The graphics for my show in Nuneaton in C1998
The pages go backwards and originate from a fact sheet diary I started and didn’t finish years ago.
22/08/12
- and thats the way I will leave it as a loose ended thing, I still have a lot to add.
june 2011
Top of the tree fairy dolls
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150278979741424.380270.707526423&l=429be71d03
Greetings from the other side
06-08-08 Istanbul
24-07-08 Marmaris, Turkey
12-07-08 Simi, Greece
28-11-07 Kollam,
(photo of residancy)
Dec 07 Mampara, Kerala
06-12-07 Varkala,
(english medicines)
09-12-2005 some work for Christmas The Curio City Shop, Broad Street A few display cabinets and the music box.
20051104 A week at Dumpy North East Scotland Starting to rebuild a little croft for Hadfield, with Tony and Lee.
20051104 Fireworks Spectacular Pype Hayes Park I was commissioned to build the guy for the bonfire
26-08-2005 Holiday Dalyan, S. Turkey A return to an old hunting ground, unfortunately the old guest house had retired!
20050628 WWW II sculpture project Bennets Well School, Chelmsley Wood, Three Steel and copper flags, illustrated by primary school children
20050617 Architecture Week The Unit, Methodist Church. End of the project
20050521 First Plans for Live/Work 2 Old Methodist Church Walsall Designs for a Tree House
The Cliff Top at Varkala Feb 2005
A very different place to the one we had known more than twenty years previously. Good food mind, but look what theyve done to my song!
It used to be (during the day) pretty well completely empty.
We mused that in those days we could have probably been able to buy it.
We were sitting having a cup of tea with "the boys" our old old landlady was about, she said " once there was just you two now there are thousands" I suppose it wasnt meant as a compliment.
The Junction Varkala Kerala, Feb 2005
Still pretty well unchanged, still a meeting place and first port of call.
20040910 Live/Work open day X-Ray Factory Official start of the project
20040717 Surfin' Shipping Hill Pembrokeshire A (too) long summer beak. Construction of "Tent City"
20040602 Application for Live/Work Spaces (1) George Road An expression of interest that had to open to change.
20040529 Tom and Alison's Wedding Clovelly Cornish seaside port ,we camped above and outside for a few days.
29-05-04, Clovelly, Tom and Alisons wedding
09-04-04 Shipping Hill
20040200 The Art Gateways Project X-Ray Factory x Canal at Smethwick Joined in a volunteer type of capacity, helped Cath Tarbuck build a kiosk.
20031208 Grotto And outside Be careful what you wish!
20031017 First thoughts for Grotto Show Downstairs at the X-Ray Factory Light, wonderment, giving, magic, sinister, things to hide behind.
20030926 Radioactive Opening Black Patch Big night-fifty artists, many visitors.
20030800 Work on the "Throne Room" Factory, Foundry Lane, Black Patch. Middle of the first project.
26-06-2003 First day at the X-Ray Factory Black Patch Smethwick. Meeting with Pete Hadfield
24-04-03 Portocollom, Majorca
20-04-03 Cala d'or, Majorca
20030200 The Bagshaw's Family Portrait. George Road Erdington Large acrylic family portrait, two years out of date, using tiny photos.
20030116 Reinvention Drum Arts Centre, Newton, Birmingham. Follows on from the group show "Intervention"
06-12-2002 Artist's Retreat Hotel outskirts of Coventry What is; success recognition? What pleases or satisfies? is completion? strengths x limitations?
09-10-2002 Surgery with Dave Pollard Walsall Art Gallery, 2nd floor activity room. First meeting and sharing of ideas. Also Dave Haden, Emma Chetcuti, Angela Foy.
14-09 -2002 First thoughts "an Organ for Life" Studio in Ladywood, with the gods tending. The various buttons have different lavles - like ambition, care, humility, strivation.
12-08-2002 Reward; chocolate brown lab 16 weeks old Lost in Brookvale Park Under 2ft high, short haired chocolate brown coat with golden sheen, he is very friendly
18-07-2002 Exhibition of Directionals Inside St Martin in the bullring" Reaction to the building work in the Bull Ring, the general cocooning of the area.
04-05-2002 Early holiday, with push bikes Corfu, Acharavi Turrets and wrought iron work, (don't write nufink that will stain or puncture you)
18-05-2002 @, the opening U.C.E. Margaret street, Birmingham Cordial invitation to a binary collection of illustrated correspondence
01-02-2002 Intervention Westminster Road , Handsworth, Birmingham Community art project using houses soon to be demolished.
