War Requiem

Fabulous interview at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival with Maggi Hambling, the contemporary artist.

I fell in love with her! She walked onto the stage as a great solid presence and glowered at the audience. The interviewer, Nicolette Jones, did a valiant job but didn’t stand a chance! However I did feel that under Hambling’s gruff, abrupt exterior there was a very pleasant, open and warm person with a wry sense of humour. As evidence of this she immediately shook hand with the chair at the end knowing she had used her for comic potential.

Quite early on I gave up taking notes but just scrawled the odd quote. On a picture that had gone wrong “Stanley knife time”. On the pictures she had painted of George Melly after he died leaving her studio for an exhibition “Face it Maggi, George is dead”.  On painting “I try to get the paint on the move” and “I am a manual worker”.

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