Putting the two names of Deutche Telecom and Crickadoon together might sound a little odd. However, Crickadoon is a magical place, and so all sorts of unusual things happen there.
In 1997. my accountant and good friend Marion Rowlands, suggested that I join a womans business group. At one of these meetings, I met Carmen Dietz.
Carmen and her partner Gareth Thomas lived in Crickhowell, and ran a language school. I liked both Carmen and Gareth's direct approach and wonderful sense of humour.
Their main client was Deutche Telecom. Up to 12 managers would come to Crickhowell for two weeks, where they would stay at the Bear Hotel, and be immersed into the English language.
The participants were required to visit local businesses, interview the owners and then come back to the full group and give a talk about their experience, in English of course.
Carmen and Gareth asked if I would be interested in being part of the programme. Recognising that what I had to offer would be quite different than most of the more conventional businesses. They also asked if I would give a one hour talk on 'creative thinking' to the whole group.
From the first involvement, right up until I left Crickhowell, I had so much fun and pleasure being part of this programme.
Initially I think the German managers were quite taken aback when I would arrive to give my talk with an apple, knife, water colours, brushes and paints! In fact
to this day I can see a very funny comedy skit being produced around this.
You see my apple exercise works no matter what the situation. It allowed me to demonstrate to these rather logical German business managers, how we tend only to think in black, white and a few shades of grey in the middle. By cutting the apple into random pieces, removing pips, etc, etc. I showed, how as an artist, the apple would die many deaths before I ran out of ways to perceive it.....and that of ocurse is like everything in life.
In short this was another amazing Crickhowell/Crickadoon experience...all part of my life as an artist. After the workshops, and visits to my studio the custom wsa that we all had dinner together in the evening. I have many happy memories of this.
Although I don't have any images relating to this experience at hand...I thought I might show some of my images with apples....
My symbolic self portrait -1989 oil on canvas - with apple!
Quilts and apples in Studio 1989 - 0il on canvas 15 x 15 ft.
When I get my materials in the flat the first thing I shall paint is an apple.
Speaking of which, my carpets will be fitted on Thursday, some furniture from Kent brought up on Sunday and it looks like a trip to Wales on the 22/23rd to retrieve my furniture from the top of the mountain.
A Bientot
