Happy birthday Old Bean

It was Johnny's 74th birthday yesterday (13th), celebrated quietly at the Brasserie.  Johnny never wants to be the centre of attention, but there are a lot of us who want to share a bit of the day with him!  I sidled into the Brasserie around 6.30 last night and the birthday group was outside - the first time we have sat outside (albeit with heavy duty clothing) this year.  Is Spring really here?

Anyway, you can't let the birthday, of a much loved friend pass without some kind of marker.  I was very chuffed with my present to him this year.  Johnny is an avid cricket fan - I think it is as close as he gets to a religion.  I went to my first cricket match ever, with the Midddleton family in August 2006, when we watched England play Pakistan at Headingley, Leeds.

It was a scorching hot day and after an a hour or so, I decided that a hat was the order of the day and duly purchased a white canvas 'flowerpot' - not my idea of a siren fashion statement, but it was the best on offer and in any case, I didn't care because my head was beginning to throb ominously.  I've never worn it since, but it did save the day.


The sun slipped down the sky and by four o'clock, I had slipped down my seat.  Some of the England team were at the rim of the pitch, giving autographs.  'There's Pieterson, ' Becky yelped, 'I'll go for his autograph!'  No one had any paper, but we did have a pen and I had a white hat.  So Becky dashed off with it and the hat was duly christened.  Anxious not to be outdone, I managed to get the autograph of Dickie Bird.

Then the hat was packed away and since then I've travelled quite a bit and never properly unpacked - until now (now that I am about to pack up again and move).  I've been wanting to give the hat to Johnny for ages, but I couldn't find it, so it seemed synchronistic when I unearthed it last week, just before the birthday.  To the hat, I added the Observers book of Cricket and Johnny was delighted.

He was also delighted with his hand embroidered handkerchiefs from Vicki, who rightly pointed out that not many men use cotton hankies any more.

Johnny takes ages to unwrap presents ....

This weekend, Johnny has some decisions to make with the London folk and the Exhibition is eleven weeks away.                                                                                                                                                

Sock up-date

'I've spent seven hours today on the sock - it's getting very thick ... '

While Johnny was painting his sock, I've been to the doctors, resigned from my job, been into to town, paid in a cheque, been to Superdrug, Marks and Spencer (new jeans), bought dinner, drunk wine and got update on the sock.

Deadlines 2

There is a painting afoot .... it is a sock.

Turner is lurking in the wings ... deadlines are approaching .... questions need answers ... which paintings for the exhibition .... copy for the catalogue approved.  Johnny's helical world has to align, however briefly, with the linear world of dates, times and DEADLINES.

I saw a hint of Diva in Johnny the other night, 'I have not got time to spend on administration,' he huffed, 'I said at the start that I'd only do this if I didn't have to take it on,' he paused briefly for breath, 'I've got so much work to do in my Studio - I haven't time to go to meetings,  I want to paint!'
'Poor you,' I sympathised, 'Come on - don't get things out of proportion - you've got time -'
I was rudely interrupted. 'It's no good saying I've got plenty of time - bollocks!  Big Foot was the first painting I did, with the London Exhibition in mind...  I've been working on 'the Sock' now for six months, but I've got to get it right.  The Sock is significant.  I don't paint pictures - the significance of the sock is that the shape is more important than IT (function) is - out of context, with a frame round it - if you didn't know what a sock was...

'There are certain artists that are intrigued by shape.  All it is, is a sock on a background - it's not a sock, it's a shape....anyone could paint that sock - black paint, white paint.  But!'  he emphasised, 'there's a phenomena - they call it 'wall power'.  When you see a significant artist's painting, you love it - there's something about it that intrigues you ...

'With Big Foot, there isn't a picture there ... and the Sock is one step further ...

'If I can pull this off - if people can stand and look at this - it's a shape in an environment.  This is as far as I can go - I've been doing that sock for six months and it looks as if I've spent half an hour on it, because I'm putting the emotion into it ... that's what the Envelopes are about ...'

Washing

I'm not certain, but I have a hunch that the Sock may turn out to be the one that disturbs deadlines.  I hope the planets align.






Washing:  a sweater had fallen on the ground and frozen and Johnny pegged it on the line.  No one noticed the shape.

Video-ing with Don Quixote

Johnny has often said how much he would like to make of a video a drawing in progress.  As the Exhibition approaches, the dream may be coming closer ... but one can never tell, especially when Don Quixote is in charge.

