Look back at 2025

 January 2025. On New Year's Day I made a collage called 'Vote For Pedro'. I have a vague plan to make a collage every month and then add 12 collages together at the end of the year

Jan 2025 got off to a bad start with dental problems. I experienced the worst pain I'd had for more than a decade. A root canal op got cancelled when the tooth cracked open so at least I saved money.

Lloyd Ellis decided to leave the Tate Gallery after 24 years loyal service. I got my talented friends Thomas Hawes and Chris Tosic to help me make a card for him. 

Gordon Beswick and I do a little bit of filming. 

We have a great time in the studio with Micko Westmoreland, Julian Firth, Craig Crosbie, Kevin Eldon and Paul Putner (pictured below). I'd never met Paul before but had always been a fan of his since the mid 90s.

Go to see the feel good film 'A Complete Unknown' and love Edward Norton's portryal of Pete Seeger. 

My first painting of 2025 is a portrait of Roj Blake from Blake's 7. In 2024 I had painted 6 other cast members of the Blake's 7 series. I have yet to exhibit them anywhere. Roj Blake is probably the least successful of my Blake's 7 portraits - I fail to capture the actor Gareth Thomas's character.

Instead of painting characters from Blake's 7 I decide to paint Cows. I find it interesting how to some Cows are just something you can make hamburgers out of whilst in other parts of the world they are seen as Gods.

Febuary 2025 

Sadly much of this month is spent going to the doctors, the pharmacist, and feet experts because of problems with blisters on my toes related to diabetes type 2. 

On a happier note I get to hang out with supergroup The Spammed who are recording a cover of 'Devil Gate Drive' for a new Specialized compilation CD which will be sold in aid of worthy causes such as Tonic and Teenage Cancer Trust. On this occassion thehe band are:

Above: Mick "Woody" Woodmansey (drums), Terry Edwards (sax and flute), Horace Panter (bass) Micko Westmoreland (guitar) plus Paul Cuddeford (lead guitar), Kevin Eldon (backing singing) and below: Hannah Hu (lead vocals)

Also in Feb Gordon Beswick and I do more filming, this time with Eve Ferrett, Gerry King, and Dorian Crook.  

I visit the Heyward gallery for the first time in ages and really enjoy the Mickalene Thomas: 'All About Love' exhibition.

March 2025

John Moore invites me to do a painting of his band Black Box Recorder. I worry that at least one of the 3 members of the band wont like it but he assures me they all love it. A t-shirt featuring my image goes on sale. The t-shirt is aimed at new fans who've become interested after BBR were championed by Billie Ellish. Below is a pic I took of a friend modelling one of the t-shirts for me. They are available to buy from: HERE

April 2025 

Jared Shiller invited me to draw presenters of Watchdog for his new Watchdog fanzine. I was delighted to see my drawing of Anne Robinson on the cover of issue one of 'I'm Not Buying It'.

Enjoy Corin Johnson's exhibition at Fitzrovia Chapel. My nephew Albert films the show (which includes a sculpture of Don Letts) as part of a documentary he is making.

The amazing artist Pierre Julien unveils his portrait of me. I am wearing my work uniform and a lanyard that is covered in badges.

Above: Esteemed photographer Robert Greshoff comes to my flat in Ramsgate and tries to capture my delicate features. The photo is for his 'Kent Artists Project.

Below: Four of my Cow Paintings

May 2025

Main event of May is the Four Elements exhibition at hART's Lane in New Cross.

The 4 person show was praised by Neil Brown for containing  "fun, laughter, pleasure, poetic sentiment, intimacy, and bittersweet reflective melancholy . . . all in the context of a compelling, contemplative engagement." 

It's the first time the painting Rowland Smith and I made of John Cleese and Graham Chapman is exhibited.

The painting of John Cleese was made in 2024 to celebrate his 85th birthday. The painting of Graham Chapman came along a little later. I talk more about the Cleese and Chapman Diptych." HERE

June 2025

(Above): Tate legend Derek Jordan and Rock legend Pete Townshend meet for the first time at a book signing and become pals in the mall.  

