Jolly swimmers in the sea

This weekend I have been painting a picture for my old friends of the Java Vegetarian Restaurant in Bradford, where I worked and lived with in the early nineties. My friends now live in Denmark and commissioned me to do a painting of them swimming the sea.

The weather was so good this weekend I wished I was swimming in the sea myself, but as it goes I have not been for a swim in the sea since 2002. I had a major ear operation that year and can no longer swim in the sea, as the deal is that I am not to get anything in my ears. Swimming in the sea is memories now, as is diving through big waves in Oz and scuba diving on the Barrier Reef and bobbing around at Sidestrand. Very hard for a watery person!

I will put the painting on the blog when it’s finished!

Candy Floss

I got a surprise visit from my auntie Alex and uncle Gray this weekend at my studio/home. Alex is my favourite auntie. She has encouraged and supported me in education ever since I was 12. At that age I was unable to read and write and thought my only career prospect would be the soap factory (career advisers at school actually told all kids that there simply weren’t any other jobs available).

Cut a long story short, I worked hard, got the grades to get me into art college and then spent my summers filling up the house of Alex with the art that I was making at college.

Auntie encouraged me this year to do a teaching in the 'lifelong learning sector' course. I've been teaching for years (and with great successful) but now everyone in the UK needs a 'licence to teach'. The course basically told me to do even more paperwork than I was already doing.

Anyway, Alex stayed for coffee and bought my Candy Floss painting. The painting is the only painting in the world of Candy Floss that I know about; a rare and exciting painting and an excellent choice!

Green Day at the hospital

Come along to the Green Day at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital on Tuesday 3rd of June 2008. There are going to be heaps of stalls including a very special stall with my greeny art work, like jewellery, paintings and puppets.

It will also be Stop Junk Mail's first big day out. They will have lots of information about stopping junk mail, 'no junk mail' stickers and also the launch their new 'stamping out junk mail' booklet featuring my lovely cartoons.

Stop Junk mail early illustrations

I've made a couple of illustrations for the new 'Complete guide to stamping out junk mail'. The booklet is not yet for sale, so the two drawings below are a little preview.

This one will go on the cover. It shows how I feel about junk mail (but it's not self portrait).

And this one shows a suffering postman. Robert tells me postmen will soon have to deliver a lot more junk mail.

In a couple of weeks time you can buy the junk mail brochure on the brilliant Stop Junk Mail website.

Clock painting of Norwich city hall

This is a painting of Norwich - with a real working clock assembled on to the tower of City Hall. I had bought about a hundred clock mechanisms a couple of months ago to turn a pile of old 78" records into clocks. But then I discovered that the records could be used for all sorts of other things, such as melting them and turning them into bowls. So expect more paintings like these!