THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE

ARE YOU TELLING IT LIKE IT IS?

Are we truthful when we talk to ourselves inside our heads?

I don't know about you but I am as obsessed as any stereotypical Private Eye in gathering evidence that I am NOT TELLING IT LIKE IT IS. I am the judge and in my court the NOT telling like it is of whatever the IT is...is a crime. This crime does not require punishment but must be examined, admitted, and clarified. That's the law in my private court which has been in session since I was about nine years old. Sessions are held inside the confines of my head which has, of course, grown and/or shrunk with the passage of time. I've always written down my 'investigations' in diaries or notebooks but now I don't give much time to the written word. Less words, more images, that's the motto, when the procrastination monster allows.

SCANDAL '63 EXHIBITION REVISITED

The exhibition initially titled DEAR CHRISTINE focused on Christine Keeler and her role in the 1960s Profumo Affair, opened at the Vane Gallery, Newcastle, in June 2019, went on to Elysium Gallery, Swansea in November and opened in London in February 2020. Sadly, its stay at Art House Gallery S.E.1 had to be cut short due to the sudden tragic death of the gallery's owner. But now, thanks to the persistent efforts of Fionn Wilson, the exhibition's initiator, creator and curator, it opens again in a new format, curated by Steve Chibnal and Fionn Wilson, at the Leicester Gallery of De Montfort University. The show's new title is SCANDAL '63 REVISITED. I'm attaching the gallery's flyer and invitation to the opening on Thursday 2nd March.

You may remember that I was one of the artists invited by Fionn to create something for the initial exhibition. Since I'm not the shy,humble type, here are photos (again) of my two works which are in the Leicester exhibition. Plus a photo of the portrait I painted of Fionn Wilson in 2018. It's not in the exhibition but Fionn deserves attention.
Details of my artworks in this exhibition (photos below)

1.The Game. NdA 2018. Mixed media on rag paper. 83 x 84cms

2.Scarlet Woman. NdA 2018. Oil & balsa wood on canvas.30 x 25cms

3.Portrait of Fionn Wilson. NdA 2018. Oil on canvas.

NEW STORY ABOUT OLD STORY

I 've posted here before about the astonishing resurrection of an anti-war story for children I wrote in 1952, wonderfully illustrated by a friend, Italian artist Gian Berto Vanni. The project lay dormant all this time but suddenly, last year, I got a message from his son Ruggero Vanni (also a talented artist) telling me that Gian Berto had died some years ago but my story and his drawings for it had come to the attention of a children's book publisher in Rome who wanted to talk to me about publishing the book. The deal was done. I translated the story into Italian and with Ruggero's help we put the book together.

We signed a contract with the publisher, Orecchio Acerbo, and behold!! PER CASO (Accidentally) is now out and gorgeous! Hardback, printed on beautiful heavy paper on which the words and Vanni's striking black line drawings dance and sing.The book measures 7 x 10 inches (17.5 x 25cms).One of Vanni's drawings from the book currently heads their website and Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/orecchio.editore/

Orecchio Acerbo's motto is: Books for children which don't damage adults/ books for adults which don't damage children.

I don't yet know if foreign rights have been arranged but copies of the Italian edition are now available to order from the publisher.

NOT A VALENTINE

THINKING OUT LOUD

It's not like anger at certain persons or situations or concepts. Those are pretty clear. Anger with myself is a tightly tangled mess of steel wool threads. Yeah yeah there's the LoveYourself blah blah blah and I do. I think I'm an adorable creature. My mother called me that in French, une adorable créature. But there is still anger with myself and no chocolate-covered blindfolds can erase it. Maybe it's necessary. Legit.

FEBRUARY GREETING

Happy first of February!

THE HARRY SCANDAL SUMMARISED

SCANDAL! SHOCKHORROR! OUTRAGE!

Harry admits he and the other Royals are just like everybody else!

They are not Superhumans!

They behave very very badly sometimes!

Quite often!

They have family fights!

They... they...they...are just ordinary rich people in a palace!

Harry says all this in public! On television! In a book!

The Palace has not commented.

Draw your own conclusions.

Bravo Harry! And Meghan too. Whistleblowers are always maligned, especially when their whistling is blowing holes in the sacrosanct walls of powerful institutions.

It's an unbelievable number but it's real and it's here.

NEW START, NEW YEAR

A spirit-boosting visit yesterday from my sparkling friend Steven Appleby cartoonist par-excellence. I painted his portrait in 2019 then pandemic etc. intervened. But meanwhile DRAGMAN, his sincerely terrific graphic novel, was published and has been attracting success like a magnet, deservedly, because it combines a wicked sense of humour and touching self-analysis within an inventive, multi-dimensional plot featuring endearing characters drawn with apparently effortless ease and delectable colour. I love my copy of this book even more now that Steven spontaneously decorated its front page just for me! Great start to the New Year and I'm feeling encouraged to go full puff-puffing steam ahead with my graphic novel Double Entendre Go go Eilatan!

I just realised that I probably should have written 'she' instead of 'he' when speaking of Steven. But you know what? Steven doesn't go by the rules and neither do I.

My portrait of Steven Appleby,2019