In the garden
It's been a pretty dull day and when I was out with my son Jason it even rained in spite of the forecast to the contrary. However, this evening has turned out beautiful and I've just spent some time in the garden.

For a long time the view from the side of the garden nearest the house has bothered me, looking out over the pond to the hedges at the back. June and I discussed it and came to the conclusion that the two conifers on the back edge of the pond had become too large and were forming a barrier, cutting off the rear of the garden and making is appear to be something separate. So I've just been hacking them down to get rid of them altogether and it had the desired effect, the garden has more of a unity now. We shall replace the old trees with som ground-hugging evergreens so that we don't get the same thing happening again.

Jasper Johns
Two very good pieces on Jasper Johns have appeared on teh Guardian website over the last week.  Well worth the read for those interested in such an important artist.

Here and here.

Johns has always struck a chord with me and his approach to drawing and painting has had a great influence on how I approach my own abstract pieces.

Smiley Street
I've just posted a new Smiley Street strip.