On June 12th I will be taking part in the Bresnan Bike Tour.  This is a three day, 200-mile fundraiser–bicycle tour from New York to Vermont that benefits Special Olympics New York Hudson Valley Region and Westchester Arc.

As a rider I am attempting to meet the required donation amount.  My aim was to use the many corporate contacts that have stood me in good stead in the past.  However, the economy seems to be hitting everyone hard.  As a result I am appealing to anyone to donate any amount they can afford, however small, in an attempt to get as close as possible to the $2000 contribution amount.

The tax-deductible pledges equally support two non-profit organizations serving children and adults with intellectual disabilities: Westchester Arc Foundation and Special Olympics New York-Hudson Valley Region. The sponsorship provided by Bresnan Communications and fellow sponsors allows 100 percent of all pledges to directly support the beneficiary organizations.

Donating is simple:

Go to http://www.bresnanbiketour2009.kintera.org/dpapworth to enter my riders page. (it ain’t a pretty page I know, but its safe & secure)

Scroll down to the where you enter the donation amount. Enter your amount, hit continue and follow any instructions from there.

Thanks to those of you who have contributed already and thanks in advance for any further contributions

I’ll be there, will you?

› www.kimwest.com

I am off to see the Proclaimers at BB Kings in Times Square tonight. Ya beauty!

A couple of friends of mine have just headed off to exhibit their work at a show at the Fusion 5 Festival show at Hotel 3.14 in Cannes, France. There will be a number of artists showing from all over the world in what looks to be a pretty big deal including my buddies David Hochbaum and David Stoupakis.

Hochbaum has been a good buddy for a long while since we were introduced through a friend and he coerced me into developing a website for him. We’ve been through a couple of variations of it now but in general its been well received. He likes it at least but it may be time for a re-evaluation. His work is pretty unique and involves a variety of medium including photography and paint to form elaborate collages. The style is very illustrative and often has an almost medieval feel to it. Having watch David work on his pieces I know how much planning and time goes into the creation of his work.

Stoupakis is someone I met through Hochbaum and that group of my fiends. His work has been showcased all over the world and has been featured on album covers etc. His images are very realistic looking and have a fantasy feel about them in their subject matter and dark style.

These two have also collaborated on pieces before with some stunning results. If anyone is near Cannes around March the 7th please go check it out. These two alone would be worth the visit and with the plethora of other artists, being put together by Strychnin Gallery, to show here its gonna be amazing.