My weekend with Nick Bantock

What can I say?
Supercalifragilistisexpialidocious!!!!!

Or something like that. Yep, to me, it was truly amazing.

I did get to stay in their cottage, feet from their house, so my time on Salt Spring island was total Nick Bantock immersion.

I never bargained that I would be invited to a gallery opening with them, and onward to dinner, with just Nick and his wonderful wife Joyce! My hero. For hours!!!!

What can I say?

Of course, he's a 'normal' man, not god-like. LOL, although those dark bushy eyebrows give him a Puck-ish look and you suspect he could be a practical joker. He is certainly very funny, which for some reason, I didn't expect.



Truly, the whole weekend was amazing. Not the least seeing the famous painting of the cover of "The Artful Dodger", with THAT rabbit. What a shock it was that the painting is actually 3D and the flipping rabbit is pretty much jumping out of the picture, it's a full head! Geeeez...

What can I say? Wonderful conversations, wonderful time, wonderful workshop! I know, what a pathetic writer I am!!! Is that all I can say? But one runs out of adjectives to describe Bliss.



I did have an awesome time. The workshop itself was brilliant. It was not so much a 'techniques' workshop, as a process to free the inner artist. Still, Nick promised to explain any technique he uses that we'd want to know, and I did learn some fantastic new ways.This one below I produced during the class, under directions from Nick, who called out what steps to do.... It was great fun. Until we had to give it to someone else to work on!!! Talk about an exercise in letting go.... Then you get a totally foreign piece to work on. Geeeez. That sure stretches the boundaries of intimacy!!!!



I posted more photos of the workshop on Flicker:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21854397@N02/

And here is one that I did since the workshop. The one above is only 9x12.  This one is 24x30.

10 comments:

  1. Love the big picture you did Sox. And you didn't have to give it away for someone else to work on! It has wonderful colors and texture... lovely.

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  2. I love what you did Sox! I have heard from others that he is very cool.

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  3. lucky duck! getting to go to such great tutors, what nationality is he?
    Lee

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  4. Wow - I just love your latest painting. The colors are so luscious and it is so interesting. I want to see it in person and examine it up close. Fantastic!!!

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  5. I amso jealous!And what wonderful work you did!!!did he say he is working on any more books?????Thanks lotsfor sharing!Sue

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  6. What gorgeous works you did! fantastic class for sure!

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  7. I enjoyed looking through the photos from the workshop! What a lovely time you must have had and such a memory to hold dear for the rest of your life. Thank you so much for sharing this!
    All my best-
    Ingrid

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  8. hello Sox,

    I have one book of Nick Bantock "urgent 2nd class", an eyeopener for my to mixed media.

    It's nice to see him on photo : he and his wife look very sweet.
    Wow, you've been lucky to be able to participate in a workshop he gave ! that are things we only can dream about ...
    The first work seems not yet finished for me, although I really like the colors?
    The second piece is gorgeous : it looks so layered and I love the combination of all the colors.

    greetings from belgium
    Inge

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  9. Hi, I'm just art blog hopping right now and how lucky you are. Looks like it was a great time. Glad to meet you and your painting/collage is just awesome. #167. Take care.

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