TALES FROM THE SKETCHBOOK 2

TERRACOTTA ARMY

just thinking about chinese art an stuff..

I made these sketches among others..

from looking at the terracotta army..

they are not documentary..

just imagined..

most of my stuff is..

imagined..


SURVIVORS

in the waste wood box..

in the design and tech. dept..

I went looking for off cuts that..

I could use to make figures..

these figures were..

created according to how their parts..

were already formed..

you know off cuts..

I was inspired by picasso..

his painting..


THE BATHERS


for which he constructed wooden figures to draw from..

mr. cut out gun..

was one of the first..

here though we are looking at the..

oil on paper drawings..

inspired by the terracotta army..

TIME IS MONEY

1982

THE FOUR MINUTE WARNING


we were still living with the threat..

of nuclear annihilation..

yep! at any time..

just 4 minutes left to live..

what would you do?

my generation have been very lucky so far..

we never had to go to war..

vietnam was something on the tv..

we have watched a lot of wars..

but never had to fight..


HOW BIG IS YOUR DICK


the first thing people ask..

when you say you are an artist..

is

do you sell many pictures..

or

are you a professional artist..

or

how much do you make?

they only want to know how much you are worth..

are you rich like them?


MONEY IS NOT WEALTH


time is wealth..

if you have a lot of it..


the things we have when young..

cannot be bought with money..

and once gone..

cannot be got back..


ON THE OTHER HAND


we have to eat..

and being poor is no fun..

so it is all about balance..

live, spend, save..


WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES


and on what streets do they live?


the people who run this land..

want you dumb..

they want you servile..

time poor..

living hand to mouth..

with no savings..

and no healthcare..

so we all have to wise up..

and teach ourselves..

read around..

get smart..


EVERYONE KNOWS THE MARKET IS FIXED


but you still have to build a cushion..

information is not knowledge..

knowledge is not wisdom..

wisdom takes time..


THE RICH GET RICH FROM THE DUMB


look at the shit they sell us..

so..

buy smart..

eat smart..

invest the rest..

only in things you understand..

spread your investments around..

invest regularly..

not all at once..

buy when there's blood on the floor..


leave horse and you'll..

get grass..

be patient and..

grass will turn into milk..

WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING

apparently some people sit in front..

of gambling machines..

putting coins into a slot..

and pulling down hard on the handle..

in the hope of winning more coins..

than they lose..


ONE ARMED BANDITS


according to my limited knowledge..

these are known as fruit machines..

when the arm goes down..

wheels spin..

wheels with pictures of fruit or whatever..

spin until they stop..

you are hoping for three identiclal symbols in a row..

there is a chance you will get your money back..

but you probably won't..


THE FRUIT MACHINE STOPS

so as you can see..

when the fruit machine stops..

well it's not good..

the title is a take on..

the machine stops..

by e m forster..

Plot summary.
The story describes a world in which most of the human population..
has lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth.
Each individual now lives in isolation below ground..
in a standard room,
with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global..
Machine.

“The Machine Stops”
reflects Forster's concerns about the future of humanity,
and the key theme centres on the consequences..
of humanity's dependence upon technology.

Those who do not accept the deity of the Machine..
are viewed as 'unmechanical'
and are threatened with "Homelessness".

While experiencing the outer air,
Kuno realized the flaws of the Machine,
 
how the Machine is controlling the humans,
 
and it was the humans that created the Machine..
 instead of the Machine that created humans.

What is the persuasive message of “The Machine Stops”?

If we become too dependent on technology, we will lose our humanity.

If we destroy the earth, we will be forced to live underground.
 
The fate of the human race depends upon the technologies that we develop.


In 'The Machine Stops',
homelessness is the only real punishment used in society,
reserved for those who represent a threat to the status quo.

When a person is rendered 'homeless',
they are forcibly ejected from the machine,
onto the planet's surface.

------

so not about gambling then?

as if..

HONEY I SOLD A MUG

yo!.. love it when this happens... innit!





this is one of my national geographic period paintings..

I did these in and around 1981..

anyway take a bow charles demuth..

charles sheeler..

so the big deal today is..

