Born Free

 

One of many paintings that I made of my three children almost forty years ago.

Court documents relating to my fight for their right to a father.

My last week has been spent monitoring the track tropical storm Bret and wading through a stack of court papers that relate to the children of my previous marriage. 

There are millions of similar parental alienation cases worldwide, but mine has the distinction of being one of the worst on record. The fact that it happened in what are perceived to be the idyllic British Virgin Islands, doesn’t help matters. In 1990 I published a small booklet that told of my experience under the Guardianship of Infants Act, Cap 233. My children were then aged two, four and five. For the the sake of others in the same predicament, I am urged by human rights organisations to bring the story up to date.

The UK study on Parental Alienation  is essential further reading.

Exhausting all possibilities

Portrait by Leonardo da Vinci (Circ. 1506/8)

Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of a young woman with dishevelled hair (hence its nickname, scapigliata) dates from when he was devoting most of his time to inventions. Art critics have bemoaned that in his later years he neglected painting in preference for other pursuits. But I can understand that he may have felt to have exhausted all possibilities. I feel the same about pursuing further my paintings in the series Daughters of the Caribbean Sun. 

Within the creative soul there is the need to move on.

The Creation of Eve in a Caribbean Garden of Eden

This short video, The Creation of Eve in a Caribbean Garden of Eden, begins with the sculpture I made of my model Verlena and ends with the same model, in the same pose, for the segments of a painted screen.  

We're both too old...

Me and my 50+ year old Land Rover

I have before me a book titled: The Maintenance and Running Repairs of Motor Cars by Eric W. Walford. It dates from 1915 and the author intended it for those of modest means who cannot employ a chauffeur. I'm not sure how it came to be handed to me. My father was only four years old at the time of publication, but my grandfather Enoch - a man of many parts - may have been the original owner. 

The book came to mind last week in my attempts to insure and tax my 50+ year old Land Rover. For the insurance companies, either the vehicle was too old, or I - at approaching 80 - was too old, or collectively, we were both too old. At the eleventh hour, one company relented and we're good to go for another year. I did better when I drove into the testing bay. The examiner waved my through with the words, "A vehicle that looks as good as that doesn't need testing!".

If given the tender loving care she deserves my Land Rover will still be on the road long after my time, and long after today's imported vehicles are on the scrap heap.

Eric Walford's book covers wooden spoked wheels. It's a pity I was not around 100+ years ago, as the making of wooden spoked wheels is within my capabilities, as shown in the picture below.

A 30" diameter wooden spoked wheel that I made for a traditional handcart.