1st March 2025

in

Here’s the latest book I just finished, one I remember from way back. Published just after the very first Star Wars film, A New Hope (as it’s called now), it was the first book to tie in with the film and continue the story of Luke and Leia along time before the Empire struck back. I remember Alan Dean Foster from other movie novelisations from the same era, such as Alien and The Thing but I’d never read this one until now, when a friend lent me his copy. My reading material tends to lean more towards the horror/crime genre nowadays so it made a great change to get into a science fiction book, and a movie tie-in from one of my favourite movies at that. It was a fun read, nostalgic, and interesting to see early characterisation before they developed in the next two films in the trilogy (a few times I wanted to shout at Luke, ‘Don’t go there, Luke - she’s your sister!) and situations that that would bear similarities to events in the movies. It definitely rekindled my love of science fiction books, so I’ll be seeking out more of that genre in 2025, I think.

28th February 2025

in

I got a bit behind lately and forgot to post updates on any books I’d read. Here’s one from Paul Tremblay, s short story collection called The Beast You Are. I must admit I struggled with this one. There were one or two stories I couldn’t get through and I have a hard time remembering the rest a few weeks after finishing it.

Straight after this I started another Paul Tremblay book, an omnibus containing two novels about a private detective with narcolepsy: The Little Sleep and No Sleep Till Wonderland. And I have to say I enjoyed this a lot more. It’s written in that Ray Chandler style that you’d recognise from the genre, although set in modern times, but with an intriguing main character that can fall asleep and even enter into paralysis at any time, especially under stress'. I also enjoyed the way the writer develops the character across the two books. I found this book by accident looking on Amazon and it was one of those times where the book picks you rather than the other way round. Definitely a keeper.

13th February 2025

in

Hi there - it’s been a while since I’ve showed up on here, but I’ve been looking at what I think could be a really good platform for my work. I’m not saying anymore at present as I’m still trying t get my head around it, but if it works it could be a good alternative to social media, which I talked about briefly in my last post. Since then I have been back on those sites, Facebook and Instagram (but not Twitter - I couldn’t bring myself to turn over that rock again, except to sign in just long enough to delete my account).

I haven’t done much in the way of art so far. I had a brief return to the sketch book and prepared some canvases for painting but haven’t started anything yet. I’m having a hard time really getting into anything and working consistently on my art practice. So apart from one pencil sketch and a couple of ink drawings there’s not much to show for 2025 so far. All of which sounds a bit negative but I retain hope that things will pickup soon. Maybe I just needed this time out.

In the meantime, here’s a drawing I did last week. At some point I hope to realise it as a painting, part of the Dark Discoveries series and inspired by The Twilight Zone….

7th January 2025

in

Happy New Year and welcome to my first post since 2024. I’ve been having kind of a break from making art for a while, just laying low for a period and only just starting to pick things up again. I’ve been making some changes and restructuring the admin side of my practice since the Christmas break, only small steps at the moment and quite time consuming, so it may be a while before I start making art again this year. Hopefully not too long, though.

I thought I’d kick off 2025 with a roundup of books I read during 2024. I’ve been keeping a journal for a while now (stopped journalling a couple of years ago and missed it) and got to thinking it would be nice to list the books I read at the end of the year, to look back on the books I actually managed to finish before my concentration withdrew into addictive doom-scrolling on social media! I don’t want to sacrifice quality reading over quantity, but if I can lessen, or even quit altogether, the social media platforms I’ve been using, it would be interesting to come back to this at the end of 2025 and compare the number of books I read last year to this, possibly as an indicator of how much more time I was able to spend in a book, long-form writing, as opposed to the quick dopamine hit from social media and the internet. Of course there are other factors, such as the guilt I feel when I decide to spend time reading above the TV, internet and my art practice, as if reading is somehow unproductive and so should be enjoyed in bed before the lights go out. And even then you should be sleeping! I can remember a time when my nose would be happily stuck in a book all day long. It was nourishing and absorbing. I could never get bored in a book. Now there are so many things drawing our attention, so many more productive things we should be doing, that sitting still with a good book seems somehow wrong.

A case in point. Boxing day with the family. At one point I was sitting in the kitchen, between breakfast and our Boxing Day walk, and I decided to re-install my social media apps on my phone that I’d signed out of and deleted about 2 weeks before. I think I might’ve had a sudden (but quite subtle) attack of FOMO - I wanted to see what was happening on Facebook and Instagram during Christmas. Within minutes I was scrolling again. Later on, after out walk and in another gap between that and the evening meal, I was sitting on the sofa with my phone. Scrolling. The thing is, upstairs I had a book I’d been bought as a gift. I could have been reading that. A long time ago that’s what I would’ve been doing. Instead I spent my time swiping up. Over and over.

