La Vie en Rose

CHINA!!!

2011-09-13T15:11:00.001-07:00

With its twists and turns that old joker called Life has thrown me some conundrums that have hustled me onto a plane and off to Shanghai for a spell to realign myself, reaquaint with the enigma that is Laura Clemente Castillejo, my old compadre from NYC, and make some work in the Pantocrator Gallery on the artcentric Moghanshan Road. As from 17th Sept. I will be reporting in on a daily basis from the sensory wondrous behemoth that is Shanghai. Watch this space!

All Change

2011-03-15T11:25:00.001-07:00

With the onset of my 36th year, I have changed my website and the blog will now run integrated within that. Please crack on to www.patsymcarthur.com where a whole host of delights await....

The Road Less Travelled

2011-02-08T03:06:00.000-08:00

I'm working hard now for the final push on the pieces I will be exhibiting at the AAF in London 10th - 14th March. This is a rather rubbish photo of my latest offering, " The Road Less Travelled" which will be making an appearance in London. It's a big drawing more than 120cm wide.
It's the third in a series of my marching men who seem to march towards horizons in various locations - a romantic pioneer, who is the same figure through various stages. This time heading for a Loch somewhere near Bridge of Orchy!

High on Highlands

2011-01-31T15:04:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend up north getting back to nature in the wilds of the astonishingly beautiful motherland. Always on the job, I couldn't leave my faithful model at home. The bold and brave Nikolai, dressed and ready for action popped out of the car and into the wilderness whenever requested and I got some really beautiful shots. I have some compositions in mind, but just hope I can make something worthwile that lives up to the research photographs.

My large drawing "Self" from 2010 has been selected for the VAS Annual Exhibition in the Upper Galleries at the RSA in Edinburgh. It runs from Sat. 5th Feb until 3rd March.

2011-01-12T01:48:00.000-08:00

Examples of some of the small monochrome oil studies I've been doing of night swimmers. Seems a bit ludicrous that I'm doing swimmers underwater at the moment in the midst of the big freeze but that's me I guess. Painting the dream rather than living it for the moment at least!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

The painting on my Xmas card is from a series of new monochrome underwater paintings I'm working on. There's a fluidity about them that never really appeared with the drawings and I'm itching to get back in the studio to work on them. But............first it's that time again - back to the frozen north to the bosom of mcarthur family - ouch. Happy holidays everyone and I'll be back in the new year.

Small but beautiful

2010-12-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've been busy making some small studies and drawings and these are all newly available for sale through various galleries around the UK at the moment. Much smaller than I've worked over recent years but perfectly formed. If anyone would like to know what is sale for from whom just get in touch.

And On

2010-11-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

Some quick ish colour studies I've been making of my jumping men, Quite pleased with these - a lot of energy.

Glittering waters

2010-10-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Many apologies for my lack of postage - I was supposed to be in LA this month, however due to unforeseen circumstances I have found myself back in the motherland, where I have been setting up studio as it looks like I will be here for a while...
To compensate, and dreaming of sunnier climbs, I seem to have been fixated on my divers for the time being and have been making some small drawings with a frame by frame comic book feel. Looking at trajectory, gravity and logical conclusions....

SPLASH

2010-09-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

A New Term

2010-09-14T23:57:00.001-07:00

It's been an age since I last posted. However, the summer hols are finally over and the autumn spells a return to hard graft.

The first in a series of small drawings.

Monster Drawing!

2010-08-10T03:12:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a commission for a client in London. It is a whopping great drawing more than 2 metres in width.

Wedding Season

2010-07-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Apologies, not too much to report. It's wedding season and I'm in Scotland - justification I would say. So far, I've nearly set myself on fire attempting to fire throw on the Isle of Lewis and even earlier fell over holding a baby - impressive....

However, two great pieces that are available for sale and in the Festival Exhibition in Edinburgh at Scotland Art on St. Stephen Street, Edinburgh. Get there fast before I give them away as wedding gifts - goddam, or just get married and introduce yourselves...

Both big favourites of mine, and cool that they both hold big and great memories for me of both New York and London where they were each made.

Anyone who hasn't experienced the festival in Edinburgh in August really should - nothing quite like it.

Over and oot.

The Bouncing Brazilian!

2010-07-06T03:29:00.000-07:00

Not one to rest on my laurels, I am busying myself with preparing the work for my next show in London in the autumn. Although mainly focusing now on boxers, I am also making a few pieces based on some photography I did on my recent trip to Formentera where I had the pleasure to meet a new model, the super brave Brazilian high jumper Otavio Junqueira Vilela who threw himself off some incredible cliffs for me with the backdrop of Ibiza behind. Amazing!

Gallery Girls Reunited!

2010-07-06T03:23:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to everyone who came along to support at the opening at the Union Gallery last Thursday - it was a great night and I was delighted to be reunited with my dear friends the gallery girls team who I worked with many moons ago and still have as much fun with. We have not lost any of our joie de vivre despite advancing years!

I am really proud of the work for this show. Although perhaps less commercial than previous exhibitions, I feel it marks a real progression in thinking and has lead to the new work based on boxing which is coming next and will prove to be the most challenging work I have done to date.

You can see the show at www.uniongallery.co.uk. Look under my name in the artists section to see all the work.

Exhibition Preview - Thursday 1st July

2010-06-30T03:09:00.000-07:00

Patsy McArthur/ Dylan Lisle

Exhibition Preview

Thursday 1st July 6-8pm

Union Gallery, Broughton Street, Edinburgh
www.uniongallery.co.uk

http://www.uniongallery.co.uk/index.php/exhibitions/

R.I.P. Lido The Scooter

2010-06-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

My dear friend and fashion entrepreneur Anna Reig Florensa has been hosting me this week in the fantabulous island of Formentera where she has been indulging my passion for bikes! We have been roaring around very well dressed on a 17 year old moped called Lido, which very sadly today has given up the ghost. Which in some ways I feel is a good thing, since I generally have accidents when on this island.

