Do you ever have to work weekends?
I’ve worked practically every weekend since I started painting. If I’m not in the gallery, I’ll be painting something or sitting in a cafe somewhere drawing one of my lovely Gadgies.
Are most weekends the same?
My weekends tend to merge into weekdays so it’s hard to tell them apart.
When I used to be on tour with my work when I was with my publisher in Birmingham I would have at least three months of the year visiting around 60 galleries in that time.
To quote a lovely Glasgow expression “ Ma heid wiz like mince”.
Do you find it hard to switch off?
If I’m ever out somewhere that’s a beautiful place to visit I’m constantly looking at the views pondering how I would paint it, I look at the world through a picture frame.
If I every sit down and have a chat with someone usually when I’m drawing in a cafe, they’ll inevitably tell me their life story. While they’re saying words I’m seeing pictures which is actually a good way to get ideas to paint so I’m never short of ideas.
What do you do at a weekend which you can’t fit in through the week?
My partner is an artist also and has a stand at Tynemouth Market so I try to go down sometimes to see her, keep her company and help her pack up. While I’m there it’s always fun to be able to have a walk around and see all the other artists work and watch all the human fruitery that wanders around there. It can be really entertaining.
Morning exercise or a recovery lie in?
My gorgeous partner Jojo is a keep fit fan and encourages me to join her in Calisthenics workout which I usually do and it constantly surprises me how strenuous lifting your leg up a million times can be.
A big night out or a night in the house?
Throughout my career in the lovely world of art I’ve done as many big night outs as I would ever want so the chance to have a night in the house with Jojo is time I really treasure.
Do you watch or play sport at a weekend?
If I ever watch sport it’s usually to do with football and Newcastle Utd. I rarely watch a whole game from beginning to end as I always think I’ll jinx the result.
Where do you like to eat out at a weekend?
There’s tons of fabulous places to dine out in Jesmond. I’ve recently got into cooking all manner of different meals.
I love watching Rick Stein and also Keith Floyd and catching up on their past programmes however I became vegan and drifted into being a vegetarian so that alone presents a challenge in itself to be able to make a dish that’s tasty but a tray of roasted veggies with a range of seasonings on top is a delight to the tastebuds.
How important is the weekend to you?
I was brought up in a strict doomsday death cult, so I was forever looking to the future as Armageddon was just around the corner. Nowadays I’ve come to realise the importance of living in the now. A great line from “Kung Fu Panda” is “ Stop thinking about the past.. it’s history ..stop thinking about the future .. it’s a mystery… concentrate on the moment it’s a gift.. that’s why they call it the present.
What’s the best thing about weekends?
I guess the best things about the weekends is that everyone is in a more relaxed frame of mind and generally in a happy mood which is good for everyone as it raises the vibration around the area.
Alexander Millar has a gallery in Glasgow and has a website www.alexandermillar.com