NEEDLESS TO SAY I LOST MY APPEAL AND THE BUREAU BUNNIES (i.e.THE LOCAL COUNCIL) WITH THE BACKING OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT TOLD ME THAT IF I DID NOT REMOVE THE MANDALA SHED FROM MY LAND THAT THEY WOULD & CHARGE ME FOR DOING SO (LIFE IS NEVER SIMPLE). THE FOLLOWING SPRING AND SUMMER WERE RATHER STRESSFUL...I WAS DOING CARPENTRY/BUILDING WORK TO SURVIVE WHICH I HAVE DONE OFF & ON FOR OVER 40 YRS TO SUPPLEMENT MEAGER EARNINGS FROM THE SALE OF ART-WORK (PRODUCED AS A FORM OF THERAPY...A DEFENCE MECHANISM I GUESS) SOME SAY IT WAS AN OBSESSION...IF IT IS, IT'S QUITE HARMLESS AND THOUGH AT TIMES I WAS ALMOST DESTITUTE I NEVER CLAIMED THE DOLE, NEVER HAD A PAID HOLIDAY AND NEVER RECEIVED SICKNESS BENEFIT OR ANY OF THE OTHER OF MYRIAD OF STATE BENEFITS THAT HAVE BEEN CLAIMED BY "ALL CLASSES OF PEOPLE" HERE IN THE U.K....YET I PAID INCOME TAX & NATIONAL INSURANCE THROUGH-OUT EVEN THOUGH I WAS OFTEN LIVING BELOW "THE POVERTY LINE". WE STILL HAVE THE ANOMALY HERE IN THE U.K. THAT ONE IS OFTEN BETTER OFF NOT WORKING THAN TAKING A LOW PAID JOB...THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT CLAIM THEY ARE GOING TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM (LETS HOPE THEY DO)...I HAVE ALWAYS MAINTAINED THAT THE SELF EMPLOYED ARE THE BACK BONE OF THE NATION...THEY OFTEN WORK LONG HOURS FOR VERY LOW PAY & SOMETIMES "NO PAY"....IF YOU ARE WORKING 100 HRS A WEEK YOU CANNOT SPEND THE MONEY THAT YOU HAVE NOT EARNED BUT ONE MAN BANDS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF BECOMING GLOBAL PLAYERS AND IF THEY DON'T BELIEVE IN STATE AID THEY SHOULD BE POSITIVELY ENCOURAGED! WHAT WITH ALL THESE BANKERS WHO THINK THAT THEY ARE A RARE SPECIES OF LIFE (LIKE THE PANDER BEARS) AND UNLIKE THE MILLIONS IN THE U.K. WHO ARE EXPECTED TO LIVE ON ABOUT £60 PER WK (& I AM ONE OF THEM) THEY NEED AT LEAST £10,000 PER WK JUST TO SURVIVE AND WHEN THEIR COMPANIES GO BANKRUPT THEY THINK IT A DIVINE RIGHT FOR THE HONEST HARD WORKING TAX PAYER TO BAIL THEM OUT...WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO REGOGNISE THAT IT IS NOT "MONOPOLY MONEY" BUT "REAL MONEY" (SORT OF). JUST IMAGINE A WORLD OF JUST BANKERS...HOW COULD THEY CREATE WEALTH WITH OUT PEOPLE TO MAKE GOODS TO BUY...WHO ARE THE IMPORTANT PLAYERS IN WEALTH CREATION? I KNOW THIS COUNTRY (THE U.K.) HAS LOST THE PLOT...THE "RULERS" IMAGINE THAT THIS COUNTRY CAN SURVIVE JUST FROM BANKING & THE SERVICE INDUSTRY WHILE THE SO CALLED THIRD WORLD REALISE THAT WEALTH WILL COME FROM MANUFACTURING AND THEY WILL STEAL THE MARCH OF PROGRESS AND LEAVE US FAR BEHIND...
BACK TO THE SUMMER OF 2007...EACH DAY THAT I RETURNED TO MY PLOT FROM DOING BUILDING JOBS I WAS PREPARED TO CONFRONT MY MANDALA SHED DEMOLISHED WITH ALL MY TOOLS & PERSONAL EFFECTS SCATTERED ALL AROUND...IN ADDITION I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE OWNERS OF THE PRIVATE ROAD THAT MY PLOT WAS OFF...THEY STUCK BOLLARDS ON THE BOUNDRY OF MY PROPERTY AND THE ROAD THAT THEY OWNED A FEW YRS EALIER DENYING ME ACCESS TO MY PARKING PLACE SO I RELUCTANTLY TOOK LEGAL ADVICE...THOUGH THE LAWYERS WERE SYMPATHETIC AND THOUGHT IT OUTRAGES...THEY SAID IF I TOOK LEGAL ACTION TO EXERCISE MY RIGHTS THAT I MIGHT LOOSE WHICH COULD COST ME £20,000 WHICH I COULD ILL AFFORD...SO WHAT WAS I TO DO?
WELL I HAD A STOCK OF PAINTINGS MOST OF WHICH WERE PAINTED IN THE PREVIOUS 6 YRS...SO I HIRED LAMORNA COMMUNITY HALL FOR 2 WKS I AND HAD AN EXHIBITION ENTITLED: "BLAST FROM THE PAST" THAT WAS IN THE SUMMER OF 2007...THE TITLE WAS INSPIRED BY THE "VORTICIST MOVEMENT" (THE MOST AVANT GUARD MOVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH ART) THAT ALSO CAME OUT WITH A MAGAZINE ENTITLED: "BLAST"...THIS WAS JUST PRIOR TO THE THE START OF W.W.1. AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP, WYNDAM LEWIS WAS COMMISSIONED TO PAINT A BATTLE SHIP BUT NOT TO CAMMOUFLAGE IT BUT PAINT IT WITH BOLD GEOMETRIC PATTERNS...MAYBE "THEY" THOUGHT THE BOLD DESIGN MIGHT CONFUSE/DAZZLE THE ENEMY BY WHICH TIME WE COULD "BLAST" THEM TO KINGDOM-COME...I DIGRESS AGAIN!
VERY PROMTLY ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE SHOW AT PRECISELY 10 AM (I DO NOT BELIEVE IN ENTERTAINING A PILE OF ALCOHOLICS AT PREVIEWS) AN AMERICAN COUPLE (HUSBAND & WIFE) ENTERED THE VENUE THEY WERE VERY CURTIOUS/CHARMING AND LIKED MY WORK AND I WAS AN OBLIGING HOST AND BEFORE THEY LEFT I PREDICTED "THAT WITHIN 6 MONTHS MOST OF THE WORLD WOULD BE IN THE WORST RECESSION SINCE THE WAR" AND IN THE FOLLOWING SPRING MY PREDICTION CAME TRUE! WESTERN DEMOCRACIES WERE IN A REAL "FINE MESS"!
BACK IN MORE PEACEFUL TIMES DRINKING ULONG TEA AND WATCHING DRAGON FLIES PACE THE STREAM IN LAMORNA...TIS JUST A DISTANT MEMORY...
THIS IS THE SHED THAT WAS...
