Spring Up-date: April 2015

                      Spring News - 2015

The west wind rattles the rafters, white clouds tear across a brilliant blue sky & daffodils nod vigorously in the hedgerows. Temperatures steadily on the rise?
Spring is on its way at last!

To celebrate, Pete and I have dusted off our old acoustic guitars & we'll be venturing out to play another local gig this weekend.

Music:

                                Penhale & Flaskett 
                                              at
                                 ST. KEW INN
                                Saturday April 4th
                                      8.30pm
                                     Free entry

Courtesy of Mike and Sarah, we enjoyed a great evening at this wonderful old pub in February, when we played a wide range of songs to a great audience, gathered especially for St. Valentine's.
This weekend we'll feature more original material, along with fresh re-workings of old folk, blues and country tunes. Pete's even threatened to bring his mandolin, so anything might happen!

Also something to look-out for on you-tube:
a video of Pete & myself playing 'Catch That Train' at Pete's house down in Bridge, St. Columb.
We recorded three tunes by his fire-side, back in the heart of winter, and this is the first to be ready.
Filmed and edited by Hana Backland (my step-daughter and film-maker extraordinaire!) it's about to be posted on you-tube with a link to this web-site.


Painting: 
Here are the dates of my new 2015 Whitsun show:
               
            New Paintings & Constructions
                    Rock Village Institute
      Friday May 22nd - Sunday May 31st
                    10.00am - 5.30pm
                      'Meet the artist'
        Sunday May 24th   3.00pm - 6.00pm

With two months to go before this new show opens, I'm busy preparing the new work, focusing primarily on a sequence of mid-to-large-scale paintings.
This time I also plan to include some constructions.
These are essentially multi-media 3-D assemblages, made mainly of wood - flotsam&  jetsam - materials I've gleaned from shore-line and moorland, which I've then shaped and coloured. They necessarily inter-link with the shapes and colours in the paintings.


Writing: 

Following the successful launch of 'Wave Hub', the new anthology of poetry from Cornwall,
I've taken part in a couple of group readings, the most recent in 'The Edge of the World Bookshop'
in Penzance in February.
The anthology, which includes fourteen of my poems, is available from all good bookshops and the details are as follows:
                              'Wave Hub'
                    New Poetry from Cornwall 
                           (edited by Alan M. Kent)
                                        Francis Boutle Publishers
                                                      London
                                        www. francisboutle.co.uk

Meanwhile, I had several poems short-listed recently for the Charles Causley Poetry Prize &
my 'Cornish Lexicon' collection continues to grow.

Painting News:

A selection of my work can currently be seen at
                MARKET HOUSE GALLERY
                Market Place
                Marazion
                Cornwall    
               TR17 0AR
and
               FERNLEA GALLERY
               Fernlea Terrace (near the bus station)
               St. Ives
               Cornwall
               TR26 2BH

Both galleries feature top-quality Cornish fine art and ceramics, so I am delighted Gallery Director,  Paul Longthorne, has agreed to show my work.


Writing News:
A selection of my poems has been been chosen for inclusion in a new anthology of contemporary Cornish Poetry.
Entitled 'WAVE HUB' and edited by writer and academic, Dr. Alan M. Kent - it will be published by Francis Boutle later in the year.
I'll post availability details in due course....

Music News: 
Following the recent youtube posting of my original version of 'Coming Up to Grass' from Red Hand Caves, NSW, my son is currently producing new versions of both 'Catch That Train' and 'Stamping Ground' at his recording studio in Sydney.
When I was out there in April, I left bare-bones guitar and vocal versions for him to develop -
he's now adding wonderfully luminous, post-industrial aussie sounds.
We hope to post it all when it's fit to fly......

Worried Man 2: ...

Worried Man 2:                                                   ...:                                                    Into the Summer..... Painting News: My Rock Show proved to be my most successful to da...www.youtube.com/embed/rahOG6de0L4

                                                   Into the Summer.....

