This was a real surprise: I had arranged to meet an artist friend for a late Friday evening at the British Museum suggesting a visit to the Drawing Room as the exhibition Germany divided: Baselitz and his generation is currently showing & runs till 31st August. I’m not a massive fan of Georg Baselitz but his […]
One-minute blog of interesting things
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As a working contemporary artist I visit many exhibitions and shows, but sometimes it is the things I see that are part of daily life that capture my interest. My one-minute blog of interesting things reflects the fact that although we are increasingly time-poor, there is creativity all around us. Email me at info@carolinebanks.co.uk with your name and email to receive a weekly post that only takes 1 minute to read.
Chroma, the new collection from Tai Ping Carpets
Tai Ping Carpets recently launched the Chroma collection which caught my eye with painterly designs. I visited their showroom during Chelsea Design Week where a few of the rugs were on display. As always with rugs, it’s very much about texture as well as design and colour. I could feel the sumptuousness of silk & wool […]
New designs from Parris Wakefield Additions at London Design Week
You may remember my post on Parris Wakefield last year when they launched Additions at Tent. Given the response from that, Howard & Sarah decided to take part in a trade show devoted entirely to furnishing fabrics where their prints stood out in dramatic contrast to the other companies there. The 2 new prints on velvet […]
Temporary tree sculpture
This was seen on Columbia Road on the way to the flower market. I’m not normally there early in the morning but am glad we were as these tulips wouldn’t have looked so fresh a few hours later. I have no idea who made this but, whoever you are, thank you.
My work at Fiumano Fine Art at the Affordable Art Fair Battersea 13th – 16th March
I have never written about my own work here but am making an exception as Fiumano Fine Art will be showing pieces from my current work for the first time at The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea (Stand J11). I delivered framed and unframed pieces to the gallery a few hours before writing this and […]
Out and about on London’s streets
I love to show my city off to visiting friends and invariably discover things myself on the way. Granary Square, the new location behind Kings Cross, is somewhere I pass by and visit regularly. This time, however, we saw the night-time fountain light show. These shots only give a hint of the gaudiness of colour . They did […]
Contemporary lighting
Maison & Objet is always a good place to see interesting lighting; my selection includes modular OLED lighting system by Blackbody, shown here hung in the form of a chandelier. It works for both large and small scale installations.Re-issued Mantis lighting from Bernard Schottlander was inspired by Alexander Calder in the 1950s. This yarn lampshade […]
Exquisite craftsmanship by Bailey Tomlin
I’ve known Bridget Bailey of Bailey Tomlin for a long time now and have been intrigued by the evolution of her work over the decades. She used to make just hats but the range has developed into something much more. These pieces, seen at Fashioned at Craft Central, give an idea of the delicacy and technical brilliance she has now […]
Millinery for today – Uglylovely by Sahar Freemantle
Accessories are an essential aspect of fashion and style. One maker I discovered recently is milliner Sahar Freemantle whose Uglylovely collection impressed me not only by the content but the quality too. The exhibition, Fashioned, was held at Craft Central for London Fashion Week and I’ll feature more makers in future posts. Real beetles and found objects […]
Luxury glassware from Cumbria Crystal
Now I didn’t know that there was a crystal factory in Cumbria, did you? Well, Cumbria Crystal makes hand blown and hand cut full lead English crystal using traditional techniques and I met them at Maison & Objet, their first full trade show. Katy Holford, the design director, showed me some of their new as […]