Three Exhibitions in December

I'm so pleased that I've just had a painting accepted for the annual Winter Group Show at the prestigious Linden Hall Studio gallery in Deal, Kent (UK). The above painting is called The Last Light and was inspired by memories of dusk as I travelled through Kent on trains. It is acrylic on canvas and 21 x 31 cm.

The WGS is on from December 1st to January 29th 2022. I will be showing with very well known artists, some of whom were my tutors at art school, such as Mali Morris, Clyde Hopkins, Alan Gouk.

At the same time I have 7 paintings in a large corporate show in office spaces at the Kings Hill village, Kent. These spaces are wonderfully spacious with great lighting, and I am showing some medium to large sized paintings along with several other artists. This exhibition will continue to the end of January too. More photos to follow.

Paths Long Travelled

September 25th Saturday.

This date was circled in my diary many months ago. Scrawled in red was, 'Don't forget APT Open Studios!' These open studios showcase the work of artists working at the APT studio complex, in Deptford, London. I was really looking forward to this event because several of the artists were my tutors at college (Mali Morris - newly elected to the Royal Academy - Clyde Hopkins, Geoff Rigden), and one artist, Nicola Rae, was in my year at college. I was also curious to see what they are doing now, and hoping to re-open connections. Being an artist is a lonely business, and having artist friends is of great value. They are among the few people who are able to understand one's daily obsessions and preoccupations.

I ended up spending nearly 4 hours going around the studios - there are 37, plus a gallery - and I was in heaven, being able to talk art! There was a great variety of approaches and themes, from abstract through to figurative, and after lots of animated discussions about paint and aesthetics, I had a lovely talk with Nicola. We reminisced about our student days, and I suddenly had an inner vision of paths long travelled. Far from being a painful reminder of the passage of time, the visit highlighted a luminous path stretching into the future.
('Park, Night Paths,' Oil and acrylic, 61cm x 45cm. 2010)