Updated: Oct 10, 2021
Artway products are beautiful,
Their dispatchers deliver with haste.
But I think they could be more dutiful,
Which seems to me such a waste.
If they could answer their mail in sunshine and in hail,
Their business would be more fruitiful.
It's Sunday morning, the the tin boxes are usually quiet. There is some movement at Maxwell's. Tall thin Maxwell slowly emerges, squinting into the morning light from the dark side of his van. All the vans point north, therefore before midday, the left side is gloom. Max is a tall slow man, never in a hurry, never fired up.
He slowly approaches the two tier shed at the back of his van, opens the doors and then, methodically walks away. He comes back again with an arm load of bundled clothing, which he shoves at waist height, into his shed.
Acrylic on rag paper, detail
What's going on? There's an unusual flurry of activity here, the quiet man drags out a barbeque, wooden shelving, a tool box, a small tumble dryer, a port a loo but no cuddly toy!
His wife and her friend pull up in her little, fluorescent green beetle and survey the scene with distain. The girls (old girls) go inside, Max closes the shed doors and follows them, his head bowed as if in reverence.
He stays in-van long enough for a brew, which I suspect he made, returning to his shed just at the time the shed doors burst open and a big white washing machine flies out, still on wash cycle, still connected, spraying water and suds in all directions.
What does our calm hero do? He picks up the machine as if it was an empty cardboard box, shoves it back in the shed, crams all the brick-a-brack back in it's cubby hole, closes the doors. Then slowly walks away.
This bored old granny was cruising the web trawling for a treat. l promised myself some arty goodies for tidying up my studio space and organising my way of working. For 55 years I've been slap dash. That is to say, and do, I have an idea, grab some paper or a canvas, and slap or slop the inspiration down. Then I'd be hurting so much I'd walk away and leave the scene of crime.
Acrylic on A4 rag paper, applied with a bit of old bank card.
Then l found Alistair, he is tidy, organised, methodical, I was envious. How did he do it? I watched in envy for nine years (I'm a slow learner.) I got the kitchen organisation bit but not the art; my argument was I'd loose the spontaneity!
last month l asked for help, he explained his modus operandi. It is starting to seep in, hence the treat.
Close up of Flats 1
See, there l go down the twisted road of digressions again.
I found this fantastic cotton rag paper (among other gems) at Artway.co.uk. l ordered it on the May bank holiday weekend, it arrived on the Wednesday. Beautifully wrapped and gorgeous. The texture is extra lovely, I especially like the fluffy deckled cotton edges. l have used it with acrylic and Indian ink so far and I am impressed. All the textures I have been trying to create for years, the paper did for me. Makes me look the genius!
The price is genius too, 35 sheets of A4 £13.99