NATIONAL GALLERY VISIT, LONDON IN SEPTEMBER 2010 - CARAVEGGIOS

CLAIRE FORD WILLIE GAVE A TALK ABOUT CARAVEGGIO  ON 14 SEPTEMBER

I heard an interesting talk about Caraveggio recently, at the Richmond Art Society in Richmond on Thames, Surrey. 
The lecturer, Claire Ford Willie,  talked about the chiaroscuro in his later works and the ideas she talked about stimulated me to look at my latest painting, of rugby players' legs, with a lot of darks and bright sunny patches. 
Will put up image when it is nearer completion.
I went to the National Gallery today to look again at the Caraveggios there, to refresh my mind.
It is familiar work but strong and dramatic to such an extent that the paintings are the focus in this gallery - Room 32 in the Gallery.
A very dramatic and exciting talk was going on before the painting of Supper at Emmaus, where a Japanese gentleman was giving a lengthy mini-lecture to a group of Japanese visitors.
All his group were quietly rapt in attention.  He was so animated that other people in the gallery were watching and smiling in appreciation, though obviously not understanding a word of it! 
I am sure his enthusiasm will make those Japanese tourists remember Caraveggio.
National Gallery, Supper at Emmaus painting
Outside, in the rainy afternoon, the usual groups of touritst, students and general lingerers blocked the top of the steps overlooking Trafalgar Square, gloomy and grey, except for the umbrellas.

LONDON LIVES COMPETITION AT BANKSIDE FROM 9 SEPTEMBER 19 SEPTEMBER

We visited the Bankside Gallery yesterday to see the prints and paintings which are the top 100 as judged by the following people:

John Duffin, artist and printmaker, whose work was the 2009 winner and has had his work displayed on Blackfriars Bridge for 12 months

Ann Eggbert - senior lecturer in Art and Design at St Martin's (the website states 'Eggbert's practice explores the complexities of cultural identity')

Angela Parker, Director of Bankside Gallery

Councillor Veronica Ward -South Camberwell councillor,  Title:  Cabinet member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, and the Olympics

Nathan Quigley, Communications Manager, Network Rail

You can see that the list includes two artists.

I was surprised to see that one of the exhibits was obviously larger than 100cm specified,  and was hung in pride of place at the end of the hall.  I was also rather disappointed to find my work was hung in a very poor position, at the end on the left in a kind of alcove, so you could see it only if walking round a corner, but then I suppose the positive thing about it was the lighting was good.

A few of the pieces had been sold.  The winner was Akash Bhatt, who submitted a very long work called 'Life' -  mixed media on board.  His website is www.akashbhatt.com

SUSAN MUMFORD - FINANCIAL TIMES - SATURDAY 28 AUGUST 2010

Susan Mumford, who runs Mumford Fine Art in Soho, London, is one of the entrepreneurs featured in an article in the Financial Times written by Jonathan Moules this weekend.  It appears in the Money section
Excellent article about networking and in all four entrepreneurs are interviewed, they are:
Susan Johnson Mumford, Andy Lopata, Mark Lee and Tom Ball.


There is an excellent photo of Susan Mumford too, which she mentions on her Facebook page, with a credit to the photographer Charlie Bibby.

After reading the article I have decided to up my networking efforts!  Maybe David Cameron invite to the London Lives exhibition at Bankside? Or even Barak Obama?.  No, maybe I am getting a bit too ambitious!

Here is link to  Mumford Fine Art      The gallery is at 12 D'Arblay Street, London W1F 8DU  and is where Xavier Pick was showing his paintings earlier in the year.  See my blog entry  Xavier Pick Paintings and Drawings

TATE BRITAIN EXHIBITION - RUDE BRITANNIA - ENDS SOON

This is an excellent exhibition, much better than I thought it would be.  Not just a lot of prints and cartoons, but sculpture, original paintings and drawings, film, photographs and a comprehensive history with well-written captions to the works.

But huge, it takes hours if you want to read all the text and examine the cartoons carefully.  Particularly good is Room 2, where there are comments on the Hogarth prints done by the writers for Viz comic, and huge screens covered in blown-up comic pages, plus reproductions from the Viz letter page, including hints on making green from D Hockney (mix blue and yellow), and how to reproduce an Anish Kapoor in your living room from A Gormley.   Nicholas Serota is also 'quoted'.

