PALETTE EARTH

 yo!.. dark clouds gatherin.. innit!

 I was painting today..

 

and saw my palette and thought about stuff..

 

you know..

 

gaza..

 

ukraine..

 

an it don't look good..

 

 

 

 

 

COVENANT

yo!.. xanadu.. innt!

 

 so this is the first time..

that this circle..

 

with the quatrefoil..

appears in any of my paintings..

 

I have painted it many times since..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

so here is a link to some more of these works..

AN EARTHQUAKE IN THE SOUK

 yo!.. after shock.. innit!

 

we are just as nothing..

here in this world..

everything can just fall apart..

in an instant..

in our sleep..

 an earthquake in the souk..

or a river runs through it..

and all we can do..

here in palookaville

 is watch on tv..

in horror and dread..

earthquakes and floods..

rubble and dust..

and lots of local people..

searching..

bereft..

KITCHEN SINK REDEMPTION

yo! .. portrait of god.. innit!

 

long ago when I was a young boy..

I came home one evening..

from playing out in the snow..

in the winter darkness..

I was freezing cold and soaking wet..

my knees were black..

from the dye of the cheap black jeans I had on..

my mother sat me on the draining board..

in the kitchen..

and bathed me in the kitchen sink..

I thought of this much later in my studio..

at the general hospital..

in 1984..

I thought of painting a portrait of god..

I was younger then..

anyway..

I look at this painting now..

(above is not the finished painting)

or at least a jpg of it..

and what I see now is not a deity..

but a pope..

a figure at the base of a crucifixion..

a screaming pope..

WHERE'S THE SCREAM ?

well look at the face of this teddy bear..

not all screams are alike..

this one is more like a smile..

or a look..

it's a sunburst..

a grind..

a smirk and a chaos..

it's not an ever fixed mark..

it 's a moveable feast..

a great notion..

it's an anomaly a gap in time..

warped space..

I had used all the colours that I had available..

to make this odd..

unnatural..

cosmic..

different..

it's an ecstacy in paint..

NOBODY EXPECTS A HANGING

this painting was bought by Leeds schools art loan scheme in 1986.. 

and was on my page at artUK..

but that scheme has closed and the painting..

is awaiting adoption by the Leeds city art collection..

this has been going on for some years now..

so I sit here in the sink..

in the cold kitchen..

here in palookaville..

and it's beginning to feel like..

an eternity..

INFLATION 1980

 yo!.. look back in wonder..innit!

                         

here in palookaville..

we think the mortgage rate @6% is high..

but when this photo was taken..

the rate was 15.5%..

NOT JUST THE JOB WALTER

sitting here with my boss standing next to me..

I was 28..

It was a good job..

graphics and photography..

we all had a 16% raise in 1979..

and 21% raise in 1980..

then the job was made redundant..

me out first..

then the boss..

then the whole drawing office..

I moved house..

into the centre of the city..

sold the car..

we brewed all our own beer..

switched off the hot water and the heating..

I had to sell all my marvel comics..

for £500  that's £2,743.18 pounds today..

that's $3453.

to pay the mortgage arrears..

SOCIAL SECURITY

there was help with mortgage interest payments back then..

and grants for students as well..

I went back to college..

qualified as a teacher..

mortgage rates went down..

eventually..

but 10.5% was still normal..

our actual mortgage amount was for £14,000..

the new house had cost us £23,000 in 1980..

our previous house we bought for £11,500..

in 1978..

we sold it for £21,000+..

in 1980..

THE VALUE OF PAPER MONEY

people here in palookaville..

talk of getting on the housing ladder..

they think houses only go up in value..

but the truth is..

it's the money that goes down in value..

it's all just inflation really..

MIGHTY MARVEL MELT UP

I wonder what my marvel comics are worth now..

the first 36 spideys..

(all the Steve ditkos)

first 20 x-men..

first 24 Conan the barbarian..

many more..

ROBOTS READ MY BLOG

 yo!.. come all ye bots.. innit!

here in palookaville..

viewing traffic has gone apeshit..

google stats show viewing spikes..

all over town..

