I was in London today arranging more future exhibitions in galleries. Afterwards I walked down to the Thames Embankment and visited the small park where I sold my first painting 53 years ago. Lovely weather and memories.
The show was the annual open air exhibition in Temple Gardens. They stopped running the event a long while ago. I didn't realise until today that the spot where I sold the painting must have been in the shadow of Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment.
19 Oct 2011
I see that a new Turner exhibition is scheduled for Adelaide in South Australia in February 2013. Turner remains a special hero of mine. Maybe I can arrange a trip to OZ. It would be summer time down there while it will be horrible here.
Wishful thinking of course. Especially frivolous considering the fact that there is such a super show of Turners on continual display at the Tate in London. So self-administer a slap on the wrist for not going to the Tate enough.
Today the news is full of the New York Twin Towers ten years ago. I remember it well. On Sept 11th 2001 I awoke in the very early hours in great pain. My wife Fran called the medical emergency service and they sent an ambulance which whisked me off to hospital. Several hours later we got an all clear regarding the suspected heart attack. So we came to home to rest. The terrible news from NY just started to come in as I dropped off to sleep. Fran woke me after just 15 minutes and we were glued to the TV for hours. My trouble turned out to be a gallstone.
Like many of you, we can remember visits to NY and a trip to the top of one of the towers. We did it in the1990's. Here is a photo of an unpublished painting that I did after when we came home after the trip, and before nine-eleven. I don't know who bought the original or where it is!
New page devoted to Trevor the Cat pictures with links to prints and cards.
Here is a bite from my website where I have just published a page devoted to Trevor the Black Cat images. http://www.colinruffell.com/trevor.htm
Here are a couple of paintings just finished today. Probably still wet as I write this. First is a commission for a gallery in Norfolk to replace a similar painting that someone was interested in. Titled...'Big Ben Aug11'.
Second is 'Departure Dawn' showing Tower Bridge open with sailing boat exiting downstream. I am submitting this one for the Battle Art Fair next month.
I received a letter yesterday addressed to Colin Ruffell F.R.S.A. !!! I am now a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. Wow. I really don't know what to make of this yet. The Groucho Marx quote..."I don't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member" springs to mind.
My latest painting [and print] is titled 'City of London'.
Did you guess what it is all about yet?
Correct, well done!!
Here it is...
Plus I have created a page devoted to my London paintings and prints. There are over 100 now.
Here is the link...
www.crabfish.com/London.htm
