Friday 24th April
Those of you of a certain age may have been saddened by the report this week of the death of Zoologist, sociobiologist, humanist, author and presenter Desmond Morris at the age of 98, who's book "The Naked Ape" published in 1967, catapulted him to fame along with his television shows such as "Zoo Time". However, less known by the general public was that he was also one of the last exponents of the Surrealist Art movement and continued to paint and exhibit his Surrealist paintings throughout his life and into his 90's. In fact he has stated that he had always been a Surrealist painter who happened to become a Zoologist, author and TV personality. Later in life his paintings were recognised by the artworld and brought into the public galleries including The Tate in London. In 2017 he was the subject of a BBC documentary "The Secret Surrealist".
His comments regarding always being a painter resonate with me to some extent. From my earliest remembered childhood, I have always wanted to be an artist. When I was younger I could never really express my feelings on this for fear of ridicule. It sounds rather dramatic but the feeling has always been there, even with all the distractions of family, friends, school university, sport, jobs and life in general, all of which can derail those inner desires which are incredibly difficult to justify. I am very lucky to be able to pursue my desires later in life on a full time basis, not everyone can be as lucky but it doesn't mean the feelings won't still be there.
Having said all that, I have purposely had a non painting week. Having finally recovered from covid, I decided that I would finally start to tackle some of the jobs I had been unable to do. On Monday I cut and strimmed all the lawns (which I admit did knackered me so soon after covid) and I also successfully found a home for the motorhome only a few miles from our new house, on a farm with secure storage and access at all times. This was a huge relief and once moved will allow us to get a skip on the drive. On Tuesday I tackled one of our sheds which was stuffed with items to be either kept, sold or thrown. I removed everything and photographed everything to sell. It was a eclectic collection including a tyre, large tent, awning, a utility tent, petrol mower, petrol strimmer, a battery, full exhaust for a fiesta and punch bag. The sale items were put on Facebook marketplace and I'm already selling. I then reorganised and re-packed the shed minus the items for the tip.
On Wednesday I tackled the filthy job of extracating my fishing tackle from my studio ceiling which was covered in mouse shit and piss. I wore protective gear as it was disgusting. Sorted the considerable amount of gear. I binned old, incomplete and damaged stuff and thoroughly cleaned the stuff I was keeping. I also rescued our inflatable kayak, used twice and covered in the same stuff as the fishing tackle. It took me an hour to clean it all but it was undamaged and saleable.
I can only do so much and it's going to take time but fortunately we have that. It will be easier with a skip.
I also messaged all my galleries this week and explained the moving situation and the restrictions I will have regarding supply of new work. I will be able to paint but for the next few months it won't be full time. I am trying to take some pressure off Natasha who as well as working is dealing with all the financials.
It's been hard work but satisfying. Delving into the dark recesses of my studio has made me understand how unsuitable it now is as a working environment. Black mould, mouse effluent, cobwebs and damp together with a rotting structure is not conducive to creating beautiful art. It makes me so excited about getting a brand new workspace. That alone will keep me going.