This was the last of my exhibition drawings to sell as the event ended yesterday. I much enjoyed the week and hearing people chortling here and there was the icing on the cake. Having exhibitions is new to me and I’m hoping to take this one: The British Character, on to other venues. Hopefully next year and hopefully in another part of the country.

Big thanks to all the people who visited, bought, or just looked and laughed.

To see how the week went then take a look at these links:

Last day of the show.

Cartoons with a musical accompaniment…

The view from the victoria sponge

“I invented a dot”.

A quick tour of the exhibition.

Me and Seymour Totti

This one’s in the exhibition…

And to learn a bit more about ‘Pont’ who was the initial inspiration to the show then take a look right here: Pont: Graham Laidler, and the British Character

I’m going to take a short break from blogging now, perhaps a week or so, when I’ll be back as usual droning on about all sorts as usual stuff. Thanks too to all those people who have visited this site over the past and in effect visited my show online. Here’s a tine from the Gloucester Diamonds who came along an serenaded the odd passing person on the Sunday. Big thanks to them too, once more.

The Gloucester Diamonds Facebook Page

It’s been a good week, with over 300 people coming to my show over the week. Might even hit 400 if the small child on a scooter whizzing around the front of the building does not mow down the potentials.

Just signed two business cards for a small child who asked me by saying: ” Have you got a pencil?” “Why no” said I ” but I have a pen, would you like me to do a little drawing for you?” “No? ” said she. “Just sign the card”. The price of celebrity.

Boom boom!

My chum Robin and his fellow songsters: The Gloucester Diamonds ( Their Facebook Page ) came along yesterday to entertain the visitors to my exhibition and a few random passers by, here in Cheltenham. This is just a short clip of the rendition and I was not the only one to thoroughly enjoy it. An apt song about John Bull for my show about the British Character.

Two more days to go before I wrap it all up and pack it away. I’m looking now for other venues for it, perhaps somewhere up north would be good. Wigan would be a favourite as I spent much of my youth around that area. Perhaps we could have it on the end of Wigan Pier? Maybe not.

My father moved around with his work and we lived in loads of Lancashire towns, I have fond memories of all of them but Wigan has to be favourite. Perhaps it’s the pies.

For more information about the show you could listen to me drone on about it from here:  That’s me talking about cartoons on the radio!

It rains a lot in the UK, and in my experience normally on a Bank Holiday or any Sunday when someone has planned an event. I found when I was half way through my drawings for the exhibition that I seemed to be drawing a lot of rain. Pont did a lot of rain too: That’s me talking about cartoons on the radio!

I have drawn sunshine too and when it does shine there are few places to compare with Great Britain.

Today the sun has come out and I’m on the last few days of the exhibition, which as many of you will know is about the British, as well as a small diversion into Apt names, like these two here. The one on the right bears a striking resemblance to my brother who is an antique dealer and was well known for wearing an antique flying jacket. He’s probably still got it. I recall also seeing a small aeroplane hanging from the ceiling of his shop once.

Yesterday a chap came in and introduced himself as Cliff Lane. I suppose he might be a retired lighthouse keeper?

You meet some funny people in an art gallery. Especially if you are exhibiting and looking after the place which is my present function. It’s like opening a shop in many ways. No one comes for ages then there are loads of people and then none again. Such was today and in came this chap who told me he’s been a picture restorer. He was naturally curious about how I work, so I told him, for those wanting to know more here then go here: Three stages of artwork, is it ever finished? No.

He then proceeds to tell me all about his work and how difficult it is to restore chalk drawings, “they turn to dust, which is what they were in the first place”. He then goes on to tell me about a printing process that he and others invented which culminates in him saying: ” I invented a dot”

Who am I to argue with that. He was fascinating to meet and it’s the first time I’ve ever met anyone who’s invented a dot. “Jolly good egg” as we say over here.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s collection of people.

Thanks to all those who have come to my show so far. A bus party from Frinton on Sea boosted the figures but not the sales, but were lovely people and good material for more drawings. How they found me here is beyond me, but they did. Perhaps I’m now on the tourist map like Bourton on the Water or the Severn Bore. I’d hate to be a bore!

