News

Winner: RSA Blackadder Houston Mid-Career Painting Award

Winner: RSA Blackadder Houston Mid-Career Painting Award

Article at Royal Scottish Academy news page We are delighted to announce Robbie Bushe RSA and Elaine Woo MacGregor as the recipients of two new awards funded by the RSA Blackadder Houston Bequest. The £20,000 RSA Blackadder Houston Mid-Career Painting Award intends to...

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ROBBIE BUSHE’S IMAGINED LANDSCAPES

ROBBIE BUSHE’S IMAGINED LANDSCAPES

ARTIST INTERVIEWS, OIL PAINTING 12th October 2022 by Clare McNamara Robbie Bushe won the Landscape/Cityscape/Seascape Award in the Jackson’s Painting Prizethis year with his work Learney Incantation (Tornaveen). In this interview, artist and previous winner of the...

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Dwell at Open Eye Gallery: Press Coverage

Dwell at Open Eye Gallery: Press Coverage

Press Coverage: Dwell at Open Eye Gallery Art reviews: Michael McVeigh | Safe as Milk | Robbie Bushe | Rachel Eulena Williams, By Duncan Macmillan, The Scotsman, Friday, 26th March 2021 At Home with Robbie Bushe, Scottish Art News. The Fleming Collection, By Susan...

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Back Rooms (Rosemount Place)

Back Rooms (Rosemount Place)

'Back Rooms (Rosemount Place)', Robbie Bushe RSA, oil on panel, 2021, 40cm x 87cm 'Back Rooms (Rosemount Place)' forms part of DWELL a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery in April 2021 'Dwell' is a body of work by Robbie Bushe RSA exploring personal history and...

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John Moores Painting Prize: Press Coverage

John Moores Painting Prize: Press Coverage

Press Coverage: John Moores Painting Prize 2020 Edinburgh artist in the running for UK’s biggest art prize. Edinburgh Reporter, 14 February 2021 By Phyllis Stephen Liverpool-born artist shortlisted for top award, 19 February 2021, Liverpool Life, Paul McAuley, JMU...

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John Moores Painting Prize 2020 Shortlist

John Moores Painting Prize 2020 Shortlist

 'The Neanderthals Future Infirmary' 2019, oil and mixed media on canvas, 160 x 240 cm Short List I am one of 5 prize winners shortlisted for the delayed 2020 John Moores Painting Prize with my painting 'The Neanderthals Future Infirmary'. I am shortlisted alongside...

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Walking Stanley

Walking Stanley

Just before the first COVID-19 lockdown, we took ownership of a 7-year-old Border Terrier called Stanley. As we entered lockdown, my daily walks with Stanley into the Pentland Hills became an essential activity of body and mind. The Pentland Hills are a stone's throw...

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The Neanderthal Futures Infirmary

The Neanderthal Futures Infirmary

Present day, hidden under many forgotten or disused hospitals, are warrens of still- functioning operating theatres, recovery rooms and laboratories. They have a single goal: to bring back the Neanderthals. Why? To see if they and other archaic humans might have their...

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NEONEANDERTHALS at the Royal Scottish Academy

NEONEANDERTHALS at the Royal Scottish Academy

'In the adjacent gallery, Neoneanderthals is a collaboration between Robbie Bushe and Jeanne Cannizzo. It poses the question, if homo sapiens have made such a mess of things, maybe cloned neanderthals, neoneanderthals after “de-extinction,” might do better. Bushe’s...

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On the DNA Dancefloor

On the DNA Dancefloor

On the DNA Dance Floor, oil and mixed media on canvas, 140 x 120 cm, 2019. An imaginary scene over thousands of years as early modern humans and Neanderthals interact – hunting and gathering, dancing, and interbreeding.On the DNA Dance Floor,is one of  four large...

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The Last Neanderthal’s Garden

The Last Neanderthal’s Garden

The Last Neanderthal’s Garden, oil on canvas, 140 x 160 cm, 2019 Some 30,000 years ago, early modern humans come to pay their respects to the last of the ancient Neanderthals, a solitary female lovingly tending her wild garden. She has only hours to live. But the...

