The shadow man

 
 Saturday 23rd diary entry..what a lovely day!

        It began well when I ordered a full breakfast in a local cafe in town..now I know what you're thinking. Did I go for fried bread or toast? Today I went for toast. The egg was nice and runny and the beans, well maybe they'd been left in the pan for too long. But what the heck. I'd had oats four days running and now I deserved a weekend morning treat. A warm sun was out at last and sitting in a seat with my back to the sun I could understand why my menu card had stuck to the vinyl of the table. I glanced up at an old black and white photo of American GI's on the march in Falmouth town on the wall. Probably on their way to D Day. I hope some of the guys made it all the way through. Life was tough living through a lens back then now it's through an iphone pinhole. How times have changed but black and white stills look good.

            
        The first thing to point out as I waited for the Poly doors to open at ten is I'd painted the sill to the front window a day previous. Primer only. A hand scraper and a 120 grade sandpaper can do only so much. It can't quite give the ultimate finish (grade 60 and an electric sander would be your best bet) it was around lunchtime as I was brushing up a bag full of scraps of old paint that the owner of the chinese restaurant opposite came over and pointed out my amateurish shoddy sanding technique. I agreed with him. Granted the window was not slick smooth you'd need a professional for that but I explained I was only here a week and it was a temporary fix to a much bigger problem. I don't think I impressed him enough to decorate his restaurant frontage. Nor did I think to offer a small painting that could help pay toward one of his takeaways. I'll remember to do so next year when I'll be back to add the undercoat.
         By the end of the day it would be Gull mess heaven as was my A frame stand which made a perfect target. Each day I was having to wash it back down. One of the morning routines. One morning I was a bit hot and took a gulp of water that inadvertantly I'd used to clean up the mess with. That's how dangerous it gets, drinking in the Spring gallery back room. Thankfully I still had some red wine left over from the preview night. I was under the influence by lunchtime. It was Australian.

         By mid morning over 30 people had had a good look. Including a couple of mates Ben Warner, his dad Ken who used to be our Illustration course tutor. Always a treat to catch up with friends who know a thing or two about painting. We all used to know a lot about Illustration as well but I think the former is winning now. Two french girls who had just sailed into port bought three pieces of my work. Marine took great interest as her grandma was also a bit of an artist and she took great delight in viewing all the paintings. Marine has a good eye for these things. Another painting sold to a lady who had bought one of my Rotary cards from the St Ives postcard auction last September. (And had just bought from Open Studios artist Jo Kehyaian. Check out Hampstead art fair for her new works)  

         I was half way through Exile and the Kingdom by Camus in the afternoon and enjoying people's views on the paintings and questioning the artist at work is a picture no one can paint but many live and one of those Penguin covers I never got to illustrate. Who needs to nowadays with Shutterstock, Getty images and every mobile device having print quality photo shop apps. Although I could just be allergic to young hip kids with victorian beards and pointy shoes in publishers. The look of a late 50's Penguin cover is more notable as an iconic ironic Harland Miller artwork depiction. I can't think of anything funny to say about that point only that I still enjoy the smell of paperback books and oil on canvas.

  There was no cinema again tonight. No need to come back for a 7pm showing. The Woman in Gold had been on for three days at the beginning of the week and I stayed open late the for the  cinemagoers. They may not have been treated to a Gustav Klimt - but a glass of wine and art always goes nicely hand in hand. I did see The BAFTA shorts on the Thursday evening, one was about a transvestite boxer, a monkey wanting to escape into space, kids in Belfast which looked like a clip from a scene selection from a bigger film. In fact two films had chickens in - very much a metaphor for rebirth. (Without the precient dangers on the supermarket shelves.) Kids skipping school was like an episode from Grange Hill. Olivia Coleman gave the most gravitas to her role whom David Blaine would of been proud of.
      At the end of the day my sister texted over a little shopping list to bring back. I wanted to buy her Prosecco as a gift for my weeks stay but the supermarket had ran out. So I went to look for a bottle of real Champagne instead.

                       

floating giant

             Sketch house night. I was onto my third pint of Porthleven then Gin and rum topped the night off. A chicken chow mein helped to soak up the wine and beers. (I hadn't touched a drop of alcohol for a month) I soon made up for it. This is why I think I forgot about the twenty minute walk to Penryn..missed the poetry reading turned up late and forgot to go out with my sister.
        This was a good time as any to evade the eurovision song contest though. Thankfully I ate well and had a good vegetarian curry care of Salvador Thali He's a popular food guy and the Indian flavours carried on a summer's breeze soon entranced the locals. Stuart Stephens Hall was packed earlier for chick pea heaven. As I was told. Remember I did turn up late and I tend to stay away from crowds.

           Could it be the Cornish light that one can be mistaken for Colin Firth? I mean he lives in Italy right and can do proper alpha male stuff. He's suave gives off the air of sophistication which is a darn hard thing to pull off as a lad brought up on academia. (Colin Firth..not me) This by the way is the second time it's happened and I've been twice mistaken for the Peep show guy Robert Webb. How this is possible is beyond me. 

As soon as I arrived at the Hall I was given some ceremonial flowers that night and I'm sure coming from Christina Romero Cross  (installation artist friend) the intention was not so much 'have some flowers me lovely..more hold this whilst I get my camera (and wine) and film shadows from the last light of the evening. (Though it was more of a posy) Once the french DJ music came on we all stepped out of the Hall. I don't think that was anything to do with the DJ it's more the fact we had a clear warm summer's evening in May to enjoy. Standing out in the street milling about I almost felt European. And close enough to feeling that a Eurovision is no contest. These days that is a buzz word for FIFA induced clandestine politics and I'm not into farce. Just folly.  
          I think I did quite well on my make do effort of looking sophisticated by balancing my wine on the back of a Land Rover whilst tucking into a very well recommended curry. Fireworks from Tremough campus soon lit up the notion that they must be marking the end of the student term and the end of the evening was upon us.
            After the goodbyes I wandered over to the Thirsty Scholar pub (academia is everywhere now that Falmouth has university status) A money spinner for universities who now charge students anything up to £9,000 in tuition fees each year. The best thing to do is spin a bottle and hope for the best. Granted I was a bit full from my meal and I should of stayed for another drink. Beyond the pail, just passing the King's Arms I had a nice compliment from a connoisseur of said establishment.  
 
                               "You're looking all natty tonight mate"

                               'Thank you', I replied

                               "Good to see someone's making a ******* effort to scrub up nicely"

                               Ah, I thought it must be the clothes that have it .

One last bottle of Sol at Miss Peapods finally finished off the evening. Another DJ set serenaded my drink as I looked out upon the tranquil star lit waters of the harbour. I'm sure somewhere on Lake Como you can get the same desired effect. I recommend adding a lime to your drink for extra zing.

shadow lands