We fell into a bit of a hole - quite literally - on my first evening and have quite a few scars to prove it. And no idea of how they came about. Having retraced our steps-chugs, we are still not much wiser. We did find Lido eventually, although a couple of calls to the emergency services logged on the phone suggest that something untoward befell us..

Fingers crossed I get out of here and back to the motherland alive next week!

Show Down

2010-06-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

The Final Reckoning. Should be a good one. Please try to make it if you can.

Partner In Crime

2010-06-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

A wee snap of my good self and my tremendously talented partner in crime, Caroline Walker in conference in her studio in London. She has a fondness for the dark side, like myself, but chooses ageing, scantily clad females in interiors as opposed to fully clad males in the middle of nothing, like me. She will be showing soon in the illustrious Marlborough Fine Art in August.

Such is my admiration for her work, I even try to match my footwear to her paintwork when I visit!

We are hatching a plan to make a research trip to LA and Vegas for a few weeks in the autumn, all being well.

See creative accomplices for more of her fabulous work.

Age of Denial

2010-06-07T02:39:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post about this back in March and I'm very proud to report that my underwater drawings are now the official images of Sennen's "Age of Denial" album and the singles from that album.

It came out in March, and if you're into noisy guitars, you should really give it a listen. See their link in creative accomplices. They are doing extraodinarily well and were tipped as hottest download by the Sunday Times a couple of months back.

Wherever You Go, There You Are

2010-06-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's taken me a good few years to wake up to the reality that Wherever You Go, There You Are, which seems a simple enough concept for a seemingly intelligent girl but it's eluded me till this year! Anyway, it's the idea behind and title for this piece. There's just no getting away, damn it!

It is one of the final pieces for the Edinburgh show. I hope you like it.

Endless Possible Futures

2010-05-14T04:59:00.001-07:00

Over a month has passed since I last posted - I am perhaps getting too old for blogging now I am in my 35th year...Or, that I have been producing and destroying stuff at a frighteningly similar rate...However, at the risk of losing my readers, I am back on it, so to speak.

I have been purposely quiet as I am working at full pace for the Edinburgh show which opens 1st July and don't want any overexposure of the work. I have been making some serious progress and my return to paint is going (after a fitful and neurotic start), I have to say, incredibly well!

Never one for glorious technicolour, (apart from my spectacular outfits) I have developed an interesting aubergine hue in which to paint as well as some other, secret combinations - coming soon! Although the paintings really now look like drawings, they have a softer and deeper quality to them that I am pretty chuffed with.

Big Man at Night, Wee Man in The Morning?

2010-03-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

How You Gonna Come? Hands on Your Head or on the Trigger of Your Gun?

Inspired by Big Ned's fantastic Guns of Brixton track from days gone by, I have created this monster drawing of my friend Djimbo turning on himself. My models have been asked to do a lot of strange things over the years, but this is the first time I've ever asked anyone to shoot themselves..

Still looking for an adequate title for this - if anyone has any ideas....

Heaven's Going to Burn Your Eyes

2010-03-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and I have produced another life-affirming offering!

This is a pretty big painting and I'm going back to try to paint like I draw, so hopefully these new paintings will be looser and more gestural than before.

This is very limited palette - almost monochromatic, and that will be the plan for those to come as well.

Some very dark stuff coming up next...YAY!

The Blue Man continues

2010-03-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

Still not quite got to the paint. Here are a couple of nice wee pastel studies on coloured paper. I am trying to wind up this subject matter for now but my new model and his acrobatics are quite hard to leave behind.

Off to the motherland for a few days tomorrow to discuss the upcoming Dylan Lisle/Patsy McArthur exhibition in July in Edinburgh. Hopefully everything will go according to plan and I will get the best half of the gallery space..

Quiet Storm

2010-02-26T05:39:00.000-08:00

Another big drawing hot off the press that I will be showing at the AAF in London in a couple of weeks.

Back To Work

2010-02-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who made to my opening in London last week - much appreciated.
I am finally back in the studio after a couple of months of galavanting and procrastinating. I am making a couple of new big drawings for the AAF in Battersea next month. I have a fantastic new model who goes by the name of Gary "Surreal" Lawrence and he has some pretty amazing moves. These are the last drawings I'll be making some time and next week will see a return to PAINT!

Solo Exhibition of New Work

2010-02-03T03:10:00.000-08:00

Private View Wednesday 10th February 6-8.30pm
6 Burnsall Street (Just off the Kings Road)
Chelsea
London
SW3 3ST

www.flyingcoloursgallery.com
All work is avaiable for sale and to view online.

Exhibition Runs 11th February - 26th February
Monday - Friday 10.30 - 5.30
Saturday 11 - 3
Evenings and Sundays by appointment

GONE FISHING

2010-01-20T06:13:00.000-08:00

I'LL BE BACK

But not till February....

Change of Date

2010-01-15T06:34:00.000-08:00

The Private View has been changed for my solo show. It will now be Wednesday 10th February at 6pm - 8.30pm. Flying Colours Gallery, 6 Burnsall Street, Chelsea, London, SW2.

I look forward to seeing anyone who can make it.

McArthur's Review of The Year - From East to West, A Tale of Three Rivers

2009-12-19T18:45:00.001-08:00

"Not all those who wander are lost" JR Tolkien

I've wandered quite a bit this last year, and I still feel as lost as I did a year ago - actually no, I have progressed - a wee bit less lost I reckon- so maybe JR has a point. It's exactly a year since I left the tranquility of Spanish life for a bigger challenge and it hasn't disappointed.

