EXPO'S ARE STACKING UP LIKE CANCELLED FLIGHTS

The Norway exhibition is still running and already I am preparing to head off to Turkey for the next. While I am doing that ANOTHER exhibition I am involved in 'IMPRESSIONS OF SPAIN' takes place in Spain. It always seems to come like buses - three at once and then nothing for months.
Yet again the volcano in Iceland is doing it's best to disrupt the proceedings.
I will update things as they progress - ash willing of course....

The rain in Spain - and the rest!!

SPECTACULAR!

The thunderstorm had been building all day and the broody skies were threatening as darkness fell over the city.

The yellow streetlight glow was punctuated by super-bright forks and flashes for at least an hour. The roar of the thunder was all-surrounding and ultimately awful.

I stood outside in the warm rain and clicked, clicked, clicked away with the camera until I finally captured the images you see here.

The power of nature at full force.

Well worth the effort!

'THE SUN SETS IN THE EAST'

It was such a lovely evening yesterday that I decided to take a trip on my trusty rusty bicycle down onto Torrevieja seafront. The sun was about to say it's daily farewells, taking with it the worst of the summer heat.

I had heard that the new marina had a couple of newly opened bars and decided to give them the benefit of my experience. From the waterside they all looked pretty much the same, so I went for the one that had the most comfy seats, tied up my steed, and relaxed in a pool of sweat until the bartender passed me the much needed artificial relaxant.

It struck me that something we don't have as a rule here on the Costa Blanca is a sunset over the sea, since we more or less face eastwards. So it was a pleasant surprise to see that, as we were on the outer arm of the breakwater we could look back over the town and watch the sun go down, while it's reflections were shimmering over the Mediterranean sea - albeit in the harbour. It was stunning. I remarked that it felt as good as being on the Côte d’Azur, only better, because I actually lived here! I watched it until my corneas were irreparably damaged.

The sun was almost gone when I realised that I had forgotten my lights to wend my way safely home again afterwards. So I came up with a surreal idea to wait until the sun was just about to dip over the horizon, therefore at it's weakest and unable to fight back, and capture it in my bicycle basket to help me see in the dark on the way home. It worked! After a few more drinks and tall tales I slowly headed for home in a snake-like fashion. With my way so well illuminated I made it back in one piece, and released the sun back into the wild as soon as I got home.

I would like to point out that no constellations were put unduly at risk in the telling of this story.

- COMMISSION FOR QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY -

Invites are currently winging their way around the country for quite possibly the party of the year, here on the Costa Blanca in Spain.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's

82nd birthday party no less!

As mentioned in previous blog entries, I was commissioned to paint a picture representing a modern, forward looking Britain with an emphasis on music and multiculturalism. I created a surrealistic scene of different ethnic groups coming under the umbrella (quite literally in this case) of British nationality. All in celebration of diversity and acceptance within todays society.

'REIGNING UMBRELLAS' 18" x 24"

With an obvious play on words, the umbrellas seem to be raining down on the people and the levitating musical instruments. In this case of course, the 'reigning' relates to the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

The painting will be on show on the evening of the party and I shall be in attendance. I look forward to meeting anyone interested in knowing more.

Dali & Me

Cadaques - May 2008

No words - just pictures

International Inaugural Success!!

The opening of the 'take 5' exhibition was attended by well over 200 people from what seemed to be at least seven or eight different nationalities, going by the languages spoken. Two Spanish Television companies arrived along with representatives from the Torrevieja Ajuntamiento, and there were reporters from at least five international newspapers that interviewed me personally, never mind the rest of the artists. My thanks goes to Elizabeth Bell who attended as a representative of the British Consul Juliet Maric, who unfortunately couldn't make it on the night.

Thankfully the newpaper interviews were in English, but I am afraid my interview with the Spanish TV might be better left on the shelf, given my still, quite poor, grasp of the language.

