House number over a doorway in Venice.

Paisley Art Institute

Paisley Art Institute's annual exhibition is up and
running. Visit it at Paisley Museum & Art Gallery.
Lots of great work. On here are works by Joe
Broadley, Simon Laurie and sculpture by Simon
Manby.

The other day Mike was playing in Glasgow and did a quick
appearance at a record store near Queen Street station. This was
for a short film piece for Mikes web site. All part of promoting
his new album...so get onto Mike Marlin's web site and get a
copy of 'Grand Reveal'. It's a good album.

www.marlinmarlin.com

This painting of the Cathedral in Silves, Algarve is just about
to become available as a print. Contact me if you are interested.

A brief pause in the falling rain and the sun broke through.

The past week has been dominated by trying to get
my late Mum's house in a fit state. As you can see, this
involves a little more than mere decoration.

Paisley Art Institute Annual Exhibition

Opening at the end of next week is the Annual Exhibition
by the Paisley Art Institute. This is in the Paisley Museum
and Art Gallery. There are many really great works by
some of Scotland's best known artists. More later.

The garden is coming to life.

Sue Biazotti

Yesterday saw a one day exhibition by Aspect
Prize winner Sue Biazotti at The Lighthouse
in Glasgow. This is a series of paintings based
on a single Glasgow Street from one spot.
These are hung beside two large red paintings.

If you didn't see the exhibition but would like
to see the paintings you can contact Sue through
her web site:
www.suebiazotti.com

At Bowling harbour

Ribs of a boat

Skeleton of a boat at Bowling harbour

Down at Bowling Harbour.

Liz Knox solo exhibition

If you are in Edinburgh anytime from April 27th until
May 25th then do visit The Edinburgh Gallery where
Liz Knox is having a solo exhibition. This is worth
seeing. Liz is ex president of the Paisley Art Institute
and winner of the first ever Aspect Prize (known in
its first year as The Kennox Prize).
I've seen most of the paintings and they are great.

Lovely old London pub.

Went to see the Lichtenstein exhibition at Tate
Modern. Good to see the major works but a lot
of the other work was weak. Mind you..that's
the way work goes. Not every painting is a winner
and you need to do those to do the good ones.

This is an iPad drawing I want turn into a print
for my solo exhibition in September

Had a wee walk in Ashdown Forest in Sussex. Saw the Pooh Sticks
Bridge and the Friends Clump but no sign of Winnie the Pooh.

A few days away then the WiFi hub broke down but we are up
and running again.

Just scanned and made a large print of my Man from U.N.C.L.E.
membership card which I've had since I was a kid. This is for an
art exhibition in Edinburgh based on Spies. Lots of artists involved
and having fun. Everyone wearing dark glasses and overcoats at
the opening. It's happening in May...more later.

Happy Easter to all my blog followers

More Tobago to fend off the winter cold.

This is a large painting of boats at Pigeon Point in Tobago.
A wee bit of colour on a winters day.

Wee watercolour sketch in the Algarve

Another from the French sketchbook.

Moiré in Beaujolais...sketchbook page.

Part of a parking bay. These days in Scotland it can also
be a political statement.

Mist shrouds Dunure castle. Elsewhere it was a beautiful sunny
blue sky day.

Reflection

There's something unendingly attractive about the colours,
shapes and textures of fishing gear from boats.

Photographer Ken Mellin is exhibiting photos of the Paris
Underground in SWG3, 100 Eastvale Place, Glasgow G3.
16th-23rd March.
Each image is for sale in a limited edition of 10. Great
prices. Great images.

This another drawing from about ten years ago. This one gave
birth to a series of paintings which is still ongoing.

Found an old slide of a drawing I did years ago. Little church
near Spean Bridge. It's not a very good scan of the slide but then
I don't have a very good scanner. Time to invest I think.

When I was a kid living on a spur of Glebe Road in Beith we
listened in wonder to the story of the train that failed to stop
in the station (which was below us) and went right across
Glebe Road.
Someone in Beith found this newspaper cutting and this is
the first time I've seen a photo of the event. It was in 1950.
Wonder how they moved it.

Beith Town House

This is Beith Town House. Part of the building is now a museum
run by volunteers. There are only two small rooms but they put on
exhibitions. The one that has just finished was an exhibition of
photographs of transport in the town. Part of the permanent collection
is the flag above. This is an old wood block print flag. There was, for
many years, a wood block print flag making business in Lochwinnoch.
In all probability it was made there. As for the age of the flag...I don't
know but it has to be a couple of hundred years old.
The Town House museum  is open on Tuesdays and Saturday mornings.

This is the 'Auld Kirk' in Beith in Ayrshire. Dating from the
mid eighteenth century the Kirk was more extensive than it is
now. The most celebrated of its ministers was one John
Witherspoon who was in Beith from 1745-1758. In 1768
Witherspoon moved with his family to Princeton where he
became President of the Presbyterian College of New Jersey.
In 1776 he was one of those who signed the American
Declaration of Independence. The only minister to do so.

From the hills above the Clyde

Portencross