Exercise Three // Shelly Tregoning

I am at home in Cornwall. I do have a studio at CAST Studios in Helston (15 minutes away) but it is in lockdown.

Finding it difficult, so the way I am going forward is to go backwards. I always start with drawing - so its back to basics. I have brought a box of materials home and a book that has been very helpful in the past and shakes me out of old habits. ‘Experimental Drawing’ by Robert Kaupelis.
I will try and narrow my focus and spend much more time doing experimental drawing rather than getting to a ‘finished’ piece. No time pressure at the moment - no shows, no exhibitions, no nothing. Just drawing.

I always listen to music in the background while I work - always! So at the moment I am listening to a compilation of what I call ‘Interesting International’ on Spotify I made up. It includes Soldade by Cesária Evora, Uterus Horas by Orchestra Baobab, El Raton by Los Invasores, Jamm by Cheikh Lô.

A West Indian Recipe from home - Stew Peas and Rice.
In a deep saucepan
- soften finely chopped onion, red chilli peppers, fresh thyme in olive oil.
- add powdered cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper to taste
- add chopped fresh tomatoes and one tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 tins of red kidney beans with some of their dark juice
- 1/4 - 1\2 tin coconut milk
- a ham joint (those small vacuum packed ones in supermarkets - smoked or unsmoked)
- make sure your tomatoey, beaney liquid mostly covers joint.
cover saucepan with lid and cook on low heat in oven (120 C) for 3 or so hours until ham is falling apart and juices have darkened and thickened. Serve with basmati rice and any green vegetable you like.

Hmmm, that’s a good one. Nathan Oliveira. So many questions I would like to ask him about his practice. …. And I may even get a good Portuguese recipe out of him!