'London Pub' 11"x 6" Pen & Ink on Paper, 2003

Journal Entry Upon Return:

London, 10 days, too many things to list them all.
Wardour Castle, Wiltshire, 4 days, 2 portraits of Felipe:
One during his performance, one sitting in the castle yard.
His face is changing, more solid, more mature and grounded.
His soul has grown deeper since our first portrait together...
like a different person, or the same but now more knowing,
more accepting and yet fighting even harder.
His spirit is whole, he is a true passion warrior.
He is pure inspiration.
Countless real human beings crossed my path, artists, travelers.
Live recordings of tribal percussion in Africa, pygmy dance performance.
Back in the city, 3 nights of theater in our first 3 nights back;
Tempest, Lion King, Les Miserables.
Each different to the extreme, each extremely moving.
More inspiration.
Tempest blew my mind.
Days are filled with beautiful people and splendid architecture.
Tate Modern 2 full days,
Max Beckmann exhibition; surrounded me in color,
filled me with energy and vision, and hunger.
Pollock Summertime #9a;
Sat in front of this masterpiece for over 2 hours,
drew the patterns, the dancing figures,
like a sweet smooth hallucination on jazz.
Drunken joyful dreadful jazz, and more African dance.
Lee Krasner Gothic Landscape; and I get lost in her
rhythm of the woods, spikes of pain like a barren burned-out prison
and then at the same time freedom and play, child-like innocence.
And the portrait gallery, I see many things,
I sense little competition,
truth is lost in the politics of the portrait,
or it's just a real lack of ability.
I won't allow it in my own life-work.

London will be re-visited.
ian 2003