I started in Delhi, an incredible city, full of road cows, no laned semi-cars, motorbikes and general human flotsum and jetsum carrying 20 feet towers of rubbish which stinks and honks like a rarely changed cat litter tray and sounds like 7th Avenue New York traffic in the middle of a herd of cattle trying to get through.

From Delhi, I went on a bit of a pilgrimage to Varanasi, allegedly the oldest city in the world. Hindus believe that if you die in Varanasi, you will be given the gift of eternal life, certainly that you will escape the eternal cycle of birth and re-birth, and that is where they go to die.

To me it seemed a little contrived to get on a train in the final days of your life in search of the eternal, but hats off to forward planning.. It is where the families cremate their (dead) relatives and the famous steps are the stairways to heaven. Really an incredible sight and smell - and not as freaky as you would think - it all seems quite normal once actually there.

The Ganges allegedly has the power to cleanse you of your sins. There were hundreds of pilgims there bathing in the river - I dipped my toe in, didn't go the whole hog - it looked truly filthy, which may have contributed to my occasional sinning this year, and a distinct impression that those sins of previous years are still with me.. Next time I'm going in - all the way...

From the holy waters of the Ganges to the not so holy waters of the River Spree in Berlin, which has probably witnessed some of the biggest debauchery on Earth. I had a wonderful time in Berlin, setting up studio for a few months in a puppetmaking workshop and living in a very strange street called Man Devil Strasse, together with an electric organ and a shrine - ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies...

From the Spree I traversed the Atlantic to the Hudson in New York, where I still am, snow mountaining outside, drinking a Manhattanly overpriced Merlot in a Manhattanly overpriced very dark apartment. However, the city has been a constant source of energy for my work and a constant source of inspiration life-wise. It is a city of endless human possibilities, and I fear something of an addiction. Being something of an addicitive character, I'm not sure if I will be able to leave it behind..

Although extremely restless as ever - I drink too much diet coke and smoke too many fags not to be - I am looking forward to a big fat rest. My first engagement of 2010 is as a bridesmaid in South Africa - an unusual thing for me, my motto being "Never The Bridesmaid, Please God Never The Bride". However it is a very special bride, so I shall rise to the challenge and try to restrain my wilder side up/down/over/from behind the aisle..

I would like to sincerely thank all my readers, my amazing friends around the world who deal with all my shit and most of all, those who follow and collect my work and whose continued support enables me to continue to travel, learn, develop and, most importantly, keep on producing work.

I would be delighted to see anyone that can join me for a glass of champagne on the evening of February 4th - you should get there early, I may have downed it all.

Flying Colours Gallery, 6 Burnsall Street, Chelsea, London for my latest offerings, "New Drawings from New York".

I will be in the posh bar nextdoor afterwards to see if I can get kicked out again like I did 2 years ago for unsuitable behaviour. I don't go down well in Chelsea - it should be a good night. Can't wait!

Till then, Happy Holidays as they say in America - I'll be back with new force next year!

"Life is like a pair of pants. If you don't change it, it starts to smell"

Patsy McArthur

Fly In The Ointment

2009-12-08T18:09:00.000-08:00

Life has a nasty habit of kicking you when you're down.. Today a fly fell into a very deep sleep or decided to die on my kneadable putty rubber. What are the chances??? Not noticing, I proceeded to smear disembodied fly legs, thorax and wings all over an almost completed McArthur masterpiece leaving some nasty brown stains that won't come off. Bit of a setback.

I realise I am posting about a fly. So I'm not posting anything else till I've finished the work for the show. I don't want to play out my mental demise online.

If anyone would like a catalogue for the London show just get in touch to patsymcarthur@hotmail.com with your postal address and I will add you to the mailing list. Work will be available for sale from receipt of the catalogue. I will post details of the Private View nearer the time.

McArthur's Review of The Year will be coming shortly - once I've righted myself.

Till then, over and out.

PS. There will be a McArthur masterpiece going cheap with some dead fly attached to it. Mixed media they call it, so I believe.

Time Marches On

2009-12-07T20:10:00.000-08:00

Relentlessly.

I could do with stopping time for a couple of weeks but it seems to be beyond my powers. I was toying with titling this piece, "Virgin Territory" but was concerned that it might be misconstrued. Gang of men running full pelt towards group of virgins lurking beyond the horizon...No....

I am clearly losing my mind. I am, however, more concerned about my face which seems to be suffering from "Tony Blair during the Iraq War" Syndrome. Ie. extremely rapid ageing due to stress. I appear to have aged 5 years in 3 weeks. Is this possible?

Walk The Line

2009-12-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

All in a day's work.

Well, a few days work. I may extend the Line drawing quite considerably if I have the energy at the weekend.

2009-11-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

Day and night in the studio. It's nae warm in Brooklyn these days readers, hence the headwear. I am starting to look and smell like something from Lord of The Flies..Another week or so and I might just grow a beard.

Deadline is now less than 3 weeks.

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.

Yes I can, Yes I can, Yes I can.

2009-11-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

This is the partner piece to Conqueror, not sure of its title yet. Suggestions on a postcard...You know the address.. He is standing on a crumbling grecian pillar - not sure where that came from. These pieces with highly rendered backgrounds are a bit like huge comic book frames I think and are a have a totally different direction from the more graphic work but hopefully there's a cohesion.

The Believe sign is something I saw the other day on the outside of Macy's. It's huge and I suppose it refers to Santa. But it's a beautiful sign and word.
I was having a drunken conversation about self belief the other evening with a pro tennis player. He'd had 8 pints and I wasn't far behind so we were pretty full of it (self belief) but it's an interesting topic, where does it come from and more importantly how to hang onto it.