Spring 01 Albufeira Portugal
19-12-00 Safaga Egypt
14-12-00 Luxor
11-04-2000 Bideford Bay
20-12-99 Fort Tiracol Goa
The Lake
Anjuna
12-12-99 Panaji
01-09-99 Verona Riva Lago de Como.
24-05-99 Fethiye, sharing a pool with swallows.
15-05-99 Jazz Bar Dalyan
23-02-99, Bagshaws painting (drawing)
31-08-98 Erdington, start of aquarium.
13-08-98 North Wales Llandudno. Camping holiday - start of the Stremers Scatch book
22-07-1997 Start of summer holidays. Dalyan, Southern Turkey.
19970615 ? Ronnie Lane died. George Road Eddies dreaming - always dreaming.
19970606 I quit smoking. 301 George Road, Erdington, Birmingham, I had been working at it so it wasn't so bad with the aid of "patches " for a week.
970428 First day of the show called "stories" Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery. There were bomb scares, the first rain after a six week drought and no one turned up.
970218 A cold day trip or part thereof. Lilleshall Abbey, N. W. of Birmingham A place that I would dearly like to produce some work from,the way everything slotted
950109 Start of work on "ratz" Jaffray School Erdington. Quite a rewarding endeavour, I worked with Leslie the drama teacher.
941012 Moved to Erdington. On a lovely sunny autumnal day through a garden that stunk of cat spray.
feeling "bottled in"
Thinking about moving
Mon 4th July, building a farmyard for Aydin
Thurs 31st March 94
ShippingHill
The wolf lies down with the sheep.
A fable that old man Cosken shared with me regarding my relationship with his three sons.
(Istanbul)
Sun 27th march Cardiff
Tom Weirsmas house
15th march Istanbul
Looking after Evelyn and her friends, playing with a video camera
10th March 94 Singapore
and of course we bought a video on Saturday 12th March and then booked a plane out.
The image that was eventually used for "Achilles Shield"
A good place for an ambush.
Mersing
07-03-94 Peckan
Malaysia - the Cameron Highlands
Tanah Rata
Weds 23rd Feb 94
Penang
Bangkok
Pattya, the whore house of Asia
31st Jan 94 Cha-Am
- home of the flag waving incredible.
Fri. 28th Jan, 94 Hua Hin
Haveing gained a couple or three large hotels since the last visit.
Ratchaburi Thurs 27th?
This was a pretty traumatic time for Aydin ( and us )
He had been fine on a bike seat - only, behind the handlbars, not behind the saddle.
When we took him to A & E the Doc was sure that we had been really stupid foreigeners and involved him in a high speed trials bike accident.
Kanchanaburi, Aydins bike adventure!
Bangkok - Aydins train adventure en route!
Batu Ferringi
Penang, stayed at"the Lost Paradise" Aydins sea urchin adventure!
New Years Eve, Kuala lumpa. in "the Twin Happyness Hotel"
1992 Egypt
Coptic Bird
Siwas, Egypt
A Coptic Tale
The founding of a great peoples.
Dendera, Egypt, half way up the Nile just around a bend a fabulous temple to visit and a funky local hotel and bar to stay at. Mind we didnt feel like venturing out very far after dark.
The blokes in the bar were wild enough.
Our bedroom had block printed patterns instead of wallpaper
Pity about the mosquitoes. We ended up putting a mattress with mosquito net out on the balcony because of the stifling heat inside.
11th October 91
Birth of Aydin. Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, Dyfed.
17th October 1988 Return to shipping Hill from Istanbul Hotel Boskurt, Eminonu, Istanbul Information from a post card I didn't send "Istanbul. Dirty, noisy wet/cool & troublesome".
8th September 88 Having lovely fish meals. Iskenderun just above Syria People thought that I was either Turkish or Arabic, the polis especially in a night hotel visit.
29th June 1988 Start of first trip to Turkey. Cesme, Western Turkey.
Tangalle 24-09-87(fishermen/beach)
Badulla 20th-23rd ,09-87 (Dunhinda Falls)
Nuarellya 19-09-87
16-09-87 Columbo,
Mt Lavinia up till 19-09-87
Painting on the wall in our room in Mt Lavinia on the leafy outskirts of Columbo.
The comment was Two Stories:
one theatre / stage
one towering audiance
An angel in a shopping centre Singapore
13-09 - 15-09
First city to arrive at out of the Forests. Sukhotai, Mid North Thailand. For me the ancient temple range was more meaningful than any in Thailand.
