We’ve just had a visit from Sarah and Dave of Red Propeller and they’ve basically given us a thorough de-brief of the London ‘Behemoth’ exhibition. All in all it looks like it was a success, both in terms of feedback and sales. Considering the tough financial times we’re in, a near sell out show of 34 paintings with no variety in theme has to be something to be pleased about. I have never so thoroughly worked through an idea before and I’d like to think that this degree of application has had some part in the success of the show.
When I saw the show at the opening I was also relieved that there wasn’t a painting screaming at me to be taken down and thrown to the Trafalgar Square traffic. Because I’m taking so much more time to put a set of paintings together, and they’re sat on the studio walls for that much longer, their problems are clearly apparent and hopefully resolvable in good time.
There was only one problem (in the mind of Red Propeller) concerning the exhibition. Apparently, on the second day of the show, someone came in and stole one of the smaller paintings. Unfortunately it had sold on the opening night so the buyer had to be refunded. Red Propeller were extremely upset about it and they’ve taken the financial hit on it – which is very good of them. They said that it’s not my fault so I shouldn’t be out of pocket. I said that it wasn’t their fault either – it was the fault of the thief!
Anyway, thinking about the theft of one of my paintings, in all honesty, I consider it a sort of strange compliment – to think that someone wanted a painting so badly that they had to steal it. I must admit that I have in the past occasionally seen other people’s art on a museum wall and thought to myself ‘looking at that – I can see why a person would want to steal art’.
If they took it because they had to have it then I’m not as hacked off as I would be if someone stole it to shift on the secondary market. So if anyone out there is offered a small canvas of mine, wonderfully framed by Tunnadine Fine Art Framing (marked on the back), by the title of ‘des paillotes’, (the title is collaged on the canvas) about 20 cm square…

The “Behemoth” exhibition.

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