Guinnea Vision!

2009-11-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

My German friend, the very talented Per Fritsche, has finally got his shit together and uploaded the results of many years of hard graft on his personal vision and mission, Guinnea Vision, a comic series about "a bunch of bitchy rodents who run their own mildly successful TV station, headed by a Swedish Schlager queen named Lavinia."
I remember a couple of years ago in Barcelona when Per told me about his passion for G Ps and showed me his Guinnea Vision original drawings for the first time and telling me that he'd been on this mission for years. The original drawings were amazing and I can only imagine that GV will be a resounding success. Well done Per!!!!

I have been on fire in the studio. Working day and night. New images coming very soon. Over and out.

Nostalgia

2009-11-24T09:04:00.001-08:00

This is one of my favourite self portraits from about 10 years ago. Unfortunately times were tough and I sold it for about 20 quid. Wish I hadn't.
The studio is getting a bit much. I am off to thrill and inspiration seek on a motorbike in Maryland to blow the cobwebs away and prepare the neurons for the final push when I get back.
VROOM VROOM.

La Vie en Bleue

2009-11-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

A long day in the studio. I am toying with putting another figure into this. Initial concerns over the length of Pabs' hair are unfounded - his curls fly in a spectacular fashion. The blue is a lot more difficult to manipulate than the charcoal so it is a bit more of a struggle - but I'm no stranger to struggle..

My approach to the blue drawings is to spray a random line to divide the picture plane and then to draw in the figures to react with the line. And then smoke a fag to react with the carcinogenic aerosol fumes.

I have made the executive decision (not that there's anyone else at McArthur Enterprises to decide for), to scrap the few paintings I've made here in NYC and make the London show purely drawings. Time is against me, and I've never been terribly convinced of my abilities as a painter - I reckon a return to paint should come next year when I'm under less pressure. So the drawings need to be as ambitious as possible and the whole show will be Black and Blue which I think will look pretty damn cool.

Too many frocks spoil the broth

2009-11-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

Sweet JESUS! The DVF sample sale screwed me completely, I should spend more time in Bushwick. The Puerto Rican Tortilla makers had started to wolf whistle me in jest I was looking so rough en and off route to and from the studio... But my dabble in materialsm today in Chelsea has ended badly. My initial plan of a couple of frocks has ended in ... not 4 or 5,................. but 7!!!! And a bag... Woops. Gotta spend it to make it is my philosophy..And cancel the heels..
Sugar daddies apply here please and soon.

Conquered!

2009-11-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

I'm in high spirits today readers! Not only have I conquered the conquerer but I have also started the next new big blue drawing using my Spanish Super Model as muse. He is going to be a winner that is for certain. Although the end is definitely not yet in sight for the work for the London show, there is perhaps a chink in the light at the end of the tunnel, albeit a small one..
To treat myself I have cut the working day short to attend the DVF preview sale to stock up on a couple of new frocks for when I have finished the black and blue period in a month or so and can scrub myself clean and return to my impossibly glamorous self! This is a new work reward system I have devised - another 5 drawings finished and it will be time for a new pair of heels!

Conqueror

2009-11-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

I think it's fair to say I still haven't broken America, although it's useful to note that it still hasn't broken me. I have therefore started this drawing about a man who has. Gotham skyline and grid will be going in below my superhero, who is contemplating his next nove..

Why Am I So Black and Blue?

2009-11-12T17:35:00.001-08:00

Provisional Title for show, "Bruise"
Joking...
There were some humourous references to my Blue Period when I was back in Scotland and it was my creative accomplice Dylan Lisle I believe who came up with the concept. I never take anything he says too seriously but it appears he may have had a point! This is a large 1.25metre drawing in Spray can and a very intense blue pastel and I think the blue has a very seductive quality. Not finished yet, it needs a bit of perfecting, but I think more of this blueness is called for.

The Flying Doctor!

2009-11-12T07:47:00.001-08:00

My dear friend Pabs has flown in all the way from Madrid to help me out with some modelling. He is an International Healer of The Sick so is a great help to an artist in trouble. After yesterday's shoot, we found a huge leg of lamb in the Lower East Side which Pabs seemed to really enjoy..

Sore Fingers

2009-11-09T20:29:00.001-08:00

Got the spray can out again. These are about 1 x 1.25 metres. I am heading back into the blue period though, the blue is out for tomorrow but my fingertips are starting to crack - repetitive strain injury readers - this is a hazardous occupation, on top of the mental trauma there are physical manifestations. I only have two fingertips left.

Invasion ....Again!

2009-11-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

And the beat goes on.... I am revisiting some of the images i was working with in Berlin following the success of my Invasion and Arrival series in the UK. I also visited the George Adams Gallery in Chelsea the other day and George has little positive to say about McArthurs. But he was, I think, pointing me in the direction of less rendering background wise and to stick to what is important, which obviously is an analogy for life as well... Food for thought, thank you, George if you're listening....I have now rid myself of background noise...

Otherworld goes Global

2009-11-04T05:05:00.000-08:00

It would appear that UK band Sennen are McArthur fans!! They have expressed an interest in using my 2007 drawing, Otherworld, as the cover for their new album "Age of Denial" released in March. They have releases in Europe, Japan and the US, they are regularly described as "kings of the NU-Gaze scene" and also have fantastic taste in art it would seem! See link in creative accomplices.

Chaos

2009-11-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

This piece is a new commission loosely based on "Chaos In Wonderland" from about 5 or 6 years ago.

Freefall

2009-11-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Start of a new painting. Not sure which way he's going yet but at the moment he's headed south. I'm planning a mammoth week in the studio, time is running out for me...

