Geoff Coupe's Blog

Reflections on life at “De Witte Wand”…

Someday, I’ll Go Back To Heaven

A large package was delivered yesterday morning. It turned out to be a work of art. My dearest friend, Len Curran, had, amongst his many other talents, an eye for Art. Many was the time during his travels abroad that he would struggle back with a sculpture, or a huge painting, and then argue with the airline about excess baggage.

The end result was that his house became ever more stuffed with his art collection. It was made even more acute as he downsized his accommodation space over the course of the years.

When Len died, his closest friend Mo asked me if I wanted anything from the collection as a memento, and I said that, if it were possible, I would like one particular piece. It’s by a Filipino artist, Noel Soler Cuizon, and is a mixed media piece with the title: Someday, I’ll Go Back To Heaven. That’s what arrived yesterday.

20090426-0919-45 20090426-0920-10

Unfortunately, it got a bit shaken up in transit, so I’m going to have to do a bit of restoration work (these photos were taken in Len’s last house), but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I’m looking forward to it hanging on the wall, and it will be a constant reminder of Len.

Addendum 24 May 2020: I found an archive article written about Noel and his work. Pleased to see that Someday, I’ll Go Back To Heaven was mentioned in it.

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4 responses to “Someday, I’ll Go Back To Heaven”

  1. Michael Hughes Avatar
    Michael Hughes

    Geoff

    Sad to hear of Len’s death, I remember the 50th birthday party and a few interesting times with Len at both his homes. Your blog brought back a lot of memories.

    Please give my love to Mo and tell him I think of them often especially the dinner parties at 15. If he does not remember I used to live with Peter Waddington. Though after splitting up with Peter it did not seem to be the wisest action to keep contact.

    I hope you are doing well.

    Regards Mike

    Reply
    1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
      Geoff Coupe

      Thanks Mike. I’ve sent you a private message. Cheers, Geoff

      Reply
  2. Noel Soler Cuizon Avatar
    Noel Soler Cuizon

    Hi Geoff,

    Let me introduce myself – I’m Noel Soler Cuizon, the artist who made “Someday I’ll Go back to Heaven” . I accidentaly came across your post (here in Google) as I was checking for some works I haven’t documented in the past. I’m so sorry (albeit a bit too late) for the demise of your dear friend Len Curran who first acquired my work. I met Len briefly at Hiraya Gallery, here in Manila some years back. He struck me as a man with sophistication and a good sense of humor.

    Anyway, I’m glad that the work is with you now in the Netherlands. It would be great to touch base with you sometime in the future.

    Thanks for posting.

    Best regards,

    (Nuki) Noel Soler Cuizon

    Reply
    1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
      Geoff Coupe

      Hello Noel,

      Wonderful to hear from you. I’ll be sending you a private message. Cheers, Geoff

      Reply

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