MARCH 2023

Wednesday 1.2.23

Working on the arched piece of the little shepherd.

Thursday 2.3.23

Continuing to add to both the frame and painting of the little shepherd and his flock.

Friday 3.3.23

Lovely e mail from Nick about the wake for Mags’ mother “… the Irish really do know how to celebrate funerals, it lasted for days over different stages. We saw many lovely family and friends of family. We've come back for a rest…"

Saturday 4.3.23

Guests arrive for Richard’s birthday dinner. Dear Daphne and Michael who we always invite to come half an hour earlier so that we have some special time with just them. It’s so good to see them after such a long gap since before the Covid pandemic. I’m very touched as Daphne has brought a present for me, a linen cloth with my initials embroidered on it in blue and some eau de cologne and the carers’ poetry book and a bottle of wine. They are followed by both Jane and Jenny who have met each other while parking in the Lane so are already in conversation when they enter. Then comes John the wonderful man who makes all my frames, followed by the Chathams, Richard and Lesley and last but not least Martin the UK’s green poet. It’s wonderful to hear everyone chatting. The men always tend to make their way into the kitchen to see the birthday boy who is preparing the meal; he’s made a gravadlax for starter which he serves with lettuce followed by Coronation Chicken which lends itself to Martin’s humour wondering if it’s not a little out of date now at 70 years old. He’s on very good form and tells us all about his recent visit to Dubai where he was appearing at their poetry festival and had met all sorts of other people like the Sky at Night’s Maggi Aderine-Pocock of whom I am a great fan and likewise of Brian Cox of BBC 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage. It sounds like a marvellous meeting of minds. Jane Ware who is an artist and maker has brought me some of the delightful soft fabric fish that she has created so that I can give them to all the Pisceans who have recently had birthdays. She has also very kindly supplied us with the sweet course, a delicious key lime pie which she has made specially for the occasion. Jenny (who I had got to know through the RWA, in the first instance when she came to a talk I gave. Her work there as a volunteer is invaluable) is also a good conversationalist and had come bearing beautiful pink lilies and wine etc. It is lovely to have John there who is particularly good at coming up with answers to questions that have been baffling us all and so good that he, Richard and Lesley were once neighbours in Teddington. Richard tells us a wonderful story about hosting Princess Anne at a young farmers event and lovely Lesley contributes to this greatly. I’m sitting at one end of the table between Daphne (who was at the Royal College at the same time as David Hockney and Zandra Rhodes (and like them had a scholarship to the USA) and dear Michael who was at Cambridge and then on the Russian course. Richard at the other end between Jane and Martin but we change ends between courses. It’s the most enjoyable evening and we count our blessings to count these dear people amongst our good friends.

Sunday 5.3.23

Back at work on ideas for the London show.

Monday 6.3.23

Richard has cut me out a new larger panel for one of my triangular ideas. It’s always a bit daunting to be confronted by this large white beautifully primed surface bringing myself to make marks on it. But the process cannot begin until I do.

Tuesday 7.3.23

The triangular shape is now beginning to develop a rhythm.

Wednesday 8.3.23

Busy in the studio during the day and in the evening start to go through the submissions for the Park Gallery’s competition which at this stage is all online.

Thursday 9.3.23

Drive to Cirencester for Rory’s requiem Mass. The parish church of St John the Baptist is full. Mark greets us as an usher and as we make our way into the church. We were then greeted by Simon Chorley, Rory’s cousin who very kindly invited us back to the house afterwards. Mark’s wife Julia comes up to talk and then Peta Hoyle who took us over to see a large contemporary sculpture of the Last Supper made up as a mosaic using computer keys.

It is the most beautiful and moving service that encompasses sharing the sacrament , processions with incense and the most glorious music particularly psalm 104  set by James Lovelace sung by a choir of Rory’s cousins and Arcadian Opera with brilliant organ music. It had all been put together by Rory who knew exactly what he wanted; at on hour forty five minutes perhaps the longest service of its kind we have been to. But we had noticed as had many others that there was no coffin, because Rory had donated his body to medical research.

Afterwards there is wonderful reception with wine, tea and refreshments all beautifully served and we are fortunate to meet two men one of whom says “You’re PJ Crook the artist aren’t you?” a lovely youngish man called Darren who also lives in Bishops’s Cleeve. He tells us how Rory changed his life. Fifteen years ago he was working on a job in Cirencester as a plasterer when a friend said he ought to contact Rory Young who was looking to put together a team to work on Badminton House, which he did and Rory taught him all about using lime for repointing and rendering. Since then he’s never looked back - he had a young man working with him as an assistant in a gap before he went off to university who also became so engrossed in the work which he enjoyed so much that he never went off to take up his university place and is still working for Darren fifteen years later.  Tony, the man Darren was talking to is one of Rory’s cousins. Rory taught him how to carve stone lettering which he would draw out and allow Tony to carve without checking up on him and they reminisce about their time at Badminton which obviously had a profound effect on them all.

