Totterdown Arts trail

Spent a couple of hours last weekend on the Totterdown Arts trail here in Bristol www.frontroom.org.uk  This is the longest running event of it's kind in the area and was well attended.
I always think the trick is to view the website beforehand and select the artists you want to visit, as with so many people participating you could have cultural overload!
One artist whose work I particularly liked was Valerie Bowes www.http://www.facebook.com/valeriebowes57 always interesting talking to the artist and discovering her working methods, especially the use of symbols or icons.
The variety of work on show was great and I think next year I shall arrange to participate with some of my own work.  

William Turnbull

I've just read the obituary for William "Bill" Turnbull the artist/sculptor who died last week. It's interesting looking at work he produced in the Fifties and Sixties how contemporary the work looks and could have been produced now.
You can see examples of his work at the website www.williamturnbullart.com

New paintings



 Here's a couple of new paintings, the first was produced from sketches made in Cornwall earlier in the year from the clifftop looking towards St. Ives.


The Island St. Ives

                                                                                

Landscape seen from a train window



Sussex weekend

Spent the weekend in Sussex to visit Farley Farm House, the former home of the Surrealist painter Roland Penrose and his American wife, the photographer, Lee Miller. I met their son Anthony, himself a sculptor/writer who maintains the house and Miller's archived work.
He told me about their life and their friendships with  artists such as Miro,Ernst and especially Picasso.
The house contains numerous works of art, but in true Surrealist style they're mixed with everyday found objects.


Farley Farm House









 The gardens contain sculptures by various artists who regularly visited.

Sculpture by Anthony Penrose from a design by Roland.

The following day we visited Charlestone near Lewes. This was the home of the Bloomsbury group,Duncan Grant ,Vanessa Bell etc.The gardens and interiors (no photography allowed here), were kept in their original state as members of the group lived here from 1916 until Grant's death in 1978.


  

Mexico Towans

These are the first two in a series of paintings resulting from the trip to Cornwall earlier this year.
Mexico Towans is the area of St. Ives bay............great name!


Mexico Towans 1



Mexico Towans 2



Abstract images

Whilst travelling I've come across lots of abstract images - examples of "found art".


"Distressed" door - Corfu Old Town



Peeling poster - Corfu Old Town



Herringbone wall - North Cornwall



Shop window - Cape Cod



Crabs - Cape Cod



Harbour ropes - Portugal



Shop window - Ystad Sweden



Greek island



Beach at Roda

 Recently got back from a trip to the Greek island of Corfu (Krkyra). Staying in the village of Acharavi in the North of the island. The hot sun and azure seas were an inspiration, as was the faded grandeur and peeling paint on some of the old buildings in Corfu Town.


The beach at Acharavi



Some buildings in the old part of Corfu Town.

I made notes and did some watercolours sketches in a tiny book

and will use them for reference to produce some paintings



The coast of Albania is only three kilometres away