My mate Kandinsky

And a couple of little numbers that have caught my fancy at present. I think I may copy one - to go on a wall over a large dark blue settee.

 

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

Return to the edge

I originally started painting this as one of a series of pub signs, with a place in Digbeth - more of an art centre than pub though.

Over a couple of years, it seems to have moved on though!

Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours.

If not the best, certainly one of the best things I produced during my foundation course in 1970.

It kind of got missed.
I liked it and enjoyed making it - but didn't feel it was important enough to push forward.

It could have been spotted.
I could have been pushed in "that direction"
& I could still be pushing chicken wire into various shapes.
  - Mind, come to think of it, I wouldn't mind making a flock of imps and gargoyles in 3D (with chicken wire)

The thing was two strands of chicken wire, joined together, twisted with pliers and then fixed to an old felt notice board.
It originated from a cartoon box from the Beano. I re-drew it, cut it up, stretched and distorted it - then transformed it into wire.

My tutors were waiting for a complete explanation of the process and maybe a bit of why(?)
They felt it didn't follow through clearly enough.
The problem was that I didn't have the will or ability to follow it through from start to finish - in terms of verbiage.
I suppose I felt that if you couldn't read or follow an obscure message, then that was your problem.

The start of the existence of "evidence lead work"
As oppose to the production of an item, followed by an explanation of how and why it came about.

On hindsight I name the piece "neighbours", seeing as the cartoon was about a little guy being bullied by his enormous neighbour over the garden fence.

p.s.
In contemporary terms, the fact that the construction is made out of fencing material follows/fits into the system which informs production of art and its tick box presentation.

Audience

 

A volatile post to make - it has seemed to have a mind of its own.
I'll try to put a bit more on it later.

Maybe a collection of scrappy notes
Maybe not just a way of presenting work or even storing it and archiving it.

But also presenting it
for myself,
Grouping it from various sources,
in order to make sense of it.

" Chairs to view an exhibition from"
From the Green Street Show 2007, With Peter Hadfield.
Actually, there is a painting of his in the background of people at an art opening (not looking at any of the work - just networking)



Finding that themes can come back again
  (or around, depends on which way you look at it).
It's interesting to note how the viewpoint can change,
(or not ) with time.

From an original idea of mine which I still intend to build one day.
Following the nature of the show, Peter suggested we just build it as good as we could for now with the materials available.

*

 

 

The realisation or re-realisation that I'm interested in "audience" started with the "Rock Dog" picture and then with the Yehudi Menhuin Triptych.

 

 

Rock Dog left



Rock Dog right

The programme seem to be playing up a tad, although it will allow me to type this in. These first pictures are from the painting I sent to Nick South, I painted them this summer after a trip to see him in London working on recording a sound track for the upcoming cartoon "Rock Dog"

 

 

 

Other parts

An audience of two

*

Following this panoramic image, I came across an old piano front which I felt would make an ideal home for a similar painting, only in triptych format .

 

Yehudi



 

 



 

*

 

*

 

*

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collecting up all the background notes and sketches informed me that although they were aimed at a larger goal - it seems many of them could have gone off in their own direction.

 

Other parts of the audience at the Royal Albert Hall (note the red carpet)



 

 

* 

 

 

 

 



 

****************************************************************************************

 





 

The Origin of the He He Band

Just after Art College had finished in 1974, I was involved in a show in Guildford (I believe)I had four fairly large panels based around the essence of "stream" to move there - rather difficult as I was based in Pembrokeshire. So I asked some chums in Surrey to  deputise for me.
Phil Gray,
Brana Radowich,
Tim Mapson.

I was grateful for the favour and sent them £20 - worth a fair bit more in 74 than it is now.
On receiving the note they immediately went down to the liquor store, spent it on beer and whiskey and had themselves a little party. Part of the make-up of that party was the composition of a thank you letter.
All the mail for Shipping Hill used to go through a solicitors office in Narberth where my parents worked part-time. So did this one: it consisted of a greasy half eaten baked potato oozing out of an envelope made from a thin cardboard long life beer box.
Inside was a scrawled drunken letter full of obscure jokes and scribbled drawings. On the back was the inscription "WE GOT THE MONEY". It was addressed to HE HE HUMPHRIES.
I opened it up with my bemused father, and laughed till my knickers were wringing.

Southern Landscapes

Side of the road type places, initially presenting themselves to me through the window of a coach or a lorry we had hitched in.

centre of town - with a statue in the square

Out walking

It wasn't intentional, but I did produce quite a cluster of walking type pictures, as I am finding it difficult fitting the work I produced over four or five years, I reckon this should make a feasible "post chapter to fit somewhere toward the end of the main blog.
Quite often they contain "beings" passing each other.

Husband and wife team

Painted on Egyptian imitation papyrus paper.

By Galatta Bridge

By Galatta Bridge.

You could get down to the old Galatta bridge through Gulhani Park. The main gates being at the bottom of Soak Cesme Yokusu, - cold fountain street. Where the Coskuns had their Bazaar and home built into the old city walls.

The park is basically a thoroughfare with a small zoo and wide sweep of grass and trees running parallel with Topkapi Palace situated on top of the overlooking hill.

During the summer there used to be many various stalls and beer gardens – fun activities for all the family, that came alive at night. I don't believe it happens there any-more.

It was a joyous place, even if the fici beer was watered down, opening out at the other end directly onto the Bhosphorus where all the local ferry boats seemed to begin.

A lovely place to walk through at any-time.

You could get a ferry to many relatively local places, just put a relatively inexpensive jeton into the slot at the entrance gate and rode with the rest. We used them a lot.

Often having a sahlip en route, milk with cinnamon.

Or even a thin crispy doughnut shaped simit.

Once I was on a ferry where someone fell overboard and every body consequently crowded 

to one side what was happening. A scary moment and they certainly weren't small boats.

All around, the views of Istanbul were breathtaking.

It seemed that all life were represented within that craft and I never came across any trouble or witnessed any aggravation on board.

Indeed, Istanbul seemed to be almost crime-free, at least burglary wise. But in shops anyone was fair game.

So, it was pretty well promenade all the way to the old bridge and beyond, again, with all kinds of stuff happening there.

*

In between the parked ferries were small fishing boats selling fresh fish and grilled fish in bread sticks.

*

In between the fishing boats were blokes fishing – but they didn't compare with the fishing activity that went on, on top of the bridge itself. They filled the side of the road, side by side, hunting for their dinners.

Unfortunately, I don't have the painting these images were heading toward. I gave them to a fellow degenerate who fell out with me as I wouldn't share one of the two bottles of beer I was taking home to drink all by myself.

Poor sod got knifed in the stomach for standing up to a hardened thug outside a night club. (it didn't kill him).

*

Underneath the bridge were loads of fish restaurants, which could be a real pain, just to get by, due to the “come on in” hustle. Although, they somehow seemed to know if you had eaten somewhere else, even if it was on the other side of the bridge.

And,

there were the very cheap bars, where people sat round on two foot high wood and hemp stools. A souvenir I always meant to bring back with me, (very practical for down to earth jobs)

The old bridge was clogging up the waterways – I suppose the small arches couldn't cope with contemporary rubbish which used to build up underneath.

All the restaurants moved to the other side of Kumkapi. - - turning right as you hit the water as oppose to left.

Link to the main blog:

http://whitemoustachestreet.blogspot.co.uk/