London calling
Monday, July 26, 2010 at 09:39AM Summer has brought me a commission to do a religious painting for a private patron in Glasgow and this is to be followed by a series of nine Burns paintings, based on his performing life. This is a project I’ve had in mind for some time and I now have an opportunity to do it. I’ve finished the ten sketches, and now all that awaits is the execution – not mine, I hope.
We've had a couple of sorties to London too. The most recent was for the London book launch of my latest book, 'Greasepaint Monkey' An Actor on Acting. It was attended by a mix of actors, friends and book publishing people. I did an ad lib show for half an hour, based on the book, which seemed to go down well. Then Alannah and I went out into the sun, before losing ourselves in the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, which was a joy.
A link to my tribute to the great Ray Harryhausen
Our previous London visit was to the BFI where I was asked to speak at the Ray Harryhausen tribute. Harryhausen is now 90 and the godfather of stop motion animation in film. He did 'Jason and the Argonauts' as one of his many films and I was to speak as 'Hylas' about what it was like to work with a non-existent monster. The kings of Special Effects had flown in from all parts of the world with filmed tributes from Spielberg, James Cameron, George Lucas and Ray Bradbury (Harryhausen's lifetime friend) no less. I was especially pleased to meet Peter Jackson, who had flown in from New Zealand to present a special BAFTA award to Harryhausen. It was a huge event, which was great to be part of.
On the writing front, Alannah has just finished her solo stage script on Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, ‘The Rose and the Raven’. It’s now in the producer's hands. He is arranging for it to be performed in French at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Festival he’s holding in Perpignan next year. We are also looking for a life for it touring Scotland before or after that as a double bill with the solo I’ve written on Charles Rennie Mackintosh, ‘Seeing Green’. We don't intend to perform them ourselves, spending our time instead writing more scripts for theatre, film, radio and television.
Anyway, it’s good to be at home again. On a recent visit to the John Lewis department store in the City Centre, I found it difficult to get out in the maze of passageways, stairs and escalators and I asked the first staff member I could see how to get out. She was a comfortable little Glasgow woman, who merely grinned at me and said ‘Ye’ve nae chance! Once we get ye in here, ye’re stuck!’ Then she laughed and pointed me to the right stairway. That’s Glasgow for you.
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Alannah has just finished her solo stage script on Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, ‘The Rose and the Raven’. It’s now in the producer's hands. He is arranging for it to be performed in French at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Festival he’s holding in Perpignan next year.