A TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE

Now I know why so many artists migrated to the south of France in the 20th century. I hadn’t appreciated that such a dramatic cultural and climatic shift would also have such an impact on my painting. Watching whales jumping out to sea when having breakfast, iguanas walking around whilst having lunch, being drenched in bright sunlight and dazzling colour, these are all things that can’t be found in the north east of England, especially in January. This painting is following that mad Mexican vibe and my colour is migrating towards Raoul Dufy mediterranean.

A line of clouds, Mexico. Day 2

STRANGE HAPPENINGS

Reading left to right, a flexing bicep, a large naked figure seen from behind, a flying snowman, a large unidentified cloud, R2D2 and a poodle. All of these characters have been cast as they appeared. They were sitting on a line as if drawn by a ruler. There is a mountain range that runs down the pacific coast of Mexico and even under a clear blue sky there is normally a line of clouds gathered at the top. We were on our way to lunch when I saw this extraordinary sight, so I rushed back to get my camera.

A line of clouds, Mexico. Day 1

WHO NEEDS A STUDIO?

Probably the most important lesson of this first artistic exploration into Mexico is firstly not to be in the UK during these dark and cold months, December - March. As with all simple creatures, I respond well to bright lights and warmth. So much so, that agreements have already been made that we need to evacuate, post haste, the UK, around mid November 2025. I think Mexico gives me a very positive environment and I will certainly discover new elements to painting, just from being here. This painting is finished.

Man and maguey

ST GEORGE AND THE DRAGON

The oddness of this scene, dominated by the maguey, reminds me of the exquisite little painting by Uccello in the Musee Jacquemart-Andre in Paris. He using the dragon, does that make me the damsel in distress?. I have been able to navigate this rather complicated painting quite well. My conclusion about my little studio in Mexico is that it does not force any compromises on me that diminishes what or how I paint. I could even continue painting the existing size paintings that I was doing in the UK. Very happy with this painting, being the first one ever in Mexico.

Man and maguey. Day 5

STRANGE CREATURES IN A STRANGE LAND

I feel right at home here, in fact the landscape and myths seem more aligned to my odd approach to image making and surrealistic bent than does the UK. When viewing paintings online they always lose something in the process. This appears to be a watercolour, in reality it has much more substance and richness. I have cut away half of the maguey, its left side this gives it an unnatural appearance as if it were a crab about to scurry off. I like the effect and will not add any more limbs to it.

Man and maguey. Day 4

PRETENTIOUS AIMS

I am taking the artist poet route into Mexico rather than the iphone wielding tourist. This sounds incredibly pretentious and that is exactly how I want it to sound. The longer I stay here the more I understand what kind of paintings I want to make. My feeling is it will be the old mystical Mexico, especially around its landscape. This is the kind of Mexico that is even unfamiliar to me because I have not been looking at it as a painter until now. I am less certain of how to make these paintings but it is in the struggle and invention that interesting things emerge.

Man and maguey. Day 3

MEXICO IS

open for business. I had many reservations about how successful this painting project could be. Firstly going from a big permanent studio separate from the house back in the UK to finding a couple of square metres of space in our apartment in Mexico, shared with my hyper sensitive to smell wife. Well, the heat, sun and food have proved adequate distractions for her. Other potential issues were painting half sized pictures and wondering if all the distractions of a Mexican ocean side resort may have on my motivation. Well, I am happy to report, its business as usual for me, so the next 10 weeks will be interesting. Good start for this painting.

Man and maguey. Day 2

MAN AND MAGUEY

A man eating cactus?, if I stood still long enough I am sure it would absorb me. As soon as I saw this I knew if I stood in its jaws it would make for a good painting. This is in the neighbourhood of my parents in law, just outside Mexico City, where we stayed for a few days. Now we are on the west coast of Mexico grilling under a relentless and unforgiving sun. I have just set up my ‘studio’ in our apartment, bought my painting supplies and have thrown myself into this rather complicated and very Mexican scene. I have not exaggerated the scale of the plants, they are monsters, and I am sure they are being watered by some of the neighbours as they are rampant and growing into the road!

Man and maguey. Day 1

PUT DOWN YOUR BRUSHES

and step away from your easel. That’s it, time has run out, even if I get up at 4am tomorrow morning in a desperate attempt to finish. I fly to Mexico tomorrow and the last thing to pack is the paints and brushes. I have reached my goal, making the painting interesting enough so when I return at the end of March I will want to finish it. I have some paintings for Mexico in mind, one that stands out is a night time view of a big bay with a fishing town. Lots of sparkling lights, I hope it works, I have always tried to photograph it, unsuccessfully.

