July 2023 - Dec 2023

 Drawing someone is a very intimate and contemplative process, both for the sitter and for the artist. Quiet conversation during the drawing process can illuminate so much more about the sitter than just a drawing ever can. 

As the project goes on, the portraits and conversations from the early stages will already be part of the past.  How will the realities of the future present have changed? I will endeavour to choose a wide range of people, some known to me, and some not.

I want this to document the realities of individuals, their joys and their concerns, big and small.  The documentation will evolve with time.  Each person’s testimonies will be forever tied to their painted portraits, to be fully shared as a body of work in 2030.  Woven into the fabric of the project are little notes recording the events at that particular time, for context.

During Covid lockdown, I learned to draw people via Zoom!  Portraits created via a screen have a different feel, but that is all part of this evolving story.  More recently, I am back to doing portraits in person, but also have Zoom as a way of reaching sitters who are further away.

Please enjoy the journey back through these posts.

18/11/23    Civilians told to leave Al-Shifa hospital & move south, and WHO declares it a "death zone".
                  Families of kidnapped Israelis march to Jerusalem to demand action from Natanyahu.
16/11/23  UK Supreme Court rules that Rwanda plan is "unlawful" .
               Gaza ceasefire vote in Parliament defeated 125 votes to 294.  56 Labour rebels.
15/11/23  Israeli troops go room to room in Al-Shifa hospital.No evidence yet of Hamas headquarters underneath.
                Xi-Jinping visits Biden in San Francisco.
13/11/23  Braverman is sacked, and writes the most damning resignation letter to Sunak.  David Cameron (!) comes in as                            Foreign Sec., & James Cleverly moved to Home Sec.                    1000's of people sheltering in Al-Shifa hospital;                        Surrounded by Israeli troops. babies taken out of incubators due to lack of power.
11/11/23   Free Palestine March mainly peaceful, except for some extremist trouble, and antisemitic banners.
                Cenotaph event peaceful except for some far-right extremists who were stopped.  Keir Starmer accused Braverman                     of  "Sowing the seeds of hatred".
8/11/23  Massive influx of Israeli troops to "destroy Hamas" in Gaza's main city.
              Suella Braverman calls proposed Palestine Peace march planned for Rememberance Sunday as a "Hate March" and               accuses the Met of bias in the way it handles protests.  Some senior Tories call her comments "Unhinged"& "Ignorant".
7/11/23  1 month since Hamas invasion, estimated 10,000 Gazans dead (4,000 children).
5/11/23  Suella Braverman suggests restricting tents for homeless people, calling it a "Lifestyle Choice".
3/11/23  Hezbollah steps back from major intervention.  Gaza ambulance struck by Israeli rocket.
               Pakistan sending back unregistered Afghan refugees, even though some have been there all their lives.
1/11/23   UK hosts first AI summit at Bletchley Park. Elon Musk claims that AI will eventually remove the need for work.
               At last, Rafa crossing is opened to a limited no. of foreign passport holders, and some seriously injured Gazans.
31/10/23  Massive missile attack on Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza, 100s killed.  
30/10/23  Red Cross & Red Crescent told to evacuate Al-Quds hospital. 14000 civilians sheltering, 400 patients - impossible.
29/10/23  Civil society starting to break down in Gaza.  Raids on UN food depots.

"C.S-C"  29 October 2023.  Lives in the New York and talks about the difficulties of needing to hide her Jewish identity at the moment. She shares her very strongly felt views on the current Israel/Gaza situation, and the ripples it creates around the world.

