Gooooooood Moooooooorning my chums!

I have a feeling that Spring is springing and all around me is budding...it's either that or I have trapped wind and need some mint tea........

Mmmmm and oooooooer...I seem to have been dead busy for the past month and feel overloaded with fabric and jewels. T'is a fine doodah indeed when ones eyesight implodes on one just by painting a lorry load of jewelry. I have a definite look of "Clarence the squinty eyed lion" about me these days. If I wasn't a starving artist I would take a trip to the opticians but, instead, I'll just tie on another re-entry shield to my specs and soldier on.

Despite all this hard-ship I am rather chuffed with my "Courtly Bints" I was endeavouring to get the effect of "haughty aristo" meets "vunerable wench"...these are the first of the "Kings Mistress" series and are of "Mary Boleyn" and "Nell Gwin"...who the flop I do next is a mystery to me as yet. I think it'll be "Lilly Langtry"...but that could change depending on my whims...ooooer. I'm hoping upon hope that Louise at "Christos Gallery" likes them...so fingers crossed.

The new "old materish" batch are shaping up rather well and, despite my failing eyesight, I'm having great fun painting them. I know the detailing is time consuming but it's so bleedin' therapeutic dabbing away at fabric. I sort of get lost in it all and usually forget where I am...mind, that could be dementia kicking in...ho hum. I've finally finished tweaking "The Lover" and I don't mean that in the biblical sense ya sauce pots...t'is a painting. I also very nearly completed a painting for the latest "Virginia Gallery" exhibition of "Dark Fairytales" I was inspired by the story of the "Emperors New Clothes" It's kicks off on Friday 11th March and runs for a month. If you get the chance do pop along and have a butchers...it'll be a very enriching experience and well worth the time. Plus...Ian and Drew would be so chuffed to see you.

I had another get together with Jamie the "sonic artist" this week which was very beneficial. I now have the second part of the composition. I'm dead excited about this project as I have such a definite image in my mind of how I want it to look. I was in Glasgow yestermorrow taking pics of a very nice bloke to use in the painting. Thank you Chris for being such a bendy model and not putting yourself in traction in the name of art. The photos are part of this definite image...this, ofcourse, means that it'll turn out totally different and will give me shed loads of hissy fits and hysteria...nowt new there then. It'll also mean that, in the end, I will have produced a collaborative piece of work that I will be proud of. Mmmmm...who reckons we need to be challenged to grow? I seem to be growing these days in all the wrong places so it's the "slim-fast" and bran diet for me and maybe that help clear my head as well as other areas...oooooer.

On top of all of this I have been talking to some very nice people from "Love Spirit"...I'm not saying much as it's all in the early stages. All I will say is I soooo want to be involved in this so if you're reading this "Love Spirit"....I love you.

Thank you for taking the time,

Ivor x