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Diploma Work at the RSA collections

Diploma Work at the RSA collections

One of the requirements on becoming a Royal Scottish Academician is have a 'Diploma Work' accepted by Assembly and added to the RSA Collections: 'This is a unique collection of Scottish art that ranges from c.1780 to the present day. This is complemented by an...

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Society of Scottish Artists 2019

Society of Scottish Artists 2019

Flightpath  of the Aquatic Asthmatics was selected and shown at the Society of Scottish Artists annual exhibition December 2018. It won the Open Eye Gallery exhibition award.

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The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize

The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize

I was one of 83 artists selected for the 2018 Lynn Painter Stainers Prize held at the Mall Galleries London. This was for the 2017 oil painting 'Would all Remaining Passengers' 100cm x 105cm.  

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The Secret World of Drawing Pictures

The Secret World of Drawing Pictures

The Secret World of Drawing Pictures In February 2018, I gave this Open Lecture as part of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Open Learning Programme. Can the intimacy of the thumbnail sketch, raw and untethered reveal secret thoughts and...

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VAS + SSA TOGETHER

VAS + SSA TOGETHER

I stood down as President of Visual Arts Scotland (VAS) at the end of 2016. I am delighted that my successor Andrew McKenzie has continued to develop VAS with great energy and professional judgement. For the 2018 exhibition, VAS and the Society of Scottish Artists...

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RSA (Elect)

RSA (Elect)

I was nominated to become a member of the Royal Scottish Academy and I was thrilled to hear I was  duly elected in October 2017. On Friday 3rd November 2017, I signed the historic book which has recorded all Academicians signatures since its inception. I...

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Creating Images

Creating Images

'Creating Images' is one of my courses i teach on the short course programme at the Centre for Open Learning at the University of Edinburgh. It is a course designed for anyone who wants to develop a coherant and personal series of image based ideas for...

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The SKETCH Open Drawing Prize

The SKETCH Open Drawing Prize

My 2016 sketchbook was shortlisted for the SKETCH Open Drawing Prize.  My sketchbook along with all other short listed entries were exhibited at the following venues during 2017; 21 May – 17 June 2017 Rabley Drawing Centre Rabley Barn...

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Last 3 Days of Exhibition

Last 3 Days of Exhibition

'Invasions and Excavations’ at the Open Eye Gallery ends on 6 May 2017. I am immensely proud of this body of work and I have been delighted with the responses and feedback so far. I want to thank all those who have visited the show, sent messages, tweeted and posted -...

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Palette Cleaners

Palette Cleaners

These seven small work form part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 21 April – 6 May 2017. Making very small paintings is not as straightforward as one might imagine. I used to call them ‘palette cleaners’ as I tried to make...

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Battle for the Library Table

Battle for the Library Table

'Battle for the Library Table', oil on panel, 2017, 60cm x 76cm 'Battle for the Library Table' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 21 April – 6 May 20 Table tops with a real or imagined kitchen or dining 'still...

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The Sub Terrestrial Sports Complex

The Sub Terrestrial Sports Complex

'The Sub Terrestrial Sports Complex', oil on panel, 2016, 30 x 46cm 'The Sub Terrestrial Sports Complex' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 20 April – 6 May 2017. I have a strange relationship with sport. My...

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Centre for Life Supported Learning

Centre for Life Supported Learning

'Centre for Life Supported Learning', oil on panel, 2016, 60cm x 76cm 'Centre for Life Supported Learning' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 20 April – 6 May 2017. I have worked for many years in what used be...

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Battle for Middle Scotland

Battle for Middle Scotland

'Battle for Middle Scotland', oil on panel, 2017, 46cm x 60cm 'Battle for Middle Scotland' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 21 April – 6 May 2017. In recent years I have got into the habit of doing at least one...

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New Hadrian’s Wall

New Hadrian’s Wall

'New Hadrian's Wall', oil on panel, 2017, 76cm x 60cm 'New Hadrian's Wall' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 21 April – 6 May 2017. Walls, barriers and partitions are a central preoccupation in my work. Those who...

