Here’s an historical curiosity I’m prompted to share after watching a programme on Whistler’s painting, “The Artist’s Mother” last night. This is the first painting I did when I went to (Edinburgh) Art College in 1980 – a self portrait with Dad in the background, at the door of the house in North Devon I’d read more…
I’ve been through everything I have access to this week, so I can see the edges of the task, which has a sense of relief and completion about it. On the basis of knowing what kinds of things there are (14 kinds of artwork, 12 kinds of writings) and the rough totals of all (over read more…
One category of work which we have, is a series of more than 30 woodcarvings, all under about 35cm high. This carving, called “Lovebirds” is currently journeying back to Devon, carefully looked after in transit, I hope, by Royal Mail! It’s the anniversary of Graham and Elizabeth’s wedding on May 9th, so it seemed a read more…
‘Tis a rare thing to find a date on Dad’s work. I’ve been looking for clues to dates on all the items as I’ve been going along, so I can piece something together in terms of which decades, at least, various items were produced. From an art history point of view, it will be interesting read more…
Here’s a little timely gem of a thing I came across today: a cartoon of Margaret Thatcher, (Britain’s first woman Prime Minister) who recently passed away. See the Wikipedia entry for a biography, and a profile photograph from 1990 is on that page. This drawing is above cartoons of Neil Kinnock, Labour Party Leader and Paddy Ashdown, read more…
3rd May, Graham’s (Taurean) birthday, in 1932, remembered. In going through a box of things today, I happened across this picture. This curious egyptian-style handpainted piece came from a second hand shop in Bideford, and Dad enjoyed having it on his wall. Mum (Elizabeth) was an avid astrologer, so we were always aware of how read more…
I struck gold yesterday – in the packing of a box of unpainted pebbles, hand selected, no doubt from the pebble ridge at Westward Ho! Many were primed ready for painting, some untouched, and one half-painted in orange gloss. The small cardboard box, labelled in Dad’s handwriting “STONES – UNPAINTED” was packed rather oddly with read more…
