SLEEPY CHIMPANZEE

I sculpted this as a bit of fun, i like a bit of fun, and what better way to illustrate chilling out and what it means, than a very relaxed chimpanzee dreaming of the ladies, he is in chimp heaven, and he could teach us all a little about the art of relaxation. I think i may produce this little fella in a small bronze edition of 9. Every time you feel stressed, just have a little chimp time, him on your studio table, or shelf, but keep him close, because he is bound to be good company, and he will do you good.

"Its DINNER time!!"

This is a piece I sculpted a few months ago, please excuse the quality of the photo... but i took it. Its a one- off terracotta patinated to look like bronze, and  somehow it reflects the way i feel sometimes...thank God! i dont have claws!  I love powerful pieces of art, they somehow drive us on to better things, to be stronger than we are maybe. Can you imagine being a lion. all that meat every day, no fricking salad for miles, gets a bit samey wouldn't it, oh Christ! here we go again, chase me! chase me, those fricking antelope don't make it easy, all i want to do is chill out, and all they want to do is PISS ME OFF!!, bastards, i,ll get em....... HERE"S LEO!!!

My copy of William Callows watercolour

This is a copy of a watercolour (William Callow) I did some time ago. I think it is good to copy great works of art, as its not a question of, "can i do it"? its more like,"  how did that artist "feel" when he painted it,? and i think its the nearest we can come to experiencing that . I have at times copied my own oils or watercolours, and it is bloody difficult!, you try it!, make it exactly the same as the original!, its practically impossible, but good fun. i painted a Van Gogh's sunflowers once and i couldn't paint it gently,  i found myself "stabbing!" the paint onto the canvas,  it felt mad!,  maybe he was....maybe i am? who fucking cares anyway, its all a load of bollocks in the end.

Holy Island, Lindisfarne Nothumbria, England

This oil was done from my sketches that i did while on holiday in Yorkshire.  Lindisfarne is a majestic, awe inspiring landscape, and Its best to see it on a cold brooding winters day, because that is the only way to really appreciate what it would have been like for the monks that  inhabited that heart of the soul. You can imagine the centuries of learning and culture that was Lindisfarne.  Most remember the onslaught of the viking hoards that tried to obliterate the minds of culture that the monks gave to posterity, but they failed, as all despots do in the end, good is more powerful than evil.

Hells Angel (Lee Hurst)

My son Sean

My son Sean is a games designer for Euro com in derby. I frighten him to death with my driving, and lust for life, its some of these things that will come to him as he matures...i think. I don't want to embarrass him to much...but to hell with it! i will! For him to be the best he can be, i repeat this mantra time and time again, like a broken record, ANATOMY!    WORK FROM LIFE!  Its the only way to be great, ok! use a photo now and again if you have to, and why not? the old masters would have, given half the chance, but life is best if kept simple, leave out the detail, ok! its good to show off now and again, but a bit o splodge is more controlled than any detail can be, its knowing where to put the splodge that matters, without retracing your footsteps and fiddling...ok Sean?

Chloe

This girl Chloe is my Grandaughter. She is  a powerful character, and i think i have captured that tenaciousness in her personality. wherever that power comes from is beyond all knowledge, its as though some people have been around the block a few times, and they collect all the little bits of life that made them strong for their future developments, and that's how i like to think of it.