30 March 2010
I'm back in the studio after the break during the cold winter months. The studio is not heated, and when I had a few sessions wearing my woolly hat and noticing that the paint wasn't drying, but only forming nice little ice ponds on the canvas, I decided to focus on other things for a while. Just finished a 1.4 square meter painting for an architects office in Belgium. It's a beauty. I can't get images up on this website, so you'll have to wait to see it. Next week I have an exhibition with some friends in Dublin. I'm busy this week finishing up some new pieces for that show.

6 October 2009
This past week I finished a major painting 'Alaska, Break in the Ridge'. It's an ambitious painting - I think the dimensions are 90cm by 120cm. This is the second large painting I've completed in the new studio at St. Mary's Church. The room is great for a studio - high ceilings, old stone walls and white stain glass windows from a previous century. I;m preparing now for an exhibition in Watford, and even exploring ideas for a range of greeting cards. Also beginning work on a commissioned piece from my Colorado Series. I will do another large tryptych based on a mountain range view I had on my hikes there.

8 April
The drama workshops are now confirmed. In the Room - a series of 3 drama workshops for adults will be led by Irene Ng. The idea for these workshops have been in my mind for awhile now. A few weeks ago I signed up for a Masterclass for actors - only to discover once I got there that a masterclass is for professional actors. My first acting role was to pretend that I was a professional actor alongside 9 others - actors working in film, television, and west end productions. I did OK though, including performing a short 2 person scenario at the end of the class. Most importantly though, the experience convinced me that there's a lot of folks out there like me, who would love to have a go at acting alongside professionals. There's tons to learn, great insights about ourselves, and the context for a really great time with like minded others.

6 April
I've got ideas generating for a series on mountains - symbolic spiritual portraits of seven mountains inspired by a talk given by Pete Wynter. I'll be up in the Lake District a few times this spring. Not exactly touch-the-sky sort of mountains, but good to get me thinking upwards. I'll draw from my many experiences in the Swiss/German/Austrian Alps, the Colorado Rockies, and the desolate mountains of the Middle East.

Last evening I displayed a massive painting I created for Trevor and Linda Perry to mark their long-time service to the Antioch Community. The painting was
done on linen, more specifically on a bed sheet. It was a team effort as I got a crew of children to make hand prints for the leaves on a tree - symbolic
markings to symbolise the contribution Trevor and Linda have made to many people's life across the generations. 

11 February
There was a great buzz at the Exploring the Creative art workshop last evening at the Acton High Street pub. Very sorry to those that I had to turn away. We were booked up with our 12 participants. All the feedback is to do more of these. I also have ideas to run some related events along the theme of creativity in inspirational living. Ideas include new angles on doing photography, team painting, music, drama, and even Thai cooking. If you're interested in finding out more about these emerging ideas contact me and I'll keep you updated on developments.

Feedback on the art workshop
  - Brilliant Jamie. Really enjoyed it. It’s been very very inspiring!
  - everyone was so friendly it turned into real FUN!
  - Loved it. It was great to have the context just to experiment and play
  - I liked the opportunity to explore and experiment with direction and ideas to kick off the creative process
  - Just the chance to do something different – in a different medium
  - Being with a group. Shared energy, synergy and discovery. The chance to feel free and explore and have fun!
  - I found the initial exercise – charcoal to music – was excellent in liberating me!
  - The time and space simply to disconnect from the mind and just be with the flow of things


21 January
I just got the confirmation from the St. George and Dragon pub in Acton that we can transform their beautiful private 'drawing room' into an art studio for a night. The owner was a bit nervous - it's a nice room, complete with fireplaces, marblesque sculptures, and it's own bar - but I assured him we would spill paint strategically. So yes, the idea for art workshops is now launched. Tuesday evening 10 February. Contact me if you are interested. Details under the Shop section of this website.

19 November
I was in Paris last week for the Paris Photo Show. I went over not so much for the show itself (though it was amazing), but rather to meet an art agent friend of mine. We talked late into the night in the Paris cafe's about ideas for linking the creative expression of art with my interest in personal development/coaching. Ideas are taking shape for creative workshops where everybody plays the artist for an evening. I'd love to see people get stuck into a real canvas with real paints, make their creative messes as they activate the right side of the brain and simply have a lot of fun. There's lots to learn through such a process as well, it's related to the link between problem solving skills and the creative process. How do we access new ideas and new perspectives for the things that are all too familiar to us?

4 November
Many thanks for such a magnificent art party with superb art and a pianist to remember". This letter from one of the guests to the opening reception on October 17th sums up a great night. We had about 150 people attending, and the buzz was indeed magnificent. We sent on 15 paintings to their new homes following the exhibition, and now I turn my attention to a new series of paintings - watch this space for how this develops.

14 October
behind the scenes in the build up to the exhibition
I got a great surprise last Saturday when my new book was introduced to a coach training day with The Coaching Academy. During the breaks there was a buzz around the book table as about 100 people were introduced to my art work. Very encouraging responses, and even several sales right on the spot! 

I got an invitation to write up my experience in self publishing for an on-line resource website. I certainly learned a lot! Three months ago I had no idea what i needed to do, I only knew I wanted to produce a book. Now I have a product I am totally happy with, and one that the British Library will now keep in their permanent collection.

What goes on to prepare for an exhibition?  Several late nights mounting pictures on the self created 'synthetic slate' mounts. Sunday afternoons cutting, sanding, painting the 'slate' in my back garden. Running across town to work with my printers to get the limited edition prints just right, getting out and about town to introduce myself to galleries and whomever else may be interested in stopping by the exhibition, getting up early in the morning to get all the sales procedures and documents ready to go, checking in with friends who have offered to bake lots of food, buy champagne, and organise helpers for the opening night, and working with Georges Farhat as he put together a comprehensive plan for shipping orginal work anywhere on the globe. I'm glad I got all the actual paiinting done this past summer!

12 September
Momentum building for the exhibition. On Wednesday I showed my art presentation guru Joanna a crazy idea - mount one of my paintings on slate. Long story short, the entire show is going to be mounted on slate panels. It looks amazing, really beautiful. I'm going to be busy creating each individual mount though. I also got the detials for the Belfast Duo coming to play at the 17th October opening night. Here's their blurb, absolutely brilliant:

Albrecht's Pencil are two Belfast-based alt-folk-rock turbo-troubadours of gargantuan artistic caliber. The duo write and perform their own music, mostly with larynges and guitars, occasionally (and increasingly) with cavaquinho, tongue drum, glockenspiel, whipcrack, violoncello, wind up radio, tam-tam, etc. Their 5-track debut EP, cunningly entitled "Extended Play" was recorded in one night in the McMordie Hall, Queen's University Belfast. Select songs from the EP can be previewed at www.myspace.com/albrechtspencil, along with other A.P. aural paraphanalia. Enjoy Albrecht's Pencil responsibly.

29 August 2008 - It's a lot of work to put together an art exhibtion. I'm really thankful for the friends rallying to help out with everything from baking fresh canapes for the reception to offering to fly into London from Belfast and Poland to play live music (Joel and Fionnbarr from Belfast to play some amazing guitar duets and Janusz Kohut from Poland to 'play a painting' - original piano compositions inspired by paintings). If anybody out there would like to be involved please let me know - I greatly appreciate your help!