Two images from a trip to the Isle of Wight: the first on the top deck of the fast catamaran; the second was the result of seeing many mud spattered festival goers , vibrant colours and  enthisiasm seemed to be undiminished despite the caked mud and the boots! 

This is the other new venture. Last week I watched highlights of trooping the colour. I had  purhased some acrylics and had an old canvass, already used.  I like the idea of small daubs  of paint quickly applied, and it went from there, based on a scene I recalled. I ended up with a large space in the foreground and so used an inage ( man  with union flag cap) sketched earlier).  I put another face next to his, and seemed to have ended up with a question: are these two in conversation or confrontation?
What do you think?

I've been experimenting with new techniques: I'm a keen swimmer and thougt I might try a sel-portrait! Phase 1 was done on the laptop, phase 2 done in fibre tip coulours and this, phase 3, small watercolour reliant in bits of masking tape and flicking. My wife thinks it's a scary image!

impressed by much of the ceremonies and the vibrant colours, I attempted something I've never tried before, quick impressions of moving images on the tv. fibre tip pens are great for rapid scribbles!
I shall be sorry to see Dr Rowan Williams make his departure from Canterbury: the country needs a fearless prophet!

I've been using the bus rather than the car recently: the positive is that it gives time to observe and quickly record wht I see in a few scribbles: the negative is that sometimes one hears what one would prefer not to hear: as I scribbled the image of the old man sat in front of me. two students opposite in whose direction he was looking were sharing experiences of being drunk at a party: one was describing graphically to the other how his mate was so drunk that he drank his own vomit. I couldn't work out whether the old man's expression was disgust or whether he was deaf!

travelling by train gives glimpses of folk in their own private world, boundaried by fear, andterrified of encounter, so there's a retreat into headphone, i-phone or vacant staring avoiding eye contact at all costs.

there's something strangely religious/spiritual in folk having their hair done: elements of service, attentiveness, patience, vulnerability and intimacy.