- Jane Tomlinson
The terrible price of Kenyan flowers
Read moreNot so long ago, roses were expensive. Now you can get six blooms for £4 at my local Tescos. The real cost of cheap flowers was revealed to me in all its horror in March 2010when we visited Kenya’s Lake Naivasha, a large freshwater lake in the Rift Valley, formerly home to a thriving eco-system, teeming with fish and birds,
- Jane Tomlinson
Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton: Together and Apart
Read moreLast night Moth, Rupert and I trekked down to east London to the O2 arena (the former milliennium dome) to see Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton on stage ‘Together and Apart’. Despite defying the rules of both alphabetical order and talent, Clapton was top of the bill on the hoardings and on the souvenir T shirts. It was clear even
- Jane Tomlinson
Vincent’s DNA exposed in a letter – the artist was prolific letter writer
Read moreNote: The F and JH numbers in this blog are standard references used by van Gogh scholars to refer to specific works, rather like scientists use Latin names to refer to species. The Real Van Gogh: the Artist and his Letters Today, 29 January 2010, I went to see The Real Van Gogh: the Artist and his Letters exhibition at
- Jane Tomlinson
Van Gogh’s Letters: the books
Read moreAfter 15 years of work, the Van Gogh Museum has published an astonishing six volume set of the complete letters of Vincent van Gogh. Building on the groundbreaking work done by the late Jan Hulsker, the authors have set a standard in art publishing that it’s hard to see will be bettered. A more thorough piece of work is hard
- Jane Tomlinson
With Gauguin in Brittany
Read moreThis year has been a bit of a Paul Gauguin year for me really. Here he is. ...
- Jane Tomlinson
Making a drypoint: Still life in Eynsham
Read moreI’ve just finished making a picture, called Still life in Eynsham, a portrait of the village where I live. I’m calling it Still life in Eynsham because that’s what it is: a series of elements fitted together to produce a pleasing arrangement in exactly the same way you would a still life of fruit, flowers or similar. I like the
- Jane Tomlinson
God bless Lynyrd Skynyrd
Read moreOn Thursday night we went to see Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd perform at Birmingham’s NIA. Their heyday was the mid 1970s, during which they produced two of their best-loved songs, Sweet Home Alabama and Freebird. I confess I find all that long, flowing hair, cowboy boots and twangy, jangly insistent and riffy guitar absolutely irresistible. If you’re thinking “hang
- Jane Tomlinson
Paul Gauguin’s grave
Read moreOn the Marquesan island of Hiva Oa artist Paul Gauguin is buried. I’ve had a strange relationship with Gauguin over the years; I’ve admired his single-minded vision, his bold compositions loaded with meaning and his dazzling use of colour. But I’ve always been uncomfortable with his abandoning his family and taking teenage Tahitian brides, and blamed him for the sharp
- Jane Tomlinson
Jacques Brel’s grave
Read moreJacques who? I knew nothing of Jacques Brel until I kept bumping into him during my research into the Marquesan island of Hiva Oa. In the French-speaking world singer-songwriter Brel is as famous, as legendary and revered as perhaps Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen is in the anglophone world. Such is his popularity he has sold 12 million albums in
- Jane Tomlinson
Tikis at the edge of the world
Read moreThe French Polynesian islands of the Marquesas, make up the archipelago farthest from any continent in the world, lying more than 3000 miles from Mexico. Being so remote and isolated for so long, the islands are home to rare flora and fauna. The archipelago was first colonised by people in about 100 AD, probably by Samoans. The people remained neolithic
- Jane Tomlinson
Quagga – a great striped hope
Read moreOne hundred and twenty-five years ago today, on 12 August 1883, the last quagga died in Amsterdam zoo. ...
- Jane Tomlinson
Carlos Santana, right in front of our eyes
Read moreLast night at the NEC arena in Birmingham, Moth and I had the good fortune to be right at the front at a Santana gig. And I mean right at the front, pressed against the crash barrier there he was, ...
- Jane Tomlinson
The hills are alive with the sound of birdsong
Read moreWe got back from Sardinia at the end of last week after nine fascinating days. From my point of view there's plenty to see and do. We did a good deal of stone-hugging; ancient monuments litter the mountainous landscape. Here's me at Li Lolghi tomba ...
- Jane Tomlinson
Neil Young at Hammersmith Apollo
Read moreThe day finally arrived when we would see legendary Canadian musician ...
- Jane Tomlinson
A moment with David Attenborough
Read moreLast night I dreamt me and Moth arrived in New Zealand and met David Attenborough, who was expecting us and greeted us like old friends. He took us to see an elephant seal colony… Fantasy perhaps, but today part of that dream came true… I met my hero, David Attenborough, at a book signing at Borders in Oxford. When last
- Jane Tomlinson
Vincent’s harvest landscape
Read moreI’ve been working on this painting Vincent’s harvest landscape since October and I’ve finally completed it: It’s based on Vincent’s own painting Harvest landscape which he painted in July 1888. His painting is such a joyous celebration of the landscape to the east of Arles and I find it deeply moving. I could dissect it for you and tell you