MIRO, MIRO ON THE WALL...

I have just returned from a whistle stop tour of Barcelona and Palma, following the life and times of the artist Miro.    Commissioned for the Tate Magazine, I felt privileged to walk around the galleries and be told about this man, how he had evolved as an artist, and how, unlike many others, was in fact, quite a happy balanced soul.  No cutting ears off, taking drugs, committing suicide, manic depressive here. No infidelities. He had a very long and happy marriage, a daughter he adored and travelled extensively, influenced greatly by the Japanese and his own sense of love of life and passion for his country and nature, which formed his artistry along the way.  He was an artist who I would have really liked to have met him. (Unlike Gaugin who was a philandering ex banker who sounded like a real conceited shit, albeit extremely talented - unlike most philandering ex bankers).  

I watched a dvd of Miro painting in his studio in Palma and he had smiling eyes, and an interesting face, one that had seen a lot and filtered out only the good stuff and turned the negative into positives.  His style was graffiti, almost a precursor to Banksy although I am sure the art historians and experts will call me a charlatan. (I do not care).    He died at the age of ninety, but as I wandered round his garden of half finished canvases and gazed at the twenty or so canvases that he had prepared to paint on next (and in some cases burn), I felt he died too soon. Miro still had so much to give and grow.  He used the walls of his home to practice his art, even sitting on the toilet seat he drew, and found out paintings at flea markets which he bought and painted over (and managed to enhance by doing so). His sculptures are hypnotic.   He mixed with poets and writers as well as the likes of Picasso, and children 'get' his paintings whereas adults frequently don't.  I am writing the piece as Miro will exhibit at the Tate this year.    Please go see. Wonderful art, lovely man, beautiful story.  

My guides were wonderful - Maria and Marisse.  Thank you to all those who helped with the trip, it was brilliant.    They made the journey in finding out about this artist a pleasure and enhanced every step of the way.   My experiences will be out in the Tate magazine next month. 

PAST IMPERFECT

I was commissioned last year to write about Libya as a place to visit. I quaintly described it as 'bewitching, dramatic and historic', because those adjectives seemed appropriate at the time. Checking through my files I found the article again and re read it. How hollow and trite and irrelevant it now seems as I sat hypnotised this evening by the news watching the horrific haunting images float by, which are the tip of an iceberg of civil war. We are all watching history in the making. Revolution has gone viral, the start of a perfect storm, and I hope the people win. But I remember watching the film, The Last King of Scotland and couldn't help think of that film and that mad, diabolical, comical man came to mind as I watched the streets of Tripoli being set ablaze. How impotent and pathetic our politicians and the UN seem with their toothless resolutions. And all we send is our prayers while our governments probably send in armaments - but to which side and what end?   
this is what I wrote......   
'Most of this country – 90% to be exact - is engulfed by the Sahara, creating vast sand masses the size of the UK. Best known for its politics and leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, there is wealth far richer than the oil it produces – it is a living outdoor museum. The Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Spaniards, the Knights of St John of Malta, the Turkish, the Italians, they have all passed through Libya and all have left their foot print on this remarkable country.   
   
Hosting some of the best examples of Roman and Greek cities in the Mediterranean. Tripoli alone, Libya’s largest city and capital is not only the country’s principal seaport but has a wealth of museums including the Natural History Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Ethnographic.   
   
Arguably the most inspirational and exciting museums in Libya are to be found in the cities of Cyrene, Sabratha and the magnificent Leptis Magna. Each have stunning examples or Roman and Greek architecture that echo a history most of us have only seen in films or books. Towering columns, statues, temples, baths, markets, mosaics, paintings, cemeteries and awe inspiring amphitheatres stand almost intact, statues of Gods and mythological animals look out and down over the ruins which have been kept intact in time.   
   
