Last week, National Grid dug up the street where I live. Traffic drove over the footpath spreading claggy clay mud everywhere, the drill sounded like a headache and my concentration packed its bags and departed for somewhere sunny. It was time to do something to stop me making excuses and kick me into action. Luckily, I had an invitation to an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Christopher Fiddes, organised by Primrose Gallery and held at The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Museum, 78 Derngate, Northampton.
Whenever I feel I'm stagnating and my ideas are getting stale, a trip to an art exhibition is bound to get my imagination working and give me a fresh outlook. I've known Mr. Fiddes a long time, and his work never disappoints. He is renowned for his large mythological or allegorical paintings, and some of these are included in the show, but there are also preparatory drawings for larger works and many monochrome studies. Somehow, even when depicting a single figure, Chris still manages to convey an atmosphere that suggests something has just happened or is about to occur. That, combined with the lively conversation, really sparked ideas for new writing and gave me the impetus to get on with it. 
The exhibition runs until 6th April 2014. Many thanks to Chris Fiddes and Neil Duguid of Primrose Gallery for inviting me.