Photographers protest in Tafalgar Square

Today professional and amateur photographers protested in London's Trafalgar Square about the increasing phenomenon of police 'stopping and searching' anyone (including tourists) photographing certain public buildings or police officers.
Last week the European Court of Human Rights ruled that this indiscriminate practice is illegal, so the government has appealed.
Meanwhile - be warned!!

Read the story here

'The Welder' - Art of the Day on EBSQ

Yesterday my painting 'The Welder' was featured as Art of the Day on the home page of EBSQ - the excellent site for Self Representing Artists.

Victorian exercise bike

If you really can't face cycling outside in this weather then get one of these gadgets to enable you to exercise indoors:

Aerial Velocipede

Even better than the Ice Cycle I suggested yesterday would be the Aerial Velocipede.
This would be useful all year round. Great idea - pity it never took off!

Ice Cycle

Where can I get one of these?
Just the job for cycling in this weather.
A large spiked wheel, steerable runners, great!

300th Anniversary of Pergolesi's birth

Today is the tercentenary of the birth of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, the 'Father of Comic Opera'.
He only had 26 birthdays while on this earth - if he had lived longer would he have been another Mozart? But then Mozart died young as well at 35.

So here is my new portrait of Pergolesi which I completed last week. I have also published a profile of him on my site www.52composers.com

January anniversaries of famous composers

Here is a list of anniversaries of some prominent classical composers that fall in January:

4/1/1710 Pergolesi born
6/1/1872 Scriabin born
6/1/1838 Bruch born
7/1/1899 Poulenc born
27/1/1756 Mozart born
27/1/1813Verdi died
29/1/1862 Delius born
30/1/1963 Poulenc died
31/1/1797 Schubert born