Work 4. Portrait of Vega
A break from the path series today for a portrait of my daughter who has recently turned 8 years old. You Know for all the painting we have done over the years there has been an absence of portraits and this partly due to the inability of my daughters to remain composed and my reluctance to work from the reproduction but perhaps also a long hangover from the rejection of our portrait of Ana and Micheal in Torpoint and the ensuing debacle.1 Looking back it was that blow that led to the unraveling of the residency but today our little effort gets us back on the portrait saddle. Perhaps portraits could play a part this year beyond the odd tired self portrait study that we have ended up with these past years? We'll start by committing to a series of family birthday portraits of both daughters, sambo Helen and ourself.
Another piece of news that may just provide a drop of finance comes from Green Dave who having recently completed a series of butcher shop photography commissions of various meats is now proposing to trade in meat themed printed matter. He already has an online shop in which some of his most popular photographs are available, printed on various objects and according to his data analysis his meat pictures have received the best viewing and purchasing stats of any of his previous works. This is much to his chagrin in that he has traveled around the world to far off tropical shores in Gauguinesque missions to capture new lands and the people there to sell as stock and it turns out an image of a pork chop trumps all that invested effort.
I suppose if one follows the data stats then logic is out the window, he might as well make slime!2 In any case owing to us having had some experience in graphic layout he has proposed that we lend a hand in arranging some of his chops and rashers into some acceptable pattern. He shall cut us a slice of anything sold and he's willing for us to propose our own concepts and indeed we straight away offered ideas for napkins, tea towels and lightweight trays, the likes of which you see wheeled out round here for crayfish time.
I am yet to learn the potential profits for such a scheme and the size of any percentage that we will be offered but I have been assured that this endeavor will be kept quite separate from our previous business regards the loan. The way I see it is that if we commit to sending him a meat design idea every so often he can upload it to his shop and we will quite possibly receive a few bob to go towards some canvas that doesn't rip like tissue paper.
Tomorrow is my birthday as it happens so I suppose it'll be us on the block but to tell the truth I don't have much heart for a selfie just now, it's a little too early in the going.
Handshake,
John
1 See Torpoint Art Service Work 17.
2 It is not clear what slime making is or why it is proposed in this way.