When Churchill meets Douglas Adams

This fictional encounter between Winston Churchill and Douglas Adams took place on the wall... for the mural I am working on.

Click on the picture to enlarge

I love this quote from Douglas Adams, the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The books in this series are really good. And I like to listen to the audio BBC radio series while painting:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Primary Phase (Original BBC Radio Series)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Secondary Phase (Original BBC Radio Series)

Related post

John Lennon mural

That's a lot of coffee beans

Last week-end was part 2 of the Swindon Open Studios 2013 and I had time to make some progress on my Brown's Cafe painting.

I mostly re-worked the background, made of hundreds of coffee beans.

The lower part shows how it was, with the blue background still visible. The upper part is the re-work.

I mixed the colours with linseed oil. This gave me the creamy consistency and brilliance I was looking for. I tried to vary the tones and colours to bring some variety and different depths to the background.

Brown's Cafe - At the end of the week-end (Click on the photo to see a larger version)

After 7 hours painting coffee beans, you really need a break. By chance, the cafe in the library was a few steps away and making an excellent cappuccino...

I will adjust the background by glazing different parts when it is dry.

Swindon Open Studios 2013 press article

The Swindon Advertiser, our local newspaper, published a nice article on the first week-end of the Swindon Open Studios 2013. And yes... its me painting on the photograph.

Here is the online version of the article titled Town’s artists put on mass exhibition.

(Click to enlarge)

Swindon Open Studios - The first week-end

A few photographs from the first week-end of the Swindon Open Studios 2013. 

I am exhibiting in the large corridor of the Central Library, with Margaret Sadler (collage, mixed media and embroidery) and Carmen B. Norris (Mix media paintings, collages and prints).

Swindon Open Studios display

Swindon Open Studios display

I had time to paint, which was really nice. I brought along a painting that I started a few years ago and then put aside.

Brown's cafe - End of day one

Brown's cafe - End of day two

Brown's cafe - detail

Brown's cafe - detail

 Brown's cafe - detail

I will carry on painting during next week-end, for the second leg of the Swindon Open Studios 2013.

Swindon Open Studios 2013

I am taking part in the Swindon Open Studios 2013 which takes place over this week-end and the following week-end.

I will be painting at the Swindon Central Library

Swindon Central Library

Regent Circus

Swindon, Wiltshire

SN1 1QG

Opening hours

• Saturdays 7th/14th September: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and
• Sundays 8th/15th September: 11 a.m. -3 p.m.

Below is a sneak peek at the work I am displaying.