Yes I know it's a cliche, but what a rainbow

I had to work very late last night, an annual obligation that makes it very difficult to wake up the next day. Whilst preparing for the open evening I looked up to see the most surreal light outside, then this rainbow appeared, as you can see I work very high up, yes, great views I know, but I preferred my previous one. I actually sit with my back to this window, if I faced it I would get no work done at all.
Yesterday Daisy finally went to the Dr's, she was apparently a day away from being admitted to casualty, (some kind of mother am I) however although she hates taking any kind of medicine, (she would normally try something homeopathic first) She has a very important presentation to do on Friday so she finally caved in and took the penicillin. Plus she was starving and had failed to eat since Sunday apart from milkshakes and hot chocolate.
Her illness has had unexpected bonus in that she has spent none of my money, I am over £40 richer for it which just about breaks even with the money she wasted on those bloody train tickets.
I have a whole day of meetings tomorrow before packing for Berlin. I know I am an ungrateful cow, but no matter how hard I try I just cannot get quite the frisson of pleasure from going there to if I was going to mmm.. Paris? Or...Venice. You know what I mean, for me the city is great but just lacks charm. Still I only had to pay for my flight, we are flat hunting so I may sneak a few candid shots in Sophie Calle style to keep my interest going.
If you have a while check out this project run by the Photographers Gallery. I have added some of my Cyprus images and if I ever get around to editing the photographers I took at Mothers I will add some of those as well. Joining a 'pool' on Flickr has been great for diversifying my audience. I have really enjoyed doing the drawings for the what i wore today pool as well. plus it has the added benefit of galvanising the right hand side of my brain. Try it you will love it.

Frieze Art Fair: The pictures

Wolfgang Tilmans
He was everywhere this year, obviously he has been very busy.

Walhead Beshty

Fed Ex
I just loved this idea. I often tell my students that the idea is 90% of the battle.

Vasco Araujo above and below

Just beautiful work, I thought the text above worth a read if you click on it you should just be able to see it.

The shelf on the Timothy Taylor stand, what I would give for a shelf like this at home.

Tacita Dean

Stephen Willats these 3 pieces were beautifully constructed.Sarah Jones

Rirkrit Tiravaija above and below

RAQS media collective
I would have bought this piece it is so clever and beautifully constructed

Lucia Koch

John Baldassari
Again he too seemed very prolific, which is a good thing as I really like his work. I think he has a big retrospective coming to London soon.

Joao Penalva
The text on this piece made it even more exquisite but I could not get a clear image of it.

Jane & Louise Wilson

This looks very simple, but it appears to use some kind of trickery that held peoples attention for quite a while. It has an almost Alice in Wonderland feel to it.

This was the only piece of work i have seen form this pair for ages.

Gert & Uwe Tobias

Gerhard Richter
This man is a genius, These very small images layered with paint were just gorgeous. Just one would bring me so much pleasure.

David Austin

Dave Muller I loved his paintings last year, this painting was even better.

Christina Mackie

Candida Hofer

Camila Sposati

Daisy is currently writing an extended essay on whether their is any scientific proof behind well known superstitions. I off course would have said that I was very much not a superstitious person, yet I continually use the phrase 'touch wood.' Plus many others besides. I will not use someones mane in vain or put new shoes on the table.

Yesterday I scientifically proved that where there is good something bad will surly follow.

Having been given the funding to do an evening class at The Slade, I then had my driving license stolen from virtually under my nose. it was in a an envelope waiting for me to post the renewal form. Someone obviously thought it interesting enough to pick up whilst I was paying for food in Sainsbury's. I wanted to scream. Why did I not post it first? Why me? Why did I even go shopping? Daisy wanted hot chocolate as she has tonsillitis, I went, why am I such a nice mum?

On top of that I had been waiting for 3 weeks for their train tickets to York to arrive. I asked everyday with no reply. So yesterday I bought more assuming they must be lost in the post. No, they had arrived, Daisy omitted to tell me she had it seemed no idea that I needed to know!Thank you Daisy for waisting £40 of my hard earned cash. So you see what is given with one hand automatically gets taken with the other.

Oh and even worse I went into COS last week and one of my coats was already in the sale. More fool me for going in and more fool me for thinking that buying something new in guaranteed a couple of months wear before the reduction. Both Gap and M&S do this all the bloody time and I can say that I very rarely shop in either because of it. So that's another shop gone in my repertoire. I have a VERY LONG memory.

