The masses according to time take over.

How time flies when you are having fun, as they say but, for real, where did Christmas come from allready!!!

Archive................This Time Last year I had 575 minature veterans destined for the Royal British Legion around my feet, 999 were presented despite 100 made available as gifts, one was still taken. These were accepted on June 27th (Veterans Day) and remain on permanant display in the Royal British Legion Ofices.

Each of these small veterans measuring around 2cm high were crafted individually, while each depicts a Former member of tha armed services, now each was litlle more than a small begger, wrapped in blankets and head bowed, some even depicting difference facial features that was truly not possible without a little hand from my creator. The symbolisation of this piece is to support RBL figures that, at any time durning the year there are at least one thousand ex servicement homeless at any given time.

Now realising that the rest of the world belongs to a generally accepted time period I have to give in and accept that the next few days are going to have to be put on hold while I go christmas shopping and generally getting ready for the fact that things are going to be closed for a couple of days, this really messes up my routine in some respects however, it is Christmas.

This Year I am looking at the Urban Environment from the perspective of colour balance and textures, while using Sean Scully more of a direction than an inspiration, my pictures have taken on more of a graphics approach for me to work with.

With the wind down to the holiday break I managed to get the final coat of varnish on the penultimate exhibition piece with one left to go, while being unable to start anything of any consequence I took advantage by tying up a few loose ends, like, attempting to convince myself that I have had as busy year as was possible and, tho I say so myself, I dont know how I had time to do as much work as I did.





Exhibitions by the handful, Television appearance, nomination for an artistic achievement award, charity works donated and doing their job and a start in my research toward a major exhibition in the future, £1800 per day for the use of the main exhibiting Hall in the Baltic centre for contemporary arts, guess I shall have to put some funding considerations into my plans to cover that let alone the exhibits.

The exhibits have been growing slowly in my sketchbooks though no matter how much I believed that a show in somewhere as large and prestigions such as the Baltic Centre in Newcastle was a dream sceario and awaited my being able to say, 'I am an artist' words that it takes a lot of courage to say,, it is only now with my most recent body of work am I able, not only to say it but to invisage a dream, with referencing and cross referencing I am able to recognise three major pieces that will, with a lot more work, be suitable for the show that I intend to direct against those who force the poverty levels within the uk to an unnacceptable level, we are allready there tho the future as it stands at the moment stands more as a portent than any message of hope that comes at christmas.

How long will peoples New Year Resolutions Last before the real world takes over and cigarettes are once again the easy way around stress, before the alcohol that was put in the cupboard and intended for moments of celebrations comes out again because of lifes woes, how long before all the others fall by the wayside while battling against the cold from expensive fuel bills, hunger through insufficient funds, et al et al........... the list is endlessl; for me, just one resolution, to keep going and groing, to seek a further and deeper understanding of myself, to seek out and develop a greater understanding in a world that is operated by so many who have little or no understanding of the world.

I found a nice text last night from the Dalai Lam, simple and precise and it is this I leave you wishing you a merry christmas tho the only parties I shall be attending will be in retrospect while I view the photo albums of those whose cameras would have kept working whilst individuals depreciate to such a level whereby their inspirations dwindle to a point that only fotos of tongues, extended and coloured from alcopops, where only red faces tired and lazsy eyes stare out at me.





There will be none of that for me, my life is happily boring and the mornings freshness is borne of yet another good nights sleep, awakening without having to worry what i got upto in my drunkeness, while not hiding the fact that my distant goal rests along my finding some level fof fame within the artworld, not for any personal necessity I stress but merely in the knowledge that to speak out against poverty and hardship, against the woes of normality a level of renown must exist, if and when that happens I hate to even start to consider how many such fotos will come to light from my own dark and distant times when parties ran my lifes diary and alcohol provided me with the courage to go, the reason to stay, and the excuse for either not getting home or not getting to work, perhaps I should just endeavour to retain my strength in faith and hope in humility.

So I leave you tho not without my twopenneth work of spiritual words I found last night from the Dalai Lama.

Mantra from the Dalai Lama
Just a short Buddhist outlook on life.

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R's: Respect for self Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
I also know that dreams really do come true and you have my Best Wishes and my best efforts in those.
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