It’s exactly a year now since the first moves were taken nationally to combat Covid 19. In one sense, not much has happened since then, particularly in my personal life and work. Basically I’ve done nothing of significance, although merely surviving until my second anti-Covid vaccination took effect in mid-January was a major pre-occupation and of some personal significance.

After the loss of much of my oeuvre in the autumn last year, bringing my studio back into operation has been and still is my major physical task. We’re nearly there. It is now not just vermin-free but actually clean. Several wheelie-bins of rubbish have been removed; a new arrangement of the furniture is well in hand and already the concept of painting on the long wall is physically in place. Now that I realise that I am the only person I am painting for and that there is no-one out there who I am painting for, I’m going to paint big pictures again. I can do that because I no longer have to worry about the logistics of moving works around from exhibition to exhibition. There ain’t not goin’ to be no ‘bishuns.

One more day’s work should see the place ready to start painting in it again, with all my paints, brushes and other supports in beautifully organised order. It will be interesting to see what transpires artistically – but only to me.