04-09 Chang Mai
Cave Lodge
Painted in a place called "Mr Johns Lodge" or something similar. Close to Chang Mai in Thailand but also a nine mile walk to reach, which made the other guests quite a lively interesting bunch.
We went out on various adventures, nearly drowning in swollen rivers, getting covered in leeches, visiting local Karen Indian villages, just generally seeing how dangerous we could get.
Tues, 18th Aug, Arrived in Chang Mai in the rain (again)
Hua Hin
5th July 1987 On a night train back to Jakarta. The seats where plastic, no landscape in the dark night. To catch a plane to Kuala Lumpa next day. Met a man from Hawaii married to an Indonesian.
25th July 1987 Morning rail arrival to an arty town. Yogyakata, S.W. Java, Indonesia. Home of batik, simple gamalan music, a happy hotel with song birds and lots to see and buy!
26th June 1987 A walk through the jungle / bird song. Maninjau lake. rare peaceful place, Sumatra. One of two lovely lakes in the area, both reasonably prolific places for me.
870619 Safe arrival after passing Pekenbaru. Bukkitingi, middle southern Sumatra. A lovely little town after staying a night in hell on earth! In a nice little hotel.
19th June 1987 Arrival at holiday Isle off Singapore. Hotel Bumi Nusantara Batam Island Our initial meeting with Evelyn Tan, a travel agents tour of the Island with her sister.
19th January 1984 End of Conway Pub management. The Conway, Canton Cardiff. And then they refurbished it and it became a yuppie place and probably still is.
29th December Death of Alexis Korner. He died in Cardiff. I was quite shocked to find that he had been quite a large part of my life.
28th September Mellowing out into the trip now. Dal Gate"Land" a different place to Nehru Park. Going up to the edge of town more frequently now for meals at lunchtime and different pictures
8th September 83 A short break up in the tame mountains A guest house up in what was backpackers bliss We took a break, up in a wild and beautiful place, I did some quite intricate ink landscapes.
1st September Drawings for a fairy boat, part 2 The "my bedroom" part of a wooden corridor. Pretty well ensconced on the lake by now, Sharing with a bloke called Peter Briggs.
19-08-1983 Newly arrived start of sketch book. An easy dip" Chez Henry Dal Lake Kashmir Start of nearly a 3 month painting stint on a house boat. It was basically water colours & stories.
18-10-1981 Arrival by tonga a day late-bandit road. Bodhgaya Bihar N. India. Couldn't travel along the road after dark.
23rd August 1981. Ley. 01-08-1981 Wilar Lake29-07-1981 Arrival of Richard and Noreen Cooper at rhe Oberoi Hotel, the "other end" of Dal Lake.
21st August, Lamayaru.
Amazing and unbelievable that’s what I told the red monk and very bright too and so colossal.
He wondered if I was writing a History book, "No making pictures" (gesture gesture) I said.
"Oh, a History Book" he said
"Yes that’s right," I said
Perched on soft crumbly rocks with a two to 300 foot drop down to the fields and where the dead donkeys lay.
Between morning and evening the sun simply moved from one end of the valley to the other making it a city of light (admission price).
*CITY OF LIGHT ADMISSION PRICE
Houses with black shadows were set against another great upright of rock, with here and there very useful caves carved into the more forward columns of soft stone and all the houses angled to catch the morning light.
*TO CATCH THE MORNING LIGHT
Eroded and eroding some of these ageless buildings, hard to tell which were new, will fall off some rainy day, magnificently perched, but some of this erosion seemed to shadow right under the houses.
Everywhere, there were signs of roofs going through with just the bare pole skeletons poking through, surrounded by black hole. They’ll patch them up before it gets to –30c or simply not use them.
The Monastery Temple was, like the houses, "stucco" in mud and went up and up. It had little square windows spaced just like a skyscraper only smaller and a big square arch all dark and airy inside.
Every where was strung white prayer flags, in muslin with full prayers on them and hung like washing lines.
And little coloured triangular flags and tall fluttering flags with striped, colourful headpieces pinpointing in the sky
* DESSERT SHEILD
A large row of carved stones, a line of them leading up to the monastery, built up as a ten-foot thick wall and covered with individually "sloganised" stones. An impressive statement on the agelessness of thought.
This row stretched back for about two miles and was punctuated by roughly triangular whit mud "obelisques".