I have another day ahead of me feeling like a shopkeeper as people wander in randomly or like and old friend of mine yesterday who heard me on the radio, and determined to come and find me. Thanks Yorkie! Good to see you and your good lady.

The Exhibition building is sited close to a very pleasant cafe and tea shop, where mums abound with their little charges, and charging is what the little people seem to do a lot. The mums seem to avoid the exhibition like the plague, the odd child wanders near and is generally told ‘not to go in there’ as if I’m going to capture them and never let them out, like and old wizard. One or two have taken to shouting through the door, I shout back.

I’ve sold a few originals too which is always flattering, a late sale yesterday was done in seconds as the couple had to get their train back to Kent, that’s a hell of a distance, but hubby told me that his son in law is a chef so the image will go down very well with him. Someone else, a former teacher at the Ladies College ( where Madonna’s daughter attended, yes the Madonna, well not the virgin Madonna, the one that allegedly sings ) told me that she could not understand how anyone would want to put any of my pictures on their wall. True to a degree, I responded that most people who do buy my pictures put them in the lavatory, where at least they can sit down and study them a little further. I’d be surprised if anyone put one over the mantlepiece to replace the Tretchicoff  Green Lady

This is the one that will end in Tunbridge Wells, probably in the kitchen or the loo. Also available as a print from my web site

This is me and Seymour Totti, the well known nightclub bouncer from Gloucester. He and I are at the Garden’s Gallery, Cheltenham until the 22nd. Come and see us, we are both originals, at least I try to be. Open from around 10 in the morning till around 5-00, for more info take a look here:

Come and take a look sometime.

As is the final of this one…

Post did one very similar to the one above, and my drawing is a homage to the man. Pont: Graham Laidler, and the British Character

The one about the washing up is of my own invention and is really based on personal experience. I’m told that I’m a messy cook and my cynicism about washing up machines is unjustified ( I don’t much care for them ) The washing up theme would not have worked in Pont’s day as other people ( servants ) would have done the dirty work.

I’ve been here at the exhibition all day and so far had a very positive response. Chortling has been heard, and by way of a change, not just from me.

Thanks to my chums helping me to put up my exhibition, it’s here and open now. So far the reactions have been very good and it’s always great to hear people laughing at one’s work! This is a great little venue for an exhibition space in the middle of Cheltenham and could not be more apt for the subject of the British Character, being in the middle of Middle England.

I’m here for most of the day every day till it closes on the 22nd. Come along and take a look.

From here I have a view of the bandstand and the green that is Montpellier Gardens in a very smart part of town.

Here’s one of my drawings that did not make the ‘cut’ for my exhibition that opens tomorrow at the Gardens Gallery. It will be there but not in a frame on the wall as it is one a few that’s not finished. I’ll be taking it along to see if I can rescue it. There’s much renovation needed to the work.

It’s one of the drawings in the ‘Pont’ series about the British Character. His original was entitled ” A liking for wooden beams” and looked nothing like this one, it was better for a start! That aside it is quite close to my heart this week having just moved house, fortunately not to somewhere quite as run down as this, though in our search for somewhere new to live we’ve seen stuff that is mind bogglingly run-down. The estate agents still seem able to find adjectives that make them sound acceptable. ” In need of some updating” should read “In need of a large bulldozer” in some cases.

I’ll be working on this drawing to see if I can renovate during my stay at the gallery. Why not pop in sometime? I’ll be there till the 22nd, so a week to get it right, or start again.

Why the bear?

Someone was rather taken by my drawing of the loft here in the poster, and never mentioned the bear. How did it get there and is it real? Well, bears do not thrive in loft spaces so it’s not recommended. This is a wooden bear and probably arrived there in my subconscious when I did the rough idea for this. My Uncle Edward and Auntie Anne had a bear like this, beautifully crafted in a dark wood, must have weighed a ton, as we say. It lived at the foot of their stairs in Warrington where my dear Uncle was a proper doctor. Some of my cousins from those days emigrated to Canada, and I believe the bear is out there somewhere now, with them. Canada: best place for a bear to feel at home, much better than a loft or my subconscious.

The finished version in my show starting Wednesday, come along. There will be no blank canvasses!