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Cumbrae Court Theatre

Cumbrae Court Theatre

'Cumbrae Court Theatre', oil on panel, 2017, 30 x 46cm 'Cumbrae Court Theatre' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 21 April – 6 May 2017. In April 2016, my mum Rose died shortly after her 80th Birthday. Mum was many...

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The Edinburgh Provincial Training Centre

The Edinburgh Provincial Training Centre

'The Edinburgh Provincial Training Centre', oil on panel, 2016, 60cm x 76cm 'The Edinburgh Provincial Training Centre' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 21 April – 6 May 2017. ‘Patersons Land’ is a University of...

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Poetry Slam at the Proscenium Arch

Poetry Slam at the Proscenium Arch

'Poetry Slam at the Proscenium Arch'.  oil on panel, 2017. 46 x 60cm 'Poetry Slam at the Proscenium Arch' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 21 April – 6 May 2017. The theatre, drama and performance played an...

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Prisoners of the Curriculum

Prisoners of the Curriculum

'Prisoners of the Curriculum', oil on panel, 2016, 60cm x 76cm 'Prisoners of the Curriculum' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 20 April – 6 May 2017. In spring 2016 I had some unscheduled time off work which I...

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Applicant Day

Applicant Day

'Applicant Day', oil on panel, 2013-2017, 46 x 60cm 'Applicant Day' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 21 April – 6 May 2017. 'Applicant Day' began life as a sketch in early 2013. I had photographed...

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The Mexican Border

The Mexican Border

'The Mexican Border', oil on panel, 2017. 46 x 60cm 'The Mexican Border' forms part of 'Invasions and Excavations’ a solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 20 April – 6 May 2017. ‘The Mexican Border’ was the final painting I made for Invasions and Excavations’....

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27 years later…

27 years later…

Photographs by Iain Stewart. In 1990, as a post graduate student at Edinburgh College of Art, I worked in a studio in a converted Georgian townhouse in Inverleith  which had an internal door with a window.  I remember I wrote my name with a permanent marker on the...

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Leith School of Art auction

Leith School of Art auction

I have donated my 2015 drawing 'View from Capistrano' for the Leith School of Art fund raising auction  on Friday 24 March 2017!  The evening will be a great opportunity to buy contemporary art, and support their charitable aims.   Lyon & Turnbull...

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A glimpse of 2017

A glimpse of 2017

Here is a wee glimpse 2017 work in progress. I have an exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery from 21 April to 6 May 2017. 

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FLY2016. The accumulation of small advantages…

Just finished installing my improvised modular drawing called the 'accumulation of small advantages' at Visual Arts Scotland 'FLY 2016'. This will be my third and final exhibition as president and I have to say I have been astonished just how far we have come and much...

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Guest@Gray’s

Guest@Gray’s

Looking forward to returning to Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen as Guest @Grays on Friday 25th at 1pm. I was a painting lecturer at Gray's from 1991-1999 and it was my first proper job! I loved it. If you are in Aberdeen on friday 25th and would like to hear me talk...

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Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary – shortlist

Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary – shortlist

'Road to Capistrano' has been shortlisted for the Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary. The work will be shown along with the other shortlisted works at the Mall Galleries at the same time as the main Disecering Eye exhibition. The winner will be announced on Thursday 17...

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Two pieces of a much larger puzzle

Two pieces of a much larger puzzle

Latest two images which form part a large modular improvised drawing which all links up. Will show in context later if I can get a chance. So far I've done almost 40 small drawings which started with an observed drawing of Edinburgh's Comminwealth Pool and one thing...

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New website up!

As you can see, this new website was made public today!  Many thanks to Julia Douglas for her sharp clean design.      

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‘Ghostlands’ at Tatha Gallery

‘Ghostlands’ at Tatha Gallery

‘Ghostlands’ Robbie Bushe, Kate Downie, Ronald Plowman Tatha Gallery, Newport on Tay www.tathagallery.com ‘Ghostlands’ examines the work of three artists who share a preoccupation to draw and paint a world which reveal their distinct visual meanderings between...

