Colin Ruffell - full-time working artist

26 JAN 2012 Our new book.

2012-01-26T20:07:00.001Z

Our upcoming series of 2012 art exhibitions called '2012 London Art' has inspired a coffee table book.
Here it is...

You can click this link and get a preview of all the content.

http://www.blurb.com/books/2854255

Please check it out and tell us what you think.
Thanks

I've been busy!

2012-01-23T14:55:00.000Z

We really have been busy over the Christmas and New year holiday period. But now to reveal all!
Fran and I, are arranging a series of shows in our retail gallery partners during 2012.
It is called.....drumroll please....

2012 LONDON ART

The exhibitions are all about our London based art. That is paintings, prints and cards with a London theme. I guess that most of my readers already know that Cityscapes of London are among my favourite subjects. But did you also know that my wife Fran Slade has also created a collection of portraits showing London costermongers, market traders, eccentrics and other cockney characters.

Here is a link to a page showing Fran's Cockney Characters.

http://www.crabfish.com/catalogue/cat16_ser122.htm

And this just one of them. He is a Chelsea Pensioner.

Meanwhile I have been painting some new London views. The biggest is a whopping 5 feet by 2ft 6ins. It shows the building of Londons latest skyscraper, The Shard.

It is nearly finished. watch this space to see it unveiled very soon.

The first gallery to host our show will be;

'The Only Place for Pictures' in Islington.

The first exhibition kicks off mid February. More later.

2011-11-18T09:09:00.001Z

18Nov2011
Last minute nerves and a classic mistake, And I made it!
My post here yesterday was about the final nerve-wracking 48 hours before our imminent Artists Open House show.
I also sent about 3000 emails to our list.
But on some of the emails I forgot to include WHERE we are holding the show.
I mean, I ask you...Ye Gods and little fishes...what a classic blunder.
So here is a nice photo of our house and the address.

This WHERE our Artists Open House is starting tomorrow at 11am.

Address is: 182 Springfield Road, Brighton, Sussex, BN1 6DG.

I hope to see you here.

Organized panic at Artists Open House venue!

2011-11-17T12:52:00.001Z

You can see from the photo that we are not yet ready.

We open 48 hours from now at 11am on Saturday 19^thNovember.

However, here is our check list to show that all will bewell.

· Xmas tree, lights. CHECK

· Fire, coal, logs, clean chimney. CHECK

· Mulled wine ingredients, Merlot, juice, spices,large simmering pot with lid, glasses. CHECK

· Prize draw entry cards, prizes. CHECK

· Credit card terminal, paper rolls, phone line. CHECK

· Furniture out and stored, furniture movedaround. CHECK

· Light track, spotlights, power. CHECK

· Hanging system, picture hooks, string, screw-eyes.CHECK

· Card rack, print browsers. CHECK

· Signs, bunting, OPEN flag. CHECK

· Gift tags, bookmarks, Xmas cards. CHECK

· Guest artists organised. CHECK

· Music system to play soothing background soundsand calm my nerves. CHECK

So, all we have got to do is….. HANG THE PICTURES, PRINTLABELS, MAKE PRICE LISTS….ETC ETC

We are open Saturday 19^th and Sunday 20^thfrom11am until 6pm.

Then again on Saturday 26^th and Sunday 27^thfrom 11am until 6pm.

Then again on Saturday 3^rd December and Sunday 4^thDecember from 11am until 6pm.

We hope to see you here.

Gotta go now … a few things to do.

Cheers

25 Oct 2011 Pablo's birthday.

2011-10-25T09:47:00.000+01:00

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.

25 October 1881 to 8 April 1973 (aged 91)

My hero!

24 Oct 2011 Chainsaw massacre!

2011-10-24T16:35:00.000+01:00

There was a bit of noise at the bottom of the garden yesterday. We had been warned that British Rail were going to trim the vegetation on the railway embankment. Then up pops this guy and cuts down several big trees.

Well it has improved the view and allowed more sunlight onto the veggy patch [and wasp nest].

23 OCT 11 ...WASP RETRIBUTION TIME!

2011-10-23T15:51:00.001+01:00

We had built a bug house near the vegetable patch to attract friendly bugs and bumble bees for pollination [a symbiotic relationship]. All had been going well before some wasps misunderstood the crucial landlady/tenant arrangement.
A few days ago Fran was picking leaves from our salad bed for lunch when she was attacked by a swarm of angry wasps. She was stung on the eye and arm and in her hair. Not nice!
So we've been researching the problem. And, the wasps have got to go.

Late last night after wasp beddy-bye time I donned several layers of protective clothing and armed with an anti-wasp aerosol I sprayed the wasp nest with foam. I might look a bit silly but I am not macho-stupid.
This morning we can see that there are a few survivors still going in and out of the nest. But only a few.
Beware remaining wasps...I am tempted to call in a NATO strike force if you don't leave peacefully.

22 October 2011 Happy birthday.

2011-10-22T10:25:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was the birthday of Hokusai (October 21, 1760) He was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period.

When I saw this picture I was reminded of a visit to Tokyo where I saw Mt Fuji from my hotel room window first thing in the morning. Heat haze meant that it vanished by breakfast.

20 Oct 2011 Temple Gardens

2011-10-20T19:27:00.000+01:00

I was in London today arranging more future exhibitions in galleries. Afterwards I walked down to the Thames Embankment and visited the small park where I sold my first painting 53 years ago. Lovely weather and memories.

The show was the annual open air exhibition in Temple Gardens. They stopped running the event a long while ago. I didn't realise until today that the spot where I sold the painting must have been in the shadow of Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment.

2011-10-19T08:52:00.000+01:00

19 Oct 2011
I see that a new Turner exhibition is scheduled for Adelaide in South Australia in February 2013. Turner remains a special hero of mine. Maybe I can arrange a trip to OZ. It would be summer time down there while it will be horrible here.

Wishful thinking of course. Especially frivolous considering the fact that there is such a super show of Turners on continual display at the Tate in London. So self-administer a slap on the wrist for not going to the Tate enough.

Nine Eleven

2011-09-11T10:54:00.001+01:00

Today the news is full of the New York Twin Towers ten years ago. I remember it well. On Sept 11th 2001 I awoke in the very early hours in great pain. My wife Fran called the medical emergency service and they sent an ambulance which whisked me off to hospital. Several hours later we got an all clear regarding the suspected heart attack. So we came to home to rest. The terrible news from NY just started to come in as I dropped off to sleep. Fran woke me after just 15 minutes and we were glued to the TV for hours. My trouble turned out to be a gallstone.

Like many of you, we can remember visits to NY and a trip to the top of one of the towers. We did it in the1990's. Here is a photo of an unpublished painting that I did after when we came home after the trip, and before nine-eleven. I don't know who bought the original or where it is!

21 Aug 2011 Trevor the Black Cat has his own page!

2011-08-21T17:52:00.000+01:00

New page devoted to Trevor the Cat pictures with links to prints and cards.

Here is a bite from my website where I have just published a page devoted to Trevor the Black Cat images. http://www.colinruffell.com/trevor.htm

14 August 2011 Two new paintings

2011-08-14T17:20:00.000+01:00

Here are a couple of paintings just finished today. Probably still wet as I write this. First is a commission for a gallery in Norfolk to replace a similar painting that someone was interested in. Titled...'Big Ben Aug11'.
Second is 'Departure Dawn' showing Tower Bridge open with sailing boat exiting downstream. I am submitting this one for the Battle Art Fair next month.

