It's about love, the people upright in the trees are uninterested in love, the people horizantal , kind of floating, they are waiting for love, the people falling down are about to fall in love and the people on the ground are meeting their new love. The two main figures represent a long time love that has ended, one has died. It's a cycle. My parents both died in the space of four years of each other, my father died while I was working through this. It was right I represented their 63 years together. Some of the leaves are from their garden.
I entered this for John Moores exhibition and for the Portrait competition at the National Portrait gallery, both in recent months, it was rejected for both....am I annoyed..,.too fackin right ...I think it's a very nice work, judges are just people..but as I said it makes it prohibitive to enter London things if it costs so much for vans and stuff. Make smaller paintings Gary...bla bla..x
]]>The trigger was my partner who died from Aids in '89. Five years after that I began to see a painting in my head, the idea stayed so I felt compelled to go with it. After making that painting I decided I would not paint anything I didn't want toever again. I've tried to do the same in life, I only like to work at a job where I can giggle, why not, work should be fun, as long as you get the work done.
Selling work , well that's a good topic, how does that work, do you have to network your arse off, making mates with people you think you 'need'...no thanks. I don't follow trends and just do what I do. I find the concept of fashion in art a shallow joke, who sets that fashion, it doesn't show confidence if you jump on the back of a style which is not yours, which style will you adopt next year.
I did notice lines and blurs this year, abstract shapes, no character just fabric designs really, the art of masking tape shapes. I probably seem old fashioned ,my work usually takes time, months, there is usually a narrative, ideas that come from inside me ...usually. They are predominantly figurative and realistic. It's what I think I'm good at . The pic with this blog is a painting of my parents, not gay themed , though it probably is.
I've recently made a forest painting with lots of figures in it all about love, I entered it for two competitions, it was rejected in both instances. Competitions are expensive if they happen to centre in London, one of them cost me £500 in van hire etc, so my advice is make art small enough to carry on a train, you will be less of a pain to friends with driving licences, ha, thank you David, a good friend indeed and someone who drives like a safe maniac.
My next post will be about the forest.
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Another Love Letter work. I was crazy about the Beatles and especially Paul. I don't know how I held back my tears when he came on telly, I was swept up in love, everything was unreachable.I was a kid and a boy.
]]>There about ten letters in the series , last one is to Gary Lineker .It could probably now go to Mr Macron. I still like them , I used to read them when I did stand up comedy. I may do them as videos . My Gay art, my gay life.
]]>JUST ONE SMALL PART OF MAKING A PAINTING .....FOR ME...........
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I remember them saying, 'you are the only male runner up in the north west'. Oh god and there was I thinking I was blending in. At that time , when I was about twelve I used to make my brothers clothes and force them into wearing them. I'd sew them in , I had no idea of zips or buttons. Once I made my younger brother Nigel a fantastic pair of burgundy satin flares out of an old bedspread my auntie Norma gave me. They were skin tight and flared hugely from the knee. I tied long silk tassles round his knees and I was really pleased at my rock god. "Now go and play with your mates" . Off he went and I proudly watched him run up the road. Half hour later he was back, ruined, ripped, he'd been playing football. All that time I also white fringed a denim jacket and jeans , all down the arms and legs with longest tassles, I thought I looked boss. The Liverpool Echo came round to do a feature about the competition, a female writer and a male photographer. I remember the look that passed between them after my Mum told them "he makes clothes for his brothers ". It was a look that said 'odd, oh aye'. It affected me for ages and just added to me feeling different, I'm one of them and there was no getting away from it. My life was kind of like the other lads but I was the only one like me and I had to hide it at all costs.
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A Little touch of green...
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