Fall Guy

2009-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a strange week readers. I've been a little off centre psychologically (more so than usual) but I've still managed to get this painting done which is the partner piece to the other falling man.

Heroes and Swashbucklers

2009-10-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is the detail of a commission I'm doing for a client in the US. Just an afternoon's work but it's a big drawing. It's going to be similar to a lot of the work I was doing some years ago on heroes and pioneers.

Et Voila!

2009-10-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

This painting is more or less there now.

Paint!

2009-10-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

Started this painting the other day, quite a bit to go obviously. it is the first in a series of 3.

Chasing Tails

2009-10-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

A biggish drawing I've been struggling with for the last few days. Will post again when it's totally done.

Black and Blue!

2009-10-15T10:05:00.001-07:00

Yes, I'm Back! I have made a full recovery and am now fully back to work. My blue period in Scotland has had a more lasting effect than anticipated and I've been experimenting a bit with a very beautiful blue pigment which makes a change from the old routine. My new model and muse is proving a great success - he is High NRG, and hoping he will lend some of that to the new McArthurs.

Struck Down!

2009-09-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have returned from Bonny Scotland but my return to the Big Apple has seen me struck down with a horrible dose of what can only be assumed Swine Flu..On the upside, now is probably a great time to purchase a McArthur as I may not be around for much longer, and my stock could be rising to giddy heights in value. I'm feeling pretty horrendous. Hopefully I'll be back in the studio before long..

Exhibition - Scotland

2009-09-24T02:47:00.000-07:00

Some recent work produced in New York is being exhibited in a group figurative exhibition opening this evening in Scotlandart Gallery in Edinburgh, St. Stephens Street, Stockbridge. I will be in attendance and it would be great to see anyone who would like to come along.

Warm Blue

2009-09-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

I have also inadvertently dyed most of my underwear a strange blue/purple which also could be adding to my blue period - just a reminder to self really.. Infulences come in all directions - colour run.....anyone?

Blue Period

2009-09-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

You can't keep an old girl down.. Incredibly, I seem to be having an unusual reaction to being back in my tierra materna and have entered a new blue phase. I have now arrived in the Capital and having spent the day swatting artistic ideas about with my creative accomplice Dylan Lisle over a bellini or two, I have embarked on a new slightly more abstract approach. Possibly a reaction to the lochside experience, possibly a result of my new nationalistic fervour or possibly simply the booze... Any which way, it's a break from the old routine.

Motherland

2009-09-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm in Scotland for a short break lochside. I probably won't be posting anything while i'm here, although as you can see I find it difficult to put the paintbrush down... over and out.

New Muse

2009-09-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday evening getting some new material on a rooftop in Brooklyn where I did a most productive photoshoot with my new muse Mr. Przemek Godycki. He is an avid extreme kite surfer and despite his strange name, he can jump very well and very high, perfect for the new wave of high energy McArthurs.

I am off to the UK today for a short break and will be exhibiting new work from New York in a show in Scotlandart Gallery in Edinburgh opening on 24th September and also in a show at Blackheath Gallery in London opening 19th September.

New Studio (Not so) Grand Street, Brooklyn

2009-09-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

My fabulous new studio space on Not So Grand Street in Brooklyn. I've just moved in - my 4th work space this year - and best so far. It's got an intriguing sign on the outside - Hellbent I'll - I need to add Break America at some stage..It has an impressive and mysterious pair of wrought iron doors that don't go anywhere, it's pristine white (for now) and it's giving me good vibes which is just as well since I've got to make a solo show in 3 months...

The holiday's over, Let the games begin...

Reception

2009-08-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who made it along to the NYSG Reception on Friday night. Big shout out to Brian Siskind as well who very kindly took some very decent photos for us - check out his link, he does some great stuff producing music and his own fine art photography. It was quite a wild one, I am now in detox and am taking a bit of a break before the next assault on the studio.

Over and Out.

Lonesome and Longer

2009-08-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Slightly better photo of The Road Is Lonesome which in now a fairly hefty 83 inches long. If nobody buys it in the States it will be going to London for exhibition in September, and it's a long way to go for such a long drawing. Place your offers here. It's pretty lonely, have some compassion...

Really don't. the drawing will be fine. Don't feel you have to buy it. And size isnr't anything.

Divergence II

2009-08-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

"Alignment between what you think and what you say, what you feel and what you do, between what you see and notice and your response, is not always accurate. Many times it's even completely broken. Whatever are the reasons for this, it seems like we want everything to be fine with us but without us, without our commitment and integrity.
For mind and heart, listening and speech, thought and emotion, action and reaction can be either opposites or allies, it's also a matter of awareness and choice. Who do we want to please and what for? Are we really choiceless? Divergence is just a portrait about this fine line that divides or unites our beings when relating to others."

This is a pretty interesting concept that the Divergence video is dealing with. Certainly something I relate to a lot. I think I'm spectacularly bad at saying what I mean,or maybe I'm too good at it and even thinking what I mean sometimes is a struggle, and especially when it comes to writing notes, which can possibly turn out offensive when I really mean them to be funny and endearing! Whatever which way, people often seem to react pretty badly towards me when I only really have the best of intentions.

I have just sold a piece of rubbish on the floor - a compositional sketch with a flipflop print on it - I must have stood on it. I need to remember to keep the rubbish that is my working drawings as they could make me a good living - note to self.

The Lonesome Road Gets Longer

2009-08-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

I've been extending this drawing to make the Lonesome Road a bit longer. It's now something of a beast. Will post a better photo later on.

Shit Happens

2009-08-25T05:28:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't do this, but I would like to meet the man(?) who did. This was spotted at 14th Street Metro station this morning - a positive start to the day! Not sure how big my readership is but if you're reading this, grafitero, please get in touch, would you like to go for a drink?

