Arts Portfolio

I went along to Foyles the bookshop in London on Friday in support for fellow writer, Beth Junor at her book signing for ‘Scarcely Ever Out of My Thoughts’. A collection of letters edited by Beth written by Valda Trevlyn Grieve to Christopher Murray Grieve (Hugh MacDiarmid born 1892-1978). Valda married Hugh and in 1932 gave birth to a son, James Michael Grieve. Hugh, like many Scottish writers and poets was political in his views and had a strong belief in socialism. In 1928 he was the founder member of the National Party of Scotland (SNP). Interestingly, later in his life he was to change those views and move more toward Communism, standing as a communist party candidate against the then Prime Minister, Sir Alex Douglas-Home. http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/arts/writingscotland/writers/hugh_macdiarmid/

Valda’s letters convey the self-sacrifice she gave in support of Hugh, in an effort to get him to reach his full potential. Their relationship was based on affection and respect for one another, where they did not compete, as Valda was a spirited lady with views of her own. She was born in Bude, Cornwall in 1906 and was a staunch Cornish Nationalist throughout her life, coming from a poor family, that had a clear sense of loyalty, and who looked after one another in frugal conditions. She returned to Cornwall in order to look after ailing aunts when it became necessary for her to do so. Hugh sacrificed himself for his principles and it was these principles Valda valued. The book gives an interesting insight into the domesticity of their lives together. Valda died at the age of 82 in 1989.

Since the new design of Voodoochilli.net we no longer have a place for the old e-zine, VoodooNews. I thought this might be a nice place to archive it for anyone still interested in giving it a read. Click on the links below to download.

Issue 9 September 2006
Issue 9 is our first quarterly newsletter and therefore has a lot more in it! 25 pages pack full of news, information and all kinds of fun and interesting stuff, this issue is definitely worth a read.

* Art Winstanley’s article, "Blockbusters" gives advice on how to get beyond a creative block.
* We have showcased all of the past news image of the months since July.
* Harry O’Connor’s "My Top 10 Websites" gives a personal insight into various sites around the world.
* Poetry slam has 4 poems from voodoochilli members

Plus all of the usual features

Voodoochilli Art Newsletter Issue 8
IT’S ABOUT TIME!
In our first anniversary issue, VoodooNews, Issue 8 watches the clock.

"Tempus Fugit" weighs how and why we measure the passage of time against how we spend it.

"Where will we be in 12 months’ time" demonstrates how, in the hands of a skilled webmaster, time based statistics can draw from the past to actualise the present and project the future of our internet community.

We’re introducing a feature series of cartoons called "Instant Calmer", "fester aka" is our featured artist of the month and "artman’s alphabet" if out to the letter H.

"Who’s new looks at the artwork of 4 of our newer member and see "community news" for an opportunity to join the VoodooNews Publishing Team.

Continue Reading »

A gathering of Authors congregated to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday at the Great Hall, King’s College, London, yesterday. It was well attended with Authors of all genres, novelists, poets, writer’s of business manuals and crime. A good evening was had by all as we voiced our opinions, listened to a reading by the Poet Laureate, drank endless amounts of champagne and generally got to know one another, so much so that I have been invited to fellow authors book signings.

A friend of mine, Trevor Morris, writes articles for the Dorset Echo. He lives here in France and has written articles almost weekly about the trials, tribulations and joys of living in France. He puts a very humouristic slant on everything, including my art! He intends putting all of these articles in a book and this will be published in the next couple of months. He has written the following article about artists in France in general but includes information about me. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Cathy Savels, www.cathysavels.com

Not so long ago, wealthy families who cast out their black sheep put them on a ship France. Once the ne’er-do-well landed he would make his way to Paris, find himself a garret, buy a set of paintbrushes, and starve to death. Well, in fact it would be a race to see whether the starvation would get to him before the absinthe had a chance to rot away his brain and disintegrate his vital organs.

This was all very noble. It got rid of unwanted relatives, kept a few backstreet cafes in business, and even produced the odd bit of artwork into the bargain. Things have changed. It seems that you no longer have to come from a fabulously wealthy background to become an artist. Anybody can do it, even the working classes. One thing has not changed. They still come to France. Continue Reading »

We all have a book inside us waiting to come out, the question is when and where and whether we wish to embark on such a mammoth task.

Not easily daunted by adversity, I decided to give it a go. Friends have been pushing towards this goal for many years, even hinting that my life would make an ‘interesting read’. But one remark, ‘Just write you life in five chapters’ seemed achievable enough, even for someone like me. The five chapters should just be headlines of your life, and although I struggled with that for a while because I was someone who looked at stories as having a beginning, middle and an end, eventually, I produced one A4 sheet and presented it to this friend. Hmmm she said, ‘it would seem you have a very ordinary life’. “Yes, I have”, was my reply “the usual, childhood, education, marriage, having a baby and current situation.” She laughed, “now go away and expand on those chapters.” Continue Reading »