Andrews Birthday Blog 2018

THE SHOCK OF THE NEW

I wasn’t sure that I would actually be alive to celebrate this birthday. The cancer, the surgery and the chemo left me in some doubt as to how long I would survive. But thanks to the excellent NHS care at St Georges Hospital and, in particular, thanks to my brilliant surgeon, Mr Alex Chung and my equally brilliant oncologist, Dr Fiona Lofts, I’m still around and working to boot. In fact I’m feeling so good that I’m now planning a big exhibition for my 80^th birthday a year from now. That’s what this blog is primarily about. So you’ll forgive me for not talking about the various “block buster” exhibitions and “5 star” films to which I’ve unfortunately subjected myself since I last wrote to you.

My work has changed and is changing still. Depicting the world as it appears no longer interests me. Though I still see the beauty of the world the images that I must now make are about my inner being. I have to drag these images out in order to confront myself with them. I shall write more about that in later blogs.

I’m showing you one piece now as a taster of what is to come. I’ll send more in the later blogs to wet your appetite.

I can’t tell you when exactly the exhibition will take place or where it will be, but you can be sure that it is going to happen. It will, most probably, be somewhere in central London and definitely early in 2019. I understand that the National Gallery isn’t available but any other ideas as to where an octogenarian painter could exhibit his work would be welcomed.

You will receive an invitation. I hope that you’ll be there.

A warning; if you think you know my work you should be prepared for The Shock of the New.