After a very long wait my very long time friend Guy Tweedy finally received his painting of one of his favourite views, the ice rink in Central Park, Manhattan. With relief, it was judged very positively by all who saw it at the ad hoc mini- private viewing with Mr. Butler exclaiming that it was the best painting he had EVER seen! Not bad praise eh?

The framed glazed painting survived the rigours of a 300 mile journey from Brighton to Harrogate whilst crammed to the nearest mm. in the back of my car. Above, a selection of photos of Guy with the painting, me and loading up the boot of the car.

Guy Tweedy is the very busy and effective International Spokesperson for ICTA, a campaigning umbrella body that brings together people affected by thalidomide from all over the world. For more information about ICTA please visit their site www.ictacampaign.com

That gong tormented Sea: Contemporary painters pursue the idea and reality of Byzantium

In this mixed show I have seven new paintings ranging from views of Simonopetra Monastery to monks walking across flagstones towards the church at Vatopedi, Mount Athos, Greece.

The show runs to January 28th. 2010.

Francis Kyle Gallery

9 Maddox Street

Mayfair

London

W1S 2QE

Outside the church at the Great and Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi, Mount Athos

I have just returned from Mount Athos in Greece where I have been working towards a show entitled ‘Byzantium.’ Check these posts soon as I shall update.

In July 2006 I went to the region around the River Somme to research Siegfried Sassoon and his war experiences for an exhibition at the Francis Kyle Gallery entitled ‘Everyone Sang.’ This map from my sketchbook shows the region and the places I went to. Most of my research centred around Max Egremont’s biography of Sassoon and Sassoon’s own books about his war experiences, especially ‘ Memoirs of an Infantry Officer.’ The revelation was that on arriving I discovered that I could almost walk in Sassoon’s footsteps based on the text of this book.

                                                                                            Montserrat 2008 oil on canvas 80x 80 cm

On Tuesday (03.02.09) I went to Montserrat. Montserrat means serrated mountain and that is exactly what it looks like. It’s about 50 km. north-west of Barcelona. Two years ago I spent some time here. I hadn’t intended to even consider it as a subject to paint as I thought it was too obvious a symbol of Catalunya.  It’s so massive you cannot fail to see it and as I was driving in from the airport I was intrigued as I hadn’t been here since childhood. I took a detour. The first thing that strikes you, from a distance, is its scale and you ask yourself ‘what is this giant lump of rock doing rising out of the land like this?’ Then you notice the surreal shapes. That in itself is enough to make you want to explore it. As you get up alongside it’s the scale takes over. It’s so big you can’t see up it or around it.

The sun can make this mountain seem as flat and transparent as a piece of coloured tissue paper. From another angle it is the grandest, boldest and rockiest of forms caught in sharp relief. It is 1236m. in height, shaped by wind, rain and frost from a conglomeration of limestone, pebbles and sand that once lay under the sea. Somewhere up there, at 725m. clinging onto the side is the Benedictine Monestir de Montserrat which is considered, by many to be the spiritual heart of Catalunya. Since 2007 I have completed a couple of paintings of the monastery as seen from below and at a distance. This time I went back to look for more possibilities.

 ‘The extraordinary mountain is called Montserrat and it is, indeed, jagged as a saw. The legends say that it was thus rent at the moment of the crucifixion. It rises, an isolated grey mass, being some 8L.in circumference. The pinnacles range about 3300 feet high. The outline is most fantastic, consisting of cones, pyramids, buttresses, nine-pins, sugar loaves, which are here jumbled by nature in a sportive mood. On the Virgin’s day, September 8^th, sometimes 3000 people went up to her shrine. The Catalans believed that this high place was selected as the throne on earth for the queen of heaven and angels.’

Handbook for Spain    Richard Ford   London 1845

   Things you do when there’s no-one around. Port de la Selva way down in the background

Right now I’m sitting in an apartment in El Port de la Selva. (Yes, it’s Friday night (06.02.09), about 10pm. I’m feeling the solitude. There is beer though! I’ll be fine). It’s a fishing village on the Costa Brava 14km. south of the French border. We camped here once but didn’t give the place much of a chance, in fact, no chance at all, and headed off asap the next morning. Funnily enough this place was my grandmothers favourite holiday destination and she and my step-grandfather came here every year for years. They really enjoyed it and I can see why they came in the summer. It’s dead at this time of the year. I’ve seen more cats than humans so far. They loved it and raved all year about it. They had so many friends here, none of which I have ever met. I’ve probably walked past them on my way for a menu del dia or to the supermarket.

I’ve not come here to be here though. I’ve come here to be near St. Pere de Rodes. It’s a spectacular Romanesque monastery looming 500m. up on the side of a mountain about 8k from here. Once you drive up there you can see a very long way. Your view takes you from the bay of Roses, across to Estartit, then over Figueras and way beyond into the Pyrenees (which right now is totally snow covered). And that’s just looking over to the left side. Okay you get a lot of sea over on the right side. After a fifteen minute climb behind the monastery you find a ruined castle known as Castell de Sant Salvador Verdera. It doesn’t look much from a distance but up close it’s great. Some of the walls are still intact. There’s a ruined turret as well. In conjunction with the monastery this has been the focus of my attention. I’ve been looking at them both independently and together within the same composition. You can climb up on the walls and be on the highest spot for miles around. It’s rather exilerating. An incredible place to sit and draw as there is absolutely no body to be seen, not even a monk. Would a monk strain up that hill? I doubt it. Probably trip on the way down.

I’m here for about 4 days ( Wednesday till Sunday). I’ve been loaned this apartment by friends from Barcelona. They said I could stay till August. Hmm…tempting.

