He's Here At Last

Bob arrived in Avignon at long last. He contacted me using his new paws friendly IPhone and asked me to meet him at the TGV station.

His train arrived on time but there was no sign of Bob. I had visions of him being carted off to Marseille which is not a good place to be for a young bear to be. ( You have got to be joking!...Ed)
Therefore I boarded the train in case he needed help with any luggage. I could hear music coming from the bar and cafe so I made my way upstairs quickly.

My fears were groundless. Bob was sat on the bar surrounded by a group of very attracitve( i.e. hot!) ladies who were hanging on his every word. He  was surrounded by an even greater amount of empty wine & beer bottles. Bob wasn't for leaving so I yanked him off by his ear which he had so nearly lost in the Yucatan last year. Bob was less than impressed by this unseemly exit and the loss of face it could entail.

However, when I explained that Avignon is surrounded by vineyards and has dozens of restaurants and bars, not to mention an abundance of attractive females, he cheered up no end. Apparently he had no luggage apart from his satchel, IPad and his overnight bag.

I managed to smuggle him into his/our room without the management spotting him. Many of the staff at the hotel remember his infamous escape from the hotel, last year, using knotted bedsheets. I hope having him in the same room as me will curb some of his social excesses in the furpots of this peaceful Provencale city.

Once inside Bob headed for his bed for his afternoon siesta. Before dozing off he asked me to post another painting. Therefore we present " Village Andalucia", oil on canvas from before 2011.

Still No Sign of Bob

Despite promises to the contrary Curly Bob has not put in an appearance in Avignon where I am waiting for him. This is not such a bad thing as we are staying at the same hotel as last year and regular readers of this blog will remember there was a certain amount of confusion concerning the bar and accommodation bill. (i.e. They were both unpaid) This resulted in bob spending some time in the local pokey. I am not unduly worried as the route taken by the train runs down the Rhone valley which is renowned for having some of the finest vineyards in the world and we are fast approaching the wine harvest.

This morning my in box contained a directive to post material from 2013 and earlier to clear the way for my more recent efforts. I have taken an executive decision to post material on a more regular basis to enable me to clear the backlog.

New Work On Show At Botany Bay This Weekend!

This is my latest painting of a well known local landmark. It is called "Winter Hill, Evening Mist". It is an acrylic painting on canvas at 60cm x 50cm. It is not framed but is finished on all four edges so you can hang it as it is or have it framed to suit your decor.
It is on sale at Botany Bay Mill Shopping Centre, Canal Mill, Chorley, PR6 9AF and can be viewed on the third floor landing of the north facing staircase.

For details of Botany Bay see http://www.botanybay.co.uk/

All feedback welcome and I answer all enquiries as soon as I can. 
vanbear7@gmail.com

Going South!

Curly Bob has mailed to confirm rumours that he is going south. Readers might be forgiven for thinking this refers to his character but he was in fact letting me know he has set off for the South of France and will meet up with us on our annual holiday to Avignon in Provence. He has been attracted by the promise of late September/October sunshine and to clear his head.

This is not entirely surprising considering he has been holed up in the coffee shops of Amsterdam together with his rescue parties, for some weeks now. Bob found some of the clientele in the said coffee shops to  be below what he considers to be his social standing ( Wonders will never cease...Ed)

I shall be setting off without delay to head him off before he gets into any more mischief. His message was delayed in transit so I expect him to be there when I arrive.

The final part of his missive was an instruction to post "Village Aux Montagnes" without delay to set a Provencale tone to the upcoming postings. This was an oil on canvas from several years ago.

Still Missing (Including The Search Parties!)

Avid readers of Bob's exploits on this blog will recall he went missing during our holiday in Amsterdam. He was last seen making his merry way to a local "coffee shop" ostensibly to make new contacts in the art world. Now our law abiding readers may not be familiar with the social setup in Amsterdam.
Basically if you want a drink of coffee, a meal or drink of a "normal" nature in this beautiful city then you go to a cafe. However if you are seeking refreshment of an altogether different variety( i.e. what would be illegal in most parts of the world..Ed) then you go for a "coffee shop" I am told that on emerging from such a visit you may be so laid back the limbo dancing under a door is no real problem.
Requests for search parties were flooded with volunteers many of whom have not been seen since. No doubt Bob will be safely back home when he returns to planet earth.

Meanwhile I have taken an executive decision to post "Niklik", for Yvonne wherever she is now. A watercolour from 2008.

Still in Amsterdam

Yet again I am concerned because Bob has not come back from holiday after some 2 weeks. He went with us to Amsterdam by train but we went our seperate ways soon after arrival. Apparently Bob was very interested in locating some coffee shops.???

After making some enquiries it seems that coffee shops in Amsterdam are not primarily purveyors of coffee. I have since learned ,for that, you need to visit a cafe. A garbled email from Bob said that his research was going well and he was sampling lots of the local produce. Originally I assumed this was a reference to the excellent apple pie and cream sold by many Amsterdam cafes but now I am not too sure.

The wording of the email and the repeated references to "cake" lead me to fear the worst and that Bob is now actively engaged in trying out the local produce.

While the problem is being resolved I have taken an executive decision and now publish "Cwm Idwal", an acrylic from 2014. It is fitting to choose a Snowdonia scene as we plan to be leaving some paintings at St David's Hospice Shop in Lllandudno on Sunday. 2 will be views of Snowdonia  and 2 from Provence. All works will be published in this blog in due course.

Getting Ready For His Holiday!

Curly Bob called home this morning to tell me he is going on a holiday . he has been working very hard for his constituents and promoting his Art Emporium at Botany Bay, Chorley showcasing my paintings. Regular readers of this blog will be aware that there could be percieved inconsistencies between Bob's track record so far and the concept of hard work. (You can say that again...Ed).

However he has been very active in promoting my work and he tells me his fur is in need of some sprucing up which usually requires some sunshine and a great amount of partying. I reminded him of the unfortunate incidents in the Yucatan and the fact that the French Authorities are still looking for him. Indeed they have promised him that a room awaits him solely for his own use but the view might not be what he has become used to.

Bob assured me he will be on his best behaviour at all times. Meanwhile I am instructed to post a new work that I completed earlier this year.

So here is "Le Sentier Au Village", an acrylic on canvas from June 2015.