Well, at last Catie and I are together in Edinburgh. She came back from working at Cyprus College of Art (now in Larnaca) in early September with some wonderful drawings and paintings from her 2 months there, which you can see on her website. Catie was also successfully in gaining an art teaching position at Loretto school in Musselburgh, a stone’s throw outside Edinburgh.

So, I went back to work at eca after my short painting break in August, but have managed to continue to paint. I am planning a portrait of Catie for the BP portrait award and want to set it in our wonderful flat in Leith, along with our collection of ‘bears’. So I have embarked upon, what may in the future be referred to as my ‘bear period,’ been painting tiny pictures of the bears as a limbering up exercise. I have quite enjoyed doing them actually. I am also showing some small pictures at the Scottish Gallery this Christmas, so I am hoping that one of these bear pictures will cut the mustard.

Meanwhile, as Catie’s Job does not start until after Christmas, she has been drawing and painting out and about in Edinburgh (urban gardens) – more wonderful work, which will be on her site soon.

So, it is very nice to have a partner who paints and we are finding each other a great motivator to work.