We bump into two or three other people whilst we’re drinking our cup of tea and eating a sandwich including Martin Davis a solicitor and photographer but as we are making our way out meet Nicky and Karin. It was at dinner with them in Owlpen that we first met Rory. it’s so good to see them as it is several months since we did.

Friday 10.3.23

Drive to the Cathedral in Gloucester for the thanksgiving service for Lady Caroline Elwes who sadly died just before Christmas, whilst busily making Christmas presents on her sewing machine. She was a brilliant needlewoman and embroidered the altar cloth at Westminster Abbey and at Gloucester. She was also a fine watercolourist particularly of plants as she also nurtured snowdrop gardens in the grounds of their home, Colesbourne. She even had a snowdrop named after her. She was a Dame of the Order of St John and had been a member of St John’s Ambulance Brigade since she was a girl and later in life was the instigator of their ‘first responders’. Patron of very many charities, a delightfully elegant woman with a most beautiful smile. it was always a joy to bump into her, perhaps at the National Star College or be seated on the same table next to them at an event like the Cotswold Food and Drink Awards. Poor Sir Henry looks still rather shaken by his loss. The Cathedral is packed and although we had got there early finding the car park we usually use full, we had to drive around to find another but are still sat towards the back of the Cathedral with a lot of St John’s Ambulance Brigade people. Carolyn contributed so much to the community of Gloucestershire and will be sorely missed.

Saturday 11.3.23

Good to be back in the studio. Time waits for no man or woman and I am hugely aware of it racing past towards my exhibition.

Sunday 12.3.23

Spend the whole day and evening judging the art competition for Darren Chandler at the Park Gallery, which proves to be quite a difficult task, particularly as dimensions and medium aren’t mentioned.

Call from Henrietta who has just returned from a few days in Seville with my sister Gill.

Monday 13.3.23

The payment comes from Panter & Hall for Dîner à Temps.

Tuesday 14.3.23

When I e mail Tiffany to say thank you she says she has just heard that it had safely arrived in Portugal and that he is delighted.

We receive sad e mail from Richard’s cousin Pam to say that her brother Garry has died. He’d had prostrate cancer and gone into hospital about a week ago getting weaker and weaker every day. Fortunately his and Jean’s two children Mark and Liz got to the hospital just before he died.

A parcel arrives which Richard is very curious about and rather excitedly waits for me to open it. But I recall that it is probably the Chelsea Arts Club charity auction canvas for me to paint - and sure enough it is. I keep eying it up through the day whilst working on one of my exhibition pieces, trying to decide what I will paint on it. The theme this year is Animal, Vegetable and Mineral which used to be the question contestants asked in the radio programme 20 Questions when trying to guess the identity of an object or person. Make a start on it last thing.

Wednesday 15.3.23

Working on Animal, Vegetable and Mineral canvas, keeping the composition relatively simple.

Thursday 16.3.23

Nathan ‘phones; he’s back from Bulgaria where the film project has been quite a tough one as he suspected it would be.

Still busy working on the charity painting until the early hours. Richard has made a splendid box so that he can take it down to the post office in the morning to have it sent next day Saturday delivery as they are supposed to all be in by Sunday.

Friday 17.3.23

Caroline and Simon come to tea and to collect the little Toyshop miniature. that they bought at our Christmas charity open studio. It’s great to see them looking bright as always and after their double skiing holiday as they followed their regular one in Austria by visiting Simon’s uncle in Switzerland and staying there for a further three days skiing. He is apart from being an expert skier himself, the top scientist for a big pharma company doing brilliant research on many diseases including cancer.

Simon and Caroline are always such good company, witty and entertaining. They have the largest collection of my work here in the Cotswolds. They ask if I have anything new in the studio so I get Richard to take a couple of the newer pieces I’m working on upstairs over the road and am really pleased to get such a enthusiastic response to a new piece that for the Shapeshifters exhibition in October.

Saturday 18.3.23

A day of ideas which with Richard’s help in cutting out large shaped birch ply panels and priming them I am able to start during the evening.

Sunday 19.3.23

Richard brings up a large box and lays it on the bed whilst I am getting ready for the day. On opening it we find the most beautiful flowers which have come for Mothers’ Day - yellow sunflowers, white roses amongst other purple and white blooms. I feel so fortunate to have been blessed with two children, a pigeon pair of daughter and son. In the evening Henrietta ‘phones and later speak to Nathan too.

Monday 20.3.23

Continue working on the newer triangular piece also the arched one whilst Richard goes into Chletenham to have his bright red e bike repaired. He was very pleased that the young man who takes it from him says it was actually he who built it when it arrived at Cycle Republic which has sadly now closed.

Tuesday 21.3.23

E mail from Mark at Trinity House to say that Harry has bought back one of my corrugated paintings from New York. Also one from Richard’s cousin once removed Mark thanking us for the card to he and his Mum Jean sending our condolences on the sad loss of his father Garry, who was a handsome man; tall, elegant with a moustache who loved to tend his garden and make wine. We had seedling he had nurtured that he had sent for Richards Dad  which grew into beautiful tall conifers. Being from Huddersfield, the area that used to be renowned for its wool weaving, like his father before him, he managed a mill. Sadly a skill that has mostly died out in out lifetime as most of our fabrics now come from the far east.

