Perous Secret Diary - Keep Out: March 01, 2007

shut the door and padlock

i'm not sure how a hotel gets it's stars.
the gainsborough in knightsbridge claims to be a 4* hotel but it felt more like a 2.

i had the pleasure(?) of staying there last night.
after a few ciders with paul, apres the long (gnarly) day at the office.

woke up with a beard.
drove to tescos and bought the contents of a new overnight bag to be left in car at all times: toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, razor, shaving foam.
went back to the gainsborough and sorted myself out a bit.
checked out and drove to oxford street.
bought shirts, pants, socks.
got changed in the car.

felt fresh and human again.
i'll be more prepared for unexpected overnights in future.

today i met and photographed one of my all time heroes: the artist 'paula rego'.
i saw a show of her's at the serpintine gallery in 1988(ish) with my friend wayne, and i have been a HUGE fan ever since.

today was the first time, in a long time, i've been REALLY excited about meeting someone.
photographed her at her studio in north london which was full of amazing props and models and 'things'.
i had a GREAT time: such an honour to meet her.

bizarre connection there to roman dirge...i'm going to get her a copy of lenore.
and i never knew her son in law was 'ron mueck'.
an art power house/ family dynasty to be...

photographed paula with another artist 'cathie pilkington' whose work is also fantastic and who i was also very happy to meet.
i'm in awe of proper artists who can make stuff without machines (like cameras).

i'm inadvertently doing a series of notes people leave themselves (following the note in prof.magdi yacoub's lab the other day).
this note was on the back of paula's studio door.


next photographed the journalist 'kate spicer' whose articles i've illustrated many times but who i'd never met until today.
shot outside in the freezing cold in a howling gale.

drove back to the farm via two labs.
noticed the children.

spent 6hrs stuck on my office chair retouching and printing like a nut-nut.
11 of my recent shoots (including tuesday's and TODAY'S) have to be into the magazine they are for, tomorrow.

managed to put maximum down for the night.
he asked me where i'd been last night and i explained that i was too tired to drive home so i had to stay in a hotel.

he said, 'you need a batmobile, so like batman, you could sleep in the back while you were being driven home'.

'what?' i said, 'like the batmobile would drive itself?'

'no...robin could drive it for you...robin used to be a toy, but batman pressed the button on his side and robin grew and grew until he was big enough to drive batman home when he was tired'.

'oooohhhh...brilliant idea'.

maybe frances could learn to drive and i could get her to wear a robin outfit and drive me around.
my son IS a genius.