I SMELL A BOT

when you get 82 visits from Japan in one day..

or 199 from singapore all in a day..

you know the bots are back..

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN

instead of teaching our children..

we are training machines how to say and write and draw..

dumb stuff..

they think that  now that we are all dumbed down..

by the clever politics and media..

we will need machines to entertain and inform us all..

with ever dumber stuff..

ANSWER THE F*CKING PHONE

the robots not answering the phones of the business and government..

are so crap that they are to be promoted..

just like in real life..

when the bots come to palookaville..

they at least get a laugh..

MY FINE ART

the bots are also..

all over my stuff on faa..

it started with beverley hills..

but is mostly new york..

with some from riyadh..

some 2500 - 5000 a day or more..

it makes it difficult..

to see the real visits..

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH

If you think that what you are reading, watching or listening to..

is created by a machine..

just turn it off..

shut it down..

do not buy it..

it's..

your future..

your choice..

MISTER PITIFUL

yo!.. los angeles 3.. innit!

this image above is from psycho..

it's not marilyn..

it's Janet leigh..

apart from the appalling attack in the shower..

I have given her the warhol treatment..

to make her look like marilyn..

a soup can marilyn..

like pop art..

innit!

ICONOCLASM

the destruction of icons..

that famous and beautiful face..

has had some art worked on it..

I am sorry for my part in this now..

at the time I was only thinking of myself..

and my little screen print..

so here you can see..

my cunning plan..

one print with  the image on both sides and with cut out and folded flaps..

with the second print beneath it..

clever innit!

I SAW THIS AND THOUGHT OF YOU

andy had given her the soup can treatment..

pile em high and sell em cheap..

mass reproduction..

just like elvis or the mona lisa..

15 minutes of lame..

on reflection..

I feel now that this was..

a poor show..

in 'marilyn reframed'

we are introduced to a great person..

the greatest photographer's model of all time..

she ran the whole show..

she had all the guts they ever made..

possibly the most famous face in the world..

and a great actress..

I was ten when she died..

she was the most beautiful woman in the world..

you can spend a long time in Hollywood..

and never see the part they put in movies..

farewell my lovely..

LOS ANGELES TWO

yo!.. closer than that walter.. innit! 

So..

angelinos..

here is the missing image..

the painting with the angels..

EVERYBODY KNOWS THEY AIN'T NO SANITY CLAUSE

nobody believes in angels..

yet here they are..

not observed from life..

obviously..

but here in art..

they appear..

and reappear..

sometimes in the great paintings..

of the old masters..

(how long before that name is cancelled)

THE OLD MISTRESSES

are always the best..

and there were often angels..

with messages..

or immaculate..

concepts..

LATER THAT SAME DAY

get to the f*cking point..

I am dawdling here..

because I am awaiting..

divine inspiration..

ah that's better..

here at last..

better late than never..

evidence..

yes there are angels..

but only in art..

and only before modernism..

when you are painting..

things happen..

figures reveal themselves..

sometimes immediately..

sometimes they emerge gradually..

sometimes they appear darker..

sometimes they appear so cool..

no two angels appear the same..

sometimes they look just like ordinary joes..

like waiting for the walk sign..

walk..

 don't walk..

believe don't believe..

free will an all..

your choice..

figuresinasouk.com

city of angels

MONA LISA NOT

 

yo!.. diffrent strokes.. innit!

in the movies..

it's all about faces..

it's what created the big stars..

really big faces..

up there..

on the silver screen.

huge and..

in your face..

imagine the power..

of two huge beautiful faces..

kissing and canoodling..

and..

looking back at you..

and later..

talking to each other..

and again to you..

POWER'S IN THE FACE MICK

always was..

so

wtf is going on in this little epic..

three figures..

without a face between them..

Leonardo would not approve..

BEAUTY IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

could be..

that these figures..

have beautiful faces..

but they have to keep them covered..

so as not to create desire..

incite lust..

THE OPPOSITE OF PORN

hide beauty and avoid lust..

like covering up..

the legs of a piano..

SOMETIME LATER

thing is..

the human face..

is the most erotic..

part of the body..

