INSPIRATIONS & REFLECTIONS AS 2024 DRAWS TO A CLOSE

 As the year winds down, I look back on it as a remarkable one. A year when I was blessed with a lot of opportunities and food for the soul.

However, it has been difficult to become excited and motivated when the world is as it is. In all my days walking the earth I have never felt such a divide in society nor such hysteria or posturing as these days.

And so, I immerse myself in art, film, music, and beauty to escape. I avoid the vampires and seek the artists and poets!

On a cold January day, I visited The Whitworth Manchester gallery for the first time. The building, Albrecht Dürer's material world exhibition and views on a winter park were beautiful. It also had delicious soup in the café!

I also visited dear friends in Venice and was thrilled by Lineadacqua Gallery, Venice – Davide Battistin (shimmeringly beautiful), Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Adolfina de Stefani Venice located at Campo del Ghetto Novo, one of the most characteristic places in Venice.

February brought a trip to London (easily done in a day now that I live in York) to see YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND at Tate Modern. I love Yoko Ono; she is a true original, profound, funny, sophisticated, simple and radical.

I also visited Cambridge for the first time in April and loved Kettle's Yard and The Fitzwilliam Museum.

In June/July I was an invited artist for the Rise of the Vandals Street Art exhibition in York. This event was a huge success; I sold 21 pieces of artwork and the event raised funds (£21,712.89) for local charity Safe and Sound Homes (SASH).

The event showcased an exhibition of retrospective and contemporary spray paint culture, graffiti, street art and public art and featured 3 galleries, a cinema room, an art shop and live DJ's.

But perhaps my biggest thrill this year was a long-sought trip to Japan in August. I went for 3 weeks and visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima. Beyond all the gardens, shrines, temples, galleries and museums that I visited it was the spirit of Japanese society that affected me most and it still resonates – beautiful, zen, respectful and serene.

Finally, speaking of art, I still work at York Art Gallery and love doing my Friday talk on Rose Wylie's Early Memory Series No. 2: Doodle Bug.

Oh, just remembered (how could I forget Frank Auerbach RIP), Frank Auerbach: Portraits of London at Offer Waterman gallery, London in November was simply brilliant.

I shall list a few of the other things I found inspiring and interesting this year.

BOOKS

Ulysses – James Joyce – the struggle to read it continues!

Faith, Hope & Carnage - Nick Cave & Seán O'Hagan

All the Beauty in the World: A Museum Guard's Adventures in Life, Loss and Art – Patrick Bringley

Abroad in Japan - Chris Broad

Sweet Bean Paste - Tetsuya Akikawa

Paul McCartney: Paintings

The Promised Party: Kahlo, Basquiat and Me - Jennifer Clement

Gimme Some Truth

The Enchanted Wood – Enid Blyton I abandoned this book when I discovered that it had been given a 'modern face lift'. I loved these books as a child but cannot bear this cultural vandalism.

Chroma & Dancing Ledge – Derek Jarman

Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking - David Bayles & Ted Orland

MUSIC

David Bowie – Low & "Heroes", especially Moss Garden after visiting Kyoto

Wild God – Nick Cave

Wings of Desire Music from the Wim Wenders film. I never seem to have this out of the cd player!

Pere Ubu (a late convert)

Dirty Three - Love Changes Everything & Horse Stories

Mama Karma says, "Ignore that genie!" – My latest homemade compilation painting CD.

The Dandy Warhols - O2 Ritz Manchester. Brilliant gig

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – First Direct Arena Leeds

FILM

Perfect Days

Yoko's Journey

Poor Things

The Taste of Things

Conclave

Sweet Bean

Anselm

The Outrun

Lost In Translation (again!)

Museum Hours (again!)