Drive to the haunting oasis towns of Ghadarnes and Ghat, where you’ll find date palms, olive and orange trees framing lakes, fringed in turn by huge sand dunes. Discover the traditional architecture, folklore and art, as well as Roman and Libyan remains at Ghadarnes and the old city, Ottoman Fort and traditional architecture of Ghat. Head on to the extinct volcanoes such as Waw al-Namus where black volcanic sand borders multi coloured lakes. Trek even deeper into the desert and you’ll find one of the world’s finest open air art galleries of prehistoric rock art in Jebel Acacus. A journey to Libya is a trip back in time.'   
   
 I pray for them.  
  
 

WHERE HAS ALL THE HALF FULL GONE?

My son has been asked to read up on his current affairs for an interview for his next school. His father has suggested he reads the newspapers and watches the news because the headline stuff would be the sort of thing he would be asked about.

My son tells me watching the news on TV everything is either extremely depressing or stupid. And confusing. There is nothing positive. No light hearted happy ever after 'and finally' any more at the end of the news reports. It's all misery or snipe TV and journalism, nothing is fair, everything reported to provoke envy, fear or rage. Watching daytime TV this morning he saw a gay couple talking about adopting children. He didn't ask me if this was normal or natural or un PC or PC to say it was normal or natural and I felt if I turned it over he would ask more questions. I have my own views, but don't know if I'd be a bad mother telling him what they are. They gay couple were on between the news that Katie Price and Alex whatever his name is had split up due to irreconcilable bank accounts and the annoying disruption in Tunisia which was causing British tourists a whole lot of bother. If they had been any other nationality we would not have heard about it. And then there was a bit about Posh Spice possibly having a girl. It's the plastic toy of journalism you get in your box of Weetabix in the morning. Throwaway and useless.

Hey, but there's after school, after homework. He can watch the six oclock news. Six oclock news, less bling, but more about bonuses, (cut to bankers looking smug, suited, drinking champagne, throwing £10 notes out of window during riot last year etc etc, Bob Diamond said we should all stop this witch hunt on city traders who are nice people really, honest, and even if they're not, they give the country a lot of money and we would be bankrupt without them so put up or shut up blah blah blah) NHS cuts (nurses and doctors looking tired, harassed, people looking sick and dying, put up or shut up blah blah blah), overall impression - the poor getting so much poorer and suffering and the rich getting so much richer and not caring (Tom's words, not mine).

So we turned to the newspaper. Inflation rising, headline 'toxic year ahead', Olympic stadium biggest white elephant in history, Barclays misleading older customers, fast food nation embracing greed, boy crying on front page at the funeral of his brother who had saved him from the floods. A thirty something year old man being attacked on the underground, people watching on. No one helped. An item on the journalists winning awards for their journalism. Another on actors winning awards on their acting. Another on David Dimbleby not winning the right to commentate on Wills and Kate's Royal wedding (although I understand that one). Media writing about media reporting on media, and media's interpretation on media. Item on David Dimbleby being snubbed for not anchoring royal wedding of Kate and Wills although I completely understand that one. More depressing, more stupid. I change papers.

BUBBLES

This year is going to be a roller coaster. I can feel it already as though I'm at the beginning of a ride that I know will go on for quite some time.    I feel instinctively I should rest but am restless when I do. Antici....pation is such a funny thing, isnt it?   I spent Christmas in two different worlds - bubbles if you like.   A lot of those I know live in bubbles all of their own making. Romanticising situations which if they ever stepped out if it and popped their own illusion, they would find intolerable, untenable.    But if the bubbles are short lived, and you see and appreciate them for what they are, temporary highs, they're fine.   For Christmas I was in Portugal which was lovely and warm at a lovely hotel staffed by what I would call contented people.  The staff stay there for on average more than 18 years which is longer than most marriages these days.     Although I missed my son, I knew he was happy and that's what's important.   I was by the sea and walked along the beach on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as I did as a child when I had all the family around me.   Inspirational places beaches out of season.

With my lover I smile and walk

in echoes of shallow shadow footprints

in search Of fragile shells

I stoop to collect feathers thrown by angels

And stand to find myself alone on the beach

Staring at the sea reflecting my whispered emotion

Breathing them in and breathing them out

Not absorbing as trees do,

but sharing like a knowing teacher

much stronger than myself.