THE EYES HAVE IT

they attract..

they stare into yours as you climax..

you know how to climax don't you.

you just put your lips together..

and blow..

the eyes again..

the lips..

the tongue..

this is where the action starts..

when you are teen aged..

you want to see the hidden parts..

the opposite sex..

(not sure you're allowed say that anymore)

but you miss the obvious..

the really great sex..

is right in front of you..

face to face..

innit 

so  maybe mona..

is the racy image..

and all those..

faces in art..

and photography..

all portraits..

of profane love..

VANITY OF VANITIES

meanwhile

back at the souk..

it looks like three figures in burkas..

but really..

it's just a gesture..

or three strokes of the brush..

the big square at the back..

well that all started as a carpet..

a simplification of the souk..

into a single shape..

a magic carpet maybe..

a sacred symbol perhaps..

SO WE PAINT ON

backs against the current..

bourn back ceaselessly..

into the mystic..

HOW TO MURDER YOUR BRAND

 yo!.. brand new mess.. innit!

here in palookaville..

we know how to ruin a good thing..

here is a list..

1. change the logo..

2. capsize your boat..

with your brand name on the side..

leave it half submerged for months..

with all the world watching..

3. change the name..

4. change the boss..

uh oh..

loss of attention alert..

IF IN DOUBT

do nothing..

lie down in a darkened room..

take a vacation..

get a real job..

get out more..

take a walk..

talk to the people in the street..

don't mention gender..

LOS ANGELES

 yo!.. funny ole life.. innit?

this space is  for the painting..

that is missing from this post..

because the pic of it is in another town..

on another mac..

you would be forgiven for expecting it..

to be in the cloud..

it being an angel an all..

but then..

this is palookaville..

come back again..

in a while..

evva boddy nose..

I am the author of the great series of paintings called..

figures in a souk..

usually it's folks..

standin around talking or shoppin..

or just chillin out..

together or apart..

in a souk..

 BUT THEN

every now and again..

a funny figure appears..

it looks like a dude with a back pack..

but what if it is really..

a dude with wings..

NOBODY EXPECTS

to see angels..

in a modern painting..

any artist would want..

not to be seen..

anywhere near anything angelic..

it's just not modern..

ISN'T MODERNISM DEAD

I thought it was all over..

so last century..

but everywhere you go..

you get people using the word modern..

to describe stuff..

especially houses..

as modern..

even though they are not..

they can be 'new' or 'contemporary'..

but unless they are built in the modern style...

you know..

cantilevers an stuff..

concrete an glass etc.

they ain't modern..

lavatory or not..

ANYWAY

I have this painting..

standing in my studio..

with a bunch of cistine chapel types..

hanging out in the souk..

maybe..

watching folk..

keeping a beady..

out for whatevva..

I expect that..

sooner or later..

the arts council will show up..

in a taxi..

with a large eraser..

to rub out the offending angel..

and return the painting to..

an acceptable..

 secular state..

NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH ACQUISITION

it would be nice..

if the painting..

be allowed..

to hang out in spain..

with valasqueth..

in the prado..

but more likely it will go into a skip..

CARY GRANT AND JEAN ARTHUR

it may be that this dude is no angel..

but a terrorist with a backpack..

there seems to be a lot of that about..

terrorism and backpacks..

dudes from hell..

expecting heaven..

how likely is that..

anyway..

there maybe a lot of dudes with backpacks these days..

but..

ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS

it occurs to me now..

as I write this..

that looking at the colours here..

and the way the figures are realised..

that maybe all..

or at least most of the figures here..

are angels..

standing around like actors..

in  

CITY OF ANGELS

it's a movie I like..

nicolas cage and meg Ryan..

what's not to like..

anyway..

SQUARE BUT MODERN

the yellow square..

is obviously the sun..

what else could it be..

figuresinasouk.com

city of angels

onlyangelshavewings

ENTER THE SUN

 yo!.. night in armour shining.. innit!

 

 

I was sitting in the studio..

having an evening beer..

when I noticed the sun..

 had come out to play..

and was playing on one of my paintings..

 seems to be pretending..

 to be a horse..

or a knight like in chess..

maybe wants to play chess..

which would leave me struggling..

as chess and me don't mix..