All in all, I think it is fair to declare the inauguration a great success. The momentum has continued building with a constant stream of interested people coming in each day since, wanting to meet the artists involved. Although there is a consierge in attendance for the whole exposicion, all artists have agreed to attend at least some part of each day in order to answer any questions posed by curious members of the public.

The show will continue for another 4 weeks approximately. Opening hours should be (Town Hall permitting!) from 11am - 2pm, and 5pm - 8pm, Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays). Please feel free to come along and introduce yourselves to the artist on the day.

Change in the Line-up for 'take 5'

LINK TO 'TAKE 5' WEBPAGE

It is with regret that two of the artists due to exhibit in the 'take 5' exposicion - husband and wife team, Ricardo Hanna and Gabriela Navarré - have had to pull out at the last minute due to personal reasons. However, I am pleased to inform you that I have found two Spanish artists of high calibre to replace them at short notice.

Antonio N Serralta and Rosa Fernanda Sanchez have both had exposicions in Torrevieja in 2007. In fact, I was so impressed with their paintings at the time, that I made a note of their contact details at the exhibitions with a view of purchasing something from each for my own personal collection at a later date.

Both were extremely helpful and understanding at such a late stage in the proceedings and have worked wonders over the last two days in the run up to the opening tonight.

Click on the link to the 'take 5' webpage for more details of each artist and some samples of their paintings.

Doors open 6.30pm. Hope to see you all there.

Here are another couple of pictures earmarked for the 'take 5' exposicion. Hope you all like them - one is a panoramic version of my trademark style of quirky landscape.

'Memories of Home' 120cm x 40cm

The other is also in my usual style, but this time I have created it as a mosaic from broken tiles. Quite an interesting challenge, and something I quite enjoyed doing, especially when it was so different from painting.

'Mosaic of Life' 30cm x 30cm

REMINDER OF 'TAKE 5' EXPOSICION DATES

Just a quick reminder to you all of the dates
for the 'take 5' exposicion in 2008.

Inauguration date is now -

Wednesday 13 February 2008

Exposicion runs from 13 February - 23 March 2008

Wine Reception 6.30pm on Wednesday 13 February

LINK TO 'TAKE 5' WEBPAGE
LINK TO MAP/LOCATION

New paintings for 'take 5' exposicion

‘Seascape on a windy day’

I have always been a great fan of vibrant colour and vivacity. Sometimes though, the colours alone are not enough to represent the movement and force of nature for me. The wind and sea are not a fixed thing. This is especially true, and all the more relevant on a boat, when you realize that you are only a tiny little dot in the vast expanse of nature. Here I wanted to show a scene of pure movement and force, and therefore emphasised this with fast moving clouds and waves crashing around the rugged coastline, threatening to break out of the picture.

‘Regatta day’

Again vibrant colours and heavy textures are singing their songs in a celebration of life. I have always loved that feeling of anticipation when coming into harbour for the first time. Especially if it’s for a day of celebration with other like minded people. Coming from an island nation where you are never more than 50 miles from the sea, instils something in the blood. A blood that is made up of much history and many nationalities. The Vikings, Normans, English, Spanish, and many others besides are all part of my DNA.

Ceol na Mara (Music of the sea)

Here is a painting I have been working on for my latest exhibition in Spain. It's called 'Ceol na Mara' (Gaelic for Music of the sea). You can see it in the flesh so to speak at the inauguration at the RENFE Sala de Exposiciones in Torrevieja on the 13th February - see below for location map, GPS co-ordinates etc. Hope to see you there.

Confirmation of 'Take 5' Exposicion

I have just received confirmation of the dates

for the 'take 5' exposicion in 2008.

