this all takes a bit of time; when I started this posting I was eating a corned beef sandwwich, now I'm eating some kind of cake.

aNYhoo, what I was thinking of vaguely was how an added benefit of doing art is that it makes you like more kinds of weather, not just sunshine, though I do like sunshine. But is it cloudy? great clouds! is it foggy, fascinating effects transforming boring buildings into intriguing silhouettes, frost, snow; marvelous how winter changes the face of familiar scenes, often reversing thew tones, here's a watercolour I did yesterday, not perfect but I enjoyed the sky, dramatic clouds pushing there way into blue sky. (land needed much better drawing but what can you do?)


below, on the other hand is a drawing of andark red apple, coloured pencil not something Ive used much, possibly from when I did my A level in my thirties I think it was, someone told me that the teacher didn't like coloured pencils so I never used them thought I tried to use just about everything else. Funny the things which make an impression.

Anyway, saw some nice pebbles drawn in coloured pencils by Dave Pickard, look him up, he's here somewhere on the web. Sometimes you need another artist to open up possibilities.

Harder than I expected given my astounding powers of observation and digital dexterity! , did it in a class last week: left the students to themselves for a while; no riots ensued. Also did a lemon, it was a lemon ie failed and not even miserably.


Have a bit of an exhibition from 16th July (sorry if i told anyone earlier, my mincesteak) for 2weeks at North Shields Library. If you've got nothing better to do.........



Talking of artist's art opening yor eyes, in the Royal academy summer show on television the newcomer winner was a lady who painted sunshining on a muddy puddle and this morning down at the coast I saw scenes of sunshine in rock pools which I might not have noticed so much if I hadn't seen the muddy puddle painting.

Here's a better photo of the watercolour of the horse skull, quite pleased with it. I find watercolour difficult to do; not suited to my impatient personality, all the stuff I tell students I ignore myself., eg think before you paint; know when to stop and let it dry etc.. So on the occasion that it works I do feel a bit pleased with myself, with watercolour there is probably a ratio of 5 failures to every 1 success . Anyway.....

Dont' at all feel witty or wise this morning, was going to write about 'natural ingredients' as in adverts for foods which claim '100% natural ingredients' ; sparked by a sign on an ice cream- selling cafe in Whitley bay seen yesterday on a bike ride before work.

100% natural ingredients for example;
milk(90%)
sugar (20%)
vanilla extract(0.1%)
cow dung (4%)
fly legs (2%)
dog toenails (0.4%)
natural tree bark (2%)
mud (55%)
elephant bottom hair (3%)
monkey snot(2%) think Im getting carried away here!
yes, all 100% natural ingredients



there are a whole lot of natural ingredients you wouldn't want to imbibe, seeds or leaves of yew tree, Im told by a reliable sourse contain cyanide (was he kidding?)
Also poisonous: ivy& privet, so don't eat them! I presume stick insects are poisonous too as they eat privet, they don't look very appetising anyway, probably crunchy though.

Told you I wasn't feeling witty or wise. but feelings can't always be trusted; a couple of weeks ago I felt that I was beginning to know how to paint...but the feeling passed.

This is an old one hangs in a dark corner which sometimes is the best place for certain paintings,
Why did a basket of washing appeal to the inner artist (not to mention the outer one?) who knows? Folds are a bit stiff.

scrapyard, charcoal





HOW would you rather be described:
as unpleasant or as untalented?

Just read some review in the Times on Saturday about some bloke whose mother was 'artistic but untalented' who decides anyway?

UNTALENTED: a very cutting epithet.. just a minute; epithet? lets see: elephant, epigram, entomology (the study of ents) epithet; yes it does mean what I thought it meant, but one carnt be sure till they check.

My love of words stems from my childhood when we couldn't afford toilet paper in our very dark, cold outside toilet (or lavatory if you prefer-they're all euphomisms aren't they?) where spiders live (that is where I also aquired my mild anachraphobia-fear of spiders biting you on the eye!) but we did have this big old dictionary, my father being an educated man insisted that before we tore out and used a page we commited its conmtents to memory first. Hence my amater intrest in filology: the study of or perhaps random picking up of the meaning of words.
I once had an interesting lunchtime with a greek student discussing english words which had greek routes such a sarcophagus from greek for flesh and eat, in that limestone coffins were thought to eat the flesh of the corpses laid therin, fascinating.

Anyway back to the concept of talent whcih I assume comes from Jesus' story about the talents, being sums of money doled out to someone's servants to see what they would do with them. This I presume has been used ... mmm...........Im getting bored with this ..so shall.... self terminate..............................now!

this is us or nearly us as Olly, the coiner of the appellation Squatdwarf is missing ; presumably at the in-laws fir christmas.