In other news I am contacted by a Hungarian man living in Australia whose name is Zoltan he wants to interview me for a website called Neon Vandal. He seems like a good guy. Read the interview: HERE 

July 2025

Above: My drawing of Noel Coward which is titled:

"Work is more fun than fun"

I had a great evening with lovely people celbrating the video promo Gordon Beswick and I made for 'Femme Fatale' by Nigel Planer & The Values featuring Johnny Turnbull. 

Watch the promo for Femme Fatale: HERE

It tells you all about The Specilized Project and the good work they do. The C.D. compilation that features The Spammed performming Devil Gate Drive as well as Nigel Planer sing Femme Fatale is called 'Femme Her Anthem' I bought it and was delighted by it.

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Above: Have great fun organising The Second Ramsgate Affordable Print Fair at The Front Room Gallery.

Above: I spend a very pleasant afternoon with comedian Mark Steel and his co writer Pete Sinclair. Delighted that I'm one of the people they ask to talk about Lewisham with as part of their fantastic radio series, 'Mark Steel Comes To Town' 

Pierre Julien decides to paint my portrait for a second time.

In the 1720s the poet Alexander Pope wrote The Dunciad which was an attack on bad journalists. Nick Revell and the cartoonist Martin Rowson re-wrote the poem as a performance piece for 12 voices called The Untsiad. On the 20th of July I went to The Cockpit in Gateforth Street to see the show. The cast included Stewart Lee, Arthur Smith, Mark Steel, Rosie Holt, Eliza Carthy, Tim McInnerny, Clare Ferguson-Walker, Jack Klaff, Matt Copson, Nick Revell and Martin Rowson. Everyone was great I was very impressed. I took this photo below of Nick Revell just a few moments after he came off stage.

August 2025

Musicians Matt Baxter, Nick Canning, Andrew Mackey, Toni Manuel & Tim Stanley. are also known as 'Mars Analogue' Thir debut album is called 'Ephemera' and it features artwork by Kim James. On Friday 22nd August I was lucky enough to see Mars Analogue do one of their live shows and I was very impressed.

September 2025

Above: On my wau to Tallinn in Estonia. My first time abroad since 2009.

Above: 

Fred-Erik Kerner photographs me giving a speech at the opening of the Nature exhibition. Estonian artist Vano Allsalu will later say that it's one of the best exhibitions of 2025. Tine Frellesen wrote that "The Nature Show explores themes of nature, joy, grief and memory. The 10 artists’ voices blend together like music conveying a variety of experiences and emotions, each representing a personal view of the world and of life."

October 2025 

I went to the wedding of my friends Ripley and Jordan. It was a special day and a splendid time was had my all. Some months back I did their portrait which they used on the wedding invites. It was great to go to their wedding. There was a lot of love in the room.

November 2025  

Rowland Smith and I collaborate on a tribute to The Pogues. Our painting is called, 'Red Roses For Me' 

I first met Billy Childish in 1997 and I interviewed him for Frank magazine. I have interviewed him many times since then. My latest interview with Mr Childish appears in the new issue of Epifanio. You could read it: HERE

December 2025

On Wednesday 10th of December I went to Canterbury to see a very special performance by the fantastic Paul Speare. It was a great evening. I loved hearing him play Jazz on his saxaphone and Bach on his flute and also listening to him talk about recent events. 

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I was sad to hear the news that Martin Parr had died. Almost exactly 12 months previously he took a photo of me. Mr Parr seemed like a very decent fellow.

Roland Gift releases 'Everybody Knows It's Christmas' as both 7 inch and CD single. The video for the single by Team Beswick and Pye gets over 134,000 views in under 3 weeks. Roland is quoted in God is in the TV:  “My favourite bits in the video are Slade and Rupert Bear with a bomb. Team Beswick and Pye did a great job, the video is funny and happy and sad in a way that Christmas day can be.” I've always been a big fan of Roland so it was great to work with him.

Maria Balshaw (seen here admiring my painting of Vincent Van Gogh on his way to work) announces she will be stepping down as director of the Tate after next year's Tracey Emin show at Tate Modern which is expected to be a blockbuster.

So long 2025