Science fiction frenzy

I'm going to be interviewed about my talk on VBC at half eight tomorrow morning, on Radio Active's Caffiene and Aspirin show at 12.15 on Saturday, and on National Radio's Arts on Sunday programme.

PS: Cheers to Stephen for the promo!

Some quotes

Most people do not understand the things they meet with nor do they know when they have learned, but they seem to themselves to do so ... What sense or thought do they have? They follow the popular singers and they take the crowd as their teacher.

- Heraclitus (c. 500 BCE)

Living only for the moment, turning our full attention to the pleasures of the moon, the snow, the cherry blossom, and the maple leaves; singing songs, drinking wine, diverting ourselves in just floating, floating; caring not a whit for the pauperism staring us in the face, refusing to be disheartened, like a gourd floating along with the current: this is what we call the floating world.

- Asai Ryoi (1661)
(NB: Ukiyo-e = paintings from the floating, ephemeral world.)

[Paintings and drawings] are not mere imitations of nature but the graphic expression of thought, the translation into forms of philosophy.

- Balthus

What I am doing, as I have always done, is to paint for myself, and my work will never appeal to everybody. I feel a profound disgust for what might be called the pictorial gossip that now constitutes the critic/artist relationship; what we do is never understood, only praised or censured.

- Francis Picabia

The joys of popping home for lunch

I sit on my front doorstep to eat my lunch:

I look out over the Botanic Garden while smoking a cigarette:

I wander back to work:


Ah, the simple pleasures in life!

Science fiction and art

At 4.30 pm on Saturday, 2 June 2007, I will be giving a talk at the Film Archive entitled 'Why science fiction is the only legitimate art form of the 20th century'.

This evening

Smoking and art

This article on smoking and art is pretty funny. Also check out David Hockney's response to the UK banning smoking in enclosed public areas. He mentions Kurt Vonnegut, who once memorably said that he's 'suing the tobacco companies - they promised to kill me and yet here I am'.

Hear, hear!

The weekend

I had a very quiet and very unproductive weekend. All I did was draw up the above (the photos posted yesterday were taken on Saturday morning), read a couple of books, and visit a friend on Sunday night to watch some episodes of Citizen Smith.

There was an opening (boring photography) and a party to go to on Saturday night, but I didn't go to either.

More underpainting

Some underpainting

Eh!?

Some studio pics