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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nickderry" data-source="post: 1799186" data-attributes="member: 12328">I often paint outside, but usually there are very few people about to see, and most of them are either birdwatchers or just plain ignorant of what I'm doing. In Lanzarote, I was sketching trumpeter finches through my scope in the Timanfaya National Park, when all of a sudden two gun-wielding Guardia Civil appeared in front of me waving their fingers and shouting "no fotos!, no fotos!", trying to remember any Spanish I had (a few weeks before my first Spanish lesson) I replied, "no fotos! erm, dessiner, er pencil, aves, uccelli, birds, fincho trumpetero" and invited them to look through my scope, "ah Crows!" they exclaimed, laughed and walked off with a "no hay problema". The only time I've ever painted at a bird fair (fête de la nature Seloncourt) also known as a little mushroom exhibition in a village hall. I had so many children trying to touch the painting, I nearly stabbed one with a pencil. The ones that always make me laugh are the ones that say they don't like what I do at all. In the words of the great Dr Frank 'n' Furter "I didn't make him, for YOU!" One at my Slimbridge exhibition thought he was talking to Andy Forkner, and told me how much he admired one of my owls (that wasn't mine) and how he thought that Mr Derry's modern crap was rubbish. Well, I was on my 4th glass of free wine at this point - after agreeing with him, and saying that I can do much better, getting more and more insults out of him, I finally let the penny drop (his wife had already understood - I just gave her a wink and a smile) and led him over to Andy where he bought the painting off him straight away. I wonder if it was him that came back a few weeks later and bought the only one I sold - (the cheapest one in there!)Ah, people are fun sometimes.</blockquote>

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