A STRANGE SORT OF HANGING

Last Wednesday, the 11th of February, as arranged, I took 27 of my paintings, 6 of which I had removed from their more permanent display in the Lounge pub and another of which I had just picked up from the framer, and headed for the Museum and Archives. I had intended to hang my first exhibition in the new building. The snow fell lightly as my nephew and I took the artworks into da Gadderie, and I was left to fix split rings in the backs of the pictures and lay them all out, with their appropriate labels in front of them, along the feet of the walls. And that was it - the walls weren't ready to have paintings hung on them.

There had also been a Freudian slip on my part - I had missed out painting number 13 when earlier presenting the Museum with my list. I can't, for the life of me, explain why I did this - certainly not consciously, as I'm not particularly superstitious. Anyway, this omission was duly corrected, and I was given a lift home by the exhibitions co-ordinator - very decent of the man. I left the museum staff to do the hanging when it was convenient for them to do so.

The opening date was St. Valentine's Day, on which I was at the opposite side of the island, taking advantage of the break in the snowy weather to visit my mother at Walls. I next saw the exhibition on Monday morning - I'd sold two paintings, which is a result in the prevailing financial conditions. Let's hope for a few more sales during the next 4 weeks.