I got into my studio at 7am today, to put in a couple of hours at my jolly old computer before waking 16 Year Old Son so he can be prepared to send me to get his results. I am not sure whether he will come with me in the car, it may be better to send the servant to get them while he remains out of sight and aloof.
Studio news is as follows. I am putting together 2 exhibitions to run one after the other in Chichester, on 2 desparately different themes. I know I have mentioned it all before, but here it is again. "A Graceful Death" will run from 6 to 12 December in the Friends House, Priory Park, Chichester, West Sussex. This is about the power of the human spirit and the life force that keeps going despite the body disintegrating through cancer. I have painted the last weeks, days and hours of my partner's life and death of cancer two years ago. It is a compassionate, powerful, loving and terrible comment on our mortality. I have also painted little images of how I felt, alone and sad, and some angels feeling glum about his death. "Every Day Angels" is showing at the Oxmarket, Chichester, West Sussex, from the 22 November to the 5 December 2009. This exhibition is a joyful fun and colourful show about Angels living our day to day lives with us. They include Angels eating cream teas, Angels fed up with housework and even a before and after angel after a makeover.
I am painting for these, and putting together the publicity for them. Lots of work and on a good day, I love it. On a bad day I want everyone else to do it and still give me the credit and feed me chocolate and cake on the hour every hour. At the moment, I am all systems go, and can cope without cream teas and pats on the head.
Oh but on the home front. 16 Year Old Son came back yesterday from staying with one of my lovely cousins, his wonderful girlfriend and little girl, and an assortment of second generation teenaged offspring of other various cousins in the Oxford countryside. He had a wonderful time, of course, and was bored stiff here by teatime. My Son I cried. In order for you not to be bored, let me do all your foul washing for you, make you some food and listen to your tales of how much better all other households are than this one. Dear Son, I said with a wise and lovingly compassionate smile, it is good that you came home to your orthodontic appointment because lo! If you had not, as an adult your teeth would be growing out of your ears.
16 Year Old Son doesn't quite see it that way. I'm bored, he said, And I did you a favour by coming back to visit the orthodontist. As I smooth my apron and pull out his meal from the oven, I say And I am So Grateful, My Little Emperor. Or not. He does, as it happens, love the Chinese system where the first born son is the boss and controls all others. I have to remind from from time to time that we aren't doing that system.
Actually, it is lovely to have him back. I have loved being with 12 Year Old Son alone too, and 12 Year Old Son has whiled away his time by teaching himself the piano, with help from How To Play Debussy on You Tube. He is playing football again, is eating like a sumo wrestler and is shooting up in height in order to be taller than me. His single minded ambition is to be taller than me so he can lift me up and place me in different places around the house without me having to walk there. I think it's a boy macho thing.
And 19 Year Old Daughter continues to bring avelanches of twinkles, fairy dust, and fun to all and sundry. She is a larger than life, beautiful Dolly Parton/Marilyn Munro/Audrey Hepburn creature that at a good 5'11" cannot creep around unnoticed. She gave me a bag of pretty goodies wrapped up in tissue and ribbons yesterday, to cheer me up. She is like that, a wonder girl.
So now, on with the day. After GCSE results, I am off to London to collect some paintings from a long running exhibition there. Two years it has been, I wonder what I have up there. Then back for 12 Year Old's Football Practice and to see how 16 Year Old Son has coped with his exam results a few hours on. It doesn't matter though, Alan is taking me away in September for a couple of nights, so all I have to do is get to Departure Date in September and I will be safe. Ha.
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