Preparatory charcoal study

Study for oil painting (digitally adjusted), 2011, charcoal and chalk on paper, 80cm x 100cm

Chilli bacon and tomato on toast

Created this today for lunch. Very cheap and quick to make. Delicious. The recipe makes enough for two.
Ingredients:

• A generous handful of chopped bacon ( I used a cooking bacon from Sainsburys - packs of odds and sods of smoked and unsmoked bacon bits that are as cheap as chips).
• Half an onion or around 4 shallots, chopped.
• Pinch of chopped chilli (not too much just enough to add a little heat).
• About a heaped desert-spoon of fresh chopped thyme.
• Large ripe tomato, chopped.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a pan and add the bacon. I use a high heat, work fast and stir often. Cook for a couple of minutes or so and then add the onion. Cook until the onion softens and the bacon starts to brown a little. Add the chilli, a little salt and a few twists of fresh ground pepper. Add the tomato and cook for a minute longer. The aim is not to overcook the ingredients so everything looks plump and fresh. Pile the mixture on hot buttered toast and eat immediately. Nice with a mug of tea - it would also be lovely with a crisp white wine.

Family propaganda

Magnum photographer, Martin Parr wrote (Guardian, 24 August 2010), 'Most family photo albums are a form of propaganda, where the family looks perfect and everyone is smiling: we try to create fabrications about who we are.' In these works I explored an image from my childhood.

Beach I, 2010, Manipulated inkjet print (washed and oven-dried), 15cm x 10cm

Beach II, 2010, Manipulated inkjet print (over-painted, washed and oven-dried), 15cm x 10cm

Beach III, 2010, Manipulated inkjet print (over-painted, washed and oven-dried), 15cm x 10cm

hh:mm:ss

hh:mm:ss 2011, Three clocks, 24.5cm dia.

Three adapted clocks that together make one contemporary timepiece.

Preparing for a painting

Photograph of Bethany re-composed and manipulated in Photoshop

 I took a series of photographs of Bethany and selected this thoughtful, reflective shot for the subject of a new portrait painting. The manipulation below is not part of the preparation for the painting but interesting what can be done with a standard filter.

Interesting and pleasing effect created using a Photoshop filter

Voyeurism and surveillance (Cuba) III

Untitled (Cuba), 2008

Voyeurism and surveillance (Cuba) II

Balcony I (Cuba), 2008

Balcony II (Cuba), 2008

Balcony III (Cuba), 2008