P.S if I have mispelt any names I am but human, sorry. You can get a bigger and clearer view by clicking on the image.

Frieze Art Fair: The Furniture

In the morning you don't really notice the desks that the staff sit at but later on as more of the gallery owners wandered around to stretch their feet the tables vacated, and then I realised that this year there was a real trend for my favourite furniture. Old School. I love it, I have a few pieces myself purloined over the years, although I regret not getting more in the early days when many schools were thrown money. Two of my friends salvaged the gym floor to lay in their bathrooms. I have various plan chests, stools, a lovely chair, a battered cupboard and a desk. I covet all the furniture below nearly as much as the art, which I will post tomorrow.

Yes I know this is modern I mean below this picture!

Frieze Art fair

I am very lucky I know to be able to go to events like this. It was the most wonderful mix of Gallerinas Students and uber rich buyers from across Europe. A wonderful melting pot of people that yielded some rich and eclectic outfits. I have chosen my favourite 6 the rest are on Flickr (just click on the tag above right)
I have not even begun to edit the art work which was really good, though not as much photography as last year I did get to see some really good quality stuff.

By far the most amazing outfit, I could not wear it by it was almost a work of art in itself.

I loved the net inserts into the sleeve of this jumper.

Two Dutch Gallerinas, the Dutch were the best dressed there, although the British gave them a good run for their money.

Including Lady Helen Taylor. I loved the lack of body con, plus of course she was wearing the most popular coloured cardie by a country mile...grey.

This outfit was fabulous, the stripy sleeve under that mustard jacket was lovely but underneath she was wearing a lovely grey waistcoat.

More stripes, stripes were very popular.

The day was not without stress, no school trip is. Where there is pleasure there is always pain. I would have loved to have stayed longer but my feet were killing me, next year I will have a longer break in the middle and go back in later.

The rest of my weekend was unmitigated chaos. The plan was to borrow my sisters car and drive Mothers Sandra Blow to her before she moves next week. We (Emin and I) ended up getting locked out and after countless attempts to trace Daisy ended up getting back in 4 hours later. He took the brunt of the blame but trying to find a wandering teenager in Greenwich when she SHOULD have been working in the college was REALLY BLOODY ANNOYING. It is hard to stay angry with Daisy though, she is so ethereal and currently very poorly, and has been for weeks. In the end I just wanted to cry. So 2 hours behind schedule I drove to Oxford, got stuck in truly gruesome traffic, then, oh joy, having stopped for a coffee Leyla had a tantrum. I do not know how I do not end up in hospital with a heart attack, the STRESS.

I did eventually get to sit down to delicious casserole washed down with a bucket of wine. I slept like a log and on Sunday morning we then walked along the river past the boat houses into Oxford.

The day was idyllic, blue sky, leaves falling. To my right men playing football to my left boat after boat of rookie rowers get balled at by men on bicycles on the towpath. With a heavy heart it was home to quite frankly to he coldest house EVER. I ranted for a while and he finally put the heating on. That man has issues that's all I can say.

My poor sisters Sony Vaio has bust, memo to ALL of you, there are virtually no certified fixers of Sony Vaios in London, so Emin Prince of all that is IT says "BUY AN APPLE", that way they will fix it, they may break a lot but they fix them.

The view from here

My landing window, I just love a new moon. Actually I love a full moon too and when you can see the moon in the sky during the day. These dark morning are killing me and they are going to get worse.

Just A Thought
On the way to work I had to go into Sainsbury's which to my eternal gratitude opens a 8am. I needed coffee, I start the morning with two buttered tea cakes and a coffee. I had run out hence my last minute trip.
It is generally full of kid's buying supplies for the day. It is close to three schools and today I over heard one boy tell his friend that he managed to sell his biscuits to his friends for 10p each, quite a healthy profit for a small outlay. At first I smiled, it took me back to when I taught in a mixed school and I miss that drive that boys have.
BUT, it then occurred to me that in this tiny entrepreneur was actually the root of all that is that is wrong with the world at present.
What follows is oversimplification but I truly believe that if a girl takes a packet of biscuits to school she will share them with her friends. A boy sells them. This is why men are invariably at the top of most financial and many other institutions, they are fixated with trying to make money. Women on the other hand are happier when they are reaching out to others by giving.
There is far too much greed in this world and not enough giving, I appreciate many women are now further up institutional food chains but to get to the top and stay there most women lose sight of what makes them strong and so we perpetuate the damage done to society by not just financial institutions, but business in general.
Depressing really

Wayne Thiebaud

Art teacher gold. On at Faggionato Fine Art

Students love his work and he has been an inspiration to so many that are generally hard to motivate or those that struggle to connect with some of the more academic artists.