Grey sparkling light of dusk hides my tears

and the waves crash loud awakening me

To the answer to why I love to stand and watch the sea

When sad and lonely

It draws me up and it makes me stand to attention

Even when in day s gone by half blind in drunken despair

I found my way to the beach and stood as I do now.

And I let the waves flow through and around me

All questions to my answers and

All answers to my questions are in nature

And I always find my peace

on the beach

At dusk

alone

There were bubbles at New Year as well.    New Year was a fancy dress party in a village hall and a barn theme on 'around the world'. All those who attended had travelled far and wide to exotic places and ended up in Hertfordshire.   I had the choice of dressing as a slutty French maid or a slutty Indian squaw.   I chose the maid as I couldn't find my axe and head gear, but could the feather duster.   They party like it's 1999 in Hertfordshire.   Or 1979.   I handed round jelly sweets and pringles. They're very fun loving people but I've yet to think of a poem.

WALKING WITH LIONS

Rolling about with lion cubs is not something I expected to do on a recent trip to the island of Mauritius.   Lions are not indigenous to the island, but have been brought by Graeme Bristow, owner of Adventures Safari (www.safari-advenures-mauritius.com) where he and his team enables groups of up to twelve to literally walk with two full grown lions for about half an hour through forest and have their pictures taken with the lions.  We are literally within breathing distance of the animals.   It's the first place in the world to do this, but not the only place).   Ajay, our guide, advised us not to walk in front of them, not to run, not to bend down and not to shout.   ‘they are wild animals’ he kept repeating, but as I stroked one of the females on the back I had that surreal sense of doing what I had always wanted to do on safari as a child and ‘stroke the cuddly lion.’

If the lions are the icing on the cake, rolling about with the lion cubs is the cherry on the icing on the cake.   These solid little bundles of play time have wide bright brown eyes and long sharp claws but in the same way baby elephants are more dangerous than fully grown ones, they don’t know their own strength and consequently could lash out playfully bearing their claws and knock your eye out.   Ginger and Rolly were abandoned by their mothers.   Lions are famed for being good mothers, but this is not necessarily the case. They are above all ruthless survivors.   If the lioness feels the cubs will endanger the pride, she will let them die.  So much for the largesse of a lionheart.  But as I kneel down by Ginger, a very playful cub, tickling his tummy, marvelling at the intimacy, relishing each moment, looking into his large glassy eyes its hard to believe.  I strongly recommend.

 

THOU DOES PROTEST..

Am watching the protests in Whitehall today on the TV.    Terribly un PC thing to say but I'm so very pleased the students are angry and showing it. That they feel it's wrong that only the wealthy should get the best education.   They're not fearful or apathetic.  They are challenging a decision which is fundamentally flawed.   Educate the masses and they work for you.    But then again, perhaps if we have a government who are fearful and apathetic and flawed, then they believe educate the masses and they work against you.  Or rather, they vote against you.   The government won't listen. They feel that if they do now, it will show that they have backed down to force. To violence.  Not that they have backed down to better logic.   And a more intelligent decision.    The government are in a no win situation and they have put themselves in it.    Or they will claim, the previous government have put them in it.  Or put us in it.  It's never their fault, always the fault of someone else.  And oh yes, we voted the previous government in, or the majority did, so ultimately its' our fault. Or the fault of the parents of those students who are now protesting in Whitehall today on the TV.    If you can't convince the masses confuse them.   If you can't confuse them, don't educate them...... 

AND THANK YOU...

BTW, thank you to those who attended the event at the Orange Tree Theatre on Saturday last week, on have children won't travel.   Lovely venue and the rugby was on as I suppose were a plethora of kids clubs, sports clubs and other stuff that parents needed to catch up on.    I hope you found it useful. I'm going to be doing more round the country next year having done further research on this topic.   I had expectant mothers and grandmothers in the audience so I tried to cover all ages and all expectations.    I'm talking at the Notting Hill Travel Shop in December about travel writing in fiction novels.