The big house. Day 6

NO SIGN OF THE FINISH LINE

This is one of those pictures that doesn’t give itself up easily. I have been bashing it about today with only a notion of what I want out of it. I was chasing a more fluid and tonal painting, for some reason I had Roualt in mind. It has moved in that direction and it is better but I am not sure if I have arrived at where I want to be. I suspect not, time is running out.

The big house. Day 5

ODD JOBS

Changing hinges on a door when you have got a painting to finish and your off to Mexico for 3 months next week? That is what I decided to do this morning. I have also got to pack. With my inability to prioritise and make rational decisions I don’t think this painting will be finished before I leave. What I want to do though is get it to a near finished state, at least good enough that when I do return to the UK I will be interested enough to finish it. After today, there are some decent areas of painting although this picture is putting up a fight.

The big house. Day 4

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

Its quite a long list, thankfully. More painting in 2025 is towards the top of that list and that’s not just a hopeful thought. The very long list of outstanding garden projects I made since moving here in 2022 has been reduced by around 75%. This means I actually do have more time for painting and I think a return to drawing after a short 20 year break. I have started to record in this website the first stage of every painting, ie the drawing, to see how this develops.

The big house. Day 3

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED

The aim for some time now has been to keep pushing the way I am making these paintings, so much so, that I’m not quite sure what to make of them. Surely what appears must be unfamiliar to me, that’s what I want. One consequence of this is that in the early stages I am painting on intuition in the hope of discovering the ‘right way forward’ what ever that is. It seems odd to me that after so many decades of painting I have suddenly felt a sense of urgency. That’s no bad thing, should have discovered that 30 years ago.

The big house. Day 2

FINAL PAINTING

Wife is on the plane to Mexico, mother is on the train back home, this leaves my diary completely open with the only pressing appointment to pack a few suitcases for my own flight to Mexico. This is a painting I have had in mind for a few months. Firstly the grand house reminds me of some paintings by Cezanne of his own home. Secondly, I like the way this house is framed from all sides. left and right by trees, the field in front and a dark cloud above. I also like how the house is angular, naturally, but the border is all flowing lines.

The big house. Day 1

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

The repaint started with the large orange clouds on the left, these are now 2 roast turkeys and a hedgehog, isn’t that what cloud watching is all about?. The planned new painting will now have to wait until the end of December and then its a race against time before I go to Mexico for 3 months in early January. For the first time in 18 years of going to Mexico I will be painting, more on that later.

Moon and chimney

TOO MANY NOTES MOZART

Which ones should I remove your majesty? When you get towards the end of a painting making these kind of decisions are not so obvious. The solution for me was to focus on the sweep of bright light that moves from the top right down to the mid left. The edge of this light looks like a view of the earth from space and this division separates land from sky. That’s my take on it. The painting is now finished.

Moon and chimney. Day 5

I WAS WONDERING

how far I could push the idea of a moonlight sky becoming more like a distant galaxy, I think I am about there. I also think everything is in place but some areas need a bit more subtlety just so they look a bit more like naturally lit forms to complement areas that are flat and decorative. I like the contrast between the two. Its an extension of the idea that you see shapes in the sky, I want the shapes to be very distinct. This painting is almost finished.

Moon and chimney. Day 4

THE COSMOS IS BEAUTIFUL

I either have eyes that can see deep into the cosmos and view undiscovered galaxies or their is some artistic license going on. As I wear glasses I suspect it is the latter. There is an even combination between the subject and me taking colour for a walk, to mis quote Paul Klee. Its almost like a game and its a fine balance between producing a subtle sky and one you might see in a department store gallery. I am trying to use the same treatment of experimentation that I have in the sky in the building. I can see playful elements of William Scott coming through in the stones, I’d like to take that a bit further. The moon is just the primed board, I will keep that.

Moon and chimney. Day 3

NOT A SUNSET

I am pushing the sky dangerously close to turning into a sunset. The original photo was a palette of cool blues, greys and purples but I like to add a bit more range in terms of warm and cool. I will have to keep this in check as I definitely want to keeps things nocturnal. Good progress so far, some subtlety and interest is beginning to appear. As is the upside down teddy bear under the moon!. May add santa on the chimney just to keep things festive.

Moon and chimney. Day 2

MOON AND CHIMNEY

This new picture was not an idea until yesterday evening when I stepped out of my studio and saw a spectacular full moon and sky as a back drop against the gable end of our old stone cottage. After a bit of fiddling with the camera and tripod I got a good photo which was massaged in Photoshop. One bit of editing I needed to do was to remove part of the house and overlay some colour glare from our exterior lights. This overlay has resulted in a teddy bear shape appearing under the moon (according to the wife). It does look unnatural but it adds a lot of interest. I am quite interested in the distortions in form and colour through photography and this shape will stay and become clearer.

Moon and chimney. Day 1