Inauguration date is now -

Wednesday 13 February 2008

Exposicion runs from 13 February - 23 March 2008

Wine Reception 6.30pm on Wednesday 13 February

LINK TO 'TAKE 5' WEBPAGE

LINK TO MAP/LOCATION

'take 5' International Art Exposicion

Just back from Ireland doing yet another delivery trip for my galleries. A hectic time as always, more so because of the Christmas rush. Then all this week I've been very busy getting organised for my next exhibition here in Spain. It's a joint exhibition of five artists, all of different nationalities, and is to be held here in Torrevieja, on the Costa Blanca in February.

We have called it 'take 5' and I have set up a separate webpage to use as a link to each artist, namely:

Ricardo Hanna (Spain)
Maurice Murrel Thacker (England)
Rita J Hee (Denmark)
Gabriela Navarré (Argentina)
and not forgetting myself as the Irish contingent.

LINK TO 'TAKE 5' WEBPAGE

An exact date for the launch is still to be confirmed. I will keep you all posted.

Hello Danny

The night of the Danny La Rue show has come and gone and the Benidorm Palace was filled to capacity for this one-off event. I was very proud to be one of the guests of honour at the event and thoroughly enjoyed the whole proceedings. Whilst waiting to present my limited edition print as the first prize in the fundraising raffle, it was amazing to see behind the scenes and meet the other stars of the show during the interval.

My thanks go to all the organisers, but especially to Steve Ashley who was instrumental in bringing the whole thing together for the benefit of the Costa Blanca Samaritans. I hope a large amount of money was raised to help keep the phone lines open for a long time to come.

The younger Danny was played by Jerry Lane who wowed the audience with his singing, dancing and costumes, and was accompanied by a plethora of other great talented singers and dancers, too numerous to mention, on this special night. Then Danny came on to much applause. He sang a fantastic range of his own well known songs as well as songs made famous by friends from glamorous era’s long since gone. An interview session followed with radio presenter Beverly Stewart during which Danny regaled us with stories of his younger days. A night of nostalgia and celebration of a life steeped in show business. The show finished with a bang as all the singers and dancers joined together for the grand finale, making this into what must have been the event of the year in the Benidorm Palace’s 2007 diary.

It was a pleasure to chat to everyone concerned and also to catch up with Danny La Rue when he arrived at the after show party. I am amazed at the amount of British (and Irish) talent now living full time on the Costa Blanca.

An experience to remember for a long time to come.

Danny La Rue

'Significant Changes Within' 18"x24" Ltd. Edtn. Print
Raffle prize for the Costa Blanca Samaritans fundraiser event

TJ, Danny and Judy

What a wonderful day I had yesterday!

I had been asked to donate something as part of a fund raising evening taking place in the Benidorm Palace in aid of the Costa Blanca Samaritans on Remembrance Sunday (11th November, for those of you who don't know).

The production arranged for the night is the life story of none other than the great Danny La Rue. Danny has flown in especially to host the night in his own inimitable fashion and it promises to be a fantastic evening.

I was asked to attend by my sole representing gallery here in the Costa Blanca - The Fusion Gallery in Altea, by owner and director Judy Webber to hand over the limited edition print to a 'very special guest'. The coastal drive from Alicante to Altea is spectacular. It was a beautiful day, 2o degrees or so, car windows down enjoying the sunshine, with Michael Buble singing in the background. After a delicious lunch with Judy and Jenny in the old square of Altea I thought, this is one of those perfect days. How can it get any better? Who turned up shortly afterwards as the special guest?

It was Danny La Rue himself!

Danny signing the visitor book

What a character he was! He entertained us for ages with stories of his experiences both on and off the stage, but the time flew and the next thing we knew it was dark. With the business of the day, the handover, completed satisfactorily for the television company, Danny showed a great interest in a number of my original paintings hanging in the gallery.

Before he left he insisted in taking a TJ original home with him to remind him of our time together. Two Irish lads from the opposite ends of the island, meeting up in a foreign land to reminisce about the old country. It's called 'A Gathering Sky' 4"x16"(10cm x40cm)

TJ and Danny with Danny's very own TJ original painting

I will be attending the show in person to hand over the print to the winner on the night. I can't wait to see the show, if yesterdays fun and games were anything to go by. I believe there are a number of limited tickets still available, so phone and book them while you still have the chance!

