2020 has mostly been about curating shows so far, the massive effort that was the Nothing in Square Part 2 show that opened the month-long Cultivate Columbia Road take over back in March – we had been working on three physical shows for March, the lockdown and the Covid virus fallout struck us mid way through that month of shows (including a solo show I rightly had to completely cancel), all the work in January and February preparing for those shows was lost as we shut the door in the middle of March. Since the lockdown there have been three rather ambitious on-line group shows, I’m rather pleased with those shows, I think there’s some exciting art and some intriguing artists featured. Believe it or not, on-line group shows take up far far more time and effort than physical shows do and really IT is only now, with the third on-line show (And with Good) Reason having gone live via the Organ website last Thursday evening, that I get a chance to step back from all the curating and the juggling of well over one-hundred artists and something near eight-hundred pieces of other people’s work, that I get to step back and have a look and a think about what I’ve been doing and painting or indeed not doing or not painting during this rather fractured year. I’ve been in lockdown sorting out shows and admin and the juggling of people’s squares and files and responding to open call submissions and working out how to pay the rent for spaces where shows didn’t happen (that and getting very frustrated by Arts Council England and their so called emergency funding that frankly went to some very strange people and places rather then thouse genuinely affected – it is all documented on the Cultivate website).

There’s been far too much admin and way too little actual painting, of course there has been painting, there has been drawing, there has been a skyline or two, there has been fruit, but my time really has been sucked up by the art of others and the curating of things Of course the lack of things to paint for hasn’t helped, sure there’s the shows we’ve curated ourselves, but the lack of shows to look forward to, the lack of events and art fairs to prepare for, there really hasn’t been an art drop since the start of the year either, it has been hard to paint during lockdown, it has been hard to put everything aside, not least the actions of this dreadful government as well as some of the things going on in Trumpland, and just paint. There have been apples and pears and a satsuma or two amongst the portraits that have been a reaction the recent events. There will be a break from curating now (although I did say that at the start of the year, and then, well I guess there is a chance that something will be so tempting it can’t be ignored, I see a lot of empty spaces where betting shops operated before the virus struck, I suddenly see empty office spaces and such, I don’t intend pulling any more shows for a bit but don’t be surprised if temptation can’t be resisted, I mean, if we don’t put on the shows ourselves then who will?).

Some fresh fruit then, some fresh fruit recently painted, and there must be far more painting during the second half of 2020, much more painting on this side of the summer Solstice, a little more than just an orange… As always, he paintings on thise page are for sale, drop me an e.mail if you wish to partake of one of your five recommended helpings of fruit..

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