14 August 2011

2011-08-14T09:32:00.000+01:00

I received a letter yesterday addressed to Colin Ruffell F.R.S.A. !!! I am now a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. Wow. I really don't know what to make of this yet. The Groucho Marx quote..."I don't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member" springs to mind.

1 August 2011 New stuff!

2011-08-01T15:50:00.000+01:00

My latest painting [and print] is titled 'City of London'.

Did you guess what it is all about yet?
Correct, well done!!

Here it is...

Plus I have created a page devoted to my London paintings and prints. There are over 100 now.
Here is the link...

www.crabfish.com/London.htm

2 July 2011 Happy winners collect prizes.

2011-07-02T20:28:00.000+01:00

Here are a couple more winners! They both won one of our daily prizes, of their choice, during our Artists Open House exhibition a few weekends ago.

Louise chose the Venice limited edition shown above and collected it today.

Elaine chose a Brighton Pier print and collected last week.

Street party for 'The Big Lunch'.

2011-06-06T10:33:00.000+01:00

It rained for the first time in weeks! The neighbours had been planning a street party as part of the nationwide Big Lunch. And we had official permission to close off the top of Springfield Road down to outside the pub. We had hoped to have lots of fun and games up and down the road. But the skies opened and we had to shelter under makeshift gazebos and sunshades. However we had a great time, met lots of new people, and made new friends.

22 May 2011 Third weekend ... three more days left.

2011-05-22T10:50:00.000+01:00

Today is the sixth day of our Artists Open House event. Once again the weather is kind... no rain. Yesterday we had about 200 visitors and over 100 filled in one of our 'Do You Feel Lucky' cards to try to win our daily prize draw for a print of your choice. Here are two of this years winners with their chosen prints.

1 May 2011. New book...'Brighton' by Colin Ruffell

2011-05-01T12:32:00.000+01:00

Just finished editing and have now published a new 21 page paperback book in full colour titled 'Brighton'.

It has 20 colour plates showing my original paintings of Brighton and over a dozen other photographs about the process and biography stuff. All the paintings shown in the book are published by us as signed prints on paper or canvas. Some of them are also greetings cards.

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/brighton/15596808

The new book should be available on Amazon as well!
I have ordered a few copies to sign and have here for the 1st Open House weekend in 7 days time. Lets hope that they arrive in time.

22 April 2011 Good Friday.

2011-04-22T09:15:00.000+01:00

This morning I read another post from Robert Genn. Robert is an artist from the Vancouver area in Canada who sends out twice weekly newsletters to thousands of avid followers worldwide. He has lumbered himself with a huge task but seems to thrive on it. Here is a link, I recommend it. http://painterskeys.com/
The posts are varied in content and I always read and enjoy them. Thanks Robert.

A quote from this mornings message is from Winston Churchill. Very apt for so many budding professional artists just out of art school.

"I began my education at a very early age--in fact, right after I left college." (Winston Churchill)

18 April 2011 Back home from Cornwall and the Drang opening!

2011-04-18T10:01:00.000+01:00

Fran and I went down to Cornwall for the launch of the new Drang Gallery in Padstow. Alan Furneaux was there so we had a good natter about the price of fish and the role of a professional artist etc. Fran and I ate in Rick Steins Bistro even though we hadn't made a booking. Lucky us.

Alan and I seem to have made a good impression on the Mayor as well.

The art gallery scene in Padstow is quite extraordinary for such a small fishing village. We went into at least seven that were well worth a good look. They ranged from the all white, all Cornish, mostly under £100 sort...right up to the resident artist selling at £4000 a pop, and the Drang with the BIG NAME ARTISTS like Damien Hirst and Sir Peter Blake. It feels really good to be there.

15 April 2011 Padstow here we come!!

2011-04-15T09:06:00.000+01:00

Off to the Drang Gallery opening launch event tomorrow in Padstow. I expect to meet up with Alan Furneaux there. Alan moved from Brighton to Penzance in Cornwall a while back after being a fellow member of the Fiveways Artists Group doing the Artists Open Houses. Here is one of his paintings from his blog. This one is 'Landscape around St Just'. Nice isn't it?

10 April 2011 OK So I changed it!!

2011-04-10T11:51:00.000+01:00

Had another look at the Farmhouse Kitchen painting 'finished' yesterday and decided that it needed a tweak or two before varnishing. See the difference?

9 April 2011 New painting.

2011-04-09T20:01:00.000+01:00

I finished this one today. Acrylic on canvas, size 24"x30", titled 'Farmhouse Kitchen'.

8 April 2011 Fiveways launch party.

2011-04-08T10:59:00.000+01:00

The Fiveways Artists Group are part of the Brighton Festival Artists Open Houses event on weekends in May. The whole Artists Open House phenomenon started with one artist doing his own thing thirty years ago. Boy has it has grown since then?! Last night the 5Ways Group held this years launch party at the Open House pub with a 30 years ago theme.

First picture is the founding artist Ned Hoskins.

Next Harvey Daniels in splendid 1980's garb.

Then Fran and I with our 1981 long scarf homage to Dr Who.

2 April 2011 Kindle publish my book.

2011-04-02T16:17:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we published a Kindle version of my book on Amazon.

The new Kindle edition is the lowest price yet at $9.99 [ £6.99 in the UK ] and apparently you can download it to an ipad or iphone or PC as well.

'How to Make a Living as an Artist' is also published on Clickbank as an e-book. And I still create the Aizoban limited edition version which is signed, hand sewn with Japanese binding, and archival quality illustrations.

30 March 2011 Nice surprise from Oz.

2011-03-30T14:30:00.000+01:00

I just wanted to share this email that arrived this morning because it made my day :-) .....

Has a home in a kitchen in Sydney
I bought this 8*10 from Colin when he sold it to me at my door in Maidenbower in appx 1993.

Wish I also bought the matching painting ;)

Penny Teale

24 March 2011 Birch Hotel launch party

2011-03-24T09:28:00.001Z

The Birch Hotel in Haywards Heath launched the opening of their new restaurant yesterday with a live singing harpist and really great canapes. Of course my pictures of Venice on the wall make all the difference :-)

20 March 2011

2011-03-20T15:48:00.001Z

I just found this old video of me painting in my studio. Thought I might share :-)
This is part one of three.

And part two;

And part three;

10 March 2011 East Grinstead, Anish Kapoor, etc

2011-03-10T09:58:00.000Z

A couple of days ago I received a call from the organiser of a local Sussex arts society saying that they had suddenly been deprived of a speaker/demonstration-giver for a society meeting. Please could I step in. So I did.
Yesterday I went to East Grinstead and met twenty or so enthusiastic art lovers. They gave me a cup of tea, and we had a great time talking and laughing while I painted this small picture to show them some of my techniques.
All too soon it was over. I am chuffed to find an email in my inbox inviting me back in the future.

Last Monday [the 7th] Fran and I went to London to see a show for her birthday. We met a couple of friends who were over from New York and went to the V&A for lunch. We also took in the Anish Kapoor sculpture that is showing in Hyde Park as part of an exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery. Here is a shot of us looking at the C Curve mirror piece. [Yes I know we are upside down!].

