Busy, Busy, and, er....Busy!

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This week seems to have taken on an unstoppable momentum. Firstly, Miki is preparing a series of Paintings for an International Calendar commission that she's just secured, plus we are re-mounting a new exhibition at the Eyecare centre here in Albir. A new exhibition takes a lot of time and preparation, so we're very occupied with that. I've also just met up with my friend, Norwegian singer and guitarist Jack Bostad, and we briefly discussed doing a few local shows together, which I'm really keen to do, though it will mean some rehearsals. In a week or so Miki and I travel down to Mojacar to mount a new exhibition there, too, with all the attendant planning and preparation. This weekend sees the first of 5 shows throughout Novemeber for my band BC Sweet, in Europe and the UK, so I want to set aside a little time this week to run through the set, as the first show is a big festival in Lubeck, Germany. So, no time to draw breath really! I also just want to remind everybody to check out my Halloween story; Pumpkin Number Six if you havent done so already, its a nice chilly tale for All Hallow's Eve!

Compliments are always Welcome!

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While I was down in Almeria province, I used the time to "dismantle a number of our exhibitions in Mojacar, Las Bouganvillas, and Vera, three towns in the region.
We try to refresh the exhibitions on a regular basis, and also give them a small "rest" so that they never become "part of the furniture".

It was while I was removing the paintings at these various locations that I started to get people coming up to me.

"I just want to thank you for these paintings, I shall miss them." - that from a regular visitor to the restaurant, not the owner.

"Are these paintings by your partner? I could never afford any art, but please tell her they have given me great pleasure" - another visitor to one of the exhibitions.

And from Anita, owner of Allegria on Mojacar Playa, where we had a recent exhibition of Miki's flower paintings;

"You are a very nasty man! Look how bare my walls are!"

Of course, it was a little tongue in cheek, and perhaps not exactly a compliment, but well, an indirect one, I'd like to think!

I have to say, these words filled me with pride for Miki's work, it makes it all worthwhile. Mind you, if she reads this, we'll have to widen the doorway to the gallery to get her head in!

Bulls on the Playa

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So, following my show at Rayo Del Sol in Mojacar on Sunday, I spent Monday relocating Miki's popular Bullfight Exhibition from the town of Vera to the Allegria Restaurant on Mojacar Playa. Run by Belgian Couple Erik and Anita, it serves a mix of Belgian and Spanish cuisine, not to mention a massive English Breakfast! (I told you not to mention that:miki)

Anyway, after much thought, the Bulls were arranged in their new corral..Anita was delighted as I managed to cover a few holes in the wall, where it appeared an epileptic builder had been drilling with a blindfold on!

The tradition of the bullfight in Spain has long been a contentious issue, and is the subject of pressure from the European courts..however, I sense that, as with the attempts to tell the Spanish they have to abandon the siesta culture, it will all come to naught. There is a very strong part of me that comes out against the continuation of the bullfight. But how do you remove such deep-seated traditions overnight? As a boy, reading encyclopedias to learn about countries around the world, it was their differences that fascinated me, and the richness of the Flamenco and Bullfight culture defines Spain.
Furthermore, working with Miki, and seeing her create her "Corridas" at first hand, seeing the movement and grace through the Artist's eye, I acknowledge their beauty.
There is one thing I know for certain. Her Bullfight paintings stir something deep down in people. They touch them deeply.There is something primal and fascinating about man and beast in beautiful, violent and graceful harmony.