Busytinsnips Blog
RECENT WINTER INSPIRATIONS
Withered Crown cd cover
It's difficult to become motivated and inspired during this madness when culture has been closed down and the colour rinsed out of our days but try we must. I try to be mindful of the moment in my shrunken world. I have been moved by small things; a crow landing on the beach, frost glitter, the stark skeleton trees and the changing light as the sun sets on another winter day.
ART
With no exhibitions and galleries closed, my inspiration comes largely from books and less so the Internet. However, I am lucky to be still working in a gallery and to see such wonders as Vincent Van Gogh's Olive Trees, Rembrandt's Self-portrait (1655) and John Singer Sargent's Lady Agnew of Lochnaw when the gallery is empty is a privilege.
Cy Twombly by Jonas Storsve is a beautiful book (a birthday gift in January) that I cannot stop looking at.
All my amazing Basquiat books but especially Jean-Michel Basquiat by Dieter Buchhart.
In 2018 the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, held exhibitions on two of the greatest artists of the 20th century - Egon Schiele, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. This was the last trip I made overseas before the madness.
Paul McCartney Paintings — Little, Brown and Company. I bought this book in Dublin in 2001 and recently picked it up to thumb through. I love Big Mountain Face, Dark Faces and Bowie Spewing.
Derek Jarman's Garden by Derek Jarman and Howard Sooley. I have to see Prospect Cottage one of these days.
Anton Corbijn interview Gagosian Quarterly. An interesting interview especially for lovers of Bowie and Joy Division.
BOOKS
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band (Christmas Gift) is the definitive exploration of John Lennon's first major solo album after the break-up of the Beatles, Yoko's accompanying album and the three singles that preceded it ('Give Peace A Chance', 'Cold Turkey' and 'Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)').
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Corvus: A Life With Birds — Esther Woolfson
The Book of Ichigo Ichie: The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way — Francesc Miralles and Héctor García
Mojo Collectors The Beatles Red & Blue 1962-1970
Grapefruit: A Book of Instructions and Drawings — Yoko Ono
MUSIC
David Bowie — Look At The Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97)
Idiot Prayer — Nick Cave
Archaeology — The Rutles
Double Fantasy Stripped Down — John Lennon / Yoko Ono
Life's Too Good - The Sugarcubes
Low — David Bowie
Lost In Translation Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack
Catalpa — Jolie Holland
Happy Songs For Happy People — Mogwai
Gimme Some Truth — John Lennon
Miles In Berlin — Miles Davis
Luxa — Harold Budd (now sadly, no longer with us)
FILM/TV
Lost In Translation (again!)
Museum Hours (again!)
A Hard Day's Night
The White Crow
Life Is Beautiful (Roberto Benigni)
The Affair (Season 1 & 2)
Spiral (Series 1)
BBC iPlayer — Age Of The Image (James Fox), Keith Haring: Street Art Boy, Monitor: Pop Goes The Easel (Ken Russell), The Romantics and Us with Simon Schama, Civilisations (Mary Beard, David Olusoga & Simon Schama), Maggi Hambling: Making Love with the Paint, Emin/Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed, Fierce Women — Yoko (Yoko Ono).
LIKES
The fact that this can't go on forever! Frosty walks. Wardie Bay. The thought of Ripon & North Yorkshire in June. My new Denon D-M41DAB Micro Hi-Fi system. Tanka poetry.
QUOTATIONS
When I run after what I think I want,
My days are a furnace of distress and anxiety;
If I sit in my own place of patience,
What I need flows to me,
And without any pain.
From this I understand that
What I want also wants me,
Is looking for me
And attracting me;
When it cannot attract me
Any more to go to it,
It has to come to me.
There is a great secret
In this for anyone
Who can grasp it.
ART
With no exhibitions and galleries closed, my inspiration comes largely from books and less so the Internet. However, I am lucky to be still working in a gallery and to see such wonders as Vincent Van Gogh's Olive Trees, Rembrandt's Self-portrait (1655) and John Singer Sargent's Lady Agnew of Lochnaw when the gallery is empty is a privilege.