C-S.C.  29/10/23

27/10/23  Fierce escalation of bombardments on Gaza.  All communications cut - no phone, no internet.
26/10/23  EU supports Israels stance to defend itself, but calls for humanitarian "pause".  Putin welcomes Hamas and Iran                        leaders to Moscow.
24/10/23  Antonio Guterres (UN Sec-General) says "attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vaccuum. The Palestinian people                      have been subjected to 56yrs of suffocating occupation". Calling for ceasefire. Hospitals lit by mobile phones.
                UK - Loading people back on to Bibby Stockholm barge & shutting down migrant hotels.
23/10/23   Two elderly hostages released.  Antsemitic hate crime in UK increasing.
22/1023  Storm Babet hits UK.  Red warnings all over for flooding and high winds.
21/10/23  Rafah Crossing opens briefly, letting 20 aid trucks through.  A drop in the ocean.
20/10/23  Rafah crossing still closed.  Miles of trucks lined up to use it.
                Gaza population "On the edge of a humanitarian abyss".  Biden asks for billions of $ for Ukraine and Israel.

"F.G".  20th October 2023. Calm, quiet determination to stand up for what she feels is right in the Israel/Hamas conflict. Powerful.

F.G. 20/10/23

19/10/23  Rishi Sunak flies to Israel.  Welsh Water Company admits to releasing raw sewage for years.
18/10/23  Possible explanation of hospital strike is that it was a Hamas rocket that misfired.
17/10/23  Gaza hospital hit.  500+ killed - patients, staff and sheltering familes.  Both sides blaming each other.
16/10/23  Iran warns of 'preemptive' action.  Anthony Blinken touring all influential states.
15/10/23  2,000+ Palestinians killed, many moved south, leaving elderly and sick behind. Hospitals running out of fuel.
13/10/23  Israel tell Gaza residents they have 24hrs to move south.
12/10/23  Gaza completely cut off now, whole areas completely flattened.  Displaced people sheltering in schools & hospitals.                    Egypt & Turkey trying to negotiate humanitarian corridors.
11/10/23  Now 1400+ bodies found in Israel, some beheaded & mutilated.  Hamas threatening to kill hostages, incl. children.
9/10/23  300,000 Israeli military reservists called up.  "Hamas has made a mistake of historic proportions" Natanyahu.
               UK heat wave goes on 26degC midday & 17degC at night.
7/10/23  Hamas has invaded Israel from Gaza. Send over 1000s of rockets, and fighters cross border from 22 points.
             Young people slaughtered at pop festival.  Whole families killed in kibbutz.  Men, women & children taken as hostages.
6/10/23  51+ killed in Ukrainian village of 300. Hroza. Cafe & supermarket hit.
5/10/23  September officially the hottest ever recorded globally by 0.5degC.  Also July & August hottest ever recorded.
              Hottest year by 1.5degC than before pre-industrial era.  Unprecedented.
4/10/23  HS2 - 2nd leg beyond Birmingham scrapped. UK national debt interest rate highest for 20yrs at 5%.
               Braverman - 'Winds of Change' speech.  USA - Congressional Republicans sack the Speaker - never done before.
2/10/23  Both Consultants and Junior Doctors on 3 days strike at the same time.
29/9/10  Amazon rainforest in devastating heat wave & drought.  1000s of dead fish.  Affecting drinking water.
28/9/23  UK listed as one of the most nature depleted countries in the world!
26/9/23  Trump found to have fraudulently inflated his wealth by $3.6bn to get cheap loans.
24/9/23  NASA's Osiris-Rex mission returns to Earth with sample from asteriod Bennu. Lands in Utah after 7yrs.
23/9/23  Met firearms police handing in their tickets after colleague charged with murder.
20/9/23  Sunak pulling back from Green agenda.  Petrol & diesel car sales to end in 2035 (not 2030) ditto gas boiler sales.
               600+ Armenians being starved out of Nagorno-Karabakh in battle with Azerbaijan.  Ethnic cleansing?
18/9/23  Met to investigate 1000s of officers for cases of abuse, esp. against women to root out predators.
16/9/23  Lampedusa receiving 1000s of migrants from N.Africa every week.  More than the island's population.
12/9/23  Devastating floods in Derna, Libya.  Two dams give way. 6,000+ dead, 10,000 missing.
9/9/23   G20 starts in India.  What can it achieve with no Russian or China representation?
8/9/23    Devastating earthquake in Morocco in Atlas mountains.  3,000+ dead.

