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