I don’t think many people – even some artists – understand the role of art in the human mind. There are many fanciful things said and quite a few believed to excuse the behaviour of artists which taken in the round are little more than men behaving badly. On a purely non-academic surmise women artists…
Invitation To a Seance
Houdini famously took part in many seances after his mother died trying to find out if there was an ‘after life’ and being a showman he was able to expose every supposed mystic he met. It doesn’t stop people believing though, as many in this country regularly go to mass meetings where individual’s start telling…
Annie Ovenden
Many years ago when I was working for an Arts Centre I saw some of Annie’s work and wrote to ask her if she would mind my writing some fairy stories, each one inspired by one of her paintings. Initially there were six in the collection but that is now eleven and the book The…
Too Much Truth
All lies have elements of truth in them, which is why so many lies are so believable. I have followed the arguments the British Government is having at the moment about the National Health Service and pensions for public sector workers and all the arguments circle the same thing: finances. The Conservative Government is steaming…
The Democratic Heart
I have been forced to think a lot about families in recent years. Especially with the recent death of my father and my mother’s long term illness. But like everything in my life I appear to be more of an observer than a participant. I don’t think I have ever engaged fully with my fellow…
Too Much Of A Hurry
Some of the greatest changes in history have been the consequence of the fact that people do not live very long. Alexander would never have been in so much of a hurry if he had had a couple of hundred years to live. Napoleon wouldn’t have chaffed at the bit to conquer Europe if he…
The Oppressions Of State
We are all aware of the politics within families and how they work; whether there is someone you have to treat well, someone with secrets you have to ignore, ways of being and traditions to follow. Even today there are countries where the strata of society into which you are born cannot be betrayed. One…
A Mania To Find Out
Reviewing a lecture on the origins of the Universe I again came across the comment that to know about how the Universe began is to know ourselves. Whilst I have doubts as to whether knowing where our atoms came from and what makes them, would in any way further an exploration of our emotions and…
A Victim Of Web Fame
There is a lot in the news today about an American in Edinburgh who started a weblog a few weeks ago pretending to be a lesbian Syrian. He charted some events and a final arrest, at which point his hits went from around 70 through a few hundred to two hundred thousand and an online…
Wrecking
The Cornish have longed been accused of wrecking and even today there are some activities the police frown upon. A cargo vessel which was grounded a few years ago had several BMW motorbikes disappear before the authorities arrived and one unfortunate sailor whose plush yacht washed up in the 80s I recall, sat in his…