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W. Gordon Smith Award

W. Gordon Smith Award

Robbie Bushe scoops inaugural W Gordon Smith Award Robbie Bushe, who studied painting at Edinburgh College of Art in the 1980s, now runs short courses in the city for students in art and design.

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‘Fred’ at The Foyer, Aberdeen

‘Fred’ at The Foyer, Aberdeen

The 'Fred' works were first shown in the now closed down Foyer Gallery in Aberdeen, part of the Aberdeen Foyer project, and hosted by SMART. More images can been viewed here.

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blogging recommences

After a hiatus of 18 months, I am finally ready to start blogging again. I have been updating my website, using a new application and putting it onto a new server - and I thought long and hard about whether to get rid of the blog, start a new one or keep going with...

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Otter Gallery trip part 1

So I am waiting for my flight to Gatwick at Edinburgh airport and trying to type this on the awkward virtual keyboard on my iPhone. This is part 1 of my trip to Chichester for my exhibition at the university's Otter Gallery of a selection of my Cyprus pictures. Roblog...

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Update of March – October

So the last time you heard from me I was out for another visit to Cyprus on the 14th March. It is Now the middle of October and for all you know I have been held hostage there ever since… Blogging is quite a fun commitment, but has to take second fiddle to living a...

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Cyprus again

Cyprus again

So here I am 5 days into being in Cyprus. I decided to go out as my research bid to go to India fell on deaf ears. I am spending nearly two weeks at Cyprus School of Art in Lemba trying to make some additional works for my show in Chichester in December. I have hired...

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Portraits, Leith, Cyprus and India

Portraits, Leith, Cyprus and India

Time marches on. It is now nearly the end of term 2 at Edinburgh College of Art and I am sitting at home, having taken a few days off with a bad bug. This has given me time at last to freshen up my website and preen some of the gallery pages from all the...

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the wellington place factor

I have continued to make these small directly observed (mostly) paintings revealing little snippets of our home in Leith. I am very pleased that after so many years of doing no paintings like this, that I can pull it off on such a small scale and using thicker paint....

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Edinburgh College of Art

Well, here we are at the end of November and yet again no blog for ages. Perhaps I should give it up. Maybe now every tom, dick and harry is doing one, the appeal has worn off. But when I am not painting, there seems little point in blogging, as that is what I want to...

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The Bears of Wellington Place

The Bears of Wellington Place

I had a week on my own as Catharine went down to Reading to clear out her house before it was sold on Friday. I had a busy week at work as we were hosting the University Association of Lifelong Learning Conference on Monday and Tuesday. So it was late nights all week...

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Catie and the Bears

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...

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May-August 2007

So the last four months? Where are the blogs? I don't know what happened but here is a resume to get me up to date. May 2007 I moved into the studio in Morningside with Kruti. It took me a while to equip it as it had previously been a ceramics workshop. I had it all...

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Cyprus 2002 on YouTube

I am only now coming out of my flu bug which really did knock me out for the last two week. I struggled on at work, taking some time off... and when I have time off, my the devil makes work for idle hands! After doing the eca 1989 video, I started to get out all my...

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Easter, the flu and a video from 1989

Easter, the flu and a video from 1989

I had a great easter week off. I got my art at least started with a few drawings and then Catharine came up for the Easter weekend which was lovely. We walked and walked, went to galleries, shops, pubs and restaurants as you should on a bank holiday. However, almost...

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Return to Edinburgh Subject Matter

Return to Edinburgh Subject Matter

Well so far this week off has been a good chance to settle down and get thinking about what art I should try and do. I started off playing with Gouache in my little cupboard studio in my flat. But while this was enjoyable, I knew that this would lead nowhere without...

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Barry at his opening at John Martin

Barry at his opening at John Martin

I am not even at Barry's opening tonight at John Martin, but by the powers of technology (Catharine is there), I have the first picture while the opening is still going. Looks like he is having a good time. Well back to my gouaches for me...

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The Foals

It is good to see that the long tradition of art students becoming great bands is alive and well. Three students I had the pleasure to teach at Oxford Brookes are now part of tomorrow's next big thing - The Foals. Walter Gervers plays bass, Jack Beven on Drums and...