I sold a mug..

WHAT ON EARTH WAS I THINKING

so I was in this huge circular studio..

It had been a hospital ward..

with beds and stuff..

It was a time of plenty..

all the canvas and oils I could possibly want..

I could afford to throw the paint around..

and spin the spirit soaked canvases around..

to manipulate the run off..

I would paint in the zone..

fast and furious..

using as many colours as possible..

decorators brushes..

palette knives..

drawing directly with the paint tube..


BUT WHAT WAS I THINKING


I had decided to use this gothic window..

with a view over hills and sky..

an idealised landscape..

a vision of paradise..


BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TEDDY BEAR


when I was a little kid..

we would play out on the waste piece..

all day and evening..

and come home muddy and soaked..

my mother would put me in the kitchen sink..

and scrub me clean..


SO THIS IS ME RIGHT


not really..

this is god..

yes you heard me correctly..

I was trying to create a different image..

something unseen before..

something powerful and dramatic..

something cosmic..

divine..

other..


WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT MODERNISM


don't get me wrong..

I love the paintings..

mondrian, rothko, pollock, whatever..

but that century was over..

robert hughes had said so..


THE SHOCK OF THE SHOCK


so I find myself..

long on supplies..

but short..

the big idea..

so freedom's just another word..

for nothing left to lose lose..

so..

madonna and child..

madonna off screen..

maybe still in make-up..

the baby deity..

is washing up..

washing away the sins of the world..


SO WHY IS HIS HEAD EXPLODING..


well it's a halo thing I guess..

you know..

the sun god..

lit from behind..

slowdazzle..

it's a fauvist thing innit..

wild animal artist..

goes walkabout with paint..

splashing out..

letting go..

POWER IN THE SHOWER

everyone's obsessed with celebrity..

nothing gets attention like a famous face..

the most famous icons of the most famous faces..

will always sell..

if you want to get noticed..

call on the power of celebrity..


do not try to be original..

if it can't be googled..

it can't be found..

iconoclasm

TALES FROM THE SKETCHBOOK

this is a page from my sketchbook from around 1978..

we are looking at the top image..


WATCH WITH MOTHER


this was the first time I had imagined this image..

later say 1980 ish..

I would produce an airbrush version using water-colour inks..

If I find a pic of it I will show it to you some time..

today I have this page from my sketchbook..


and this..





'watch with mother' was painted in oil on canvas 8ft wide 5 feet high in 1983/4 when..
I was artist in residence..

at nottingham general hospital..

before the hospital was closed and moved to QMC.

my studio was a circular victorian ward which allowed me to paint large oil canvases.

I was there from 1983 to 1986 and completed 27 or so large oils in that time..

this one started off as a small sketch in my note book..

with a mickey type mouse looking through the window into the room..

where rupert the bear was nailed to his airplane..

the 'toby twirl annual' characters were not in the original sketch..

but were essential to the large oil painting.


I thought I would share this today..

as I was reminded of the painting..

by what was happening over George Floyd..

watching that terrible murder..

on video..

and also I am reminded of watching the 9/11..

atrocity with my mother on that awful tuesday..


RAG TAG AND BOBTAIL

when I was pre-school..

my mother and I would watch these shows..

monday : picture book

tuesday : andy pandy..

wednesday : bill and ben the flowerpot men..

thurday : rag tag and bobtail..

friday : the woodentops..


these days we all watch in dread..

stuff you could not make up..

UNCLE SAM'S BUTTONS

HARMONY NOT DISCORD


one of the ideas I had..

while supervising a class of kids..

was for a series of buttons (badges)..


UNCLE SAM'S BUTTONS


one for each american ethnic group..

the idea of the buttons is..


UNITY IN DIVERSITY


a symbol of racial pride..

one for everyone..

so..




african american..

native american..

spanish american



wasp

------

ALSO




CIA

ARMY

------

ALSO

nebraska

-----

AND

AMERICAN BLACK

I painted a series of large oil canvases..

starting in 1985..


AMERICAN LANDSCAPE


these are musings on american states..

not geographic but emotional..

so feel good, feel bad, belonging, identity..

looking at what is happening in the states at the moment..

