this caught my eye for its linearity and graphicness but also for how the intent, romantic or aggressive -which I don't know is expressed in it's linearity.  Apparently slugs use their slime trails to follow one another which can mean finding a mate or food in the case of the carnivorous species. I guess its like motorway signposting...

Red onions

Adrian asked me the other day if red onions were red, (interesting conversations we have) I said certo they are red…. and then… well depending on the light… same onion different light. Not to mention different eyes. In a bit I'll post the painting inspired initially by the tomato and then by the onion

finalmente

2A3s       Jan - Aug 2014

At last here is the final painting and some details

last couple of stages

here are the last stages of the painting i have been working on since early this year.

more red

and the response so far. its just a start but interesting the two batting off one another

red

They say that men are attracted to an orangey red while women prefer a pinky red. Personally I love them both. A tomato always seems so red in the veg patch but up against this much warmer red it is almost orange.

grass

lovely grass. 

Diary of a painting - 19 July 2014

scorchio in the studio but suffer we must.

Diary of a painting - 8 July 2014

8 july 2014

beginning to come together at last this painting

diary of a painting 6 July 2014

Finally back in the studio...

Diary of a painting 14 june 2014

Saturday 14 june 2014

Saturday 14 june 2014

Had a bit of unexpected time in the studio this afternoon after a visit from the Adagio group of the Ramblers to see the grove and taste some oil this morning - slaving over a hot BBQ - well not exactly slaving. Anyway put a couple more layers on this pm