'Well, how are things?'  I asked Johnny at early doors last week.  He fixed me with hooded eyes, that widened for emphasis, 'I am exhausted.  Coral and I have been working in the Studio - all day - 8 hours - Coral was knocking on the door at 9.30 this morning! And what have we got to show for it? - Nothing!'
'What on earth were you doing?'
'Video-ing.'
'Oh?'
'You remember Bob - he was in the Studio last week - the video guy?'
'Yes,' I replied, recalling a smiling, brown-curly-headed face in blue jeans.
'Well, he said that to produce a video of me creating a drawing from start to finish will need three cameras - one on the drawing, one on the model and one on the Studio.  Then,' he paused and looked intent, 'they will be cut and put together into a sequence.'
'Yes,' I said. I know nothing about filming, but it seemed sensible.
'So today,' Johnny continued, 'Coral and I had a go a making a video of me doing a drawing.'
'Well how many cameras did you have?' I enquired.
'One - mine - it took two hours to strap it to my head - we used loads and loads of Velcro in the end.  Then I couldn't remember whether it was on or off ... and when it was on, it wasn't looking at what I was looking at ... so I had to try and adjust my sight - but when I did that, I couldn't see what I was drawing - on the paper or off it ... it's been a disaster,' he closed gloomily.
Helpless with laughter, I enquired, 'And why did you do it - given that the expert said three cameras?'
'Well ...' he considered carefully, 'I needed to know - I know now.'

Exhibition 1972

Johnny's first envelope

Johnny's last public exhibition was held at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds in December 1972.
The theatre manager of the time was less than enthusiastic, 'My five year old could do better than that,' was his opinion  of Johnny's envelopes, which hung up one side of the staircase to the Circle.

'They were somewhere else - scrawly,' recalls Johnny, 'but on the other side of the staircase were drawings of what America was up to in Vietnam - Napalm bombs.  I mean, to drop it on a village with women and children - for the Americans - of all people - to do that!

'With my Vietnam drawings, I was trying to sort out the depth of the envelope. So I cut the drawings in half - I likened it to the rape of a country.  America was represented as an owl - attacking in the night - silently.  Vietnam was a woman.

'The theatre manager deemed these drawings pornographic.  "I've got a lot of women and children coming here!" he said.   Anyway, the exhibition stayed.

I went to look at the exhibition and to find out - nobody knew me - the kids quite liked the drawings - they like cartoony things.

'I was a serious person.  There were protests around the world and it was the kids that did it!  In America,  people would not do the draft - Mohammed Ali said no - in his position! It stopped him from boxing.  He was condemned on all fronts, but he avoided prison because of all the support from young people.

'To die - for what?

'It was the envelopes, combined with circumstance that  turned me into a proper artist.  If I'm going to be an artist, I thought, I'm going to do it for all the right reasons.  For my sort of an artist, earning a living is secondary to the statement.  And don't forget,I was reassured and encouraged by people like Mohammed Ali, Kurt Vonnegut, Frank Zappa.  I wanted to be part of that - not the establishment - it was the protest.

'And it was the time when I understood that if you're going to follow your dream, you have to be 100% honest.  If what you are doing feels right, then it will be right, because you have told the truth.

Portrait 2

'Protest did not continue - I'm not a Protester - live and let live.  I let my subconscious speak.'

Valentine ham n Brahms

Thanks to Stan's ham, I had a Valentine's night soiree at mine last week.  I composed an ode ...

Left to right: Mary Johnny Me Alex Paul Marta Coral Stan

It is a little know fact
That ham is an aphrodisiac
And when cooked in tender, loving fashion
Will fire the smouldering flames of passion ....

Well, if you believe that .... but we had a good time.

 'Next time I come round,' said Johnny, 'you must play the piano.'  It is a little known fact that Johnny has encouraged me to pursue the piano with an energy that has turned into a passion.  In a conversation about developing the skill and craft of an artist, Johnny said, 'You have to do it, do it, do it - it's only by doing it that you develop depth.' Those words hit home I took them on and have done it, done it, done it!  Hours and hours of practice and I'm about to sit my Grade VIII.  I can hardly believe that I've reached this level - I'm so thrilled!  But I battle with nerves and playing in front of people is difficult, however, I'm making myself do it, so tonight's the night to play Brahms, I thought.





It's always been a bit of a puzzle to me, why Johnny, with such an open-minded view on the world can be so narrow minded about classical music.  So before I played it, I told him the story.
'It's about about an abandoned mother and child,' I said, ' - in Scotland ... she's bereft, distraught ....  and can you imagine an old German man writing this - from a poem - and he'd never been to Scotland, yet you can  hear the bagpipes ...'

I knew before I started that I had had one wine too many ... so, Liszting somewhat, the performance had to be abandoned - I should have known better.









It's just as well I didn't see the look on Johnny's face ....

Romas, photographer extraordinaire

Dates for your diary

John Middleton
London Exhibition

Monday 9th June - Friday 13th June 2014

THE CONINGSBY GALLERY
30 Tottenham Street
London
W1T 4RJ
Tel 020 7637 7478
www.coningsbygallery.com

End of exhibition party night
PAUL MIDDLETONS ANGST BAND
Friday 13th June
At:
BREWDOG Shoreditch
51-55 Bethnal Green Road
London E1 6LA
www.brewdog.com/bars/shoreditch

See you there!