It’s always enjoyable visiting The Other Art Fair as, when I’m not exhibiting there myself, I get the chance to wander around and chat with other artists. First-time exhibitor Louisa Boyd was the only artist who both my friend and I loved. His taste is almost the polar opposite of mine so this was quite […]
One-minute blog of interesting things
Fung + Bedford: Gathering at Collect.
Angela Fung and Ashley Bedford are specialists in the sculptural use of origami for interiors. They were commissioned to create this piece to hang all five stories of the Stamp Stair at Somerset House during Collect, the international fair for makers. The iridescent gold paper caught the light beautifully. You could get up close while […]
Materials
I have found that I return to the same range of materials again and again. Something draws me back to explore them more deeply, finding each encounter slightly different. Each material has personal associations and this pair of scrolls shows four of them. Gesso. Traditionally used as a sealant for a range of surfaces including […]
The magic of a rainy bus journey
It was a rainy evening on the way home from the studio. I’d finished my book so just gazed aimlessly out from the front seat at the top of the bus where someone had wiped the window with their sleeve earlier. Others have been entranced by electric light in the rain. An obvious example is […]
Art out of doors in Paris
It has been over 2 years since I visited Paris and for the first time I was able to see public art without crowds of tourists all over the place. I know it’s bad for business but I did enjoy the quiet in these almost deserted public spaces. Les Deux Plateaux installation by Daniel Buren […]
Helen Frankenthaler: Radical Beauty at Dulwich Picture Gallery
I had been meaning to visit this Helen Frankenthaler show at Dulwich Picture Gallery since it opened several months ago and finally made it. It’s a hugely impressive exhibition which I highly recommend. Low lighting levels and the use of reflective glass made it hard to get more than a hint of the work so […]
Francis Bacon: Man and Beast at the Royal Academy (post 2 of 2)
I really hadn’t planned to write 2 posts on this Royal Academy exhibition, Francis Bacon: Man and Beast but there was just too much for one and I really wanted to include these images. The simply framed larger-than-life triptychs are magnificent against dark walls and you can get really close up to look at the […]
Francis Bacon: Man and Beast at the Royal Academy (post 1 of 2)
This much-delayed show, Francis Bacon: Man and Beast now open at the Royal Academy, was always going to be a blockbuster and I have to admit it lives up to the hype. The dominant impression was always going to be dislocation and suffering but I found elements of affection, tenderness and humour too, something you […]
Life Between Islands at Tate Britain
I wasn’t expecting Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art 1950s – Now, currently on at Tate Britain, to be as large as it was so give yourself plenty of time to take it all in. Here are just a few snaps of work I connected with – as ever, too much to include in a one-minute […]
Dürer’s Journeys at the National Gallery
Many of us are familiar with Albrecht Dürer’s drawings and engravings and this exhibition, Dürer’s Journeys, at the National Gallery gives us plenty of those. It’s interesting though to see more of his paintings as he wanted to be recognised as a painter as well as an engraver. It’s the same old story – you […]