Casa De Rodriguez

2009-08-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

My fantastic neighbour on Stanton Street, David Rodriguez, with his fantastic hats. Check out the link in creative accomplices

Divergence

2009-08-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

A still from a video piece I've taken part in this week, by the Spanish artist Laura Clemente Castillejo - see her link in my creative accomplices. It deals with the differences in what we think and what we say.
Certainly these can be very different, and probably for the best, although some people seem to be better at keeping these separate than others..I'm not so good at it myself.Probably the Glaswegian in me..

Champagne?

2009-08-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

No images to post at the moment. I am finalising things and extending a drawing for the "installation" if one can call it that, I'm setting up for next week's grand Artist's Reception in the gallery.

It's pretty hot out there and am feeling pretty exhausted with it all. I've been pretty productive over the last 8 weeks but I now feel in need of a holiday and am looking forward to a well earned rest in the chilly air of the motherland next month.

I was bouyed yesterday however when someone told me that the air in New York in autumn is just like champagne! What a fantastic simile and NY soundbite to add to the list! I look forward to some headily autumnal days ahead drinking in all that Cristal for free...

Ibn Kendall

2009-08-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

I drank an inordinate amount of Brooklyn beer with the artist/Jamaican goat farmer Ibn Kendall at the weekend. He does some very interesting work - check out the link.

Fall

2009-08-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

"But the young Icarus, overwhelmed by the thrill of flying, did not heed his
father's warning, and flew too close to the sun whereupon the wax in his
wings melted and he fell into the sea."

I've been re-looking at the work of Bas Jan Ader the last week or two - One of the most notable themes of his work is Failure and it is more and more inspiring every time I look at it! See link

The Promised Land

2009-08-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Finally, I've got a title for this piece. I ended up putting in just a very simple slightly curved horizon and it's turned out to be very much a romantic tragic hero on a quest for the sublime. It's got a very old world feel to it as well, not as confrontational as much of my work but I think it's a winner.

Pioneer

2009-08-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

This will be all the figures now. They remind me of the flying geese formation which is coming out a lot in the work at the moment without any specific intention. The furthest forward guy is the Pioneer and this "Pioneer" theme has been around in my work for some years now, in varying forms. Still not quite sure what will happen with the background but this isn't too far from completion now.

Belly Dance

2009-08-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Sung Min Lee has completed my belly button sculpture! Not the prettiest portrait, but I hang desperately onto the hope that it looks better in real life.. Also, it is part of an installation of about 100 belly buttons so hopefully it'll get lost in the crowd!

5 Go To A Sample Sale?

2009-08-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

As I exited my apartment this morning, I rounded the corner to find a huge queue of hysterical and impossibly glamorous women in a line, surrounded by police and photographers. It turned out they were trying to get into the Alexander McQueen sample sale. As I ambled past in my charcoal-stained studio rags, I wondered if perhaps it wasn't only my chakras that were a bit off - were my life priorities a little off-centre as well?

Toying with the notion of going home to change and get in there as well, I pushed on to my nemesis of the week - The Man With Nowhere To Go..And having had a productive day, he is now gathering force if not any particular purpose.

All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go

2009-08-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

This is the start of a very big drawing, about 1.5m square. I went to a psychic this weekend on the Upper East Side to help me with my creative block. She told me my chakras were very much out of alignment! I think I knew that already...I don't know where I'm going or where this guy is going at the moment, so I'm just going to keep drawing more of him in until I realise.

I asked my model if he knows where he's going but he definitely doesn't have a clue. I'm almost tempted to start another blog competition, suggestions on a postcard, but I have a feeling this is one I'm going to have to figure out for myself.

Stargazing

2009-07-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted any new work in a wee while. I am at something of a crossroads at the moment. So last night, I took a time out following a fruitful photo shoot with my new model, a budding astronomer, and took a look at the sky. There are some pretty big distances out there between the stars and the planets readers, a sobering thought and a useful one to acknowledge in the search for inspiration!

Master Class!

2009-07-25T13:03:00.001-07:00

Nope, I haven't gone to the Texan desert via India - this is from way back in March when I was caught by a very enthusiastic local child while on an early morning bikeride in southern India, dragged off to the local school and coerced into giving a drawing masterclass. All very weird, and my students do look pretty bored. I did the best I could with limited resources - a green marker pen and a bit of crumpled paper if I recall - but still - a mcarthur was produced - albeit a green one.. And what's more the president of the village has it..A good one as well, no wonder though, look at my model - adorable!!!!

Desert Storm

2009-07-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

I had the inspired idea last night while having a few drinks of taking my suits out of the city and putting them into a wilderness. And where would the Road be more lonesome than the desert? Suprisingly, this still seems to be a good idea this morning and I am now seriously considering a short trip to Texas which is, according to my new model - a particularly unreliable source, the closest desert to NYC. I've been hankering after getting out of all this concrete for a while and a wee business trip to all that sand might just be the ticket!

Fire!

2009-07-22T12:30:00.001-07:00

I've done a bit of work on this piece again today - up at the crack of dawn - I think it's looking good and just comparing it to the first 42nd Street drawing to see which road is more lonesome - not sure - both are pretty damn lonesome.

There's a fire on the street outside the studio today! - 3 fire engines, a hell of a lot of smoke, hundreds of people and a lot of hysteria! looks like a gang member has set alight a bin - how New York - I love it!

The Road Is Lonesome

2009-07-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

The Road Is Lonesome - yes it is. It seems there's nowhere much more lonesome than these massive intersections of commuters where I've been hanging out. I keep being drawn back to there and these perspectives from street level. So this is the start of the left hand side of a very big diptych which will be about 2.5 m in length.