Cy Twombly by Jonas Storsve is a beautiful book (a birthday gift in January) that I cannot stop looking at.
All my amazing Basquiat books but especially Jean-Michel Basquiat by Dieter Buchhart.
In 2018 the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, held exhibitions on two of the greatest artists of the 20th century - Egon Schiele, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. This was the last trip I made overseas before the madness.
Paul McCartney Paintings — Little, Brown and Company. I bought this book in Dublin in 2001 and recently picked it up to thumb through. I love Big Mountain Face, Dark Faces and Bowie Spewing.
Derek Jarman's Garden by Derek Jarman and Howard Sooley. I have to see Prospect Cottage one of these days.
Anton Corbijn interview Gagosian Quarterly. An interesting interview especially for lovers of Bowie and Joy Division.
BOOKS
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band (Christmas Gift) is the definitive exploration of John Lennon's first major solo album after the break-up of the Beatles, Yoko's accompanying album and the three singles that preceded it ('Give Peace A Chance', 'Cold Turkey' and 'Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)').
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Corvus: A Life With Birds — Esther Woolfson
The Book of Ichigo Ichie: The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way — Francesc Miralles and Héctor García
Mojo Collectors The Beatles Red & Blue 1962-1970
Grapefruit: A Book of Instructions and Drawings — Yoko Ono
MUSIC
David Bowie — Look At The Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97)
Idiot Prayer — Nick Cave
Archaeology — The Rutles
Double Fantasy Stripped Down — John Lennon / Yoko Ono
Life's Too Good - The Sugarcubes
Low — David Bowie
Lost In Translation Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack
Catalpa — Jolie Holland
Happy Songs For Happy People — Mogwai
Gimme Some Truth — John Lennon
Miles In Berlin — Miles Davis
Luxa — Harold Budd (now sadly, no longer with us)
Withered Crown/Ember Months/Flowerts Will Come
BBC World Service - Joe Strummer
If There Is Something - Tin Machine
Light My Fire - Amii Stewart
Semper Fidelis - The Dandy Warhols
Armagideon Time - The Clash
Al Capone - Prince Buster
Come Together - The Beatles
My Way - Sid Vicious
On My Radio - The Selecter
Yang Yang - Yoko Ono
Slow Burn - David Bowie
Goodbye Horses - Q Lazzarus
Gangsters - Special AKA
The Fun Lovin' Criminal - Fun Lovin' Criminals
Something Better Change - The Stranglers
Both Ends Burning - Roxy Music
Show Me That River - Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters
How Much Are They? - Jah Wobble, Holger Czukay & Jaki Liebezeit
Insane In The Brain - Cypress Hill
Rapture – Blondie
– My latest homemade compilation painting CD
FILM/TV
Lost In Translation (again!)
Museum Hours (again!)
A Hard Day's Night
The White Crow
Life Is Beautiful (Roberto Benigni)
The Affair (Season 1 & 2)
Spiral (Series 1)
BBC iPlayer — Age Of The Image (James Fox), Keith Haring: Street Art Boy, Monitor: Pop Goes The Easel (Ken Russell), The Romantics and Us with Simon Schama, Civilisations (Mary Beard, David Olusoga & Simon Schama), Maggi Hambling: Making Love with the Paint, Emin/Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed, Fierce Women — Yoko (Yoko Ono).
LIKES
The fact that this can't go on forever! Frosty walks. Wardie Bay. The thought of Ripon & North Yorkshire in June. My new Denon D-M41DAB Micro Hi-Fi system. Tanka poetry.
QUOTATIONS
When I run after what I think I want,
My days are a furnace of distress and anxiety;
If I sit in my own place of patience,
What I need flows to me,
And without any pain.
From this I understand that
What I want also wants me,
Is looking for me
And attracting me;
When it cannot attract me
Any more to go to it,
It has to come to me.
There is a great secret
In this for anyone
Who can grasp it.
— Rumi
