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June 2016 Newsletter
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Welcome to the June edition of the Jack Russell Gallery newsletter.
We hope you enjoy reading about what we’ve been up to.
Jack Russell MBE
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SUMMER'S HERE!
Summer at last! Which means two things to me. Firstly, the colours change on my palette, and secondly, the cricket season gets underway!
We've had an enjoyable and busy Winter at The Gallery. A big thank you to everyone who has added one of my pictures or books to their collections. We couldn't do it without you!
In between painting it was great to watch England playing so brilliantly in South Africa. It brought back many happy memories for me. I lost count of the times people came up to me and reminded me of the Johannesburg test match from 1995. It was a special time, not just on the cricket pitch as I also remember spending every minute I could between matches visiting all the battlefields, such as Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift and Spion Kop. The landscape is perfect for an artist. Rugged, made more beautiful by the constant storms and showers that liven up the colours. And the wildlife is just amazing!
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Everytime I think of Africa I get an unquenchable urge to go back and paint.
It's a magical place.
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Early Season
I spent some of the early matches this year working with the Middlesex wicketkeepers. I've been involved with them the last 3 or 4 years. My old room mate Angus Fraser invited me to help. Well, he didn't invite me exactly, more like told me I was doing it. He's twice my size so I couldn't argue. Not that I did, I am happy to oblige. I think he's still suffering from the times when he had to put up with me on tour. I used to take over the room, aquiring all the wall space for hanging canvases, lampshades (for drying) and the bathroom for washing cricket kit. Our room used to look like a cross between an art gallery and a chinese laundry. I think he's still suffering from the paint fumes!
One of the early season matches for Middlesex was at The Parks in Oxford. One of my favourite grounds. The old wooden pavilion has a lovely traditional feel to it, inside which the walls are wood panelled with names in gold leaf of all the Oxford Cricket Blues going back generations. I never tire of going there.
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LOOKING AHEAD
Sri Lanka are here this Summer, along with Pakistan, to play England. Both teams evoke wonderful memories for me including a few firsts. My first tour with England was to Pakistan. I only played 3 days cricket in 8 weeks but I loved every minute. I was reserve keeper to Bruce French, and with not a lot to do between practise and matches I spent all my time out and about with my sketch book. All the sketches that I did that trip formed the basis of my first exhibition in 1988. The forty sketches sold out in two days, so my career as a professional artist was born!
I made my first class debut and test debut against the same team, Sri Lanka. My county debut was at Bristol in 1981, while still at school. My test debut was at Lord's in 1988. I can still remember vividly walking through the Long Room then running out onto that lush green turf with three lions on my chest for the first time. Two boyhood dreams coming true. Priceless.
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Back on Tour!
We're on tour again this Summer with our exhibition. Thank you to all the Counties and Clubs for your invitations to visit this year. There have been so many that it's not possible to fit everyone in, so I apologise if we can't make it to you this year, we'll try and make it to you next Summer. We're looking forward to visiting some delightful venues, including Guildford, Richmond, Scarborough and we're back at Cheltenham after several years of missing the Festival.
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WHEN & WHERE
2nd-4th July Guildford CC, Surrey
8th July Richmond CC, Middlesex
13th-15th, 17th, 20-22nd, 24th July
Cheltenham Cricket Festival
23rd-25th Scarborough CC, Yorkshire
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Sky sports Portrait
We're bang in the middle of making a piece with Sky Sports about my career as a cricketer and artist. We should finish filming by the end of June, with the finished work being shown during the Summer. It involves filming me painting a new portrait from my playing days and will be unveiled at the end of the programme, so look out for that!
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Bradley Stoke Cricket Club
We're also having a large exhibition at Bradley Stoke Cricket Club near Bristol on the afternoon of the 5th June. It's their 25th Anniversary day of special events for the local community. We did a similar exhibition the day they were born 25 years ago, so we're delighted to be invited back.
For details visit bradleystokecc.co.uk
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Good luck !
Good luck to all cricketers for a summer filled with plenty of runs, wickets, catches and stumpings! Have a great time both on and off the field.
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Limited edition print measuring 23" x 33" and signed by Sir Colin Cowdrey, Lt Col JR Stephenson, Brian Johnston, Godfrey Evans and Dickie Bird
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High definition Giclee print measuring 21" x 29". "I wanted to paint a quintessentially English County cricket festival ground”
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