A house, Mannofield, Aberdeen

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A house, Mannofield, Aberdeen, oil on card, 211 x 250 mm -  available

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The Dee, Aberdeen, June, 2026

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The Dee, Aberdeen, June, 2026,  oil on card, 212 x 214 mm - available

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Rubislaw Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen, June 2026

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Rubislaw Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen, June 2026

Oil on card, 26 x 22 cm  - available 

The weather has been difficult, with frequent rain, and I haven`t been able to go painting as much as I`d like.

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Everybody to Kenmure Road (2026): review: 3/10

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Documentary tracing events in a Glasgow street when the Home Office attempt to arrest two foreign men, presumably for not having appropriate visas.

Neighbours and locals protest, successfully preventing their removal in a van. The crowds are joined by local politicians.

The documentary attempts to contextualise these events withing Glasgow`s history as a radical city.

The presentation of events is entirely celebratory. No effort is made to question the legitimacy of the collective action, or the reasons for the arrest of the two men: sentimentality prevails. 

The film is watchable, however, reminiscent somehow of Ealing films such as Passport to Pimlico.

Duthie Park, 20 May 2026

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Duthie Park, Aberdeen, 20 May, 2026, oil on card, c 185 x 210 mm - available

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Frauhaus: Moroccan paintings

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I have ten Moroccan paintings hanging at Frauhaus, Chattan Place, Aberdeen. These include paintings from 2025-6, as well as older paintings.

The Christophers (2025): review: 6.5/10

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An artist began painting a series of portraits of a lover which he then abandoned. His talent long since diminished, now he resides, embittered, in a huge London apartment.

His two children want these paintings as they ae highly valued. They hire a young woman -an art restorer- to find the paintings and complete them while masquerading as an assistant.

There then ensue are all manner of plot twists.

The film is not a success. 

While interesting themes are touched upon (talent and what permits it to flourish, resentment, aging, use of technology) these are not given their due. The many subplots are fussy and irksome. 

The acting styles, attempting humour, of the two siblings played by James Corden and Jessia Gunning jarr with that of Ian McKellan and his opposite, Michaela Coel.