Jo and Adrian Darley: (London)
I had a solo show on the King's Road at Tullo Marshall Warren. Kendall Langford saw my work, and came to my studio. She told her friend's Jo and Adrian about me. And in a telephone conversation Kendall warned me that Jo and Adrian take their time to make decisions for they are rather indecisive. Ironically they made an appointment to see and visit my house in less than a week.
Jo and Adrian told me that they had been looking for art for over two years and that they had been to over fifty galleries in the States and many more in Europe... but never found any thing that they both loved and could agree on.
Winters Day. oil on canvas. 40 x 54 inches. 1998-99. Sold
Private Collection of Jo and Adrian Darley - London
Like children in a candy store my wife and I showed them paintings that we had stored in a spare room. Everything we pulled out to show them they instantly loved. It made me so happy, my blood turned into a rainbow of sunlight.
After several hours of pulling out paintings. It got progressively harder for them to limit themselves to one or two paintings. By the end of the night they managed to limit themselves down to eight paintings that they seriously were considering. In an effort to make sure that they would did not rush into selecting inappropriate work I offered to move all eight paintings to their home for a two week trial period.
Willow World. oil on linen. 30 x 62 inches. 1999. Sold
Private collection of Jo and Adrian Darley - London
At the end of the two weeks I went to their home to see which paintings they wished to purchase. For two people that had actively searched for several years for art with little to zero success... I was amazed that they had decided on four paintings.
One of the works they decided on was the red Willow World painting. This painting had taken me three to four months to complete. In fact it has another painting underneath it and is signed upside down on the top left hand corner. The painting has approximately twenty five layers of oil paint and is very textured. It was very hard to part with this work for I consider it to be one of the best paintings I have completed. I would have loved to have shown this in a gallery, but I feel in my heart that it has found it's home. And I feel warm in my soul that Jo and Adrian have it on a beautiful white wall in their bedroom.
Willow World. oil on linen. 42 x 78 inches. Dec - April 2000. Sold
Private Collection of Jo and Adrian Darley - London
There is a little story behind the Ice-Field painting (below) - that I would like to share with you. When I came to London I arrive with what I could carry off the plane (some money, cloths, and my paint brushes and some tubes of paint). One afternoon Erika and I were walking in Covent Garden and I passed by a hair saloon called Konards.
It had the nicest blank white wall at the back of the shop. Having only just arrived to London and not having a place to paint, no job, no home. I decided to return to that hair saloon and show the owner some photos of my work when I had settled. Five weeks later I return with my portfolio to show Greg the owner my work. The next day he drove over to my house and purchased three or four paintings. A month later the Ice Fields painting was stored in the basement of his saloon.
Ice-Field. oil on canvas. 40 x 60 inches. Fall - Winter 1998. Sold
Private Collection of Jo and Adrian Darley - London
Jenny Stein (she used to run the WhiteChapel Art Gallery) visited Greg, and he showed the Ice-Field painting. She sat in front of it for thirty minutes with out a sound, then said 'Excellent, Greg I think you have found a great painter.' As a result of her comments I managed to sell 38 works in less than three months. Her comments and Greg's help resulted in paying for our wedding and furnishing our home in London. It is amazing how people respond when a certain individual passes judgment on a particular thing. Regardless I will always be thankful to those individuals who have helped and encouraged me.
Seasons. oil on linen. 32 x 70 inches. Fall 2000. Sold
Private Collection fo Jo and Adrian Darley - London
Jo and Adrian's collection consisted of paintings and no drawings. The drawing below was one of several gifts to compliment thier collection of my work. To be honest I feel rather feeble with paint, and rarely feel any level of satisfaction when it comes to painting
But I have always felt more accomplished with a pencil and piece of paper. Perhaps it is the lack of expectation that accompanies drawing that has lead me to feel less judgmental and more personal satisfaction in drawing. When you paint, you add color, mixing mediums, and countless expectations for it to be good. If a drawing fails, you merely throw the paper in the garbage and try again. I have always loved drawing.
Family Tree. pencil on paper.
thank you.