AN ANGEL IN THE MEDINA

yo!.. Christmas present... innit!

out here in the cold.. 

 in the artist's winter studio.. 

I'm wondering why there is an angel.. 

 hiding in plain sight.. 

 on a canvas.. 

 in the rain.. 

 NOBODY MUST KNOW 

these days you cannot have an angel in a painting.. 

 it's bad enough you paint at all.. 

 but angels are not modern.. 

 not post-modern.. 

 not even contemporary.. 

 it's OK for balloon dogs.. 

 tins of artist's shit.. 

 plaster casts of house interiors.. 

interventions.. 

 installations.. 

 but angels? no way.. 

 maybe that's why it's so cold out here..

 

can you see the angel?

click on the pic for a larger image..

 NOBODY SETS OUT TO PAINT ANGELS 

 that there is an angel in my painting.. 

 is not my fault.. 

 I blame the past.. 

 and claim immunity.. 

 and plead the fifth..

BREXIT MUTATES

 yo!.. pear shaped innit!

as we speak..

here in palookaville..

things are changing fast..

LOCKED DOWN AND LOCKED OUT

don't panic..

it's only the flu..

thank fuck El Duce is on his way out..

because we need real leadership here..

DEAL OR NO DEAL

the euro union has pulled the plug..

the airports are closing..

the Chunnel is shutting..

freight is stoping..

roads are blocking..

people are opening presents early..

and on the railway platforms..

the msm are up in arms..

how can they cancel Christmas?.

and happy a hanukkah to yous all..

THAT WAS THE BREXIT THAT WAS

a new strain of the Brexit virus..

has come out of the south east..

and infected London and all the pubs..

time has been called on Christmas festivities..

and we must all stay home and watch tv..

except for the panic buying..

THIS IS AN EMERGENCY POST

we must all now got to bed..

to lie awake..

and dream of Christmas past..

to be continued....

THE EUROPEAN THEATRE

 yo!.. pantomime... innit?

here in palookaville..

tis the season to rejoice..

tis the season of goodwill..

to one an all..

an every year at this time..

we feel the need..

to put on make-up..

an dress as women..

or dress women as men..

put the pussy in boots..

an take the piss..

 A CHRISTMAS LIKE NO OTHER

this year in a bid to out do our competitors..

we have arranged everything just so..

the covid is spreading hard and fast..

the king is in his counting house..

the Brexit deal is bubbling up..

the pubs are shut..

the music's over..

the sport has had an early bath..

THE MAKE-UP ITCHES

nerves are on display..

back stage..

 fright and flight fight..

plenty of villains..

no shortage of suspects..

BUT THE COSTUMES FIT

the fruits de mare..

are up for grabs..

the autos blaring horns are loud..

the wine an cheese are warming up..

the audience is all agog..

EL REY PESCADORE

is playing in the pit..

scrooge is fighting with the ghosts..

Christmas past and presents..

but what of the future?

ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES

Humpty Dumpty has had a great fall..

little jack Horner..

must stand in the corner..

little bo peep..

has lost her sheep..

it's widow twankey in the study with a crowbar..

clueless in Seattle..

the foreigners look on in disbelief..

he's beeehiiiind you..

they call as with one voice..

loud an clear..

oh no he's not..

replies the slapstick lead..

I'm on my bleedin own out here..

IT'S NO GO THE FOREIGN HOLIDAY

please make it all go away..

call the crowds..

oh please lets us go away..

we did not mean it all at all..

IT WAS THEM WOT DUNNIT

the blame game has never stopped..

I guess it never will..

but whoever is to blame..

will it ring the bleedin till?.

ONCE MORE OUT OF THE LIMELIGHT

as the curtains come down..

the cast must all hold hands..

to bow and fac..

the audience..

to get the clap..

they so richly deserve..

OUR IAN

this is our ian on the right with ronnie at the oars in dumore east.. and this is pat, willum, ian, granny, ronnie and paulie outside paulie's..

 

on William street

in carrick-on suir, co. tipperary, ireland..

circa 1968

ian was mad for his cousins..

see the bags of spuds..

we used to think carrick was heaven..

OUR FRIENDS IN BRUSSELS

 yo!.. an they friends here... innit!

here in palookaville..

we may not know shit from sugar..

but we know the sound of old farts..

THE BACK STABBERS ARE BACK

the loyal thatcher colleagues..

are being wheeled out by the msm..

to rail against the folly..

of the disunited kingdom..

trying to leave the European cartel..

