MY MASTERPIECE

 

                                                      yo!.. blue remembered hills.. innit!

long ago..

and so very far away..

I painted this picture..

at the time..

I was artist-in residence..

at the general hospital..

in palookaville..

I had this great big studio..

a whole nightingale ward..

to myself..

I had all the oil paints, turps, brushes and canvases..

I could ever wish for..

I had a small grant..

and a free lunch..

THE RICHEST MAN ALIVE

for who could ask for more..

anyway..

before I started painting the USAAF decals..

I painted the first image at the top of this post..

WATCH WITH MOTHER

it was 1984..

and 9/11..

was way in the future..

I was using figures from children's illustrated story books..

it was a thing for me then..

I had this sketch..

in my book..

that had rupert the bear..

crucified upside down..

to his little airplane from one of the rupert stories..

that would be the airplane not the crucifixion..

micky mouse was looking in through the window from outside the house..

that this was happening in..

so..

 given that I had the means, motive and opportunity..

I figured that I may as well..

go large..

so many litres of white spirit later..

after some great struggle..

this canvas was born..

a star..

so here we have the the resulting masterpiece..

but..

sometime during eternity..

rupert the bear..

has gone blackface..

he still has his red jumper and plaid yellow trousers..

so we can identify him clearly..

so why has his face gone black?

well sometime during the painting process..

I was in the zone..

having to spin the 8 ft x 5 ft..

canvas around over my head..

to get the soaking wet canvas with all of it's white spirit..

(turpentine)

to drain off in the desired direction..

I was in a painting frenzy..

it was great fun..

if a little tiring..

sometime during this creative fog of war..

rupert's face went black..

not premeditated m' lord..

but never the less..

OUT OF THE TOY BOX

the figures on the left of the painting..

are a jolly bunch of middle class pals..

called tiger tim and friends..

they are in shock and awe..

at the sight of the innocent rupert..

in such a fix..

IS THIS A LYNCHING ?

well after watching the george floyd killing on the news..

it may seem that way..

IS THIS 9/11

that would make the painting..

prescient..

spooky no?..

MEDIUM COOL

well..

I guess the answers lie in the news..

all of the filmed and videoed..

violence and tragedy..

endlessly watched by us all..

our faces reflecting horror..

and dismay..

but watch we still do..

in sharing this with you today..

it occurs to me that some may be offended..

by the black face of rupert..

and say it is somehow..

a racist work..

that, I believe, would be a mistake..

this is a powerful work of art..

but it cannot be seen by anyone at this time..

and so cannot be debated..

as it is held in the store room..

of a UK city..

who bought the painting long ago..

but will not adopt it into their public collection..

for whatever reason..

 I do not know..

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY"S

yo!.. just another day.. innit!

 

the thing about this great sourdough wholemeal toast..

is trying to get the butter and honey..

on the bits without the holes..

and anyway..

it runs off through the holes..

and down yer painter's smock..

WORKING WITH BRUSHES

I sit here every morning..

amongst all my painty stuff..

an eat my toast..

an drink my coffee..

an look at all my lovely paintings..

 HOPE SPRINGS

I get ideas..

see stuff..

reach for the camera..

there is so much to record..

I love this place..

maybe I will add a finishing touch..

paint over some lacklustre canvas..

go inside the house..

an write stuff like this..

THE REST OF THE ROBOTS

I wonder what the new slaves..

will do for breakfast..

and how will they think up stuff to create..

surely some i.t. dude will have to tell em what to do..

the idea that silicon beings..

are being created..

to out art us artists..

intelligence and skills..

far superior to ours..

VOTING EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS

all us turkeys..

gonna be put down..

or become pets..

just saying..

 

after breakfast..

the brushes..

come out to play..

where are we going today dad?

brushes get old..

and wear out..

just like we do..

 slaves to our art..

but human beings..

all the same..

PLANET ON A PLATE

 

yo! world inna grain a sand.. innit!

 

 

I use dinner plates as mixing palettes..

 

when I paint in oils..

 

this top one was used for 'my Indian Green'..

 

cool innit!

 

This really hot plate..

is volcanic..

it's a totally tectonic plate..

it's a real toasty world..

 

GLOBAL BOLLOCKS

 

yes the climate is changing..

it always has changed and always will..

cold ages and warmer ones..

you know ice ages happen..

 is it our fault..

probably some of it is..

but really it's all up to the sun and it's solar activity

 

we are not allowed to challenge..

the current orthodoxy..

but we don't have to believe everything that they say.. 

we just have to go along..

you know..

go along to get along..

 

NOAH SAYS DO THIS

 

maybe we should prepare..

save the animals and stuff..

but maybe not panic..

because it's already baked in..

and we are but little dudes..

compared to the sun.. 

CHANGE SUCKS

I useually don't like change..

not even the changing of the seasons..

 

I'M ALL RIGHT LUMBERJACK

 

 log rollers know one thing above all else..

keep on rolling..

if you try to stand still..

the logs will roll you over into the river..

and then..

and then they roll over you..

 

 

 

 

 

 

WILL WE ALWAYS HAVE PARIS ?

 yo!.. first response.. innit!

above in the middle of this picture is the centre panel of..

DEATH IN PARIS

as a painter..

living in a safe suburb..

somewhere not paris..

I had these larger canvases..

sitting around with nothing to do..

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

the tough get painting..

so I painted this triptych..

as part of the..

'figures in a souk' series..

'will we always have paris?'..

I asked myself..

and you too I suppose..

because sometimes..

it feels that civilisation is breaking down..

you know..

civility, tolerance, community, art..

ANYWAY

this was the effect that news had on my art..

one painting, three panels..

the souk can be a dangerous place..

as well as a place to shop..

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Will-We-Always-Have-Paris/31203/2705863/view

                       November 2015 Paris attacks

MY INDIAN GREEN

so..

I had this canvas..

painted orange..

 

and as you can see here..

orange looks good in the garden..

so green was coming to this dude..

and so it was that..

I got out the green..

and set to painting over all that orange..

hoping to know when to stop..

I mean..

you never know..

if something good will appear..

or not..

GLOBAL WARNING

I looked up..

and saw this Indian palace..

in the heat of the day..

after rain..

maybe..

I saw these people walking..

and the images of pollution..

shown on the telly..

somewhere in delhi..

some slum dog millionaires..

choking on poisoned airs

ANYWAY

I sat in my garden chair..

you know..

the one in the studio..

and looked at this painting..

and I could see dogs and cats..

and elephants..

and heat and dust and light..

at first I thought of..

the spring rains in africa..

the karoo..

and serengeti..

but no..

INDIAN GREEN

is what it is..

for now..

at least..