The heat

The air is hot, but it is not heavy, there is a dryness to the heat that seems to linger inside the breeze. The horses stand still in the barn hoping to somehow be invisible to the flies that are unbothered by the heat and rather motivated to be extra irritating, The dogs lay around me in the shade panting to keep cool , all six of them , bodies rising and falling with fast breaths. We are all listening to birdsong and chatter and the bells from our surrounding sheep and goat neighbours.

I am behind on everything in the studio by at least two weeks because Mother Earth is in a state of flux and disarray as I think we all may have noticed and we were given an early heat wave that creates a lot of upheaval for someone tending to the land and to animals. In the countryside, the seasons and their rythmic patterns hold the hours of your day hostage. The sun and her heated rays determine how and when you do things. My studio time or “terrace time” since I never paint in my studio, is directed by these patterns. It is the foundation of my routine. Without the land and my tribe of furry and feathered creatures, I would have no routine at all. I wonder sometimes what that would be like … to exist without that, and I simply can’t imagine.

I am loathed to do the physical work that I must do all week as I build stretchers for canvases . I am here sweating over my constructions, wrestling with long pieces of wood making new architecture to house my paintings for a large exhibition at the beginning of the new year in Sweden. I am very excited to announce a solo exhibition in Stockholm at Berg gallery.

All I want to do is paint, but first comes the structure to paint upon. There is also sewing involved to make the canvas long enough for some of the bigger pieces.

Photography

The wonderful photographer Jo metson Scott was here for a few days shooting a future project with me. We are developing a book that is about seeing, and the visual dialogue and perspective  that is how we articulate what we see. Jo is brilliant and has become a dear friend and a part of the family, as she has documented my work and the building and creation of my house over the past few years in Portugal . She started with the ceilings I painted in Paris and it has naturally unfolded from there. Stay tuned for more info on the book

Curated

I have been rifling through stacks of my work these past few months. The discombobulating move of artwork and studio contents , especially from one country to another, is a reckoning all on its own. The majority of this work will be put into an archive for my own reference, but I have selected a few pieces I am willing to part with to be included in my Curated studio sale this page is password protected so you will have to ask me for the password to gain access. Please email me.

There are two

Larger paintings that are available , but only for US based collectors. Did anyone see “Goodrich” ? With Michael Keaton?  It was a really good movie…. I love Michael Keaton , he is my “Batman”, so I am a little biased . Well, in “Goodrich” he is a gallery owner and  my work is quite prominently featured. I finally got this painting back after its debut in the film, it is in the USA, and I won’t ship it internationally so it will need to stay stateside. There is an array of work as part of this summer studio curation. The pricing is reduced because some pieces have little imperfections . Shipping is always added on afterwards and I can ship just about anywhere.

There is a lot more to tell you about , but I will save it for next time.

Stay cool there .

stay curious, love your animals and don’t forget to play.

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