23 FEB 2011 New video all about Trevor the Cat!

2011-02-23T14:53:00.000Z

19 Feb 2011 Cleo's Needle ... new print!

2011-02-19T14:49:00.000Z

By popular demand .... [key drumroll] ... here is another print for my Limited Edition catalogue.

http://www.crabfish.com/catalogue/cat15_ser91_pai675.htm

19 Feb 2011 The Drang Gallery

2011-02-19T10:09:00.000Z

The new Drang Gallery looks like a smashing new gallery in Padstow Cornwall. Just round the corner to Rick Steins super fish restaurant as well! AND...they have one of my original paintings in the left hand window. How good is that!!??
http://www.thedranggallery.com/

5 Feb 2011 New Facebook Artist's Open House fan page !!!!

2011-02-05T09:57:00.000Z

I have been working on a new Facebook fan page [ note: also called a 'like' page or 'business' page].
The idea is to create somewhere on the internet for visitors to [and fans of] our Artists Open House events. Facebook allows comments and shares photos and videos.
This is separate to my other Facebook pages because this is for people who 'like' Artists Open Houses, and want news and gossip and pictures about just that.
Believe me there are many many thousands of regular folk who throng around Brighton in May and December during the OH seasons.
They love the intimate, free, and stimulating experience. So do I.

Here is the link, why not go and have a look?

www.facebook.com/aohex

16 Jan 2011

2011-01-16T11:06:00.000Z

Here is the final question from last weekend.

Question 5: What is this artwork called, and who commissioned it?

Answer from these choices;

1.The Physical Impossibility of Life in the Mind of Someone Dying. Charles Saatchi

2. The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. Stephen A Cohen

3. The Shark. The White Cube Gallery

4. The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. Charles Saatchi

13 Jan 2011

2011-01-13T19:58:00.000Z

Using up another one of the questions.

Q. Who did this in 1830, and using what medium, and title?

A.Hokusai, wood block print, title The Great Wave off Kanagawa

12 Jan 2011 Lapiz Lazuli

2011-01-12T19:47:00.000Z

Here is the third of my 5 part arty-farty quiz, first shown on my Facebook fan page last weekend.
This is just for fun.
Question; What is or was the very expensive colour obtained by grinding up lapiz lazuli, and what replaced in the early 19th century?

Answer; Ultramarine and French ultramarine.
This quiz was probably better presented using the original FB design where I have written four answers to each question and you had to choose the correct one. The trouble was that the FB app was unpopular because it requires users to allow access to all personal details. I wonder why? Answers on a postcard please, or, my comments box below. Thanks :-)

11 Jan 2011 A special date!

2011-01-11T09:28:00.001Z

Today is one of those 'interesting' dates. One-one, one, one-one. Or 11/1/11.

Also it is day two of the arty-farty quiz Q&A.
[Recall that I presented a Facebook quiz using a FB app on my fan page.]
It was not popular!
Hey ho. You win some and you lose some.

But I have already written the art related Q's and Answers.
So here is the second one for your amusement.

Q What nationality was Beek who illustrated the Enid Blyton Noddy books?

A. Dutch, real name Eelco Martinus ten Harmsen van der Beek (1897-1953)

My Facebook fan [business] page is not the same as my Facebook profile [social] page.
I wonder how many blog followers are following Facebook as well. Hmmm?

10 Jan 2011 Results of quiz.

2011-01-10T14:12:00.000Z

The trial run of the weekend Arty Farty quiz went down with a dull plop.
I was trying out a Facebook application that supplied the design formula that deterred you because FB expected you to submit too many personal details if you tried to do the quiz.
So I will probably NOT do that again.
The Q's and A's are here, just in case you are curious. One a day all this week.

Question 1: Name the artist of this picture and explain why artist Anna Boch is involved.

Answer: Anna Boch bought Van Gogh's Red Vineyard for 400 francs in 1890. The only painting that he sold while alive, [reputedly]

8 Jan 2011 Arty Farty Weekend Quiz

2011-01-08T09:41:00.000Z

Here is a link to my Arty Farty Weekend Quiz.
Just for fun!
No prizes, except a feeling of justifiable smug pride if you answer all 5 questions correctly.

http://www.facebook.com/ColinRuffellArtist?v=app_19827163485&ref=sgm

Please let me know how you get on.

5 Jan 2011 Another Q and A

2011-01-05T14:47:00.000Z

The answer to yesterdays quiz question is that UK stamps are the only stamps worldwide that do not have the country name on them.
The monarch's head has appeared on every British stamp since the 1d Black heralded the arrival of the world's first "one price goes anywhere" postal service in 1840 .

Todays question is; Why would an artist use a filbert?

4 Jan 2011 More about quiz questions

2011-01-04T17:09:00.000Z

My mate 'Dave the Quiz' writes quiz questions for a living.
But he is not an art expert.
So sometimes the art questions are not as challenging or interesting as they could be.

Have you got any suggestions for art questions?

I reckon that the Q's should be graded 'easy', 'medium', or 'hard'.

You can check out and discuss this topic on my Facebook fan page discussion section.
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=122614404465769&topic=51

4 Jan 2011 Quiz questions.

2011-01-04T09:33:00.003Z

I went to my usual Monday night pub quiz last night. The questions are set by my old buddy 'Dave the Quiz'. I enjoyed that, so.....
Maybe I will just pop one of his quiz questions up here on a daily basis to see how you like it.
Today's easy quiz question is;
What distinguishes a British postage stamp from all other stamps in the world?
Answer tomorrow.

3 Jan 2011 VAT rise tonight!

2011-01-03T17:20:00.000Z

The dreaded VAT rise tonight will push up prices of paintings and prints....IF you buy them from a VAT registered gallery or website. Hey ho! Sigh. Just say to yourself that all the money goes to small children in hospital, and is not wasted by the government. That way it hurts a little bit less.

For a couple of days I have been working on my upcoming seminar for the Spring Fair in Birmingham in just four weeks time. My subject is Art Business and Licensing.
Here is a still from my Power Point slide show.

1 Jan 2011 New Year, new painting, new print!

2011-01-01T13:45:00.000Z

Happy New Year!
I've been finishing off the new painting, and then adjusting and developing using Photoshop to make a good print for my customer.
What do you think of it?

31 Dec 2010 New Years Eve. More work on the Venice commission.

2010-12-31T15:16:00.000Z

Today is another dull and overcast day. I've been Facebooking and watched a video on internet marketing. The small rowan tree outside my office window has been visited on an off all day by about 20 waxwings who are busy stripping it of all the berries. What a stunning bird!

Meanwhile I have been popping in and out of my studio to do more to the Venice commission.
So far so good.

30 Dec 2010 progress on canya see whotitis yet?

2010-12-30T13:49:00.000Z

More work on the Venice commission today.

Yes you got it! Its the view from the Accademia Bridge looking towards Salute with the Guggenheim villa on the right.

29 Dec 2010 A commissioned piece.

2010-12-29T15:06:00.000Z

I have been asked to paint a new version of one of my favourite scenes in Venice.
Can you see what it is yet?

The work is in acrylics on a 40cm x 50cm gesso panel.

More later as it progresses.

20 DEC 2010 Prizes are all gone!

2010-12-20T11:59:00.000Z

The final winner came round to pick up her framed print yesterday.
So the six winners of our daily prize draw have chosen and collected their prizes.

