Slight return

After working reasonably steadily for a couple of months on a series of 'hard-edge' abstract paintings, for some reason a desire to work more freely returned today. All three small landscape-based paintings (oil on canvas) were started some time ago and seem to be closely related to what I was doing last year. Not finished yet, so let's see what happens ...

Work in progress

I started using oil paint again in January, and after a few false starts have worked out a few techniques that work pretty well for painting flat, unmodulated areas, for example initially applying paint mixed with a minimum of medium with a stencil/stippling brush. It's a great advantage that there's no colour shift as the paint dries, unlike acrylic paint which darkens as it dries and often has a slightly plasticky appearance. Oil paint is simply more sensual. The major problem is the smell, and although I'm using  'odorless' medium, petroleum, and brush cleaner, there have been complaints ...

Negative capability

John Keats defined Negative Capability as "when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason." I'll go along with that.

Eric Gadsby, ce n'est pas moi

I first heard about the Warwick exhibition when the organizers got in touch to ask for permission to include my painting 'Flobe'. Unfortunately it's not one of mine, and was painted by Eric Gadsby, who was also in the 1966 New Generation show at the Whitechapel.

Apparently EG has had a limited presence on the art scene, but it seems he has been rediscovered, and a show of his paintings from 1966 to 1976 at Austin/Desmond Fine Art  is opening later this month. A post on the Illuminations website blog put together an interesting round up of how the New Generation artists have fared.

Imagining a University

Just found out that my 1966 painting 'Towards' will be in this show, together with works by Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol and some others you've probably never heard of. Hope to attend the private view ...

Imagining a University - Warwick Arts Centre

The fiftieth anniversary of the University of Warwick also marks the fiftieth anniversary of its Art Collection. .

warwickartscentre.co.uk

Satisfied customer

A real pleasure to receive Tony Rushton's reply to my email sent care of Private Eye:

"Not only do I have ‘Quiet’ finally hung at home - sadly not on a blank white wall - but I also have the ’66 Whitechapel catalogue. Both of us have no doubt aged but I still find the painting very peaceful and eloquently sophisticated."

His wife Annie added a few lines and kindly attached images of 'Quiet' in its new home, including the one below. She later sent me a more frontal version which has replaced the black and white image on my 'Earlier work' page. It was interesting to see this painting in colour again after so many years.