I thought it would be interesting to see..

the last one that I finished just last year..


AMERICAN BLACK

 

one of the paintings in this series was called..

american gothic..

and you can see the gothic window..

in all the center of these paintings..

I think of this as a view of a promised land..

you know..

home of the brave, land of the free..

previously titled cheyenne autumn..

things have been turning darker for some time..
 

the thing about a promised land..

is that it is but one land..

for all..

can you see the dove?


COMING UP

uncle sam's buttons..

I SAW THE FIGURE FIVE IN GOLD

I have always loved the title..


I SAW THE FIGURE FIVE IN GOLD


I have seen the painting by charles demuth..

It is very beautifully executed..


in my post..

bring back my glen-bott to me..

I talked about the influence of marvel comics artists..

especially steve ditko..

below is a triptych screen print on arches paper..

small edition..

that uses the same title..

I saw the figure five in gold..

but it is also called exile on main street..

as you can see..

the action takes place on a city street..

maybe there is a speeding fire engine..

passing by but out of sight..

I love other artists drawings..

especially cartoon artists..

and often used them in my work..

I don't do this anymore but used to a lot..

oil on canvas 1983 60 x 96 inches

1983

the title is about a revelation..

which is why it is so powerful..

BY THE TIME I GOT TO WOODSTOCK

THE SCENE IS SET
AND HERE THEY ARE

IN THE PARK IN THE DARK
WOLLATON PARK NOT CENTRAL PARK



THE DAY IS PAST THE TIME IS THEN
THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE LIVING LIFE IN A DREAM

TOMORROW WAS A SENTENCE RATHER THAN A PROMISE

AND THESE PEOPLE BLUE IN THEIR BLAZERS
MUST HAVE SEEN SOMETHING AMAZING




A TEENAGER IN SPIDER COSTUME OR A FUTURE WITHOUT WORK


SUNRISE RATHER THAN SUNSET
THE DREAM RATHER THAN THE FACT




THE SCENE IS SET AND HERE WE ARE
IN THE PARK IN THE DARK

THE MAKE-UP ITCHES BUT THE COSTUMES FIT

AND ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS ACT

NATIVE AMERICANS

primary colours..

you can't beat m..

red, yellow and blue..

how can you not be inspired..

native american art does it for me

monet goes native..

mondrian added black and white only..

I like to draw with oil paint..

on arches hand made paper..

lonely are the braves

A WALK ON THE MILD SIDE

here in palookaville..

we all grew up in..


THE MILD WEST


full employment..

temperate climate..

welfare state..

plenty to eat..

no coronavirus bolloocks..


KINGS OF THE MILD FRONTIER


we had cowboy outfits..

a davy crocket hat..

a cap gun..

with toy cap bullets..

we used to play cowboys and indians..

we watched..

the lone ranger, range rider, laramie, gunsmoke, rawhide,,

we had coca-cola, wimpey burgers, wagon wheels,


REMEMBER THE ALAMO


we made dens, firework guns, camp fires..

everything was western..

everything was mild..

1982

1973

ICARUS RISING

yo!.. poetic... innit!

SPLASH !!!

Gone from this place

Silence only

Earthly delight

Soundless oblivion

Silent night



Mr Icarus Rising..

Glowering, stammering..
Headache hammering..
 
Tears fall shimmering..
Hope comes a glimmering


Rising from ground zero..
Remade..
Remodelled..
Undeconstructed

Our hero..

Returns..
 

Found peeled..
 
Appalled..
 
Apart for apart sake..

Lost..
Lonely..
Destroyed


Icarus rising..

reach for the light..
 
Icarus risen..
 
All wrong but alright !

Born again bruised, broken and beaten..
 
He stands and delivers..
Howls of frustration


Lust for life lost
Fallen from favour

Lie about failure..
Promise the future..

Perfection in flight


Flight of fancy
 
From salt water solution..
To new resolution

Waxing and waning..
 
Spend time in training..
 
Sleep while the sun shines..

Fly while it's raining

THE GIRL ON THE BUS

yo!.. on the road again... innit!


in palookaville..

it's the wonder years..