*PLUMP JOLY MONKS
It is difficult to stand up to a financially damaged plump monk and say "you cheat, you are robbing me"
They are quite contented, shave their heads every week and own expensive wrist watches.
*A SMALL MONKS CELL
And so within a monk’s cell with a finely crumbled earth floor, no room to move and shafts of light here and there from a very small window and skylight for letting paraffin fumes out. Something rattled outside relentlessly when the wind blew.
Its amazing what you can do with carrots and parsnip
*BURIED IN DRY EARTH
They kept all the kitchens root crops in a little mound by the front door and gave me carrots and parsnips with noodles for tea.
* IDOLS IN COLD STORAGE
The monks capture the old but youthful hauntings, which made their hides far into the powdery mountains.
They blow with the wind and soar and exist like eagles leaving empty space behind.
They won’t write love songs for us when we are gone, they never have. They are not interested in us and have no part to play in our existence. How long they last I think is not forever – something else maybe happens to them.
The monks capture them sometimes and store them in dark shady places high up in difficult nooks and crannies to reach and bring them out once a year.
*KEEP THEM IN A DARK PLACE
But they don’t care about this either they burn behind the dust and live through their obscurity.
19th August, Kargil.
17th August Sonamarg.
15th August Pilgrimage to Armanarth as a Yatri.
-so, we made Baltal: little chai huts and the odd official wooden hut. Extortionate prices and all equipped for a moving trade, which means dal and rice.
The moon crept round behind a rocky crag and we slept in Mr Puzzels tent.
Early morning was like a cattle market hundreds of yatris not knowing if they were coming or going.
I cant remember much of that uphill journey except for the fact that we flew. The mountains and valleys were splendid and we really moved, taking here and there a small tot of rum moving up and up towards the sharp craggy peaks and small clouds all angular above the grassy valley sides.
Reaching the bottom of the scarp that led to Amarnath we zigzagged up then three kms across the glacier to the yatri area. We crossed an icy river and made our way to a large overhanging boulder surrounded by rock walls were various nationalities were squatted around a small ember fire in a large flattened tin can.
We pitched the tent and walked down to the long stone dharmsala for some free chapattis, hot curry and tea. Lines of all different people sitting in two long lines of matting. A quick turnover and gaily triangular flags all hanging in a grid above.
Back to bed for one of those coldest nights.
Up with the bright light of morning and on up with the now long line of different coloured yatris strung out back along the path toward Sonamarg and Phalgam. All different bright colours bottling up towards the square amber cave where, Shiva explained to Parvati the secret of salvation. Two listening retainers were turned into doves for gleaning this new found information, on this same full moon.
The saddhus were there in there presence, most in yellow with a lot of ash soot and most with tridents. One crazy saddhu had a long stave on which perched his two tame pigeons, T.V. star sunglasses and black dread lock hair. There was a naked saddhu with a bronze ring around his penis to make sure his lust was not aroused. They did not want their picture taken!
We climbed upon a rock in the middle of all the pre-cave lingam excitement and decided not to visit the temple after all: the crush at the door looked like living hell and you had to take your shoes off and walk about on ice! No matter, I had mainly come to see these thousands and thousands of Hindus in the one Muslim country of India.
And that multi coloured stream of Yatris snaked back and back with the mountains towering above and below and here and there, the remains of last years glaciers.
Back to the cave where it suddenly began to pour with rain splattering through its rough stone wall. We nestled down into the dry areas when suddenly a team of saddhus burst in. There are two types of saddhu – beggars and heavenly philosophers, these were not the latter. But they did seem friendly enough, loading up and passing round their chillums. I was very aware though that I had passports, camera, knife, money etc. all under my blanket and the fact that this guy on the other side of the cave had lost his ring all in the course of a simple handshake earlier that morning - -
link to Yatri Face book album:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/photo.php?fbid=112159448871574&set=a.112158202205032.26035.100002325573171&type=1&theater
Outside the cave
12th August, posted parcel
7th August, Srinagar, Dall Lakedesigned L.S.A blazer badge.
02-08-1981 Moghul Gardens
26-07-1981 Kangan.22-07-1981 Manersbul20-07-1981 Zero Bridge on the Jellum, Srinagar06-07-1981 Yusmarg
A place thats simply beautiful,
(the non-story story lines)02-07-1981 Dal Lake.
Down to seven stone.
16-06-1981 First arrival in Srinagar with the runs The Bund, Srinagar Kashmir. Arrival after gruelling 16 hr bus journey, considerably underweight.