Painting News:
My Rock Show proved to be my most successful to date.
It was very heartening to meet and talk with both old and new buyers.
So now it's on with the next bit!
I am currently busy with new work, framing it up and preparing to take it to galleries.
Watch this space for news.

Musical News:
The Gumbo Flyers are playing a couple of Cornish gigs.
July:
Saturday July 12th - Millbrook - for the Tamar Valley Motor-cycle Club - evening.

Sunday July 13th - St. Mabyn - Haywood Cider Farm PL30 3BU - 2.30pm onwards.

August:
Saturday August 9th - Wadebridge - for the Town Carnival (see local press for details - we're in a marquee somewhere - not sure of timings yet).
Saturday August 31st - the Red Lion - St. Columb Major - 3.00pm

Katoomba Blues:
Following my Easter trip Down Under, my son, Dylan, is now beavering away on some tracks I recorded with him - working title 'Katoomba Blues'.
There's also a You-tube posting of me playing one of the songs, 'Coming Up to Grass', performed near the Red Hands Cave, Glenbrook, in the Blue Mountains.
To view, just follow the link from this web-site.
The nonchalant three-year-old in the foreground is my Australian grandson, Rhys -
he's so hard to please!

NEWS: a couple of GUMBOS gigs, & details of my New Solo Exhibition, 'AN MOR! AN MOR!' at Rock

      Here are a couple of GUMBO FLYERS gigs:
Sat. May 24th -- Liskerrett Centre, Liskeard -- from 7.00pm onwards.
Sat. May 31st - the Barley Sheaf, Gorran Haven -- from 8.30pm onwards.

                             And here's news of my New Solo Exhibition at
                               ROCK VILLAGE INSTITUTE, Rock Road
                                    Rock, North Cornwall  PL27 6LQ
                       'AN MOR! AN MOR!'  ('THE SEA! THE SEA!')
                               from Friday May 23rd - Friday May 30th
                                     Open daily  10.00am - 5.30pm
                'Meet the Artist'  -- Sunday May 25th - 3.00pm - 6.00pm.

New Gumbo Flyers gig

A couple of gigs for the Winter diary -

First, I'm playing with Cajun/zydeco Specialists:
                                            
                                           THE GUMBO FLYERS
                                           Grampound Village Hall  
                                             Saturday Nov. 23rd 
                                              (doors open 7.30pm) 

                              also playing will be Cornish-roots band 
                                                    CARACANA

                Cajun food and Drink available (in aid of the Charity 'Mercy Rescue')
                            Tickets: 01726 883874 (£7 / £5 concessions)
A chance to dance the night away to two great bands.

Second, there'll be another outing for:
       
                                      PENHALE & FLASKETT 
                                          'The Christmas Special'
                                  Wadebridge Acoustic Guitar Club
                                          The Churchill Rooms
                                               Wadebridge
                                           Thursday Dec. 5th
                                               from 7.30pm
                                       (nominal charge on door)
Bring your acoustic guitar along....


                                

AUTUMN OPEN STUDIO: Oct 19th - Nov 3rd, 2013

October OPEN STUDIO featuring new 'Seascapes':

From Saturday Oct. 19th until Sunday Nov 3rd, I am running my second Autumn Open Studio at Old Court, Trelill Road, St. Kew Highway, PL30 3DP.

I have just completed a 10-picture sequence of seascapes and these will be at the heart of the show, but I'll have numerous other new works on view, including 'Cornish Window' pictures and 'Gold Boats' paintings, plus more abstract pieces.
Open Daily from 10.00a.m. to 5.00p.m.
Sue joins me in extending a Welcome to One & All!

Directions:
If arriving from the A39, turn off at the petrol station then continue past the Red Lion pub up Trelill Road - we're 200 yards further on, on the left.
Look for the name 'Old Court', painted in white on a slate at the bottom of our drive-way.

Parking in front of the cottage is limited, so it may be advisable to park on the road.
Thanks.

P.S. There'll also be tea&coffee available, plus home-made cake!