IRRITATIONS AND TITIVATIONS

It's been a week of minor triumphs and aggravations. I've been working on the recycled painting of the "St. Ninian", although visible progress is difficult to discern, as it's been all about minor angle adjustments, which I must get right, or there's no point in continuing. I also started on the background of three new canvases, but I have little notion as to what is going to be depicted on them, apart from a vague idea of tall ships for two of them. People keep googling my website for tall ships, and I have little there to reward them for their search - I must make amends.

The Coast exhibition, at the Musa Art Cafe in Aberdeen, ended yesterday, without any results for me, beyond having my work showcased before the populace of the Granite City. The lack of sales is scarcely surprising, as I had hoicked my prices a fair bit to compensate for the hefty rate of charged commission. Apparently, the Musa's resident pianist (who is known by the delightful sobriquet of Chemical Callum!) recognised his grandfather's boat in one of my paintings - I haven't been able to ascertain which vessel yet.

A problem, regarding the administration of events from a remote location, was highlighted earlier last week. The removal of work after the exhibition caused me a bit of a headache, as the person who was going to transport and store the paintings for me is having to work elsewhere today, so a change of plan had to be sought. Here, Aberdeen City Corporation came to my rescue, as they have instigated a roadworks scheme outside the Musa Art Cafe, and no-one can get near the Exchange Street door with a car now anyway. A large new shopping centre has opened across the street from the gallery, and the old cobbled street has had to be sacrificed to provide more suitable amenity for the new mall. Anyway, the curator is going to store my artwork at her home until my brother picks it up some evening this week. Phew!

My sister Mary and I have been doing a little home decoration at her son's house in Sandwick. We spent part of Thursday evening and yesterday afternoon down there, doing a little "titivation" to the paintwork on the doors and facings, and various other small tasks. I'm afraid that DIY is not one of my strong points - even my wallpaper is covered in my own blood! However, I suppose I can hold my own with a paintbrush. It was a change of scenery too, and, while there, I watched the last noisy and colourful blast of the local Social Club's Guy Fawkes firework display from one of the windows. The Lerwick display, at Clickimin last night, seemed as spectacular as ever, from what I could see of it from my kitchen window. I must get out more!

Mary is off on the blue canoe tonight. Her Volvo estate car (referred to in previous posts) has an appointment with an Aberdeen garage, for a service, tomorrow, and she is going to work a few day's holiday around this and a meeting in Perth on Thursday. When she returns next Monday morning, I hope she will have my contribution to the Musa Art Cafe's Coast Exhibition with her.

We artists tend to plough a lonely furrow. Each time I am reluctantly obliged to look in a mirror, I see the person who is responsible for the ideas, planning and execution which goes into my artworks, as well as the idiot administrator who has to keep a small business going. If I don't discipline myself to put the work into this, I fail. However, I could not do the job without the logistical support of my brother and sisters, who drive me hither and thither, and without whom exhibitions would be a much more expensive and difficult process.

Here a mention must be made of my nephew Kenneth, without whom the Catterline exhibition, early last year, would have been impossible. He devised and executed the hanging system, and drove all over the east coast of Scotland, distributing my posters in every shop window, from Stonehaven to Arbroath, which would accept them. We had a lot of fun along the way, of course, but his support was crucial to the success of this event, which turned out to be my most lucrative display to date. I look forward to my next slot there, and I hope that Kenneth will be able to lend his unique brand of input to the venture, when it happens.

And of my mother who, at 93, is still a guiding light to the rocky barque which has been my life, through tempestuous seas largely of my own making, I must make a special mention. If I have known inspiration, it emanated from her strength, wisdom, love, encouragement and penetrative good humour, and I hope it will still be a beacon before me for many years to come.