13-06-1981 Walked to Gulhar Last bit with packhorses Jammu & Kashmir ~ Kishtwar. VIP at DAK A beautiful Dak Bungalow With a "real meal" Lovely garden, stayed with Ian & Simon.
12-06-81 A relatively short walk Shashu, A dorm / chai shop. Where we got fleas and more dal and rice" Everyone was shattered so we slept.
11-06-81 Hard walk up & down on empty stomachs. Atholi, in a loud drunken Dharbar. There was a Muslim wedding on outside.
10-06-81 A brief excursion off the beaten track. 6kms before Ishtwari, Pangi Valley, HP. India Very wet day ,a brief climb to a wooden temple up in a little wild field, no camera.
09-06-81 Started move towards Kashmir. Dharwas Guest house. Easy walk ,evening ate with" idiot engineers served by very slow smiling servants.
8th June 81 Went back to Kilar, valley centrepoint. At the Guest house in a lovely little room. Glad to be "back" family life can be very tiring! But that's another story.
6th June 81 Moved back up the valley. Narian Singh's family village Keruni. Shared the family house, met the elders, drank the liquor, got yet another dose!
5th June 81 Moved on to Killer Spent the night at the local vets.. An uphill walk, crossing to the other side of the Pangi Valley. The chalkidar was absent.
3rd June 81 Crossed the pass starting at first light. Finally at Bindrabani. A very long day another of those "biggest experiences ", Nearly died a couple of times.
2nd June81 Walked uphill through red woods. Tents at Satrundi, and one Guest house. Ate with cowman at Ranukat, then stayed at the foot of the daunting Sach Pass.
31st May 1981 Beginning of trek. Barragah Resthouse. The 68 km bus journey took 51/2 hours, then a10 km walk to a "v. nice place"
Settlement above Bharmor
17-04-1981 First morning tired walk past the glacier. Bharmor, Himachel Pradesh. N. India Very tired after a long walk up to the Rest House the previous night. saw 2 beautiful butterflies.
Morning walk, with Phil Railstone 2nd day Bharmore, Himachel Pradesh, Himalayas. Note book w/c of yellow spring butterfly by the glacier. Our first tired walk out from guest house.
05-04-1981 Start of a book called "Five wash wonders" Chamba, Himachel Pradesh, India.
02-01-1981 Swam under the falls. Under the rainbow pool, Jog Falls Practically the most splendid sight I have ever felt-rainbows, sharp black and humbug rocks,
19801231 Arrival from Karwar Jog Falls, Karnataka, S, India. Start of one of the biggest experiences of my life. And the meeting with Hector Chrome.
13-09-1980 Richard and Noreen's marriage. Hammersmith London. An eventful affair an Irish do with loud band, 2 mothers. I was best man with many drunk friends.
04-03 80 Shipping Hill
08-09-79 Open air disco - Splott Adventure Playground
01-09-79 Victoria Park Canton. Start of a new sketch book.November 78 Crete.
In search of Joni Mitchels Mermaid Cafe in Matala
Outside an empty Mermaid Cafe, well at least the place we considered would do.
Have had similar experiences to the song like meeting a guy who probably did do the goat dance very well:
"Live Today George" - a local fisherman who liked a fish stew and a bottle of retzina.
17-23 Sept 77 Seasons and Elements, Haverford West Library
18Feb-5 march 77 Town and Country, London Surrey Arts Kingston Hall and Library.
22-27 Nov 76 Knots and Dots Haverford West Library
A note from Steve Kunze who took over the flat in Ethelbert Road
A worthy successor I felt!
Left alone at the end of a good story.
March 76
Ethelbert Park, Bromley.
19760421 Life in a bed-sit with S. M. Ethelbert Road, Bromley, Kent. Work on duck pond at Kelsey Park. Also playing with the loose Browne Joe Band at Dulwich.
19760400 Life in a blue Easter caravan with T.W. Shipping Hill, Pembrokeshire. Creation of the "Easter Tapes" with such gems as "Tog and Nog" also "The May Apple Ball".
09-03-1976 Painting the backs of plates in cobalt. Ethelbert Road off Bromley High Street. From a small note book, at that precise time I was eating a fabulous local home-made pork pie
1975 Seasons exhibition at the Garnsworthy Hall Epsom.
19720527 Art College trip to Paris. Youth Hostel near Notre Dame Paris. Work on "Stairway to heaven ". A four day trip with a good bunch of people.