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Website updated (at last)

I have finally updated my website. This now includes the work I did in Cyprus last July, such as it is. Most of it is unresolved and lay in my Oxford studio for months waiting for the hand of god of intervene and take it further - but nothing ever happened and then I...

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Barry McGlashan at John Martin

Barry McGlashan at John Martin

Just to alert you all that my good friend and wonderful artist, Barry McGlashan is having his second major show at John Martin in London this week. The work is based around his recent travels in America and I think that this is some of his best work ever. If you are...

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Moved from Oxford to Edinburgh

So much has happened in the last three or so months that I don’t know where to begin. After I was offered the job at Edinburgh College of Art, everything became about my impending move and getting out of Oxford. I no longer had to pretend or try to like Oxford...

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Last weeks of being homeless, a new home and back to work!!

Ah, a month has gone by and no blog again. Seems to be just the way at the minute. So, once again here is a brief resume of the last four weeks... Saturday 2nd September Catharine and I were living in her wee house in Reading which was a building site with no running...

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Cyprus 2

Cyprus 2

Even though I am more set up for casual blogging out here in Cyprus than ever before, the very ease of it seems to be stopping me doing it every few days as I did last year. Then, I had to take my bulky DV cam up to one of the excruciatingly slow internet cafes and...

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Oxford to Cyprus

Oxford to Cyprus

Well here I am in Limassol, Cyprus again. I have been here a week and have just about settled in. But more of that later. The last two weeks in Oxford were full on to say the least; the Brookes foundation shows went up and had a jolly private view. My boss also had a...

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Oxford Show and off to Cyprus

Well another change. Today is the last day in my current house in Oxford, so thank you Rachel and Michael for being great housemate. Today is also the opening of the show at Sarah Wiseman Gallery. And tomorrow I am off to Cyprus until the 28th July. Keep looking here...

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Words are the english disease

It has been a very intense few weeks since I last blogged: getting the pictures finished and off to the framer, the Brookes Foundation diploma shows and other stuff I dont want to go into here. So apologies for my lack of posts.  I will shortly update the site...

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motoring frames and pictures

motoring frames and pictures

Here are my six paintings all at the 'nearly there'point. it was excactly 2 months ago that I started these and one month until they are on show at Sarah Wiseman. They all need some final tinkering and clearing up. The big pidgeon man/lady is my least favourite just...

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The Kebab Hut and more

The Kebab Hut and more

I worked on the 'Kebab Hut' and 'The Sheldonian Theatre' pictures mostly this week, plus a little of the giant by christchurch. I am just off for another stint down the studio. They are all getting quite close to completion, but all require lots of concentration; I...

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Light at the end of the tunnel…?

Light at the end of the tunnel…?

Not a huge amount to say really. I have been working on the three pictures above this last week. I finally braved doing the big one of the pidgeon man/lady. I decided that it needed to be a lot cleaner and have no other figures, which were distracting and pointless. I...

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May Day in Hastings and paintings

May Day in Hastings and paintings

Now I have got my web server sorted out - just time to do a quick blog. had a great weekend down in Hastings for the Jack in the green where there where hundred of people who looked like the above image Plus at least 5000 bikers! Fabulous. The rest of the weekend was...

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Locked in a cold dank basement!

Phew! Nearly four months locked up in a basement and not one of you one noticed. No computer and only cabbage soup for sustenance (quite tasty actually). Don't feel guilty; I know you were all really busy. Anyway, it gave me time to consider things. Mainly how to get...

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All quiet on the blogging front

It is a curious thing, this blog malarky.. If you dont blog for a week or two, people start to get concerned that you are ok. Well the truth is that I have just not felt the need to do it in recent weeks and to be honest, I have been a bit of a spent force. I am also...

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Nothing to report

It has been a very quiet week for me after an intense period getting all my pictures completed and sent off. As I predicted, I came down with some kind of bug and the weather has been extremely cold so it has been a very lethargic week. All I want to do is hibernate!...

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Framed and sent off (phew)

I quite enjoyed my last week; by day I was this mild mannered lecturer - by night I was this demon framer working to a tight deadline. But got them all done and sent off. I even went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a wee treat last night....

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