Work in Progress

What with the UK getting more snow than the Canadians and a hectic work schedule, plus yes, the intrusion of a beautiful lady into my otherwise humdrum existence, I have been a bit slow with new work recently. I would like to think that this is a new style maturing and getting ready to wow the wider world...

In the meantime a small development - a looser style to my big feet people and more overt political caricature. This is still work in progress and needs another pair of figures to complete the group. Title still to be decided - but Brown's Britain is a working start.

The lead figure is a modest likeness of the waste of oxygen and bombast that is Gordon Brown. Following on his coat tails, chasing the handouts that he surreptitiously offers behind his back is that symbol of our times, the hoody. I am particularly pleased with this figure. The body language I hope conveys that slouch shouldered mixture of despair and anger that is the result of no hope and no future which is all GB has to offer the underclass that he has so actively fostered.

The remaining pair is to be the 'lifestyle' single teenage mother - and the unloved and unlovely offspring of this situation, kicking screaming and swearing at the back of this procession.

Overall I think quite a depressing piece, but one that I need to complete. Hope is the greatest human refuge and this appalling governement and its mindless acolytes have destroyed hope for millions, most of all the millions they purport to represent. They have removed any vestige of self respect from a generation of young men and made the young women prostitutes to the State. The handout culture has become a way of life that is surely killing all involved, those depending on it, and those paying for it. That is what I am trying to portray and that is what I want to destroy.

Trials & Tribulations

Well so much for my News Years resolution to post more often... gone already. Simply too much going on in the real world to be pottering about in the cyber world.

What a week - working way too hard - but prevented from burning both ends by the studio being frozen off again. This will mean more heads falling off incomplete pieces!

The wider world also appears to be heading steadily more mad. The level of hypocrisy being reached by the political classes, not just in the UK but Europe more widely is staggering. Greece has only one choice - cuts. Not pretty, but they voted for promises that could never be kept and why should the rest of us bail out the Greek politicians? We have enough bailing out of our own corrupt politicians to be going on with. The news that the anti-corruption watchdog at the House of Commons will cost six times as much to run as it will save is risible. Surely a couple of junior (cheap) civil servants requiring that MPs do as the rest of us and submit receipts for all items claimed is all that is required? Certainly not a 3 day a week one hundred grand a year supremo to make sure that MPs dont misbehave!

The is a wider disinclination to believe that the Nevernever Land of the last decade is finally dead - house prices only ever go up, Gordon will make money appear for his acolytes... well, the falsity of the former is going to make the latter politically impossible. The Tories have yet to realise that we, the plebs, are much less forgiving of sponging and dishonesty now that the house price madness has had a dose of reality poured over it....

Regarding that madness - surely cheap houses are a good thing. People can afford them, they dont get repossessed and people can afford to spend money on things the wider economy offers. Those people who felt wealthy because their houses had gone up in notional value need to remember three things. Firstly,relative to other owners their position has not changed, in fact if they needed a bigger house the differential just got bigger. Secondly that a house is somewhere to live, it costs money to maintain and its not a get rich quick scheme. Finally that it is a horribly illiquid asset - you cant pay for a holiday by selling off half a bedroom...unlike shares which can be readily sold at any time.