So I suppose that’s what this list is about, not just my usual need to make lists, but to see if I can use it as a catalyst to be more mindful of taking time to read again without that nagging feeling I should be doing something else, or actually wasting time scrolling stuff that does me absolutely no good at all.

What’s that saying? Feed the brain, nourish the soul? I’d like to spend more time achieving both those goals during 2025.

Anyway. Here’s my 2024 reading list. Mostly thrillers, detective and horror stories with some psychology and politics thrown in. They aren’t in any particular order, except a rough memory of the order I read them. There were others I wasn’t able to finish and I may list them as well. (One list tends to lead to another with me). I’ll probably try and give abandoned books another go at some point this year along with the new additions I have waiting for me.

Reading List 2024

Ghost Story (Peter Straub)

Hell House (Richard Matheson)

TheLie Maker (Linwood Barclay)

Lowdown Road (Scott Van Doviak)

When Things Get Dark: Stories inspired by Shirley Jackson (Ed. Ellen Datlow)

The Chaos Machine (Max Fisher)

How They Broke Britain (James O’Brien)

Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself (Dr. Joe Dispenza)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (Patricia Highsmith)

Strangers on a Train (Patricia Highsmith)

You Like It Darker (Stephen King)

The Dark Wives (Ann Cleeves)

Absolute Power (David Baldacci)

The Drop (Dennis Levine)

The Long Call (Ann Cleaves)

16th November 2024

in

A couple of weeks after my trip to the Tate Modern to see the Expressionists exhibition I made another visit just to see the general collection. My anxiety levels about going out have been pretty high and I have to make a concentrated effort to make the journey to St. Pauls on the central line, across the bridge and into the gallery. I set myself a task of only visiting the first floor rooms this visit and leaving the next floor for another day. That way it took some of the pressure off. I managed to enjoy most of the works and get round the first three themed galleries - a bit rushed but good to see some familiar favourites and some that I haven’t seen before. I managed a quick look in the shop and the latest work in the Turbine Hall, Open Wounds by Mire Lee. Here are some images from the day.

Lee Krasner

Jackson Pollock

Giorgio de Chirico

15th November 2024

in

It’s been a month since my last post. Kept meaning to pick it up again but got caught up in a cycle of procrastination and mental health issues, plus other stuff going on in the background, it’s been difficult to get into my art head space. No new artworks for a while apart from one thing I may yet abandon. I doubt I’ll really do much this side of Christmas now, maybe start fresh in the new year. Last month I managed to see the Expressionist exhibition at Tate Modern, which I really enjoyed. I feel as though I’ve been living in a artistic void this last year or so, not really getting out there to see exhibitions and grab some inspiration, so the Sunday afternoon visit to see Kandinsky, Munter and the Blue Rider group was like a breath of fresh air. Seeing Kandinsky’s works again reminded me of how much I loved his paintings way back when I first started out on my artistic journey. I even wrote my essay about him for my A-Level. I still have it as well.

Anyway, here’s a selection of photos from the exhibition that stood out for me. (Please excuse the photography!)

Vassily Kandinsky, Cossacks 1910-11

August Macke, Portrait with Apples (Elizabeth With Apples), 1909.

Marianne Werefkin, The Red Tree 1910.

Lyonel Feininger, Gelmeroda III 1913

Vassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, Der Blaue Reiter, R. Piper & Co, Munich 1914

17th October 2024

in

Going way back now to my A--Level in art and design at Rosetta Studio Workshops (Rosetta Arts). I remember painting the banana skin all day one Thursday, sitting at the back of the studio, no central heating (just one or two electric heaters placed at an inconvenient distance from where I was working), damp from the rain and cold from the soaking I got on the way to the studio that morning, but persevering to get something i was actually quite proud of at the time. I still have this tucked away somewhere, an occasional reminder of how far I came over the intervening years. Also how happy I was then, painting something so ordinary in conditions that were less than ideal and loving every second.

24th September 2024

in

One of my favourite works from and exhibition called ‘Painter’s Paintings’ at The National Gallery in 2016. This small drawing by Frank Auerbach was a birthday card from Auerbach to Lucian Freud from a photograph of them together at the Cock Tavern. Sometimes a small, unassuming piece of art draws you in and actually becomes your favourite work amongst much larger, fully realised paintings. That’s what happened to me when I saw this drawing. A small, intimate moment that says so much.

22nd September 2024

in

Apologies for the poor photography. I remember this painting from one of my favourite artists, Edvard Munch, hanging in a show at The British Museum in 2019. The exhibition was called ‘Edvard Munch: Love and Angst’ and the painting ‘The Sick Child’ (1907). It was dark and unsettling, yet beautiful and inspiring at the same time. An experience I’ve never forgot.