WE'RE ALL DOOMED

the bollox is on full volume..

the ports will be blocked..

we can't go on holiday..

our currency will crash..

socks will fall..

investors will run..

covid will reach new peaks..

the army will shrink..

the sky fall in..

it will rain every day..

and the earth will grow hot..

the weather will change..

pubs will stay shut..

FEAR IS THE KEY

we must be stopped at all costs..

nobody leaves the union..

it cannot be allowed to unravel..

make an example of the palookas..

'shoot one - scare 10,000'

WHO BUYS MOST STUFF FROM WHOM

after brexit new deals will be made..

they have to move their shit..

we will still be here in europe..

just not in the cartel..

an the rest of the world will go on..

yes it will suck for a while..

but will it suck forever..

probably not..

IT'S THE SOVEREIGNTY STUPID

yo!.. party time again... innit!

here in palookaville..

all is not what it seems..

the bollox about a trade deal..

gets louder..

as it always does..

to drown out the truth..

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

this was always about getting out from under..

this is not about economics or trade..

this is about..

who governs Britain..

I VOTED IN

in 1975 I voted to join the common market..

I was 23 and liked the idea of passport free travel..

I did not vote for ever closer union..

not for a superstate..

not for assimilation..

NOBODY ASKED THE COMMONWEALTH

we already had  world-wide trading partners..

the old empire had seen to that..

but we just ignored it..

or were we just ignorant..

TOO LATE TO STOP NOW

things will go pear shaped..

get used to it..

it's already fucked up now anyway..

but if we are going to go through this..

we should get on with it properly..

and not be cowed..

back under the euro thumb..

IT'S FRANCIS DRAKE AGAIN

freebooting, swashbuckling, fleet of foot..

you can laugh at that..

or you can cry..

fat's inna fire..

it's not the money..

it's not the jobs..

it's the future..

SO

here we are..

from near and far..

together again we meet..

to see our dear old pals again..

it surely is a treat..

we've made this jolly party guys..

so what more can we do..

we'll keep the music going..

and leave the rest to you..

so do as you please..

up with your knees..

it's party time again..

THE MAN WHO TOLD THE WAVES

 yo!.. wipe out... innit!

 

ex-president in waiting..

the mighty quiff..

orders tide..

to stop rolling in..

but waves don't listen..

FOULING THE NEST

it must be tough..

looking out over the water..

and seeing all of your..

admired dictators..

in north korea and russia and china..

still strutting their stuff..

while you have to walk..

IT'S DEMOCRACY STUPID

playing the sad, bad loser..

is not the american way..

but if you don't give a fuck about the American way..

then you aren't going to play..

are you..

 

nobody expected a tsunami..

but then they expected their president..

to prioritise saving american lives..

not to look after himself and his election agenda..

oppositions don't win elections..

governments lose them..

and he lost..

but is he big enough to admit it..

https://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/Tsunami/31203/370995/view

ALWAYS FIGURES FOR ME

 

yo!.. from a heart... innit!

become yourself..

graham Sutherland said that..

here in the souk..

the sun is heading home..

and still..

the figures come..

it's all a light show really..

reflect and wonder..

www.figuresinasouk.com

THREE RED PAINTINGS

most of the time..

 

I am looking..

reflecting and leaving well alone..

 

If a painting sits around long enough..

it will be painted over..

 

or altered,changed..

usually for the better..

 

but no guarantees..

 

these three have all been around the block a few times..

I am happy with them now..

 

for now..

 

 

 

here is a closer view of one..

 

click on any picture for a larger view..

 

 

 

 

www.figuresinasouk.com 

THE EYE OF THE STORM

yo!.. they think it's all over... innit? 

here in palookaville..

folks alla watchin a msm...

but it ain't news..

itta distraction..

it's called hazing..

get an keep yo attention..

wiv daft stuff..

lak trump an bollox lak at..

FAT LADY NOT SINGIN YET

Virus Growth Uncontrolled

On November 2st the U.S. had a 44% increase in daily COVID-19 to 93,581. The chart below indicates the second wave of infections did not decline to the first wave low. Thus, experts forecast a third winter wave peak of cases will be higher than the second spring wave peak...

