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.

Cathedral Concert

I am so pleased. My concert went really well and after ten years of working on the music it was like a dream come true. We recorded and filmed it too so I have the memory fresh before me every day if I want it. Many of our friends came and it felt great to be able to say how much living in Pembrokeshire means to me and how happy I have been here. The accousitcs in the Cathedral were amazing - the trumpet and saxophone sounded wonderful as their music drifted up towards the high vaulted ceiling. This is a picture from the rehearsal where you can see Jon Turner my music mentor without whom all this would never have grown to fruition. He arranged the filming too and did the editing of that afterwards.

Concert at St Davids Cathedral

My Pembrokeshire Weather Report Concert is getting very close now - St David's Cathedral on the 19th September. All the musicians have been working through the pieces and Kathry Ashton - mezzo-sporano - is making beautiful sounds. It is so exciting to feel my music coming to life and gaining in depth and tonal ranges as we go along. Making me very busy though - every spare minute is taken up practising.

Child of the Revolution

I am giving a talk about growing up in Cuba and how I became an artist during the years of Castro's revolution. Come along to the Old Chapel at 7pm on 19th August 2009. We are hoping to show the BBC film of my journey back to Cuba in 1997 too.

Workshops for the Disadvantaged

Got very excited today as our MP Stephen Crabb came to see me. I am trying to get him interested in helping me set up workshops for those who are not easily able to get art experience. Specially those in prisons - I do believe that if they get a chance to try something new it helps them feel less hopeless about their future. Young people too who might not have the money or the encouragment to create art can make big changes in their lives just by knowing something new is open for them.

Everything seems to be happening at once. Have had to repaint the angel in the garden again. Also practising like crazy for my concert at St Davids Cathedral on 19th September - a once in a lifetime chance for me to play a piece of piano music I have been workign on for ten years. At the same time my new strand of work (art) is taking off and there is just a chance we might be able to go to Cuba in November. Haven't seen my family for 5 years so that would be wonderful. Not sleeping much in the excitement though and so driving Heather crazy.