LONDON LIVES COMPETITION SUCCESS! - EXHIBITION AT BANKSIDE GALLERY

 I am very pleased that my acrylic painting has been selected for this competion.

The sponsors of the exhibition are Network Rail, Bankside Gallery and Cass Art, and the exhibition runs from 9 September to 19 September, gallery open 11 to 6 every day. 

The competition was featured in The Guardian newspaper.  I am one of the 100 artists whose work will be on exhibition at The Bankside Gallery, Hopton Street, London near the Tate Modern on the South Bank (London, UK).
My painting shows the cycle riders in the annual Smithfield Nocturne cycle races which are held every summer in Smithfield Market, London during an evening in June.

This year the event was on 19 June.
The cyclists who take part are a cross section of keen amateurs and professionals, and teams in the team-events wear the same cycling colours.

My painting is for sale at the exhibition.  Please come along and see all the work, which will be on the theme of - as the title suggests - London Lives and will be in various media, all two-dimensional.

The ultimate winner of the competition will have their image projected on to Blackfriars Bridge, on the East Side, for 12 months

MORE ABOUT THE LONDON LIVES COMPETITION

POLO AT WINDSOR GREAT PARK - CARTIER GOLD CUP

Cartier Gold Cup day is one of those days when the well-off and those with aspirations to be well-off collect together to consume lots of champagne and Pimms, to eat picnics by their cars and to thrill to the top class polo games.  There is one game in the morning, and the main event at 3 in the afternoon.
The reason for my attendance was to enjoy the polo and to take lots of photos, so I can continue with the paintings of horses and  riders.  Also to consume some nice cool white wine and have a picnic too.
Luckily it was a bright day, with cloud and a little sun, so the photos are fine.  Will add a couple.
The major game was extremely exciting, England versus New Zealand, and before the game, we had the New Zealand display of dancers in what looked like straw skirts and battle paint, but they were too far away to make them out or hear anything much.  They displayed in front of the Royal Box where HRH The Prince of Wales sat up on the balcony.  No lady seemed to accompany him, that I saw.
I talked to two nice people who run a gallery called Equestrian Art UK who had an interesting display of horsey paintings on their stand.  They told me they attend all the major horsey events, like Cheltenham, Newmarket, Goodwood,  eventing etc etc.
It was fun looking at the crowd, which seemed to comprise mostly quite young and very young people, the girls dressed to kill - in killer heels too!  Wonder how they managed to walk on the turf.
I suppose the older well-off nobs were on the other side of the ground, in the South Grandstand and expensive seats near the Royal Box.  We were in the cheaper North Grandstand but even so the tickets plus the cost of car park cost an arm and a leg.

This oil painting has just been completed, based on two riders in the teams of Hurlingham (blue) and the Prince of Wales (red).  The painting is 30cm x 25cm.  The title is 'Golden Jubilee Trophy. 2010'

HENLY ON THAMES ROYAL REGATTA - 1 JULY 2010

Went to Henley on Thames by train - it takes ages!!! You have to get to Paddington, then join huge queue for ticket, then train to Twyford - change for a branch line to Henley on Thames itself. However it was not crowded and there were lots of cheerful young people going to the Regatta laughing and joking.

I wanted to see about exhibiting my oil paintings of the rowers, because I know that paintings etc are sold at the Regatta.  Unfortunately the exhibition space is in the STEWARDS EXCLOSURE !!

The Steward's Enclosure is a bit like the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, only the great and good are allowed in and there are fierce guards at the entrance to the marquee.  I don't know why there is this exclusion, for Members only, because lots of people from the Steward's Enclosure come into the more or less open-to-all Regatta Enclosure, where we went (it cost £12 on Thursday).  You get a badge to pin on, and this is an  obvious way of showing others just which enclosure you are good enough to get into!  My badge was blue.  I noticed some people wearing lots of badges.
Very British.

Anyway, I could not get into the Steward's Enclosure, as I said, so had to ask to see a person who could give me information about the painting show.  Apparently you have to send, or take, images there in Jan  or Feb, for consideration.  If selected the art works are only up during the Regatta (5 days), so you have to go and get them back after it, if not sold, and also, as I said, only the few people in the 'best' enclosure are going to see your work.  Not sure if I am going to bother.

I will be putting my photos on Flickr soon.

Henly Royal Regatta official site