28.2.12 - 23.2.12

28.2.12 - In all the years of doing my artwork outside of education (about 9 years I think) I've often entered into phases that I call "Admin Phases" where I try to spend as much time as possible perfecting CVs and sending off proposals to galleries until someone gives me an improbable deadline.  It seems to be getting easier now and these Admin phases last a few days rather than a few weeks...
There is a quite debilitating reality that's forever dawning and never going away... the reality that art doesn't seem to make me any money and that it's all a big waste of time.... I reassure myself constantly that this is not the case by realising that I am still within a development stage attempting to hone my work into something more and more unique and inimitable.  Illusions and self delusions?

27.2.12 - Finally had my self portrait picture framed and it looks very lovely - though it's also very big.  Was going to submit it to the National Portrait Galleries Portrait Contest but then looked at the terms and conditions - those snoots are only interested in painted portraits.

26.2.12 - Sadly the case is that so called ghost hunters do not have the best interests of the dead in mind - they are simply attempting to exploit them and gather ghostly pictures that they can put on the internet... they are after evidence and Nobel prizes... they use dodgy equipment like cheap handheld radio transmitters and then rename them in pseudo scientific terms.
We were stood in the early hours midnight in the old ruins out the back of the Hostel and there were the occasional sounds (which could have been badgers) and the occasional strange glows.... but these didn't last long and even if they were the real thing if I were dead and asked to appear in "light form" I would likely disappear in complete and total non-form and leave - especially if I was having cameras flashing in my eyes every time the wind blew some leaves around a bit.
The first picture above is a sketch of a really good photo taken by Rachel Jarvis which had what looked like a ghost running away from the scene before anyone else took a picture.

(original photo)

The Ghost Hunting evening/morning was actually very good fun - and I did get a good look at a spooky ruin and try out a massive oujia board so I'm not really complaining and think the Ghost Hunters are well entitled to have their fun.  Though I personally would like to talk to the ghosts, get to know their names, hang out with them a bit and then perhaps find a way to send them off to the next life... if that's what they wanted.
Although I'm not sure I believe in ghosts.
The second picture is a sketch of our walking of a dog in the morning on the beach.  Sadly there wasn't a lack of people on the beach.  Or a lack of dogs.  But it was beautifully picturesque all the same.

25.2.12 - Visited Portmerion (£1 in the winter) for the 2nd time and enjoyed it much more due to the lack of people - I love a good lack of people.  It was almost as if the whole place was mine.  Having viewed the entire series of The Prisoner I find it jarring that the insides of the buildings have none of the cerebral effectiveness of the tv show's set design - the cafe is like school dinners in a muckier and smaller room.
Took a walk up to the Dog Graveyard and read all the inscriptions and then headed back to the hostel to take part in a no charge (for me at least) evening of ghost hunting.... where we spoke of the dead but didn't unfortunately speak to the dead... I thought the evening was going to involve some form of fake seance where a woman with a secret foot peddle raises the dead in the form of a rubber skeleton.

24.2.12 - Had a little journey to Wales to stay for the weekend at Cwm Pennant Hostel.   Was a very exciting journey where we stopped off at our favourite American Diner and went to a Butterfly Garden and learnt that butterflies have taste buds in their feet.  Then went for a paid for meal with the potential "in laws" and stayed up watching people play Singstar and giving it a go and realising I don't have the vocal reflexes. 

23.2.12 - You may have noticed by now that my diary is presented on this blog backwards with the earliest date in the diary at the bottom of the blog entry moving upwards to the top where you will find yourself at the latest diary entry.  This is to stay consistent with the blogging format which orders the most recent blog entry first followed by all the previous blog entries... to view every diary entry all at once then click here and start with the oldest entry and move your way upwards rather than downwards. This is both a logical, visual and aesthetic decision, at least I assume it is though think it helpful at this juncture to explain it - if it wasn't obvious in the first place that is.