Update 7, The Art of Evolution

• All in all its been a really nice week, but one with many many late nights.
  
  Painting is a funny old thing, people often ask me where I find the time to paint, or how long a painting takes to finish.
  On the question of where I find the time to paint, the answer is simple, it’s a matter of replacing things which one would normally do of an evening, like watching TV. In our household we tend to disappear early to bed, usually well before 11pm and read for a bit. So if we take an hour of the Simpsons, and a couple of hours instead of a book at bedtime, you have 3 hours there which can be dedicated to painting. On weekends, there is plenty of time, a late night on Friday after Alan is tucked up in bed and Mrs B is firmly ensconced in bed with a good book, or Sunday Morning after our usual late breakfast, Mrs B likes to spend some uniterupted time with Alan, so I take myself off to the studio Ok, sometimes the discipline goes to the wall, but generally, that’s where the time comes from.
  
  As for how long a painting takes to finish, as long as a piece of string. Painting a picture is like herding cats, sometimes they all come together, but one false move and its back to chasing them again, so it can be anything from a couple of days, to several months of painting on, scraping off (that’s why I only paint in oil) and several false starts.
  
  
  Back to the exhibition.
  
  The Art of evolution is most definitely evolving and is progressing nicely.
  
  Some highlights of the week
  
  Another two paintings finished and drying for the show.
  
• I have collected together all the initial sketches out my books for the origins of creativity sketches.
  
• I got a few pictures back from the framers, but have to do it a bit at a time to spread the cost.
  
• Still waiting for news on a really good sponsor.
  
• The bus is confirmed, a bus will be running on at least one night from munich city center to Landsberg and back, if anyone is interested, let me know and I’ll book you on it.
  
• PRINTS, remember that all the images on my website are now available as limited edition prints until September, if you’re interested, please send me an email.
  
• The exhibition will be advertised in the city theatres “whats on “ guide to culture in Landsberg.
  
  And that’s about it for this week.
  Thanks everyone for your continuing support and encouragement.
  
  Derek

The Art of the One night Stand

It's not as it first seems.
No, I have not been unfaithful to my lovely wife, its about Art, funnily enough.

On Monday night, I finished a painting which I had been working on for a very long time. Through all its stages of development, through paintings on and scrapings off, through phases of OOH and AAH and Aaaaargh, it has been part of my life, a courtship phase in the quest for ultimate satisfaction.

The painting was finished, and I sat down on the floor, glass of Glove covered wine in hand and considered it, and thought, hey I like you a lot, I'm really pleased and I'm looking forward to having you in the house for a while.

less than 17 hours later, it was sold.

I get attached, perhaps too attached to my paintings, they grow on me and I like to see how the colours develop in different lights, and moods. I love to see how the painting makes a difference to a room, and reflect on how the relationship began and developed.

I am delighted that it is sold and that it is going to be in an amazing new home, owned by someone who really loves it and will enjoy the care, love and effort which I put into it every day. But at the same time, I will miss it, as it has been part of my life, my imagination and my studio for all that time but at the same time am proud as the painting has proved its worth and will continue to do so as long as it remains hung.

As Kids growing up and moving out is part of every parents life, so paintings developing and being sold, I guess is part of an artists life. Like a one night stand though, I cant help wondering if it could have come to more, if I could have done more, made it better or done something differently. These questions cant be answered, because there is nothing to answer to, if I didnt think the painting was finished, I wouldnt have called it finished.

Still, its and interesting thought.

Derek