August, September and October have again been very busy for us as it was necessary to store some large paintings which had been looked after in London at La Galleria and needed to be kept here until either sold or auctioned, so I had to give serious thought where they could go. The solution was a bespoke moveable art storage rack on wheels capable of holding new and used boards and canvases, constructed after two months of planning and eventually completed in a short burst of feverish DIY activity leaving a few ‘war wounds’ in the process, mainly stiff joints and sore hands!
During this period virtually all art activity was put on hold and we managed to squeeze in two short staycations on the Kent coast in Broadstairs, Margate and Walmer to hear our son’s band, Green Diesel, play two gigs and complete video shoots for new singles.
We also found time to celebrate three birthdays, the end of two weeks jury service by my wife, Christine, in early September at Southwark Crown Court in London, our wedding anniversary, have our Flu and covid booster vaccinations and visit a few friends as well.
Like most of our family and friends we have relied heavily on Zoom, Whats App, Facebook and the phone for social contact for much of the pandemic. As with many people of our age we are making our own decisions in a still very uncertain situation and have tried hard to avoid too many large crowds and close indoor contact with strangers.
The big issues such as poverty, loneliness, mental health, unemployment, safety, climate change, the energy crisis, the legacy of Brexit, and many other problems too numerous to mention seem beyond the comprehension of most politicians and world leaders who seem powerless to overcome them. Media, social media organisations and multi-national companies seem immune from what is going on around them, and however much I rant and fume about all this, there is little we can do to combat these overwhelming problems apart from treating those we know and meet with kindness, compassion and respect.
I did find a little time to think about paintings during these months, firstly when we were in Margate and we had a meal with Amber Anderson one of the most talented young artists I have met in the last 15 years who is now a very successful freelance illustrator and lives on the coast with her new partner. She gave us one of her early works which I will treasure and always remember her kindness and lovely, sweet nature.
I also discovered an old multi-media work when storing works in my new facility and although I was about to destroy it, I changed my mind because it is based on such a beautiful piece of music by Vaughan Williams which I heard live for the first time in my early teens. The music made an enormous impact at the time -it’s for double string orchestra with rich, lush sounds which take me into another world full of hope, optimism and warmth far away from reality; something to lift our spirits, minds, bodies. hearts and souls.