Economic Activity Contracts

Unemployment Rises

Personal Income Falls

Consumers Miss Rent and Home Mortgage Payments

Rent and Mortgage Moratoriums Fail

Consumers Use Credit Cards To Make Payments

Small Business Landlords Default on Mortgages

Home Owners Default on Mortgages

Consumer Spending Dives

..For investors, this is the time to prepare for a possible severe economic storm coming this winter. Scott Minerd, Global CIO at Guggenheim, observes that we have a pause now giving us time to prepare for an economic whirlwind:

“the relative calm  we feel in the markets right now isn’t the end of the storm, it is just the eye, it may seem like there is no storm at all…yet the worst is yet to come.”

check out the full article..

and this..

https://slopeofhope.com/2020/11/pfuck-pfizer.html

an don't forget..

this is all just my own opinions..

based upon articles from the www..

so don't go doin stuff..

this is all just fo fun...

read the disclaimer..

and this comment from mish's site..

12 hrs

Here are the daily case:death numbers for November (USA)

so far, 

from worldometer..

Nov 1 Su 71,321:399

Nov 2 M 88,905:522

Nov 3 T 94,463:1199

Nov 4 W 108,352:1200

Nov 5 Th 118,204:1125

Nov 6 F 132,540:1248

Nov 7 Sa 127,894:1035

Nov 8 Su 109,659:544

Nov 9 M 127,316:641

Nov 10 T 135,653:1346

Nov 11 W 142,808:1478

Nov 12 Th 151,033:1090 (so far today)

The trend of new cases is exploding in the US. One only has to compare numbers to a week earlier. Every single day this week the case numbers increased by over 30k compared to 7 days earlier. Hospitalizations are increasing several thousand per day as well. If hospitals fill up like they did during the first wave, the US is going to see some ugly death numbers again.

Trump is still in charge until inauguration day. What is he doing about it? Tweeting, golfing, having tantrums, and firing people.

Worst President ever.

Realist

HERE COMES THE NIGHT

what if the night..

 

looks back in anger.. some paintings are darker.. 

 

that's just the way of it.. 

 

nobody plans to create the dark..

 

it's just sometimes..

 

the walk is on the wild side.. 

we should always look away from the abyss..

follow the sun..

 

anyway..

 

I hope you like this..

 

let's hope it gets people's attention..

 

there is much here to look at..

 

and think about.. 

www.figuresinasouk.com

THE ART OF CHAOS

In 2003 I made this movie/painting..

CHAOS 

it became popular on youtube and was shown on classicFM tv..

Branka parlić was kind enough to give her permission..

for me to use her recording of..

Gnossienne No.1 by Erik Satie..

to use as the sound track..

it was broadcast several times on classic FM tv and is on youtube..

people think that it is a music video and that my film is just incidental to the music..

which may be so now..

but it was conceived originally as a visual piece..

 

I had initially filmed in focus but the result was not interesting..

only when the shooting was out of focus was chaos born..

ADVENTURES IN CYBERSPACE

in the year 2000 I was using video to paint with.. 

it was not high definition but was the best quality I could afford at the time.. 

I wanted to make a movie/painting of the goose fair.. 

an annual event here in nottingham.. 

in this next series of posts.. 

I should like to share with you some of the fruits of my.. 

painting with light..

VENICE

don't look now..this is a 'figures in a souk' painting.. 

 

but it relates to venice italy..

 

there is a movie also

  don't expect a plot..it's more a painting than a regular movie..

 

 

click pic to enlarge..

 

 

www.figuresinasouk.com

FIGURES IN A SOUK

 

'figures in a souk' 

is an ongoing project..

 

it's a developing style..

a mature style.. the genesis is 68 years and counting..

rembrandt, rothko and turner..

 

others too..

but these three specifically.

I have learned also from cole porter..

 

 

 

www.figuresinasouk.com

 

TOTO CHECKS IN

this is toto

 

in is his squirrel watch chair

 

but today  he is directing photography

he was named at the pound..

we rescued him

 

and he rescued us

 

we are re-shooting

 

SUBURBAN SAFARI

 

which I first shot in 1976

 

  

 

shot with my zenih B, f3.5 lens on kodachrome

 

all my safari stuff here

 

 

  

this one is digital and much later

the elephants were first seen roaming across my grandmother's sideboard

 

when I was three

 

1955

 

 

 

THE SWAN RIDE

 the artist's gesture..

 

the great swoosh of the mark..

the passionate daub..

light, speed, colour..

the huge contrast with the care taken with the blended and blurred..

daring, dramatic, reckless..

destructive, creative, wild..

 

fairground inspiration..

light, movement, speed, colour and chaos

 I have this framed which is unusual..

 

you see it here in our home..

