Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (Buddhist chanting by Tina Turner)

The late, great singer, Tina Turner, was known for her singing but how many knew she was a practising Buddhist?  Members of Soka Gakkai Buddhist community chant Nam-Myho-Renge-Kyo (name of the fundamental law of life and the universe expounded in Nichiren Buddhism, a 13th century Japanese Buddhist monk) The…

New Painting just finished

´Living in the present´ oil on canvas, 2m x 1.6m

Happy Andalucia day 2024

Andalusia day 2024 The Andalusia Day (Spanish: Día de Andalucía) is celebrated on the 28th of February and commemorates the 28th of February 1980 referendum on the Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia, in which the Andalusian electorate voted for the statute that made Andalusia an autonomous community of Spain. It…

Merry Christmas

15 years ago today …

15 years ago today my father died. We played the following at his funeral ´which was a grand affair altogether´ and as my sweet late aunty Winnie pointed out, “sure, there´s not an empty seat in the church”. It was true and at his wake, we had an Irish band…

New painting “Paso Doble”

Good morning all ! What a beautiful sunny but chilly day it is here in the south of Spain. You will note from my last piece (Feria) that I am currently painting pieces that have a Spanish theme. This one is no different. The original image was one that I…

Exhibition details

Happy Saturday everyone ! Well as promised I am telling you about the solo exhibition I am doing here in the south of Spain. I was delighted to be invited by the Sotano1Arte gallery in Estepona recently. After the launch party earlier this week the exhibition will be run until…

New painting

Getting ready for my up coming solo exhibition, I barely managed to get this last piece dry enough for transporting today. I´ll post more from the exhibition after the launch next week. ´Feria´ (charcoal and oil on canvas - 160cm x 200 cm)

The oldest dog in the world at 31 !

I didn´t even know this was possible. How this makes my heart sing with joy ! please give it a moment for this video to load

No comment ….. just watch and FEEL !!

No comment, just watch the video and feel the message …….  Please wait a moment until the video has loaded if it hasn´t already.

The Donkey and the Tiger

Take a look at the world we live in today, never before has this fable been so relevant ! please wait a moment for the video to load if it hasn´t done so already

“When the student is ready, the teacher appears”

A recipe for inner peace If you have had a chance to read my section on meditation and in particular the part about ´suggested reading´ you will recall how I revere, the marvellous author and teacher, Jack Kornfield.  I believe that in every generation there exists great teachers. Each lighting…

Happy Friday

Just thought I´d share a video to brighten up your day.  Please wait a few seconds for video to load

A choral meditation - Agnus Dei (by Samuel Barber)

Sometimes, life shakes you up so much that you can find it hard to centre yourself. For me when this happens, I find a piece of music that is both helpful to meditate to but also leaves me in a kind of place that is sometimes referred to as being…

The Lion´s Gate 8/8 Portal 2023

August´s two super full moons

TWO supermoons in August mean double the stargazing! The full Sturgeon Moon reaches its peak on Tuesday, August 1st, 2023, and then we have a full Blue Moon on Wednesday, August 30th, 2023—and it will be the closest supermoon of the year. When to See the Full Moons in August…

Let Ruben´s cupid put a smile on your face today

(Please allow a moment for the above video to load) The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light. Gentle work. Steadfast work. Life-saving work in those…

BE KIND - It´s the size of your heart that matters

“Everyone has something and some way of being and something to give”

A tribute to the artisans of Puglia, by Dolce & Gabbana

Happy Sunday all! from a very sunny and very hot south of Spain It has been nearly 10 years since my departure from the world of couture and fashion and yet from time to time certain things catch my attention. Today was one of those times when I stumbled across…

Website update

As I have said on a number of occasions, I am treating this site as an on-going work of art. Now that might be seen as a bit of a cop-out, and maybe it is, but wouldn´t that be just living authentically too?  Anyway, this post is just to announce…

Awake not woke

Think of the hours it takes to read a book or the hours we spend watching films and TV. Now imagine sitting calmly with a cup of tea or in my case a bottle of wine and  listening to a podcast. As I´ve said many times before, this site is…

Happy Summer Solstice

Summer has arrived here in the northern hemisphere, and the summer solstice this year is on the 21st June and marks the beginning of the season. This solstice is the first of two that will take place this year The summer solstice will mark the longest daylight hours. The amount…

The creative process

I´m sometimes asked to explain my preferred process with which I use to paint. So I thought why not make a wee blog about it.  Artists generally like to use varying sources for the subject of their paintings. Some of course may pull an image or evoke a feeling directly…

The beauty created by strangers working together

Jacob Collier, showing how beautiful the world is if we work together.

The simple things in life are free

Just up the lane from me is where I like to go and enjoy the solitude and tranquillity. Where is your little haven of peace?