Last night I finished the portrait1 and at present I am returning by bus from the Millbay Cafe where I have dispatched it. I did not wait for the unvielling as they were frying off for a full house of rough neck builders and flamboyant performing arts students2. Instead I handed it over the counter, wished them well and was on my way. Ill collect payment on my next trip in.

--------------------------------------------------------

To celebrate finishing the portrait yesterday I treated myself to a long drawing session on a large sheet of simple cut from the wilkinson role. I adopted the same position as the previous drawing on the bow of the Olympic but this time I turned 45 degrees south to face the pontoons. Spending more time than usual I was able to observe the water coming in, from dry to a 5.8 at high water3 and once again I marvelled at the way the whole community, pontoons and all, rose up in unison. I tell you, even should I live in a luxurious statley home there would be nothing so magical as living on the tide!

With this drawing some progress was made. It is a more complex composition with no fewer than sixteen boats on view but it is the application of graphic motif that I'm most keen on. I fancy that it is far easier to adopt motif with the nibbed instruments than with the brush. Dots, dashes, commas, hatching, a series of lines this way then that, all of it easily achieved and with it I came to the idea of adopting different motifs for each surface, as a way to differentiate suraces. It is interesting but I am already warning myself not to over-do it; something I admire so much in Van Gogh's work is the way he never quite surrenders to a formulayic scheme with his motif. Just when you think you understand his aesthetic manovers or spot a system at work you find something that throws it all up in the air again. How conscious this may be I cannot make out, perhaps he runs out of time, gets frustrated and lashes out or maybe he likes to finish with a flourish, in any case it creates a splendid tension. Recall that wonderful observation in The Life4 that Van Gogh's work expresses the 'impossible combination of urgency and care'.  Well that gets at what I am driving at and it is certainly something to aspire to.

Tommorrow I shall set about a similar view this time standing on the Albacore5 at the other end of the yard and looking back towards the Olympic. That will make a fitting pair indeed.

Now tell me, how are we financially, is it all straightened out?6 I hope so as I am already itching to get back to the colour.

All for now,

John