THE SUN BEATS DOWN

 

..ON SIDRERÍA MATUTE

 

 

 

 

in asturias everyone drinks cidre

and in the port of llanes

the is a cidreriaon the quayside..

ginny and I used to drink our sundowners there

it was hot at 19.00

you can have a nice holiday in llanes..

but it can also rain for a week

here I sit today

in the bungalow at lucknow

the sun beats down

as I read robert galbraith

 

strike and robin

are looking for dr. margot bamborough

who disappeared in 1974

it's a great big book

929 pages

 

https://charles-stuart.pixels.com/art/llanes

 

 

 

 

 

 

PARADISE LOST

THE FRUIT MACHINE STOPS

you always paint yourself..

you may not mean to..

but you do..

this here is one panel from a triptych..

the quatrefoyle is aligned..
in each panel.. 

the falling boy..

falls at different rates..

just as in slot machnes..

'one armed bandits'

the trick is to line up three symbols..

or images..

that are alike and in a row..

in the centre..t

hen it's payday..

you get a result..

you win

painted in oil on canvas..

1984

the full size of the three..

is 96 x 108 inches..

the title comes from 'the machine stops' by e m forster..

 

morris lewis has had some influence..

 

click here to see the whole triptych

 

 

SIX OF THE BEST

this maybe your only chance to see these..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 'Figures in a Souk' is a series of experimental oil paintings. I start out only to paint . The figures emerge from the canvas as the process develops. I usually like to paint over existing works of mine as that provides a unique starting point and existing textures and gestures. The Souk is an imagined interior with filtered light. You bring your own imagination to the work. What you see is determined by what you know, how you feel, what you believe.

figuresinasouk.com

THE LAST FIVE

 

JUST THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE A LOOK AT THESE

 

  'Figures in a Souk' is a series of experimental oil paintings. 

I start out only to paint. 

The figures emerge from the canvas as the process develops. 

I usually like to paint over existing works of mine 

as that provides a unique starting point 

and existing textures and gestures. 

The Souk is an imagined interior with filtered light. 

You bring your own imagination to the work. 

What you see is determined by what you know, 

how you feel, what you believe.

 

 www.figuresinasouk.com

ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS

yo!.. bottom line... innit!  

 

 (August 19)  

July 2020 Cass Freight Index® Held in Deep Annual Contraction, 

Consistent With Bottom–Bouncing Manufacturing, 

but Running Increasingly Counter to “Booming” Retail Sales 

(CassInfo.com, see detail at https://www.cassinfo.com/freight-audit-payment/cass-transportation-indexes/july-2020). 

 The year-to-year annual decline 

of 13.1% (-13.1%) in the July 2020 Cass Freight Index® 

remained deep in Pandemic-driven recession territory, 

having moved off its 17.8% (-17.8%) drop in June, 

and the near-record 23.6% (-23.6%) contraction in May, 

which held shy of the April 2009 Great Recession trough record plunge of 25.0% (-25.0%). 

The Cass Index’s consecutive monthly year-to-year declines 

and deepening month-to-month declines in the 12-month trailing average

 held in place for the 20th straight month. 

Those year-to-year and 12-month-moving-average metrics neutralize seasonality 

in this unadjusted series. 

ShadowStats regularly follows and analyzes the Cass Index 

as a highest-quality coincident and leading indicator of underlying economic reality.

 We thank Cass for their permission to graph and to use their numbers in our Commentaries.

 

http://www.shadowstats.com/

 

 NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

yes it's that room again..

BY THE TIME I GOT TO STURGIS

 yo!.. virus loves ta party... innit!

 

I came upon a crazy man
He was riding along the road
And I asked him, where are you going
And this he told me

 
I'm going on down to Sturgis town
I'm going to join a motorcycle band
I'm going to party out on the land
I'm going to try an' get my mouth free

 
We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to spread the virus
Across our nation

 

Then can I ride beside you
I have come here to lose my health
And I need to be a part of something spreading

 
Well maybe it's just the danger
Or maybe it's the time to shout
I don't care who I infect
But you know the virus is for spreading

 
We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to spread the virus
Across our nation

 

By the time I got to Sturgis
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration

 
And I dreamed I saw the nurses
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were watching people die
Across our nation

 
We are careless
Billion year old carbon
We are stubborn
Caught in the viral bargain

 
And now we're going to to spread ourselves
Across our nation

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/21/us/sturgis-motorcyle-rally-sd-covid-nebraska-trnd/index.html

 

South Dakota 'super-spreader' biker rally could be linked to 250,000 coronavirus cases

More than 400,000 people are thought to have attended this year's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally over the course of 10 days

 

HOW MANY MORE TIMES

yo!.. dazed an confused... innit!