I am not good at next moves..

I don't think several moves ahead..

I'm not a stepping stone kind of guy..

not a multi-tasker either.. 

it's one thing at a time for me..

so I'm drinking the beer..

and the sun is doing the painting..

not a bad job at all..

the sun paints with light..

but it does not last..

so I went and got the camera..

and here we are..

sharing a moment together..

me with a beer..

 

EX BORIS

 yo!.. load of old Boris innit!

here in palookaville..

the sheets have hit the fan..

boris scofield has walked out of parliament..

boris johnson has walked out on the dogs breakfast..

boris trump has walked out on democracy..

TIE ME KANGAROO COURT SPORT

tired of accusations of lack of new material..

they have decided to jump ship..

the public are devastated..

shocked and awed..

but mostly confused..

PEAK BORIS

is now a long time ago..

and holly wood..

and all the gang..

are crying shame..

AFTER THIS EPISODE OF SOAP

you will be confused..

and confounded..

but mostly bored..

the lines between entertainment..

and politics..

have blurred and morphed..

some say it is the new androids..

who will not stop chatting..

and making things up..

out of old cliches..

and blonde wigs..

WIGS ON THE GREEN

that's what we have..

here in palookaville..

home of the happy viewers..

THESE BORIS ARE MADE FOR WALKING

when the going gets tough..

the tough get going..

GOING GOING BUT NOT YET GONE

we must hope to lock the door..

and keep them out..

for they never mean to leave for good..

unless we hold them to account..

keep them at bay..

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT

THINK OUTSIDE THE CLICHE

 yo!.. come all ye robots.. innit!

here in palookaville..

we are busy creating artificial dumbness..

machines that can think for ourselves..

not yet as dumb as us..

but approaching it fast..

the geeks in charge..

pretend that it is all for the greater good..

but really..

it's all for the greater profits..

the amounts of money they think they will make..

is so awesome that they can easily ignore any negative possibilities..

SURELY IT WILL ALL END IN TEARS

well that's a view beginning to leak out of the lab..

and there's the fact that..

we will have no jobs..

so maybe slow down a little on this?

no chance..

GENIE'S OUT OF THE LAMP

like cell phones..

and automobiles..

we must adopt and survive..

or get left behind..

or even worse..

left out..

DUMBING UP

all the early stuff will be dumb anyway..

taught cliches by dumb humans..

to do our dumb human jobs..

it's when the new dumb slaves..

create the newer cliche-free..

next generation..

then what?

AMERICAN LANDSCAPE

 yo!.. one that got away.. innit!

in the winter 1994 edition of..

modern painters..

I placed this ad..

waste of time and money..

shit happens..

get over it..

30 YEARS ON

well 29 years nearly anyway..

I am writing this..

because it is coronation day..

and I am bored rigid..

on another three day weekend..

banks don't need holidays..

people do..

so why not just give the days to the folks.. 

and let us all have ordinary days..

where we can work..

ANYWAY

the point about this painting..

is that it is gone..

got lost in life somewhere..

chucked in a skip perhaps..

maybe painted over..

who knows..

sometimes you think you have created..

something good, worthwhile, profound..

maybe you have..

maybe not..

people need to see it..

get feedback..

encouragement maybe..

SOME OF THESE DAYS YOU'LL MISS ME HONEY

I think it was rejected from..

the royal academy summer show..

maybe I should have framed it..

maybe I'm just lost in space..

like in the movie..

DARK STAR

this usage decal has always..

been on my mind..

it's my american gothic..

you start out full of promise..

and belief..

looking for a bigger bang..

sometimes I thing we got there..

maybe for a minute..

or maybe just a..

flash in the pan..

is there gold in them there hills?..

it's an american landscape..

a 20th century fox..

they have a military bearing..

scared and battered survivors..

testament to hope..

let there be light..

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE MOVIE

The bomb, 

having learned Cartesian doubt, trusts only itself. 

It is convinced that only it exists, 

and that its sole purpose in life is to explode, 

and it does so. 

Dark Star is destroyed,