Philip Aspden
I have known Philip for many years. I was just 20 and had just arrived in Kings Cross. I entered an exhibition, and he was in it (both looking at the art to decide who to vote for for "People's Choice", both too innocent to vote for ourselves. We met, we voted for each other, and then he suggested we go for a drink at a pub he knew.
A couple of weeks later he invited me to take a room in Jake's Monastery. The Monastery was neither religious, nor reputable. It was in fact a rabbits warren of tiny rooms inhabited by artists, writers, musicians, and other bohemians. I thought it was heaven.
Phil was, and is, an artist. A very good one. But unfortunately too left field for a fashion driven art world. He paints delightful creatures like the Fumbly and writes poetry and songs about them.
This Fumbly painting had been on my wall for the last four years. I love it, and so when Phil said he needed it back to sell, I bought it from him. Of course as happens between artists, especially ones who are long term friends, it became a practical swap of some stretchers for the artwork, otherwise artists would rarely be able to afford to buy any art, so I am grateful that I could do this and Fumbly will grace my wall for many years to come.
Take a look at some more of Phil's artwork at his new web site.
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