This who they are, and what they chose [cue drum-roll]

20 Nov 2010 Ava Jessey 'Polperro Low Tide' by Colin Ruffell

21 Nov 2010 Daina Warbis 'Girl with Kite' by Fran Slade

27 Nov 2010 Louise Courtney 'Lets Play on Brighton Bandstand' by Colin Ruffell

28 Nov 2010 Christine Connoly 'June Summer' by Shyama

4 Dec 2010 Nicki Winton 'Brighton' by Colin Ruffell

5 Dec 2010 Anne-Marie Roberts 'Lets Play on Palace Pier' by Colin Ruffell

Thanks everybody who came to see our show, and thanks indeed to all those who bought artwork from us.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

17 Dec 2010 A Golden Moment

2010-12-17T20:28:00.000Z

Today is our 50th wedding anniversary. So here are some photos from that day.

We were art students. We had no money, so we borrowed the clothes. Everybody said that it might last a year or two.

6 Dec 2010 End of Christmas Open House

2010-12-06T09:42:00.000Z

Yesterday was the last day of our three weekend Artists Open House event. Phew!
Now we clear up.
You can see more photos of our show and visitors on the Facebook fan page photo album.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19204&id=122614404465769

Here is a shot of the weather just before the last weekend. A foot of snow fell on Wednesday night that turned into ice and made travel impossible on Thursday and Friday. But the fates are kind, and overnight on Friday the rain washed it all away.

21 Nov 2010 Day two, and a prize winner!

2010-11-21T17:16:00.000Z

We hold a daily prize draw during our Open House events. The prize is a framed 'limited edition' or something equivalent. The winner chooses an image and we arrange a size and frame to suit their requirements. This morning our first visitor, Ingrid, pulled a card at random from yesterdays visitor records and we had our winner. The card was entered in the name of the youngest visitor yesterday, named Ava, aged about 6 months. So today Ava's parents came back to choose a print from our catalogue.

Ava will be hanging a Ruffell print called 'Polperro Low Tide' in her room in Cambridge.

20 Nov 2010 End of day one!

2010-11-20T18:36:00.000Z

The start of our three weekend Artists Open Houses show was quieter than previous years. This probably because we are opening a week earlier than most of the other houses in the Brighton trail. Here is a picture or two of the show on the first day. We sold original paintings, prints, and cards plus guest artists exhibits. Looking forward to tomorrow.

17 November 2010 More about Facebook...

2010-11-17T23:20:00.000Z

Yesterday I wrote here that I have enjoyed cracking the Facebook thing!
Actually I feel like a religious convert or teenager on a first date.

The journey of spending a bit of spare time going through the process of learning, understanding, and implementing was much easier than I thought.
And it was deeply satisfying to get the results of the time spent so quickly.

I really do recommend that any artist who wants to get noticed should get a Facebook fan page. [It is now called a LIKE page].

I followed the guidance of Chris Farrell and his 'Understanding Facebook' series of bite sized videos.
Click here to see how much free stuff he just gives away!

16 Nov 2010 Facebook excitement

2010-11-16T21:08:00.000Z

Just a couple of weeks ago I was uninspired and unimpressed by Facebook
I knew that it was popular and that it was being used by many other artists to promote their work.
But wasn't it shallow and trivial?
I felt that this very blog, plus my own website [www.colinruffell.com], plus our business website [www.crabfish.com], and my Linkedin groups, was enough.
Then I found an online teacher who showed my how to do FB better, and who explained the viral process. I also read a couple of books recently that added excitement to these viral possibilities and another that supplied explanations about the naturalness of social media.

So I stuck in and re-created my Facebook profile, made a bunch more FB friends,and then created a LIKE/FAN page with this welcome picture. And already 50+ people have 'LIKED' it! All in a couple of weeks.

.

Do you want to go and have a look?
Here is the link http://www.facebook.com/ColinRuffellArtist

6 Nov 2010 The first Christmas cards.

2010-11-06T10:55:00.001Z

Every year since the year dot we get and display our first Christmas card in November. Very often is is from our old buddies John and Jean B from Bayswater Road days. They get a prize for heralding Christmas early. But this year we are pre-empting [right word?] all incoming mail by creating more of our own cards to sell at our upcoming Open House in just two weeks time. These will go on display here first. Unless JB's send in even earlier than usual.

Here are some of our own new designs.

These will all be in our 'artist signed handmade range'.

1 November 2010 Half a million up in smoke!

2010-11-01T16:41:00.000Z

Johnny Woodford throws a great halloween party. We went along last night, and while were there we organised some more exhibits for our upcoming open house. Only 19 days time. Yikes.
JW chopping boards are always popular.
And hopefully we arranged for an early Christmas tree.
The highlight of the evening was the promised 'burning of half a million quid'.
As you can see, Johnny had carved something earlier.

28 Oct 2010 Upheaval on the home-front.

2010-10-28T14:03:00.000+01:00

First there was the rain water damage to the interior plaster work, then we discovered the rotten wood and floor joists, then we had to replace the conservatory glass and roof beams, then hack off the rotten plaster and replace it, then the redecoration, and then the replacement of a rotten window.

Now, several million pounds lighter, we are approaching a time when we can prepare for our upcoming Xmas Open House in just 23 days time.
Please come in your droves and buy lots of goodies so that we can pay the bank back.

21 Oct 2010 Can you see what it is yet?

2010-10-21T09:20:00.000+01:00

I am working on a set of four new original paintings destined for the Edinburgh Art Fair on 18th to 21st November.

Here they are at an early stage. Starting top left going clockwise, the subjects are; Calton Hill, Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Forth Rail Bridge.

And here they are a little later.

The paintings are on gesso panels which I discovered tucked away in the studio.

"That'll be nice for my Edinburgh pictures", I said to myself as I started..

But it transpires that the top two in this shot are 16"x20"

The lower two are 40cm x 50cm.

Nearly the same but not quite.

Aargh! The metric versus the imperial system.

So I have had to order two sizes of frames for the Art Fair.

Here is a link to the show.

http://www.artedinburgh.com/

5 OCTOBER 2010 PALACE ART FAIR

2010-10-05T14:06:00.002+01:00

We are making last minute preparations today for our next exhibition. Shyama and I are showing at the Palace Art Fair in London. The venue is Fulham Palace alongside the River Thames near Putney. www.palaceartfair.co.uk

This is a new art fair, and is run by the same people who run the Brighton Art Fair. A few artist friends are going to show including Adrian Turner [photography], Fran Doherty [ceramics].

Shyama and I are showing original paintings on the Four Walls stand with Lara Bowen.

Here is one of my originals that will be available for sale.

'Tug' 3"x4" canvas £48

The hanging and private view are on Thursday 7th Oct.
The show is open on Friday 8th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th.

12 Sept 2010 Into Battle

2010-09-12T10:27:00.000+01:00

'Bridge of Sighs' by Colin Ruffell acrylic on canvas £2160

The first Battle Contemporary Art Fair starts in a weeks time. I will deliver my original paintings tomorrow, and go to the Private View this coming Friday 17th September. These are the six paintings that I am sending.