Not many out tonight

This cat looks confused

Since setting out on my mission to visually explore my Catalan roots through the landscape I have simultaneously been trying to discover what characterises the Catalans themselves. I’m wondering if this would be useful to me? After time will I look at the landscape in a new, ‘Catalany’ kind of way? Unlikely, but it’s interesting anyway.

Are there particular Catalan traits? What is the relationship with the rest of Spain? With Europe? The rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona is well known. Is it good thing? Is it not so good?  A significant place to start may be with my own father, a Catalan. He’s from Sabadell, an ex-textile town just outside Barcelona. When I was young we used to live in a village called Bellaterra, further in along the road towards Barcelona, near Sant Cugat des Valles.

To help me with my research I have been reading a three-volume work called ‘A Handbook for Travellers in Spain and Readers at Home’ by Richard Ford. I believe this was the first ever travel guide to the entire country and Ford spent much of his time on a mule travelling around the complete peninsula writing his notes and then producing this excellent book which was published in England in 1845. I realise his observations could be very out of date by now.

My Handbook is not an original print I’m afraid. It’s a 1966 edition published by the Centaur Press. I received my copy as part of the Richard Ford Award for the year 1992. In volume II we have the Catalan section and I’ll admit it, no, I haven’t really read much of the rest of volume II, in fact none at all, or any of volume I or II for that matter. But I might do one day.

Another superb book is Barcelona by Robert Hughes. Obviously more of a biography of the city than a general view of Catalonia but it is still instructive in my quest.

An obvious way to collect ideas would be to ask Catalans and non- Catalans for their perspective. This, I shall do.

This is going to have to be an on-going post which shall be up-dated through time.

Here’s a selection of what some have written:

“The Catalans are not very courteous or hospitable to strangers, whom they fear and hate. They are neither French nor Spaniards, but sui genris both in language, costume, and habits, indeed the rudeness, activity, and manufacturing industry of the districts near Barcelona are enough to warn the traveller that he is no longer in high-bred, indolent Spain.” (1)

‘The active and industrious Catalans are amongst the best tradesmen, innkeepers, and carriers of Spain.’ (2)

 “Their canny reserve gives the rest of Spain and the sizeable immigrant population in suburban Barcelona the impression that Catalans are snobbish (as well as tight fisted). In reality it’s just that they’re far more thoughtful than a first glance at the city’s extravagant façade might suggest. Every apparent flight of fancy is the result of careful calculation and planning.” (3)

“Catalans are convinced they are different from other Spaniards. They have a name for it. ‘Hecho diferencial’ -the differentiating fact….The idea provokes ire elsewhere in Spain.”

“One of Barcelonas defining characteristics is that it is not Madrid.” (4)

“Catalans, to my way of thinking, (are) the least ‘Spanish’ of Spaniards.” (5)

1. Richard Ford Handbook for Travellers in Spain Vol. II London 1966
2. Richard Ford Handbook for Travellers in Spain Vol. II London 1966
3. The Guardian 17.06.97 (writer unrecorded)
4. Giles Tremlett  Ghosts of Spain  Travel’s through a country’s hidden past  Faber and Faber 2007. In his chapter on Catalans Tremlett tries to discover what are the characteristics of the ‘hecho diferencial.’
5. Ian Gibson  Fire in the Blood BBC Books 1992

My first post for a while. I’ve been moving around quite a bit.

Sunday (30 January) I was back in Barcelona and saw the sign for Parc Guell. I’ve been here lots before but it’s worth going again and again. Designed by Gaudi and helped by his assistant Josep Maria Jujol it is an inspiring sight. This is Gaudi’s attempt at landscape gardening, with great views across the city. Begun in 1900 the park was meant to be a miniature garden city of houses for the wealthy. The idea was abandoned though but Gaudi didn’t seem too concerned as ‘he saw his work on the park as an opportunity to make an elaborate statement about his second religion- Catalan Nationalism.’ (1)

In 1905 Jujol organised about thirty labourers from other Gaudi projects to collect, break-up tiles and re-assemble them as pieces of decoration for the benches that outline the large terrace in Parc Guell. One of the highlights for me as you have the view as well. Referring to the tiles Hughes wrote:

‘Insofar as anyone can point to the “first” anything in art history, this is the first collage: the earliest attempt to make a work of art by transposing independent objects into a new matrix where the original identity remains visible, but where their meaning is changed by proximity to others. It far predates cubism.’ (2)

 I remember reading about Julian Schnabel visiting Parc Guell in the early eighties and being inspired to use a collage of broken crockery and tiles stuck to the canvas as the support for his oil paintings. As a result my ex-tutor has referred to him, ever since, as Julian Scrapnel.

Weather was rubbish….as you can see from the photos. Then just as I was going to take a great photo the camera battery gave up! No!

1. Robert Hughes  Barcelona  Harvill 1992  pg.505
2. Robert Hughes  Barcelona  Harvill 1992  pg.511

I am in Calella de Palafrugell. It’s about 100km , north up the coast, from Barcelona. It’s almost deserted as it’s out of season. The coast line here is stunning. It’s the Costa Brava- the rugged coast- and I’ve been here many times. There are a quite a few possibilities here for painting. I was here two years ago and did some work then. The long thin drawings of the tower and cactus I did then (see them in the drawings section). That’s up the hill by the lighthouse on the Llafranc side. Yesterday I was on a materials hunt and ended up in Gerona. Things work out expensive now the pound is so weak against the euro. On this trip I’m planning to go to some great locations. I cannot resist Montserrat. It is spectacular. Also the Colserolla Hills- an area around Barcelona. At some point I’d like to make it to Cadaques and St. Pere de Rodes monastery. It lies just south of the French border in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Calella de Palafrugell