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..