"M.M." 8th September 2023.  The founding director of a community land trust devoted to developing a new way to imagine housing development. The trust is determined to create something better than the current mass-production of units of housing. The team have built their first two houses, and developed a tool kit for any other community group to use in their local area. An inspiring conversation, particularly relevant as promises of mass house-building and development of New Towns are being bandied around!

M.M.  8/9/23

7/9/23    UK to rejoin EU's £85bn Horizon science programme after being frozen out post-Brexit.
4/9/23   Google is 25yrs old!
1/9/23    Over 100 schools cannot re-open in 3 days time because RAAC concrete has been found to be weak & unsafe.
29/8/23  London Ulez zone extended to outer boundary.
27/8/23  Prigoshin & his deputy killed in plane explosion 2 months after his rebellion. 
              India land a Rover on the south pole of the moon.
22/8/23  Huge wildfires in Greece near Turkish border.  12 bodies found, possibly migrants?   
              BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China & S. Africa) meet in S. Africa. Setting up as alternative power to 'The West'? 
20/8/23  Worst ever wildfires in Canada, since June.  Floods in Nevada desert.  Storm Hilary hits California.
18/8/23   Lucy Letby charged with the murder of 7 babies - possibly more to be investigated.
16/8/23  Trump indited for trying to overturn election results in State of Georgia.  Death threats against jurors.
13/8/23   6 Afghans die trying to cross the Channel.  502 others land in one day.  Bibby Stockholm would hold 500!
11/8/23   Junior doctors begin 4 day strike.  Legionella found in water supply on Bibby Stockholm.  All residents rehoused.
10/8/23  Devastating wildfires in Hawaii.  Island of Maui burnt out.  53+ dead.
9/8/23    41 people drown crossing from Tunisia to Lampedusa.  56,000 have made the crossing, twice last year's numbers.
8/8/23   Portugal wildfires.  Temperatures hit 46.5deg.C. 
3/8/23   Trump in court charged with conspiring to defraud theUS while in office.  Pleads not guilty.
2/8/23  Bibby Stockholm moored off Dorset.  "Floating Grenfell" by Fire Brigades Union, HSE and campaingners.
             UK Interest rates up to 5.25%  - highest in 14yrs.
1/8/23  Military coup in Niger, making way for Islamist extremists and Russian influences.
31/7/23  Rishi Sunak grants hundreds of N. Sea oil and gas licences.
24/7/23  After months of protest, Netanyahu wins vote to override Israeli Supreme Court powers. Protesters say it is the end of                   democracy.   Greek islands are on fire, esp. Rhodes & Corfu.
23/7/23  N. Atalntic temperatures rise by 5deg.C. & volume of sea ice is at record lows.
21/7/23  3 by-election results.  Labour win Selby & Ainsty from Tories, & Lib Dems win Somerton & Frome.
18/7/23  Illegal Migration Bill passed by House of Lords, after many amendments.  Anyone entering UK without permission                      will be returned to country of origin or 3rd country!
17/7/23  Bridge across to Crimea damaged by Ukrainians.  Russia blocks grain exports through Black Sea.
16/7/23  Highest temperatures ever recorded for Europe & USA.  Mid 40deg C.  Canada forest fires raging.
14/7/23  Hollywood writers & actors go on strike over pay and existential threat from AI.
13/7/23 Junior doctors start 4 day strike - longest in NHS history.
10/7/23  Turkey drops objection to Sweden and Finland joining NATO.
7/7/23  US to send cluster bombs to Ukraine.  These are banned by many countries incl. UK
4/7/23   Israeli forces step up raids on Jenin in the West Bank.  At least 10 killed in explosions.