'Colours of New York' by Colin Ruffell acrylic on gesso panel £1600

'Grand Canal 2' by Colin Ruffell acrylic on canvas £3840

'Tuscany' by Colin Ruffell acrylic on canvas £3600

'San Marco' by Colin Ruffell acrylic on canvas £3840

'Windmill' by Colin Ruffell acrylic on canvas £4320

6 Sept 2010 A nice letter!

2010-09-06T09:45:00.000+01:00

Today I received an email from an artist who purchased my E book 'How to Make a Living as an Artist'.

It has made my day :-) Thanks Kelly. Here it is.

Dear Colin,

I've had a couple of quick read-through's of your book and I'm both thankful that you've written it and, most of all, thankful that I've come across it!

I'm just starting out, as many are, into this seemingly mysterious world of the artist and your book has, quite possibly, given me one of my most valuable tools...hope. Not the 'finger's crossed' hope of winning the lottery, but a real hope of being able to achieve what I'm aiming for because I'm now armed with some very clear guidelines.

It seemed worryingly simplistic at first, but there is no escaping the wealth of information that has been collected by someone who know's what they're talking about and wishes to communicate it as usefully as possible.

I couldn't be happier.

I AM going to be an artist!

Kindest regards,

Kelly

What is RSS?

2010-08-29T09:42:00.001+01:00

I just thought that I would try to find out what RSS was.
In the process, I found this blog, and saw a chance to share with you.
Onward and upward.

What is RSS?

25 August 2010 demonstration

2010-08-25T06:26:00.000+01:00

The exhibition is installed at Frontispiece in Canary Wharf. It looks fine and is attracting attention.

We met the press who wanted pictures of me painting, so we set up my sketching easel in Jubilee Place for a photo shoot. I met a lot of passers by, and some told me that they collected my work. This chap, saw me painting, and stopped, and told me that he had three already. Surprise all round.

23AUG 2010 Final preparations, and a new exhibition.

2010-08-23T10:37:00.000+01:00

I am just making the final preparations for the Frontispiece Exhibition which we hang tomorrow morning in London. All the 22 paintings are available as limited edition prints, so I have been scanning, printing and proofing. This entails lots of paperwork, entering details onto databases, writing lists etc.

Ten of the smaller paintings are published as limited editions of only 25 plus 2 artists proofs. So, 27 in total of each image worldwide forever. Here are a couple of the new images that will only available in the small 7"x5" print format. Both of these are blown up from small 3"x4" originals, so the brushwork is really evident.

The larger paintings, are published in editions of 250 with 25 artists proofs.This is a more conventional total.
I promise that none of these images will be available for any further publishing. Not on cards or subsequent open editions.

P.S. Just heard that I have been accepted for the Battle Fine Art Fair next month. I submitted a collection of Venice paintings. More details later. Meanwhile you could look up the Battle Art Fair website www.battlefineartfair.co.uk

18Aug10 Layout, Canada Tower, Canary Wharf

2010-08-18T15:17:00.001+01:00

I am making final preparations for an exhibition of 22 of my new original paintings at Canary Wharf next week. It starts on Tuesday 24th Aug until 4th Sept 2010. This is a thumbnail showing the poster artwork.

The venue is Frontispiece The Gallery in the shopping mall which runs right under Canada Tower. My exhibition is smack in the middle, right under the apex of the tower, but underground! We are showing the paintings in a big glass display unit next to Frontispiece The Gallery.

Here we are laying out the collection on the living room floor to sort out what goes where.

And another view of the same layout.

All the new paintings will be available as prints as well.

10 August 2010 Chateau de Bosmelet, Normandy, France.

2010-08-13T10:37:00.002+01:00

The Fiveways Artists Group from Brighton England are exhibiting a collection of original paintings, prints, ceramics, and sculpture, in a famous 17^th century chateau in northern France.

Chateau de Bosmelet

The Chateau de Bosmelet is noted for the 'Rainbow Potager'. Exhibits from the potager won a Gold Medal at the 2000 Chelsea Flower Show. Go on, admit it, you don’t know what a potager is. Well I didn’t anyway. A potager is a garden where flowers and vegetables are planted together. The Chateau has two acres of potager, looking like a super sized rainbow coloured allotment, which attracts a steady trickle of enthusiasts. This month the walled garden is enhanced by Fiveways Artists sculpture and sculptural ceramics, while the great reception rooms in the Chateau are adorned with our paintings.

Fran Doherty [Fiveways artist] in the potager

The artists have each agreed to come over the English Channel to share invigilation of the exhibition. For three days it is the turn of my wife Fran Slade and I. So, after exploring the garden we read, paint, sketch, take photos, talk to ourselves, listen to the birds, read a bit more, and write diaries, as invigilators do. Fran said yesterday, “...this is a glorious place to be bored in, or study the meaning of existence”. We are not troubled by too many visitors. Yesterday in sunshine there were 18, today we have rain. The Baron de Bosmelet himself sits in small entry chapel across the lawns by the car park. He collects a seven Euro entry fee and sells vegetables from the potager.

Sweet chestnut tree, age 430.

Yesterday I painted a small picture in the grounds close to the Chateau. My subject was a huge 430 year old sweet chestnut tree. And thereby hangs a tale. Are you sitting comfortably? My earliest childhood recollection is that someone was trying to kill me. In fact my 68 year old memory is that my mother and other grown-ups were looking skyward in alarm at a doodlebug. I heard one of them say, “ ...it is alright while we can hear the engines. When it stops it means that it will crash and we have thirty seconds to take cover in the bomb shelters.” The first doodlebug was followed over eons of infant-memory-time by many more doodlebugs. They had a distinctive drone, which did occasionally stop overhead. We did indeed run to the bomb shelter and wait for the crunching thud of the deadly V1 flying bomb detonation.

Colin Ruffell age 71

And yesterday, under the shade of a very old chestnut tree, I saw where the doodlebugs came from. The Germans built V1 launch pads across Normandy. One was here in the grounds of the Chateau. The RAF learned about this site and 103 others, and bombed them, thus preventing Hitler from his master plan which was to send sixty thousand [60,000] doodlebugs across the Channel to London. The Chateau launch pad and bunker were targeted 28 times, with two bombs hitting the 400 year old house amidships. 2400 doodlebugs actually landed in the Kent, nearly half the 5000 that landed in total in the UK. Hitler killed many English children in ‘bomb alley’ where we lived. But he missed me. And the RAF failed to hit the command bunker hidden beneath the ancient chestnut tree, so the tree and I survived.

6 Aug 2010 Feedjit thingy

2010-08-06T10:02:00.000+01:00

You may notice a new thingy on this page. It shows who has been looking at the blog. No big detail, just a record of where visitors come from. This morning, while I have been eating breakfast, I see that we've had visitors from Canada, USA, Sweden, Poland and UK. Wow! How did they know about us?

Yesterday I had a phone call from a super gallery located in the New Forest. A customer wants a painting, to go with one of my originals in the gallery, to make up a pair of paintings. The existing painting was created as one of a pair but the other one has been sold already. You can see prints of the original pair on my website.

http://www.crabfish.com/catalogue/cat15_ser84_pai482.htm
http://www.crabfish.com/catalogue/cat15_ser84_pai481.htm

The new companion will not be a repeat of the first companion. It wants to be the same sort of colour, texture, subject, and style, and the same size and surface. That means that many of the creative decisions are already made. I welcome this because I can let my juices flow within these constraints. It actually helps to have disciplines like this.
I like doing this sort of thing myself. However I know some artists hate the idea of the customer 'dictating' what the artist should do.
But this is an interesting challenge. So that is my weekend task. I am looking forward to making a new piece that will go with this one to make up a different pair.