Other artists in this hallowed group include the more ubiquitous Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol and Georgia O'Keefe.

Tomorrow I will be escorting 12 students to The Frieze Art Fair for some fun and games and also copious photography. I may sneak a few sartorial ones in if I can.

Eva Rubinstein

image from here

image from here

image from here

I am drawing today, looking through one of my resource/scrapbooks I found a really lovely postcard by Eva Rubenstein. The scapbook is over 5 years old, pre Google search for me. So I Googled her and found more really beautiful images. They do have a hint of Andre Kertesz about them, nevertheless they have a beautiful stillness a quality very much of their own

Origins of a lost weekend

Fortnum & Mason No I did not eat here, I would love to one day when I have won the lottery. It is a classic stop off for lunch.
As a student I used to sit at the Fountain Bar just to soak up the atmosphere, such a beautiful place.
On to Cork Street....


Kwon Kisoo at Flowers

I wrote this one down and then left my note book at home, can I remember? No, I really like the large scale of the drawings.

A really brilliant photography exhibition at this gallery

Just before going into see the Lisa Milroy exhibition I caught sight of this exhibition opposite at The Medici Gallery. I have been aware of Elaine Pamphilon's work from various visits to Cornwall, but the small works on display here were far better than her landscapes. I love the way she is able to create a very intimate feel to her still lifes by scraping the paint off and drawing back into her images. I am a canvas girl and tend to layer the paint over a period of years sometimes so I admire the immediacy of this way of working.

Of course this one was my favourite, so beautifully evocative. The gallerina told me with a smile after we had chatted about the work that Emma Thompson had bought this one. So Miss Thompson I may be paying you a night time visit! This painting should be mine.

I also love the way she mixes image and text.

After this I stepped out into the pouring rain and schlepped up Bond Street to Fenwicks. I pressed my nose against the window of Russell & Bromley to look at their gorgeous tomato red Desert Boots. But standing in the rain they looked as useful as a chocolate fire guard.

The lady on the Estee Lauder counter was a dream, I came away with my moisturiser and a sample of eye cream and a weeks worth of some miracle serum.

I really wanted some tights but Falke were charging £17 for their 100 denier, which if 'accidentally' taken by Daisy would break my heart so I went across to M&S instead and bought some lovely black cotton ones as well as a wonderful tomato red pair and these stripy monsters.

My sister had booked a table at Arbutus. (as we could not as usual get one at Terroirs.)I have always fancied the sister restaurant Wild Honey but my sister is an avid user of public review forums and she said it was continuing to get poor reviews whilst Arbutus was still getting good ones.

It was just brilliant. Surprisingly it was half empty, I guess the local media types are hurtling towards the Oxfordshire countryside in their Range Rover's on a Friday night. Also I think the one draw back of this place is the decor. It lacks the grandeur of The Wolseley or the quirky charm of Andrew Edmonds. Instead it has a kind of Kelly Hoppen feel to it. Hoppen's interior decoration style is a bit like Clive Owens acting, it tends to suck the life out of all it touches. My advise would be to create a better ambiance.

Now had I gone home I would not have lost my weekend, but no, my bloody sister insisted we go to a bar where a work colleague was leaving. I would have happily had one more glass of wine, but no, She decided at the price of a glass we might as well get another bottle, oh joy. I finally tripped through my front door at gone 11pm. Only to be met by Emin holding the dog lead.

If I had known he would refuse to walk feed or generally look after the dog in anyway I would never agreed to get one I was back up at 7.30am to walk the dog again after washing the floor after he had as usual pissed (the dog, not Emin) in the night and having washed his bed again. Our electricity bill since we had this dog is astronomical. I am often greeted at the door by Emin exclaiming that no one fed the dog today" Yet Emin will have been at home all day, as he is most days yet he will quite happily not feed him but wait for someone else to do it.

I finally snapped this weekend and was told that since Daisy did not lift a finger to help then neither would he. I could go on and elaborate but life is too short. So I the one who really did not want a dog ends up it's primary carer.

I spent the rest of the weekend cursing my weakness at saying no to that last glass, nursing quite frankly the biggest eff off hangover I have had since the millennium.

THANK YOU LUCY thats 48 hours I will never see again!