KINDLY SHUT UP NOW AND CO-OPERATE

time to stop bitching..

leadership has proved clueless..

time to face the facts..

work together by staying apart..


NO MORE DIS-UNITED STATES PLEASE

It is extremely transmissible, through not just coughed droplets but also a fine aerosol mist that is expelled when people talk loudly, laugh or sing and that can linger in indoor air. As a result, masks are far more effective than scientists once believed.

Virus carriers with mild or no symptoms can be infectious, and there may be 10 times as many people spreading the illness as have tested positive for it.

The infection may start in the lungs, but it is very different from influenza, a respiratory virus. In severely ill patients, the coronavirus may attach to receptors inside the veins and arteries, and move on to attack the kidneys, the heart, the gut and even the brain, choking off these organs with hundreds of tiny blood clots.

Most of the virus’s victims are elderly, but it has not spared young adults, especially those with obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes. Adults aged 18 to 49 now account for more hospitalized cases than people aged 50 to 64 or those 65 and older.

Children are usually not harmed by the virus, although clinicians were dismayed to discover a few who were struck by a rare but dangerous inflammatory version. Young children appear to transmit the virus less often than teenagers, which may affect how schools can be opened.

Among adults, a very different picture has emerged. Growing evidence suggests that perhaps 10 percent of the infected account for 80 percent of new transmissions. Unpredictable superspreading events in nursing homes, meatpacking plants, churches, prisons and bars are major drivers of the epidemic.

from the new york times

    YOUR VIRUS NEEDS YOU

without you it will die..

distance is not futile..

apart we can stop this thing..

oh yeah!..

and wear a mask

here is a reply to a comment on mish's site

njbr

6 hrs

It's obvious that you believe that it's OK that a certain percentage of people will die or be permanently harmed because you are unwilling to wear a mask, or enforce mask-wearing, or social distancing.

Because no-one actually wants businesses to be shut down or closed. That is the honest truth.

What Sweden is showing is that if people can maintain social discipline, there is less need for hard shut-downs.

Wear an effn mask. Keep your distance. Don't hang out in bars shouting over the noise and music. Simple stuff like that. That's it. It's not hard.

It's the ignorant or the assholes who push up the rate of infections by refusing to do those simple things.

As a result, it is the ignorant and assholes who are ending up making stricter closures necessary because the ignorant and assholes are making more people sick faster than what would have happened and are killing people who otherwise might not have died at this time.

FIRST 30 DAYS FREE

yo!.. wonderful life... innit!




I was reading this post..

https://slopeofhope.com/2020/07/jack-bogles-wonderful-life.html

and it made me want to share..

sure it's everyone's favourite movie right?

well maybe not so much these days..

cos these days..


EVERYONE WANTS TO BE RICH


an it shows..

not so much bedford falls..

more like pottersville..

every day..


POTTER PUTS THE MEAN IN MEANWHILE


in neighbouring palookaville..

we are agog at the..

lack of a president..

in pottersville..

from here it looks like a world of pain..


BASEBALL CANCELLED

APPLE PIE CANCELLED

MOM AN POP CANCELLED


no-one wants ta co-operate..


THIS POST TERMINATES HERE

due to lack of interest..


PASSENGERS FOR AMERICA MUST WAIT FOR ANOTHER TRAIN

OLD WOODEN FISHING BOATS IN TAVIRA

in tavira, algrave..

we found these abandoned boats..

high and dry..

in the fiece afternoon heat..

just rotting away..

here are a few of the works inspired by this find..

MORE GREAT PLANS REVEALED

one of ginny's birthday card designs..

one of my airbrush pieces from 1980's..

two from the american spiritual series..

limited edition screen print..

native americans in the bag..

student piece from 1975

this one has a fault..

one of the images is upside down..

oh dear, how sad, never mind..

THE PLAN CHEST OPENS UP

yo!.. first look... innit!

in a perfect world..

the drawers would not be crammed together..

they would slide out..

alone and with ease..

note that this is far from a perfect plan chest..


MANY THINGS IN ONE DRAWER


in this top drawer..

first up we can see..

on the left..

oil and gouache on hand made paper..

from the native american survivors idea...

while on the right are..

some of the..

uncle sam's buttons series..

oil pastel, gouache on water-colour board..

looking at these again..

with 'primitive' showing in the drawer..

more stuff appearing now..

another of the native american survivors..

in the drawer some experimental quatrefoyles..

and on the top..

native australian influenced 'primitive' images..

gouache on cardboard..

return of the primitive..