22 April 2011 Good Friday.

This morning I read another post from Robert Genn. Robert is an artist from the Vancouver area in Canada who sends out twice weekly newsletters to thousands of avid followers worldwide. He has lumbered himself with a huge task but seems to thrive on it. Here is a link, I recommend it. http://painterskeys.com/
The posts are varied in content and I always read and enjoy them. Thanks Robert.

A quote from this mornings message is from Winston Churchill. Very apt for so many budding professional artists just out of art school.

"I began my education at a very early age--in fact, right after I left college." (Winston Churchill) 

18 April 2011 Back home from Cornwall and the Drang opening!

Fran and I went down to Cornwall for the launch of the new Drang Gallery in Padstow. Alan Furneaux was there so we had a good natter about the price of fish and the role of a professional artist etc. Fran and I ate in Rick Steins Bistro even though we hadn't made a booking. Lucky us. 

Alan and I seem to have made a good impression on the Mayor as well.

The art gallery scene in Padstow is quite extraordinary for such a small fishing village. We went into at least seven that were well worth a good look. They ranged from the all white, all Cornish, mostly under £100 sort...right up to the resident artist selling at £4000 a pop, and the Drang with the BIG NAME ARTISTS like Damien Hirst and Sir Peter Blake. It feels really good to be there.

15 April 2011 Padstow here we come!!

Off to the Drang Gallery opening launch event tomorrow in Padstow. I expect to meet up with Alan Furneaux there. Alan moved from Brighton to Penzance in Cornwall a while back after being a fellow member of the Fiveways Artists Group doing the Artists Open Houses. Here is one of his paintings from his blog. This one is 'Landscape around St Just'. Nice isn't it?

10 April 2011 OK So I changed it!!

Had another look at the Farmhouse Kitchen painting 'finished' yesterday and decided that it needed a tweak or two before varnishing. See the difference? 

9 April 2011 New painting.

I finished this one today. Acrylic on canvas, size 24"x30", titled 'Farmhouse Kitchen'.

8 April 2011 Fiveways launch party.

The Fiveways Artists Group are part of the Brighton Festival Artists Open Houses event on weekends in May. The whole Artists Open House phenomenon started with one artist doing his own thing thirty years ago. Boy has it has grown since then?! Last night the 5Ways Group held this years launch party at the Open House pub with a 30 years ago theme.

First picture is the founding artist Ned Hoskins.

Next Harvey Daniels in splendid 1980's garb.

Then Fran and I with our 1981 long scarf homage to Dr Who.

2 April 2011 Kindle publish my book.

Yesterday we published a Kindle version of my book on Amazon.

The new Kindle edition is the lowest price yet at $9.99 [ £6.99 in the UK ] and apparently you can download it to an ipad or iphone or PC as well.


'How to Make a Living as an Artist' is also published on Clickbank as an e-book. And I still create the Aizoban limited edition version which is signed, hand sewn with Japanese binding, and archival quality illustrations.