This is the original 'Venice across theLagoon' that I will be creating the companion for.

3 August 2010 Seven things to do in a quiet moment.

2010-08-03T12:08:00.000+01:00

Things always slow down a bit right about now. I guess it is the effect of summer holidays. I have only three forthcoming exhibitions in the next month. Most of the paintings required are already finished. So this is the moment when there is half a chance to spend a bit of time 'fixing the roof while the sun is shining'.
Here are 7 important tasks that can be attacked right now.

Tidy up the office, studio, and storeroom. DONE IT.
Revamp the website. IN PROGRESS.
SEO on the website and blog. JUST STARTED.
System software upgrade. OUT SOURCED.
Re-write my book, turn into 12 part series. JUST STARTED.
Fix the roof. OUT SOURCED.
Networking, joining up to forums, learning new tricks, Fine Art Trade Guild stuff about print standards, Twitter, Facebook, U-tube, make videos, record interviews, write press releases, write articles for magazines, check out various trade shows, prepare PowerPoint presentations for future seminars, upgrade my music store, research marketing strategy and tactics, licensing rethink, get the car fixed, take deep breath, relax, stop adding things to this list. AAARGH!

Studio tidy up using wonderful Stiffy Bags

Storeroom tidy up with small paintings and prints

Office shelving groans under weight of paper records

2 August 2010 Progress!

2010-08-02T17:40:00.007+01:00

The Fiveways Artists Group exhibition in France at Chateau Bosmelet has just opened. Fran Doherty sent us an email today with a progress report. Here is a picture showing a corner of the exhibition with one of my paintings. [It is the little one on the right showing Brighton Bandstand]

Some of the group were at the private view. Here is a picture showing some of the antics at the private view. What are they up to?

The London Lives competition have posted their long list of 200 artists who have succeeded so far in the competition. I was nervous and rather relieved when I saw that my name was in the list. I have spent a bit of time searching Google to see more about the other 199. Crikey, they are good! Check it out here http://www.guardian.co.uk/london-lives/longlist

The new conservatory roof is in place. Steve has done a very good job. It rained a little over the weekend and all is well. No leaks, self cleaning glass OK, oak beams look wonderful. Next step is replastering the living room, and installing a new window in the back room. Maybe we can get our house back soon. We have got to do a load of redecorating before the next Open House, in 14 weeks time. Yikes.

19 July 2010 London Lives

2010-07-19T12:03:00.006+01:00

I have entered a competition for 'Paintings of London'.

The comp is held by the Guardian newspaper in conjunction with Bankside Gallery and other sponsors. It just seemed right up my street.

I found an unfinished canvas with some nice abstract colours already on, and then I looked and looked at it to see what might be in there. Nothing!

So I tried it the other way up, and the possibility of this new London image came to me.

'London Dawn'.

Here it is.

10 July 2010 Builders, and post op recovery.

2010-07-10T13:38:00.006+01:00

Since the previous blog I have had an organ removed by keyhole surgery. So now I am minus a stone filled gal bladder.

All is well, thanks to Fran who has been an attentive nurse. She also managed to toil away in a parched garden with spectacular success. [See picture of garden steps today.]

Making good use of the glorious weather our builders have been in and ripped out plaster and coving caused by water seeping through from outside. At the same time the conservatory roof has been taken down and a new one is being installed with proper lead-work to avoid the problem happening again.

While I am in recovery mode, I have revamped the crabfish.com website, and created a new colinruffell.com website.

So no new paintings.

20 June 2010 Fathers Day

2010-06-20T13:00:00.003+01:00

Just look at these super roses cascading down in front of my studio today.

Today is Fathers Day here in the UK. We are expecting all our children and grandchildren over here for a Sunday lunch in one hours time. The joint is in the oven, the roast spuds also. Other veggies are prepared for steaming, and Fran is cutting chard from her veggie beds as I write this. The sun is shining, birds are singing, all is well. Hooray!

At last we have written up all the contacts that we made during the Open House in May.
539 visitors entered for our free prize draw, of which 458 left email addresses.
So yesterday I sent a 'welcome to the list' message to those 450 who did not win a free framed print.
48 emails bounced which probably means that our interpretation of the written address is faulty. We have got to check that. So if you filled in a card, didn't win, and didn't get an email yesterday, please let me know.

31 May 2010 The final three winners are...

2010-05-31T09:14:00.005+01:00

The three final winners of our prize draw have looked at our website and picked their prize. Hollie Vicars, has chosen a framed signed giclee print by Shyama titled 'Lazy Days'.Karen Powell has chose framed signed giclee print 'Cat and Gramophone' by Colin Ruffell. Katie Salvidge has chosen an Artists Proof of 'Misty Farm' by Fran Slade, [this is a new print that is not yet in the catalogue, or on our website www.crabfish.com].
Here are the three prints. One by Daddy Artist, one by Mummy Artist and one by Daughter Artist.

24 May 2010 And another winner..

2010-05-24T17:50:00.002+01:00

And here is another winner, Elena Thompson with her choice of framed limited edition.

24 May 2010 Its all over!

2010-05-24T17:44:00.004+01:00

The Artists Open House 2010 event has finished. Here is another of our prize draw winners with her choice of free framed edition print.
Christina Ure chose one of Shyama's flower pieces.

14 May 2010 Coalition huh!

2010-05-14T09:12:00.004+01:00

The news talk of the week has been the formation of a coalition government here in the UK. For our overseas readers, this is a new situation for us. Except for a spell during WW2, the British system has steadily provided a change of government every few years, switching from a right of centre party [the Conservatives] to a left of centre party [the Labour Party]. Following elections 9 days ago we have a new government made up from the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats [who?] because the Conservatives failed to get enough seats in parliament to have a working majority.
Meanwhile here in Brighton we elected the first and only Green Member of Parliament.
Brighton is a whacky bohemian and extraordinary place ain't it?
What has this got to do with art at crabfish.com, or this Fine Art Blog.
Nothing really, I just thought I would let you know one reason why I haven't been telling you more about our Open House show here at 182 Springfield Road. It's because everybody has been focusing on something else, including me.
So, let me report on the last two weekends of Artists Open Houses here in Brighton.
Firstly, we are now half way through. There are only two more weekends to go. Tomorrow 15th May, Sunday 16th May, and then Saturday and Sunday 22nd and 23rd. That's it. No one will be open on the last weekend in May. Well we won't anyway.
Secondly, the visitor numbers perked up last weekend, despite the election result crisis. We sold some original paintings, and lots of prints and cards. We gathered almost twice as many entries to our prize draw as the bad-weather first weekend. As chance would have it, the two winners are both known to us here. One is a young neighbour who already lives in a house with a major piece of Fran Slade art bought by her wise and wonderful parents a couple of years ago, and the other is an artist who has exhibited in her own Open House as part of the Fiveways Artists Group. Both were drawn randomly from the cards filled in by visitors. So you see that anyone can win, just turn up, fill in an entry card, and cross your fingers.
We hope to see YOU here during the next [last] two weekends.
Todays picture is 'Brighton Bandstand', which was chosen by Patricia Cunliffe our first winner this year.