Wednesday 22.3.23

It’s a nice sunny morning so we enjoy our journey over to Huntley Manor to visit Tim & Dorianne Congdon their daughter Venetia and husband Ben, who answers the door to us when we arrive for lunch. We are delivering the painting that Tim bought from my charity open studio just before Christmas. Dorianne has laid out a splendid lunch although Tim takes me to show me my painting Masterpiece that he bought at auction. It still looks in pristine condition - I think it sold at one of my London shows with Robert Sandelson. Venetia takes me up to see the paintings in their part of the house, Nocturne being the biggest, the owl in the city that King Crimson later used. Plus a corrugated newspaper painting and Tango Tea Dance which was their first of my paintings that they bought . Also a group of small pieces I’d made too, one to celebrate their wedding and later to celebrate the birth of both Percy and Manfred  and another to celebrate one of Tim’s birthdays. Downstairs they also have The Animals Blessing the Infant. Meanwhile Tim has been showing Richard his wonderful collection of Indian miniatures and political cartoons, particularly Gilray. A splendid lunch, our platters full of different types of smoked fish and mackarel paté followed by a chicken dish with leeks cooked by Ben. They then realised it was time for Venetia to go and collect their two beautiful boys from preschool. Tim takes Richard and me around the garden to look at different aspects of their exquisite house which is like a French chateau made of icing sugar it has many towers ( with pointed rooves and patterned tiles) all painted white. They are wanting to commission me to do a painting/paintings of the house and its occupants - but we’re still in discussion.

Thursday 23.3.23

After I’ve written to Myrtle who first introduced me to the National Star College weset off to attend to their celebration of Dance evening. When Catrin leads me to our reserved seats in the front row (such and honour) I am touched and surprised when someone just behind says “hello’ and it’s George and Rachel Breeze. George used to be Director of the Art Gallery & Museum so we discuss The Wilson as it is now known. It’s a truly magical evening. The dancers are made up of a collaboration of current and ex students and dance students from the University of Gloucestershire. So very moving  especially the duet by Jack Reaves and Sarah Gardiner choreographed by Jack in recognition of cerebral palsy awareness month and why dance is important to him as a cerebral palsy warrior.  But all the seven dance pieces are wonderful and moving. We meet Jack again in the foyer as we are leaving with Paul and Catrin and I am totally spellbound and awed by the skill with which he uses his nose and occasionally mouth, to type out the letters on his laptop screen to activate his electronic voice. A beautiful boy he tells us he comes from a theatre family and is writing a play.

Friday 24.3.23

Richard has spent the last couple of days cutting out and priming a new shaped board for one of my shape-shifter frames for the exhibition in London in October. So make tentative start

Saturday 25.3.23

Continue on the new shape-shifter painting

Sunday 26.3.23

Have to rejudge a couple of the works for the Park Gallery art competition as a couple of the submissions can’t get the works to the gallery being from different parts of the globe

Monday 27.3.23

Its a nice sunny day so Richard decides to ride his newly repaired LaPierre bicycle into Cheltenham which he greatly enjoys, whilst I’m busy working for the fourth day on the new shape-shifter.

Tuesday 28.3.23

Statement for Bridgeman Art Library arrives today and interestingly Pomegranate the wonderful American puzzle company seem to be reproducing another of my paintings Lot 28 on one of their jigsaw puzzles again this year.

Working on the sides of frame on Masa’s Tiger commission.

Wednesday 29.3.23

Now on the bottom of the frame of Masa’s Tiger commission, painting grass into the area that people rarely see. Two mirrors arrive today for my collection and what R calls my installation in our hall of mirrors. Barbola is a folk art produced particularly in England in the 1920s and 30s. The barbola formed flowers that usually adorn the top edge are moulded out of a paste of gesso and fabric then hand painted, each one is different and unique. Always made by hand the mirrors have beautiful bevelled edges and usually come with a flap on the back as a stand to stand on the dressing table or other surface though we have all ours arranged in groups on the walls. The collection mainly started when Nathan gave me one as a birthday present some years ago although I had some years prior to that bought a black silk dressing table set that has small raised flowers in barbola making a border round the edges

Thursday 30.3.23

Start writing piece for my Introduction to Cheltenham Open Studio guide.

Friday 31.3.23

E mail from Niki, the arts co-ordinator at Cheltenham Open Studios saying that I can have until next week writing the intro.

Have been working both on the frame of Masa’s commission and on the larger pointed shaped piece I’ve been painting throughout the week, a bit like a church with a steeple or a rectangle topped by a steep triangle. It has been quite intense trying to resolve the composition but new additional ideas occur each day in the process of working on it. In a way they resolve themselves by the composition suggesting additions or sometime eradications. Can’t belive that a quarter of the year has already flown by.