I'm feeling pretty tearful today readers - a mixture of the torrential rain, the large amount of gangrenous homeless in the subway stations this morning, too many sad Marlena Shaw tracks on the ipod and the melancholy of my new piece.. Pure Sorrow.

Queens Soiree

2009-07-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

I was invited round to a house in Queens on Friday evening for dinner - home of the artists Kate Burnet and Dan Woerner who work on some very wild and interesting projects as collaborators - see link. We had a gay old time and got through a fair amount of wine. Their pad is incredible with an extremely vertical ladder leading to a roof terrace which I scaled in heels every time I needed to smoke. Thankfully the smoking was brought indoors eventually although I still ended the night having a wee snooze in the broom cupboard - such are artists dinner parties I suppose.

Invasion

2009-07-16T13:23:00.001-07:00

My epic version of the jumping rats - provisional title, "Invasion", is gathering force. It's very labour intensive so it's taking a while due to its size and the number of rats involved. It's causing a bit of controversy on Stanton Street and just to clarify they're not Twin Towers jumpers, they're invaders. Just wait till I get that Manhattan skyline in...

I spent a lot of yesterday on my knees getting the material for the next epic 42nd Street drawing - I was knocked over and stood on quite a bit but I think it's going to be worth it - fingers Xed.

Sign Of The Times

2009-07-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

This is more or less done - It's turned out a pretty dark image - no surprise there!But quite a poweful one I think. The building is one I saw in Brooklyn with a huge burnt out Savings Bank sign - very now I thought to myself. I have a huge amount of ideas so best get on with the next - the work is getting bigger and bigger...

Happy Mondays

2009-07-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

I skipped out of bed this morning, buoyed by the barrage of post I had received over the weekend and after briefly toying with the idea of taking the day off, I decided to get back into the studio to crack on with the mission. Besides, I had to get my belly button photographed by my fellow studio partner Korean artist Sung Min Lee for her installation. It looked really disgusting such was the closeupness of the photo but she assured me it was perfectly normal, and I presume she's seen a lot. Her sculpted belly buttons are really pretty cool - I shall post some photos when she's got mine done.

Prepare for a bombardment of postcards this week readers - my real mail obsession is reaching new heights! And what goes around comes around - so they say....

Lightening Strikes Thrice!!!!

2009-07-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

DRUM ROLL..........

Lightning has struck again - I believe I should have more patience!! Three more entries into the Unmissable McArthur Blog Contest! These pearls of wisdom have come in again all the way from Deutschland to help me Break America..

Breaking boundaries to World Party

Breaking A Man Into A Million Pieces -(from my dear confused feminist friend Martina - but which man Martina? - you have to be a bit more specific I think. Surely it has to be a powerful american in the arts - any old man is simply too easy and not fruitful enough..)

And the first American entry

BreakDance!!!! - one of my favourites I believe. Well done Mr. Lubbock!

Which leads me to my thoughts of yesterday. Breakdancing in my storefront studio space could well increase interest in McArthurs. I had also toyed with the idea of racier/more ridiculous outfits to increase interest, thereby aiding in the BA mission. Many thanks and as a goodwill gesture, these entries will also be receiving prizes forthwith, despite the fact they are somewhat late.

WINNERS!!!!!!

2009-07-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Incredible! Just as I was doggedly staggering in off the New York City Streets last night thinking I was going to post something about my life and human expectations being too high, my romanticism always setting me up for disappointment, the fact that nobody understands me etc etc etc. and that I would have to set an end of comptition date for entries as nobody had responded, I entered the building to discover a couple of late, but nonetheless incredibly appreciated entries to the unmissable McArthur blog contest which I have to say have restored my faith in all things human.

And they are therefore the winners, and what's more where have they come from these mysterious entries I ask you readers? Not the UK, evidently where the population is too jaded it would seem to indulge me in my frivolity. Mainland Europe! A German I can understand, but two Spaniards really does surprise me. The days are gone when I refer to Spaniards as being late and useless.

The winning suggestions for Breaking America are: (Forgive the English, these guys are winners)

Breaking your Highhills
Breaking your own prejudices (prejuicios)
Breaquing Childhood Traumas

Tantas Gracias chicas, no sabeis cuanto me hais ayudado hoy con vuestras energias..
Dankescheune Ms. Schlaeger, my german is shit but I appreciate your efforts...

Your fantastic prizes will be in the post swiftly..XXXXX

High Fliers

2009-07-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

I saw these in a gallery in Chelsea the other day, by a Chinese artist who now sadly escapes me. Very beautiful I thought. Very roughly made, but the shadows and the lighting really made them incredible in the space. Not that impressed with the contents of the Chelsea galleries apart from these, they really need some McArthurs in there.. They will realise soon enough I should think...

Record Breaker

2009-07-08T14:14:00.001-07:00

This still isn't finished, there are a lot of areas still to resolve but I've broken the back of it I think. I was going to put more figures or cabs on the horizon but I think I will just fade it to grey and have all those poor suits walking into the mist.

I also may have a buyer for it already, which is positive, as although I STILL haven't broken America - no bloody wonder with the number of entries for my unmissable blog contest, I could possibly break my own sales record for selling something that's not a commission before it's even finished. Those are the benefits of working in a "storefront" I suppose.

Tomorrow I'll get this finished and back onto graffiti to have a bit of fun. No more nightmares so far...

Tuesday Confusion

2009-07-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

This is another very large piece I've started using the material from 42nd Street early hours. I'm trying to have a lot of pieces on the go at one time so it could be a while before anything's finished. It's taking a bit of getting used to working in the fishbowl of the gallery, but it's also a great way of meeting potential clients. The storefront element is a winner I would say. "Storefront" !!, listen to me - I'm yanking up by the day.