No response to the question; 'do women 'get' guitar solos?' too busy listening to soppy ballads no doubt. And the Shadows don't really count.


Listening to Thick as a Brick which just arrived this morning isn't ebay handy?

Went to a couple of parts of the Art Tour last sunday afternoon (church in the morning if your interested) saw some good coloured pencil drawings of pebbles! and nudes by Dave Pickard. He had a good selection of skulls including a swan and a huge foreighn sheep that looked like a monster. Also went to the FIE-FI- FUM (what happened to the fo? had a nice cup of coffee and half a scone which is pronounced sconn not scown, just so you know.

What's this oh only me in a pensive moment whatever that might be. Pencil on paper of all things.
I'm off work this morning and a little at a loose end, been to the dentist, tracked a missing ebay purchase, pulled some wood cladding off kitchen wall (wish I hadn't a nightmare lay concealed!)
Washed a few dishes, cleaned cat tray (why me? I don't even like the cat and said no when the kids asked can we have a kitten?')

Tried to paint a couple of watercolours last night a bit rubbish if i do say so myself. Bought a frame from a charity shop and had a pleasant but brief conversation with the serving lady as said shop about seagulls and crows and blackbirds, as you do.

Well the well of wit and wisdom dried up some while back though it was brought to may attention that my computer's watch is very very wrong, no it isn't 2 am, its 11.20 is am, must (or may) sort this out if I can be bothered

This painting came about partly by inspiration of an artist and also from a visit to the art degree show at one of our local universities.

Sadly, (for who?) I found the work very disappointing, which was sad; for me because I was hoping for a bit of inspiration; for the students because I think that at degree level they need more direction and help from the tutors and course. Its too easy just to meander aimlessly rather than find challenging targets and try and achieve them. Still. I could be wrong: I often am.

Anyway there was this doorway that was sealed of with a draped bit of material and it was the most interesting sight there so I had my camera, took a couple of photos. drew it in class that afternoon and painted it that same evening.

added the floor next day.

I had been looking at some paintings of draped material by Alison Watts, she's well worth looking up. I find that good artists open your eyes to the world around you, would I have noticed the folds if Watts had not already made me appreciate the lovely soft but clear tones in the folds of cloth?

Anyway before you pick up that towel from the floor, look at it first and perhaps draw it before chucking it in the wash or folding it up.

Listening to Dave Matthews who I saw live a while back; nice.

no kidding

I don't know how to pronounce trompe l'oile (not even sure how to spell it) but the idea of fooling the eye; making a painting or drawing look like a real object is occasionally appealing.

These are two of a short series of watercolours I painted of ivy leaf cut outs. I can't remember where the idea came from, I began by painting ivy leaves life size and then for some reason drew them , cut out the shape leaving a bit so the shape and hole could be seen, then drew and painted the result, quite enjoyed trying to make the picture look 3D.

bought a book of poems by Ted Hughs at the market yesterday called Crow, wierd stuff, but one must broaden ones kultural horrizons. otherwise we'd all be watching Big Brother. On the subject of culture,

one of my favorite quotes is from whatshisname, the hard- man footballer turned actor (Juggernaught on X- Men) also on AA advert: 'anyone who watches tv soaps shouldn't be allowed to vote'

Listening to Ryan Adams; Gold.

continuing the idea that art does not have to be about pretty subjects, but may seek out the 'beauty' in unexpected places, here is an old painting, watercolour on a full sheet, of a drill in newspaper.

I really enjoyed this when I was doing my A level in my thirties. Up till then I had been doing a fair bit of copying of photo's from magazines ( long before I thought about copyright issues)then I thought: ' I need more of a challenge' and I signed up for A level art. I found in the projects set by the tutor Lee Montgomery, that challenge.

This project was 'wrapped object' and I draw and painted the drill in various material, clingfilm, cloth, newspaper. I think it looks a little bit like a flower.

This is another from my A level a straight forward still life, once I thought still life was a bit boring but in fact it is very challenging and rewarding, I too a bit of time to paint it and by the time I 'd finished the bulb had grown considerably.
It is one of only a couple of paintings I've done in gouache which I find a difficult medium as it dries much lighter than it goes on. I painted it on stretched grey pastel paper

Listening to Jethro Tull, new(ish) cd of acoustic stuff, great accoustic guitarist and songwriter.

Also just listened to Kathryn Williams who was at University a year ahead of me and has become a successful singer songwriter.