I wonder where the time went..

I wonder lonely as a cloud..


A FISH CALLED WONDER


it's


1970


again..

and we are in glastonbury..

me an neil..

have hitch hiked down through england..

to sleep out on glastonbury tour..

gandalf's garden..

had an article about this place..

some albion magic bollocks..

but I was 17 still..

and at that age bollocks is the new truth..

we have a pint in a pub and go up onto the tour..


AND DID THOSE FEET IN ANCIENT TIMES


it's only about 21. 00 hours..

but we try to get to sleep..

about 1000 hours later it's about 21.45..

you get the drift..

and it's easter time too..

brass monkeys ain't in it..

I have an icelandic type down sentry style sleeping bag..

neil has a somewhat skimpier one..

we have no ground matts..

it's a very long cold night..

the stars are out..

the breeze is across our faces..

not many z's are heard..


WHY AM I HERE


cherche la femme

my girlfriend was in jamaica..

so I had a long four weeks to fill..

her parents lived there..

her dad was a bank manager I believe..

there was no way I would be out on a hill..

sleeping rough..

in somerset..

if I had my girl..

I am was a girls wet dream..

not just beautiful..

but easy for a girl to be with..

poetry, art, conversation, shopping, clothes, salad..

it was why I would find myself..

in bangor park that summer..

with the heads..

just passing the time until my girl was back..


BRAND NEW DAY


the next morning at about 07.30

on the road into town..

a car honked at us..

a guy and a girl..

they stopped and bought us breakfast..

they knocked on the cafe door..

and asked them to get out bed and..

make us all tea and bacon sandwiches..

two rounds!

which they insisted on paying for..

and all because we were..

on the road..

dharma bums.

NOT AS RED AS YOUR ARSE BERNARD

yo!.. this one's a trip... innit!


in palookaville..

it's..


1970


the artist in residence is eighteen..

summer job time..

me and neil..

are working in the warehouse..

at the island street depot..

on london road..


THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING


we are loading lorries..

for distribution of products to retail outlets..

it's hot in those containers..

so what we are waiting for..

is tea break..


in the small room..

is a table..

people sitting..

drinking tea..

in the heat..

we are in an educational environment..

social intercourse 101..

bernard - I think I'll mow my lawn tonight..

with my new motor mower..

alpha twat - fuckin motor mower my arse..

remember that fuckin tannin lamp?

burnt his fuckin arse.. red as a fuckin berry..

bernard - I think I'll watch my new colour tv..

alpha twat - fuckin colour tv my arse..

you ain't got no colour tv..

yes I have an we gonna be eatin our own grown fresh tomatoes..

alpha twat - fuckin no way you cain't fuckin grow fuckin tomatoes..

oh yes I can real juicy an with perfectly beautiful red skins..

but not as red as your arse bernard.. ha ha ha ..


ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE


that was the year we went to ireland..

to be hippies..

on the dole..

on a farm..

turning on, tuning in, dropping out..

we started off at my grannies..

in carrick-on-suir..

and then we hitched up to belfast..

got a tour of the troubles..

the falls and shankhill roads..

stayed with richard in his parents house..

in bangor county down..

the people we were with were older than us..

and had spent some years..

in mexico, canada and the states..

there was a lot of dope to smoke..

and acid too..

we were just two little boys from the burbs..





we stayed on a farm..

in county antrim..

it was like crosby, stills, nash and young..

guitars harmonies and trips..

LATE AGAIN MAX FLY ?

yo!.. not me... innit!



in palookaville..

evvabody like ta fly..

nobody like ta crash..


LET'S NOT FLY AWAY


are they really expecting us to get in this thing?

how will they persuade us to get on board?



BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

Mish Talk

Boeing is the Tip of the Layoff Iceberg -
Boeing announced more layoffs after recording zero orders but 108 cancellations.

Boeing expects 737 Max deliveries will start

in the third quarter

but it does not expect FAA approval until August.

Sechel

Boeing is more than the tip of the iceberg.

Plane orders by the virtue of the dollars involved immediately show up in export and gdp numbers.

i know nobody is talking much about it..

but i still expect the 737-max to be cancelled.