9 May 2010 Weekend two of Open House

2010-05-09T19:12:00.004+01:00

Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th May 2010 is the second weekend of our Artists Open House.
The two lucky prize draw winners from the previous weekend came in to choose their free framed print.
Patricia Cunliffe is seen here with a friend choosing from 300 images in the new catalogue. She chose 'Brighton Bandstand'.
Mark Whitaker, who chose 'Brighton', is pictured holding his prize.
The winner of the lucky draw on Saturday 8th was Christina Ure, and on the 9th it was Elena Thompson.

2 May 2010 Day two AOH10

2010-05-03T17:38:00.005+01:00

The skies opened and it rained for our second Artists Open House 2010.
Nevertheless, we had a stream of sodden visitors. Fewer than usual but enough to have a good day for sales to collectors and enthusiastic visitors to take part in our prize draw.
The winner was Mark Whittaker from Brighton. Mark told us that one of his favourite exhibits was 'Seedheads' by Shyama in the downstairs studio.

1 May 2010 1st day of Open House

2010-05-01T20:35:00.005+01:00

The annual Artists Open House event started today. 240 venues across the city of Brighton-and-Hove. We are open again showing a collection of our new paintings, prints and cards, with a jeweller and a sculptor as guest exhibitors.
In the daily prize draw today the winner was Patricia Cunliffe from Hove. Her favourite piece of work in the show was the original painting 'San Marco' which she said bought back 40 year old memories.
Hopefully the daily draw adds interest and focus for our visitors. The entry card has a space for comments or favourite piece in the show. So we get a collection of very valuable feedback about our exhibits that help us in our work.

25 April 2010 Limehouse Reach

2010-04-25T11:15:00.003+01:00

This is a new Colin Ruffell painting, seen here hanging ready for next week when we open our house as part of the Brighton Festival.
'Artists Open Houses' is a big thing. This year there are 230 venues offering the biggest free art show in the UK. Over a thousand exhibitors, and a guesstimate 250,000 visitors.
We hope to see you here at 182 Springfield Road, Brighton.
We are open from 11am to 6pm on the first four weekends in May.

9 April 2010 Private View

2010-04-09T09:20:00.006+01:00

Shyama has an exhibition at Pelham House in Lewes until the 8th of June. Last night we went to the Private View. As is often the case at PV's there was wine and nibbles and old friends that we hadn't seen for some time, so we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. It could be so easy to miss the art! But Shyama has done some smashing new paintings for this show, and they look really great in the hotel.

20 March 2010 St Paul's Cathedral

2010-03-20T14:02:00.003Z

Here is the new painting of St Paul's Cathedral that I have been working on.

I have managed to tell myself to stop working on this one.

Although I am happy and satisfied with this as it is now, I know that I should hang it up in the studio for a few more days to see if there is anything else that I need to do. Some times a 'finished' work suddenly reveals that it needs a bit more tweaking. It is funny how that happens.

18 March 2010 Made space, now new Big London stuff

2010-03-18T11:16:00.007Z

The Spring is here!

The lawn is full of little crocuses, snowdrops and sunshine.

We can hear frogs, and birdsong.

My studio is clearer because I burned that stack of paper doodles yesterday.

So now I can get working on a half dozen middle and big sized London canvases.

These were started at the end of last year and put aside because things happened.

Things like snow, exhibitions, flu, new book, etc.

17 March 2010 A sad end

2010-03-17T13:20:00.002Z

Today I burned Sydney, Vancouver, Venice, Hong Kong, New York, Glasgow, and London.

There is a wastage rate from our big giclee printer.

Sometimes the colours are wrong, sometimes the roll runs out before all the print is finished, sometimes the ink smudges etc.

So I get large bits of very good quality paper that I can use to paint over.

I use these big coloured scraps to try out ideas, experiment, or often just enjoy myself.

The paintings are sometimes good, sometimes not so good.

So today I took the plunge and destroyed about 200 near-miss paintings on paper that have cluttered up the studio for too long.

10 March 2010 Fame at last!

2010-03-10T14:11:00.004Z

Wowee! I am gonna be famous.

I have just heard that the local bus company have put me on the front cover of the next issue of the bus timetable.

At last.

The timetable comes out in a few days time.

Bus Times

Summer 2010

28 March 2010 until

25 September 2010

The photography shoot was way back last year.

In fact it was exactly one year ago that I finished the job.

See last years blog for March 3rd, 8th, and 10th.

I am pleased to report that the bus company bought the painting.

6 March 2010 Another new 'Affordable' painting

2010-03-06T09:22:00.002Z

Here is another of the new paintings that will be shown at The Affordable Art Fair in a few days time. The 'Affordable' is a great success as a public art fair. I have shown there off and on since it began some years ago. So has my artist daughter Shyama. This year I join her showing on the Four-walls stand for the first time. Should be fun!

The organisers really make an effort to create a great experience for visitors. They choose the exhibiting galleries with care ensuring that the quality is really the best. There is a price ceiling of £3000. The rules also bar reproduction prints, although there are some limited edition screen prints and original prints. But the main thrust of the show is new contemporary original paintings at affordable prices.

4 March 2010 New paintings

2010-03-04T11:38:00.004Z

I am preparing new original paintings for the Affordable Art Fair in London next week.

My work will be on show with Four-walls Contemporary Art stand L8.

Opening days are Thusday 11th to Sunday 14th March.

For tickets go to;

http://www.four-walls.co.uk/Home.html

or see

http://www.affordableartfair.com/

I expect to be on the stand during Thursday. Hope to see you there!

Some of my latest paintings are posted on our own website as well.

See

http://www.crabfish.com/catalogue/cat15_orig.htm

Back home exhausted!

2010-02-16T10:58:00.003Z

Phew! It certainly knocks it out of you at the Spring Fair.

A frantic week getting ready, last minute panics about things not done, final arrangements getting van and driver, double parking and loading in the dark and cold, early morning suitcase packing, long drive up country, park and walk to set-up chaos at the show, unload van, disgorge much too much stuff onto a tiny booth/stand, [why are booths always much smaller in real life than when you plan them on paper or mock up?], paint walls, fix lights, hang pictures, stand back and take photo.

And that is before we start.

Then turn up up every day and live on strong coffee and very expensive snacks from the catering facilities who have you by the short and curlies. A cup of hot water for £1.80 so we could use our own teabag for a cuppa.

But the buzz, and adrenalin surge, and the networking, and the orders, and the feedback, and meeting old friends makes it all worth while.

I did my seminar on Tuesday on 'The Artists Role in the Art Industry'. Went down well with applause. Afterwards several artists came by our stand to ask further questions.

Now the aftermath, sorting through orders, following leads, re-appraising priorities, deciding what is next.

I must keep reminding myself that I am doing this for fame, fortune and fun.

Focus on the fun.

Todays picture shows my small section of the Artreo stand.

My new catalogue book went down well as well. The first 16 copies are now earmarked for my best galleries.

I will make a few minor changes based on suggestions from the art industry. For instance take the date of the front cover.

5Feb 2010

2010-02-05T15:07:00.003Z

Phew! I am just grabbing a moment to update this blog before I whizz off to exhibit at the International Spring Fair at NCC in Birmingham.

We load the van this evening. I think everything is ready.

The past month has been hectic.

There is meant to be a recession on at the moment, but we have had a bumper start to the year.

Print, paint, print, paint.

