The Revival Period

I’ve just come back from attending a book launch at the Philip Mould Galleries in London. The book is ‘A Dictionary of Miniature painters 1870 – 1970 by Roger and Carmela Arturi Phillips.

The book spotlights painters practising the art after the invention of photography in 1830 saw the demise of many miniature painters. The book describes this time as the Revival Period. I was honoured to see that one of my miniatures was represented in the book – even though it was painted in 1975.


My old chum Trevor Wayman (a brilliant artist) met me at the gallery – great to catch up with him. We walked across Piccadilly for a healthy lunch at Pret A Manger. Here’s a picture of me with Roger and Carmela at the gallery.

Well, the good news is that the oncologist gave me a clean bill of health on Monday. The lung and bowel cancers are no more and the scarring has reduced nicely. Apparently my liver is in ‘pristine’ condition too, so that’s a great relief. I’m usually too worried to take in all that Dr Gildersleve – the oncologist – tells me, so my friend who came with me, has a memory like an elephant and remembers every word he says.
The grandmother of the two little girls that I painted last week came to collect the miniatures over the weekend, and was very pleased with them. She has allowed me to post them on this blog, so here they are; Holly and Ella.


Last Saturday morning my young friend and I drove to London to deposit three paintings for submission to the Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries. There must have been something very specials going on around Buckingham Palace at the time as diversions in the area were everywhere. I should know whether I’ve been successful by tomorrow evening as the results will be published on the internet. It really would be great to have my big drawing of Rolf Harris exhibited, but will have to wait and see.

I’m working hard an a miniature for a Singapore client right now and should be able to send it off by the end of the week. But apart from that, and my sculpture class, it‘s been a fairly average week. I did spend a number of hours over the weekend compiling a 60 page photographic book on our holidays. This is a great way to save memories, as well as putting some of the photographs in my album. Now off to meet a couple of friends for a fish and chip supper at The Angel on the Bridge in Henley.