Birmingham Tomorrow. Very Exciting

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Birmingham And A New Picture And A Poem Donated




This is Snowy who was a much loved cat. I am including Snowy because it seems that pets are as much missed and grieved for as people. For those who love animals this will seem as common sense, for those who don't this will seem faintly absurd.

I don't have animals, I found my children quite enough. But I do recognise that pets are absolutely fundamental in many peoples' lives and are, consequently, perfect for this exhibition. Grief is Grief, Loss is Loss. I have enjoyed painting Snowy. The end of life of a Living Thing is very profound.

I am going to Birmingham tomorrow. To Queens Foundation in Edgbaston. It is a Theological College and I am very lucky indeed to be going there. On Monday I will address the college, and that will be a learning curve for me. I am addressing highly educated and devout people; I am inclined to think "What do I know?" Well, I know about the paintings, and I know my story. I think I know what I think, but that keeps changing. Perhaps I will just have to admit that I am in a permanent state of flux.

The Poem is written by Jane Eddington and donated to the exhibition. Jane is, amongst other very impressive things, a Clown. She is an insightful and thoughtful and intelligent woman I met at the "A Graceful Death" exhibition in London. Jane has kindly donated this poem about her Aunt and Godmother Liz, who lived a life giving to others as a midwife, while rejecting any closeness and kindness - especially in her final years. Liz had suffered as a child and it left her prone to a devastating depression as she got older. Jane visited her and wrote this poem as Liz was dying.

I hold your hand.
Is it for me...
or is it for you?
does it matter?
I'm not holding on to you
as you turn your back
on the world
your mouth firmly shut...
the only way you can sayno
to life
A life you have been so tired of.
You lie peacefully
so it seems -
a husk left from a life
devoted to helping others
into the world.
It was for you, you said,
for what it gave you,
and that seemed a weight
that lay leaden in you.
I want you to feel
the connection between us
little hand, silky, no longer tanned,
no pressure,
just lightly held
so you know you are
not quite alone
as you go on your way.
You will always be
with me.

By Jane Eddington

The exhibition starts at

Queens Foundation, Somerset Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2QH

Monday 8 March 6 - 9 Opening Night.

I will post all the other details, like open hours and people to contact if you want to come and see. As it is in a College, I think the visiting rules will be different.