Christmas is here

Only two days to go and I am feeling homesick. Have just emailed pictures of the snow to Cuba. I remember the first time I saw it. I came here in January 1991 and was walking up Kensington High Street when I look on my shoulder and there was all this white stuff. I went to brush it off and found it was wet "Oh its snow" I thought. I had only read about it before or seen it in pictures and on paintings. Sounds strange but in the Carribean we don't get any!

My fingers get cold though and I am back to wearing several pairs of long socks and two pairs of trousers! Heather laughs at me. Have had to move the piano into the gallery as the workshop has no heating. It isn't the one in this picture unfortunately. This is the one I will be playing at the Cathedral in St Davids on Augst Bank Holiday Saturday 2011. Am well into writing the concert now and find it hard to stop to sleep!


Have a good Christmas everyone. See you in 2011. I hope it will be a great year for us all.

Pembrokeshire Weather Report

Just hear from St Davids Cathedral that we have been given a night - August Bank Holiday Saturday 2011 - for the second part of Pembrokeshire Weather Report. Am expecting to have a wonderful barritone singer from Cardigan this time. What a voice! Also a friend of mine is going to annotate the music for me so that musicians will have an easier time!!!

Looking forward to a quiet Winter to write the music and get a lot of painting done. Planning more veg growing next year too.

Hope everyone is well.

Music mania!!!!!!!!

people keep ringing up asking when we are playing so am going to put it on the blog: Last Friday of every month 9pm Harbour Inn, Solva - lots of local musicians joining in: 30th June Lavender Cafe including supper for Pembrokeshire Fish Week £15 for two courses and music: 4th July Pembroke Festival; 14th August Fishguard Arts Society at Tregwynt Mansion - wonderful setting and party atmosphere; end August Aberjazz (see www.aberjazz.com) plus salsa workshop over the weekend; 4th September Small World Theatre.

There may be other bits but not sure yet. Come along and enjoy. Contact 01437 721907 for more details. Tickets for Tregwynt Mansion from Seaways Bookshop in Fishguard or Raul Speek Gallery Solva.

London, mobile phones and Gilbert and George

Went to London with Heather while she went on a course and couldn't believe the number of mobile phone there were.. All these smart efforts like Apple and people sitting with friends at cafe tables tapping away on phone and not talking to one another. Or walking in the street and not looking where they are going. Big difference to Pembrokeshire. here (Solva) we dont have a signal most of the time so I guess we are behind everyone else. Fell out big time with two guys in the cinema who key tapping away all the time - either they want to see the film or they dont and if they dont they should buzz off outside and let everyone else enjoy themselves uniterrupted.

Went to Tate Modern - great to get myself up to date on what is happening there and also had lunch with Gilbert and George. They are so lovely and always the same - very kind to me and I like to make sure they are well for they are part of my excitement about art in the UK.

Glad to get back home in the end. Planning Salsa course here in the Chapel starting early April. Heather says I'm crazy - too many things happening at once.

Artes Mundi and New Exhibition Galerie Galles, Cardiff

Off to Cardiff tomorrow. Press conference for Artes Mundi where we will be wearing our ARTicle hat and then in the evening at the opening as Raul Speek Gallery. Looking forward to seeing the works there this year.

Thursday opening of Raul's new exhibition at Gallerie Galles, Pontcanna, Cardiff at 7pm - come along and see the the new works. Exhibition is on til 12th June. at this innovative gallery with its accent on Welsh art.

Exhibtions rolling in

Two more exhibitions in the pipeline. Galerie Galles in Canton, Cardiff from 12th March to 12th June and Pendre Art in Cardigan from 14th June to 26th June. Painting all night!

Playing at Fishguard Jazz Festival on 28th August too.

Life is amazing isn't it?

New Exhibition Havana Pontcanna

Working on a new exhibition for Galerie Galles in Cardiff running from 11 March to 12 June. Here is one of the pcitures for you to see - some of the poster is in Welsh as you will see when we finally get it right and it is loaded on the website. We are going to have to learn the language soon as it makes it nerve wracking typing even single words - so easy to get it wrong and I know when people write to me in Spanish that can be confusing.

Looks like a good year ahead with several exhibitions already booked and lots to do here with the cafe now having a licence for music.

Hope everyone has a good 2010.