I’ve been back home for just over a week and finally got rid
of jet-lag. It’s always worse coming from America as I find it’s very easy to
oversleep, whereas from Asia I may feel a bit sleepy in the evenings but rise
with the lark in the mornings. On our last day in Las Vegas we hobnobbed with
the famous at the marvellous Venetian Hotel. Pity they were only waxworks at the Madame
Tussauds exhibition there. (so that’s where Elvis got to!).
I’ll leave the USA with this lovely, lazy view inside the
hotel, and a picture of a lady in white. (She’s real – not made of wax).
Now it’s back to normal. We went to see the film ‘Lincoln’
on Tuesday evening. Terrific acting and a host of characters, but I was a bit
sleepy and my young friend spent most of the first half digging me in the ribs to
wake me up. We went to dinner at Strada before the film with Brian and Jane.
Jane does make me laugh – when she booked the table she asked the restaurant to
lower the lights to make the ambiance more subdued. And they did!
Friday was
sculpture day. I’ve almost finished my great nephew Max’s head. This is
probably the last of the clay – next week it’s wax, bronze, and heavy mixing.
Max’s young sister, Kate - my six-year-old great niece...
...is giving a five minute Power Point presentation – yes a Power Point presentation, at her school next week. The subject of her
talk is ‘Great Uncle Bill’! I’m very flattered. And also impressed.(I didn’t
give my first PP presentation till I was over 60). To give one at 6 years old
amazes me.
I spent most of the week finishing off this small
watercolour portrait. It’s about ten inches wide. I was asked by the client to
make staged images of it as I went along as he wanted to see my way of working.
Here it is.
Next week I’ll be having a meeting with the Curator of the
River and Rowing Museum to start the preparations for my exhibition, which will
open there on Saturday 16th November this year. So much to do. I intend
to make a scale model of the venue and position little images of the paintings
in their frames where I plan them to be hanging. Quite exciting. I enjoy planning
things.
