Following the pandemic of 2020/21, I was able to finish and publish my long awaited autobiography ‘Before the paint dries’ which had taken me ten years to compile.
As we were all restricted in our travel plans I concentrated on home to mount two exhibitions in the UK, both entitled ’50 shades of Bray’, the first (2021) being hosted at the private ‘Monkey Island’ and the second (2022) in conjunction with Alain Roux commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Waterside Inn and the ever present, Queens 75th Jubilee.
Both exhibitions were received well.
I was able to escape in 2021 back to my beloved Mallorca retreat enabling me to produce paintings for my October 2021 exhibition in London entitled ‘The Cashmere Collection’.
Since last November I have been concentrating on studies I bought back from Mallorca together with drawings I made from a recent trip earlier this year to Cannes and The Cote d‘Azur.
I decided to concentrate on the magical light that the Mediterranean exudes in abundance throughout its many locations. The glittering jewel like light that bounces from the ocean in both these locations and
the life style that is reflected in the relaxed atmosphere that seems to visually and atmospherically link the two venues.
The larger oils feature the feel of the warm lazy hazy days of times gone by with never ending lunches and the endless dappled light that prevails all around the Med especially in early spring and late autumn.
I have tried to record not only the feel of nostalgia but a homage to the new colour and imagery that seems to have transpired alarmingly yet favourably throughout.
New iconic ‘fashionesque’ invented shapes seem to reflect and echo the energy now being symbolised throughout both regions – I have tried to harness this energy to epitomise the excitement I felt whilst travelling and sketching resulting in the new works to be exhibited in the spring of 2023.