Early morning mist rolling off Devils Dyke, view across grassy slopes and a chalk path at Ditchling Beacon just before another lockdown.

One of the Stanmer Woods paintings featured in the previous blog was short listed last October for The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2020 and selected for exhibition at the Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery Basingstoke...

On the first day of July 2020 I made my first visit to Stanmer Great Wood a local nature reserve which includes the village of Stanmer, Stanmer Park and Stanmer House. I painted on site through July and August in woods that features beech trees and bluebell woods in...

Dinah and I spent a week in a contemporary beach house called ‘Fog Signal Building’ set in a distinct piece of landscape on the Dungeness headland south of Romney Marsh. Scenery not unlike a bare stage made of shingle on which a few worn and faded props in the form of...

Driving the narrow country lanes around Devil’s Dyke I came across a lay-by on Saddlescombe road opposite the entrance to the National Trust hamlet of Saddlescombe Farm hidden in the chalkland hills. The lay-by on the eastern side of Devil’s Dyke gave access to a...

In May 2019 The New York based publishing company Apollo launched 'Tommy at 50' a book celebrating the making of The Who's unique rock opera first released in May 1969. I wrote two chapters on the Mood and Look as background to the making of Tommy from the perspective...

The environmental science roadshow ‘Sex & Bugs & Rock ’n’ Roll’ http://festivalbugs.org/ made its regular appearance in the Green Future Fields at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival. The specially designed tent contained a series of my tree portraits as part of a...

On the 8th of March 2019 there was a small gathering of people at the Alexandra Palace in North London to celebrate the refurbished and re-opened East Court and Theatre. The people who gathered had contributed to the heritage display in the East Court showing the...

Maria Radoje, a member of the London based Meher Baba Association, wrote in November 2018 asking for help to design a series of posters celebrating 'Amartithi', the 50th anniversary of Meher Baba's death (‘date with the Eternal’) on 31 January 2019. Each poster design...

Spirit of 67 Richard McTague of RedHouse Originals Gallery in Harrogate organised an 'In Conversation' interview with myself and Dudley Edwards with Graham Chalmers, editor of the Harrogate Advertiser and co-organiser of the one day multi-media arts event held on...

Ebb & Flow I was invited by Karen Townshend to create a new show of 'plein air' paintings in her gallery at Kestle Barton situated in an ancient Cornish farmstead above the Helford River. I had previously exhibited portraits of trees in the woods and paths around...

I took part in a telephone interview with Peter Watts in March 2017. He was writing an article for the June issue of Uncut magazine for a feature titled 'Revolution Now' as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the summer of love. He wanted to talk about...

I signed my first Author Commissioning Form In July 2016 agreeing to deliver text to Elephant Book Company for a book titled 'Sgt. Pepper at Fifty'. I was used to signing paintings or putting signatures on licenses of use for images or contracts for royalties but this...

'Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains' was originally planned to run for four months at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan, Italy from 19 September 2014. However the exhibition was cancelled with refunds promised for tickets sold. I had been asked to contribute my 14 Hour...

Jools Broom, PA to Roger Daltrey, emailed in October 2016 with a request to take part in a project organised by photographer Alistair Morrison for the Rolls Royce motor company who were creating 10 unique vehicles for a 'Wraith inspired by British Music' campaign. I...

The Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition 'You Say You Want A Revolution: Records and rebels 1966-70' opened in September 2016 and closed in February 2017. It was a timely celebration of sixties counterculture kicking off a period of reflection on the fiftieth...

A moment from the Roger Daltrey Cuvée Champagne launch in July 2016. I had been approached by Jamie Daltrey several months earlier with a request to use Tommy artwork for the branding of the champagne produced by the Charles Orban champagne vineyard in the Marne...

I received a request for permission to use the Tommy cover image for a 'Bluegrass Opry' version of the Rock Opera. The email request came from Louis Meyers who produced the bluegrass version of Tommy for The HillBenders. Compass Records released the album on the 10th...

Italian architect Claudio Catalano wanted to pay tribute to the Tommy album and its cover artwork by creating a small work of architecture in the form of a transportable home. The Nomad Micro House also doubles as a mobile pavilion. According to their website Claudio...

A move to Brighton in June 2015 and an introduction to the South Downs National Park and the experience of landscape painting. A painting journey out of the enclosed spaces of London woods to distant vistas and birds eye views. The popular vantage point of...

I was offered a space at the Brighton Art Fair in September when someone pulled out at the last minute. I thought it might be a good way to make a connection into the city. Spent a day setting up and three days standing around ending up with back ache, no...

My daughter Alana and her partner Clayton recently completed construction of a spacious single story home on the edge of a field with views of the Shropshire Hills. As a house warming present I spent a few days during May 2015 in Bishops Castle painting...

The Rowley gallery organise shows of gallery artists on the 'art wall' at Kensington Place Restaurant, Kensington Church Street W8. I was asked to fill the wall with a selection of tree paintings from West London woodland and nature reserves. This offered...

Spent two hot weeks in August at Villa Giuliana, on a peninsula overlooking Siricusa and Mount Etna. Unfortunately Mount Etna was obscured by ash clouds so only appeared now and then as a ghostly image. We spotted one small fluffy cloud during 14 days of...

Spent a couple of days following Beverley Brook from Putney to Barn Elms. It is one of London's lost rivers and in times past was a habitat of beavers. There is a designated Beverley Brook walk which starts at New Malden golf course through Wimbledon...

The opposite of confrontation A close quarter conversation Standing together, touching feeling Eye to eye unblinking thinking One on one personal stories spun Téte-à-téte face to face Better than a keypad mate

Keeping some balance When walking a line Between learning to fall And seeing the sign That the hat will match When opposites fit and that will be it

The place I live has edges Thresholds that can erode Fortified by rank and standing The hard engineering of tradition

Martin Smith of Eagle Rock Productions interviewed people, specifically connected during the late sixties to the development of the Tommy opera, for his documentary 'The Who: The Making of Tommy' which premiered on 22 October 2013 at the Riverside Gallery...

Met up with Chris Hamer at the Rowley Gallery in September 2013 after in introduction from Roger Beckett. Chris expressed interest in exhibiting and selling my tree portraits in his gallery in Kensington Church Street W8. Four paintings were displayed in...