Link to the Fusion Gallery

Link to Danny La Rue Website

Link to the Benidorm Palace

The Day Of The Dead

All Hallows Eve has, of course, always been known as the night when the witches and hobgoblins come out to have some fun. This is because it was widely believed that the 31st of October was the night when the worlds of the dead and the living were at their closest point of the year. Whilst we in the north of Europe tend to use it as an excuse to dress up and party, the inhabitants of Spain use their time for fiesta's to welcome the dead into the family again, just for one night.

On November 1st we decided to visit the local cemetery to see the outdoor Mass and spend our time thinking about our own lost family members from years gone by. During my travels in various parts of Europe I have seen some strange cemeteries. So different from what we are used to in Ireland. I thought I would include a couple of photographs of our local cemetery here to let you see how it's 'done' in Spain.

Instead of being put into the ground, the bodies are incarcerated into sections of a wall - each one just wide enough to slide the coffin into - and then sealed up. Visiting family members may have to climb up the ladders provided to replace dead flowers or clean the plaque, depending on where their loved ones are positioned in the wall.

Isn't it strange how we struggle through life, measuring our successes by moving to bigger and bigger houses, only to 'downsize' over and over again as we get older and realize that we don't actually need all that space after all. When we head for the final downsize in life we don't actually need a lot of room at all, just a two-by-two-by-six foot square hole in a wall. It's strange how many 'foreigners' are now buried in our local cemetery.

English, Irish, German, Russian, Dutch, French and Scandinavian to name but a few.

It comes to us all eventually.

A walk in The Park Of Nations

A walk in The Park Of Nations (115cm x 75cm approx.)

I Have decided to put one of my own latest paintings up today for perusal. It's for a potential joint international exhibition here in Spain yet to be confirmed.

It's based on a walk I made recently through my local park in Torrevieja. The park in question is called 'The Park of Nations' and depicts the multi-cultural city in which I live. The small lake in the middle of the park is shaped like the map of Europe and the visiting families can take a boat out on the water and 'circumnavigate' Europe in about five minutes without getting seasick! Often used for concerts and events, it is a wonderful mix of languages, culture and a riot of colours which I find most pleasing to the eye.

I tried to capture the vibrancy and movement of the park in this painting as I felt it while out walking. As usual, the photo doesn't really do it any justice as it's more of a three dimensional piece, and therefore best seen in the flesh.

The loss of a dear friend

I lost a dear, old friend this week in a road traffic accident. An adventurer and man of strong and generous character, Bernard Fison will be dreadfully missed by many. I felt moved to write a poem as a reminder of our travels together. A loss deeply felt.

Bernard

It rained today.
We’d talked
of art trips down to Spain,
the wine we’d drink,
the bread we’d share.
The easels sit anticipating
in the corner now unused.
It rained today.
My world is smaller than before.
What colours we saw
when we sailed north,
hues of blue and green and pink,
in the same sky
at the same time.
Magical!
And all the while
the music played.
The lark ascending
lifted our hearts and spirits.
Singing, as you played
the grand piano,
made grander still
while you were here.
I’ll play the song
just one more time,
and reminisce
the laughter shared.
It rained today.
The clouds are full.
I’ll paint the colours,
and remember.

The rain in Spain - again!

http://www.hotelcenajo.com/

I really must make time for this blog. I keep putting it back and back on my list of priorities as work piles up and deadlines approach. I was so exhausted the other day that we decided that we would go to an isolated hotel inland just to rest for a night.

The Cenajo Hotel is set amid beautiful mountain scenery and beside the Cenajo Dam (hence the name). Very Italianate in design, it reminded me a little of Portmeirion in Wales - where 'The Prisoner' was filmed. The nearest village was 25 kilometres away.