It was pretty tough to get out of bed this morning. I had a horrendously disturbing and vivid dream, the content of which I cannot post unfotunately. Trust me, you wouldn't want to know. However, it has motivated me to buy myself a new pillow this evening, which will hopefully calm my troubled subconscious. I can't risk another dream like that one..

Grafitero part 2

2009-07-04T09:19:00.001-07:00

The start of the first big drawing, now I'm installed in the gallery. This is a mixture of spray can and willow charcoal and it's going to be a pretty big drawing. The spray is brilliant fun, my graffiti experience in Berlin has been a good one. The only problem is it stinks and I may poison myself and everyone in proximity. But it's art baby..

Oh The Torment

2009-07-01T07:25:00.001-07:00

I stayed up pretty late last night taking a long hard look at myself, and I'll tell you something for nothing, I'm not getting any younger. I haven't done a self portrait for some years but I'll really have to do them a bit more frequently so I get a few more in before my face falls off altogether.

It was kind of a Wacko Jacko night, as we'd been looking at some old moonwalking footage and I used to indulge myself in late night drawing and Jacko listening as a teenager in my room. All very angsty. So I did it again. Wonderful, apart from the fact that I've been smoking and boozing for 17 years since.

Anyway, if nothing else, it was a good way to have a look and a think about where the fillers and surgery should start. If only I'd had my personal physician on site I could have set him to work straight away.

High Above The Cabs

2009-06-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

One way to avoid the traffic.... Changing the scale of the figure makes this a lot less literal. I am into my new studio tomorrow in the Lower East Side and very excited to be able to work big again. Bedroom work has its pluses - if you're a big sleeper for example - but the minuses are bigger.

It was a big weekend in american suburbia - I was out in Annapolis visiting a dear friend of mine, Josh Stewart, local hack at The Capital Newspaper and came back slightly the worse for wear, and with a black eye. Not another man making an attempt on my life, but a humble fight with a table. The table won. So I'm not looking as pretty as usual - still hot obviously - but with a fair bit of purple on my visage.

The Early Bird

2009-06-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Another early morning sketch. I woke up in The Zone yesterday, so thought I would crack on. This evening I have my first session with a couple of new models - let's see how fast they can/will run and how high they can/will jump........

Blog Contest!!!!!

2009-06-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

I'm launching a blog competition to help with me with my 4 part plan to Break America. Despite breaking various other things since my arrival on Thursday - see checked list - it would seem the country still seems to have eluded me. I know it's only been a few days but I'm not one to let the dust settle under my feet. So I'm asking for help to my readers - if there actually are any - to send their suggestions please on a postcard to me, Patsy McArthur, Apartment 1N, 140 7th Avenue, New York 10011, NY, USA. Obviously, you could just comment on the blog, not that anybody ever does.. But I really just want some good old fashioned mail, and for the doorman to hand it to me.. There will be 2 fabulous, authentic NY prizes - one for the best suggestion and one for the first to arrive. Come on kids, help me out...

The Drowning Man

2009-06-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

After I came back from my dawn excursion up to 42nd Street I came back and did a bit of work! The Drowning Man is an idea that I had many years ago in Australia but I think it came out again this morning after witnessing quite a lot of drowning men uptown. There were drowning women as well of course, but women tend to float better than men. I'm going to go on a dawn excursion tomorrow as well, it seems like a creative time for me.

My delight in the doormen is wearing off. I had to go on a lot of missions today so was in and out a lot and after 7 or 8 "How YOU doin miss"s I had had more than enough..

I was complimented on my english today as well in a shop. It is rather good I suppose, even for a Scot. Thank you Duane.

An Early Start

2009-06-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

I had an extremely early start this morning. My room is at ground level, sidewalk level I suppose one could say and I wake to the loud, babbling nonsense of New Yoykers as they walk past which they do extremely early. So I got up at 5.30 and thought I'd walk up to 42nd street to see if I could get some good shots of the area round Times Square while there weren't many people about.

Not so, it would appear that even at 6 the streets are chocka, which made me think I'd possibly found one of the bullet points to Break America - get up 4 hours earlier than you normally would, in an attempt to make sufficient fistfuls of dollars to survive in this beast of a city, and subsequently be able to break it.

Thereby winning my own contest - joking, I'm not allowed to enter.

Auf Wiedersehen

2009-06-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

I've been moving so fast I almost forgot to post a few farewell berlin words. I had a very interesting time and would like to thank the city and all who sail in her, especially my beautiful friend Martina, my very inspiring catalan friends Maria and Gemma who are the girls behind the wonderful new audiovisual project El Mur and my fabulous new Irish friends, photographer Steve Ryan and rising literary star Conor Jack Creighton, all of whom helped keep me working and entertained.

Meeting of Minds

2009-06-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

My brief Scottish tour is coming to an end as I make the final preparations for arrival in NYC. And no Scottish tour would have been complete without a visit to Dylan Lisle Heights in the capital. Dylan is a very focused and gifted young man whose work you can see at www.dylanlisle.com

More than anything I was supremely impressed with his determination and agility. His ability to paint and more importantly to move around seemed incredible, considering he is suffering from an unfortunate accident which has left the poor boy with a broken leg.

Dylan and I experience much of the same life and work issues and although few conclusions were drawn, a lot of nonsense was talked and fun was had, all disabilities considered.

Healthy competition was one of the topics discussed and although my observation of power struggles was possibly a little dramatic and ridiculed by Mr. L it was clear to me that some form of this exists between us, and indeed between most artists at a similar level career wise.

So, in order to channel the energies of both Lisle and McArthur, we may join forces later in the year in a project which should enable us both to come out on top.

Watch this space.