The big fat coffee table 10 year catalogue looks superb and the first couple of galleries have already given it the thumbs up. The launch of this will be the main focus of my show at the Fair.

I am also scheduled to present a seminar on 'The Artists Role in the Art Industry' on Tuesday 9th.

I had a practice the other evening in front of the Wessex Branch of The Fine Art Trade Guild members. They seemed to like it. I had some interesting questions afterwards which have helped tweak the talk.

Here is a new painting of Hong Kong waterfront.

11JAN 2010

2010-01-11T09:31:00.003Z

More and more snow and ice have kept us indoors again. There was a very brief spell when the previous snow and ice melted to allow some deliveries. And bingo! We got the first print proof copy of the new catalogue.
So for the last few days I have spent as much time as possible checking tweaking rechecking to get it correct. Last night I uploaded the new monster file to Blurb who are doing the printing, and ordered a half dozen books.
You can see the whole book, all 160 pages and over 300 pictures, here.
http://www.blurb.com/books/1134148

Most of the prints featured in the retrospective catalogue have come from original paintings which have been sold. If you have a Ruffell original, have a look through the catalogue to see if it is in there. If it is, please let me know.

1st Jan 2010

2010-01-01T12:00:00.004Z

Crikey! I am so slack. It is a month since our last blog post.
However, December 2009 was not wasted. I spent a deal of time creating the definitive catalogue showing Ruffell prints over the previous decade. The book is 160 pages long with just under 300 images. Quite a few are full page [12"x13"]. There are some explanations and some quotes from happy viewers, plus the usual biography and stuff. The problem is that it costs an arm and a leg :-(
You can see it here www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1110796
However, I suggest that you control your eagerness to own one until I receive my first proof copy in a few days time because I will probably need to make final tweaks and edits after seeing it.

The 2010 catalogue book is destined for unveiling at the trade only Spring Fair in Birmingham in February where I will share a stand with the other Artreo artists again. I have agreed to deliver a seminar as well at the Fair, entitled 'The Artists Role in the Art Industry'. So I have been working on that as well. Panic.

So here is a picture of the snow that imprisoned us for several days in December, and my Christmas dinner.

Then the dreaded lurgy [man flu cold thing] hit Fran and I which has drained our reserves.
Now we are both recovering, it is a glorious day following last nights rare blue moon, the sun is shining, and all is well for the new year and next decade. Happy new year.

30 November 2009 Phew!

2009-11-30T11:12:00.003Z

Phew! At last it seems that I have a moment to put up a blog message.
We have been very busy getting our Open House exhibition ready and hung. Then we opened on Sat 21st, and Sun 22nd. Then again Sat 28th and Sun 29th. And of course we now get ready for next weekend when it all happens again.
Despite the fact that the weather has been 'interesting', very wet and windy in fact, we have played host to many intrepid visitors, sold lots of prints and cards, taken commissions for originals, prepared and drank gallons of mulled wine, eaten mince pies, and run our daily prize draw during open days.
Meanwhile the retail gallery and online gallery world is waking up for Xmas and orders for prints are coming in thick and fast. Help!!
And it goes on... tomorrow I am demonstrating my painting techniques at Canary Wharf London in the afternoon, plus in the evening we will be attending a private view where we are showing in a London east end gallery. That is the Art Group show 'Lets Play'.
Todays image is the solid gold 'Trevor the Cat' pendant that Graham Hale is showing at our Open House. Anybody who has looked at our website www.crabfish.com will recognise our mascot Trevor.

11 November 2009 Poppy Day

2009-11-11T14:24:00.005Z

Today is a pretty significant day.

Armistice Day, when the world remembers those who died in war.

In 1918 WW1 peace was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

WW1 was billed as 'the war to end all wars'.

Today is 11/11/09.

That is 91 years after the signing of the armistice.

But war has gone on somewhere in the world ever since.

Here is one of Shyama's prints with lots of poppies.

Click here to see more about this print.

8 November 2009 New Brighton prints

2009-11-08T10:10:00.005Z

These three new Brighton originals are being shown in The Art Group 'Lets Play' exhibition in London in December.
However I am keeping the publication of the prints for myself. In preparation for the upcoming Artists Open Houses in two weeks time I have proofed new Limited Edition prints of 250 each. I have decided to publish them in two sizes, A2 [approx 38cm x51cm] and A3 [ approx 26cm x 37cm].

Lets Play on the Bandstand

Lets Play on Palace Pier

Lets Play on Brighton Beach

23 October 2009 The Affordable

2009-10-23T20:09:00.008+01:00

Shyama and I went up to The Affordable Art Fair in London today. It is held in Battersea Park twice a year. It has been going for ten years already. Also nowadays in Bristol, Paris, New York, Brussels, Amsterdam, Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne.

Here is a super idea. Great big cushions to relax on when your feet start to ache.

Shammy and I have both exhibited and worked at previous Affordables. Shammy shows with Lara Bowen on the Four Walls stand [this is Lara pictured today with her new baby Tom]. Show them art appreciation early! Actually Tom's arrival on the scene is the very understandable reason that Four Walls are not exhibiting at this show.

We met several old friends, looked at some great art, and had a really enjoyable day out.

21 Oct 2009 Literature of New York

2009-10-21T23:00:00.002+01:00

Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams sent me a copy of her new book.

As you can see she has illustrated the cover with one of my paintings of New York.

She did ask me, and I was happy to allow her to do it.

The painting has been sold, but the print is available on my crabfish.com website here;

http://www.crabfish.com/catalogue/cat15_ser81_pai441.htm

20 October ... Local pub exhibits

2009-10-20T15:25:00.005+01:00

Our local pub, The Roundhill Tavern, is displaying some of my naive style giclee prints on canvas. The landlord Steve chose a big 'Cat on Piano' and 'Brighton' to welcome customers across the main lounge, and 'Guinness' and 'Cat on Post' on the wall opposite the main bar.

There is another, 'Cat and Fish Supper' not shown here, on the wall behind the pool table next to the kitchen.

The big ones are 30"x40", and the smaller ones are 15"x20".

I have to go in and check 'em out quite often. And it's thirsty work!

9 October 2009 The Saffron Gallery

2009-10-09T09:13:00.007+01:00

If you went by the outside of the Saffron Gallery in Battle last night, this is what this small family run gallery looks like. The gallery hangs only original paintings on the wall, with prints available from browsers. Framing is done on the premises.

But if you looked in through the window as you passed you might have seen that the gallery was crowded with members of the Fine Art Trade Guild who were enjoying a Branch meeting, a talk by Paul Cumberland from Birds Birds Birds in Faversham Kent, a bit of supper, a glass or two of wine, and a good chinwag [oops I mean a networking opportunity].

That is where Fran and I were as well. Being 'Master of The Guild' has some delightful consequences.

8 October 2009

2009-10-08T13:19:00.002+01:00

A little late I know. Here is a picture of Shammy [Shyama Ruffell] on her stand at the Brighton Art Fair a few days ago. It was a good show. Very busy, very popular, and profitable.
We are going to be adding a portfolio of her original paintings and prints to the Crabfish website during the next week or so.
And then, on the last two weekends in November, we will be showing Shammy's new work, and Fran's and mine, at our next Open House. That will be here at 182 Springfield Road Brighton. Keep watching this space, or check out our website www.crabfish.com.