About an hour after our arrival it began to rain. It rained, and rained and rained and rained, and this was only punctuated by thunder and lightning in between the rain. The photo of the front of the hotel is taken from the restaurant door which was across the striking courtyard.

A great spot to rest and relax as there is nothing to do but eat and drink and sleep, which was perfect for me on this brief trip. If the weather is more clement there are lovely walks and free use of bicycles, indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, gym etc.

But at least I've caught up on my sleep a bit and am back to work a little perkier than I was last week. I can recommend it, and hope to go again soon.

A Room With Many Views

It is always a pleasure to sit in the Casino on the Paseo Alegre in Torrevieja. Over a strong wake-me-up cortado I took in the latest two-man exhibition. The artists concerned, Victor Leal i Francés and Antonio N Serralta, are both Spanish, live in Elche and have been painting professionally for a number of years. I met them both at the opening and discussed their work in more detail.

The paintings being exhibited are mostly locally based scenes of Torrevieja and the surrounding areas of the Costa Blanca, but I was surprised to see a familiar looking coastal scene of Dun Laoghaire from my native Ireland among the brightly coloured Mediterranean scenes on show. I was intrigued to find out why a Spaniard, Antonio Serralta in this case, was exhibiting an Irish scene in Spain. Usually artists use the excuse of capturing the light, ambiance or flavour of the Mediterranean to justify a trip to Spain rather than the other way round. I know I did. Antonio informed me that his son is presently living and working in Dublin and he painted the scene when visiting on a planned holiday earlier this year. I noticed a couple taking a great interest in the exhibition and introduced myself to them. David and Helen Coles, currently living in Torrevieja, are both amateur artists and were very taken with the Irish painting. They said they preferred it because it captured the muted colours of Ireland so accurately, making such a strong contrast to the other works on show.

What I found interesting was the fact that each artist works in a different medium. Francés in watercolours, and Serralta in oils. Instantly I tend to side with the oil painter, which is unfair at times, as the use of oil or acrylic is not always the best option. It really depends on the subject, but I am biased, and I make no apology for that.

That said, the watercolour work of Victor Francés is delicious. Sharply detailed street scenes with subtle colouring and shading in muted warm tones are counteracted with willowy, shadowy, almost wispy natural elements of trees and plantings that appear to be deliberately less defined than the surrounding buildings. There is one painting in particular of the market stalls that works really well. Almost to the point of sensing the smells of the churros frying and the sounds of the stall holders cries for attention, that you would normally associate with a ramble along there on a gentle autumn evening. I always judge a street painting by its ability to make me want to know what is around the next corner. If it draws you in at that level then you’re hooked. Victor has that ability and puts it to good use in a number of his paintings.

The oils of Antonio Serralta are detailed and quite textured, and yet still have a great sense of depth to them that has been captured with skill. In the foreground textures of the seascapes, he has managed to create a feel of where in the landscape he actually painted from. I particularly liked one that showed a slightly confused sea and dark underbelly of clouds, which in turn, creates a nice underlying feeling of movement mirrored in the gently breaking waves in the foreground. The horizon is normally roughly judged to be approximately seven to ten miles away when standing between five and six feet off the ground - the supposed height of the average human being. In this case, it helps to create a depth of field for the cloud cover of perhaps five to six miles, breaking up before they hit the horizon line.

I have always played a game when going into an art exhibition with friends or family. Separate, and then look at each painting on your own without discussion between each other. Take as much time as you like and don’t be rushed by your non-art loving, possibly bored companions, then meet up back at the start and discuss which painting you would buy if you were so inclined to do. It doesn’t matter if you never intended to buy or cannot justify spending a certain amount of your pension, or children’s inheritance, as it’s just for fun. It’s interesting how different peoples taste in art can be when not influenced by those around them. Go into the Casino this week and give it a try for yourself. You may even be tempted to take one home.