indigoalison

London Art Fair or how I would like to spend my millions

2012-01-27T01:09:00.000-08:00

What I love about this art fair is the way the older more stately galleries curate a room. There are some wonderfully thoughtful juxtapositions to see here, and of course I love them even more because the focus is on twentieth century British art, my favourite. If I ever won the lottery this is how I would live. Post war - St Ives, art for me does not get better than this, having really looked this year I have become very conscious at how paint is applied, and yes, people may use the 'G' word with Lucien Freud et al, but this genre of British painting has been woefully overlooked, always skulking around the margins. In the main I think it is because it clings on to a figurative notion of landscape, which has never really punch its way out of the stigma of holiday painter . In the same way that Hans Hoffman was always a teacher who painted, these artists will forever be seaside painters rather than artists.

But I love them, until you see a Peter Lanyon (below) you will never appreciate the sheer energetic forcefulness of his brush strokes, or the stunning spacial awareness of William Scott (above)

But king of painters for me will always be Roger Hilton, this nude below is one of my favourites and it has been perfectly curated next to a lovely Patrick Heron watercolour and a lovely little bronze below.

As always there will be those obvious connections, how can anyone ever resist sticking Hepworth next to Nicholson? Because it really does work, even long after they separated their work always looks made for each other.

I have had a very difficult week planning and marking and teaching at the top of my game in order to jump through the inspection hoops, (and sadly my diary is shockingly empty this weekend.) But good news...I am apparently outstanding! Enough said.

Pringle Genius

2012-01-25T07:28:00.000-08:00

My first thought was who has been reading my blog again, but clearly this was taken ages ago, but what a coincidence, If only it was a bit cooler so I could wear my own version!

Image scanned from the Times Style supplement

I must be getting old

2012-01-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

The amount of very dark scribble is a reflection of my very deep seated irritation at the level of discussion at college last night, part of which focused on the Marcel Duchamp instillation below.

So last nights class was unceremoniously moved from the Tate Modern back to Goldsmiths, we had been usurped by people loaded with far more money than we could ever dream of, and so we had to sit and watch the dreaded PowerPoint....

Death by PowerPoint is never good, especially when it should have been the real thing. We were discussing curatorial issues, which itself is like trying to wrestle with a barrel of monkeys, since much of what we discuss is so ephemeral and difficult to present cohesively.

Our tutor has a very specific viewpoint and those that do not quite follow the party line are frequently muffled by a silk blanket of a barely suppressed academic put down.

Our tutor is clearly knowledgeable and also has a very unnerving way of correctly pronouncing every foreign artists name, I don't know about you but I can barely get my own daughters name right sometimes, but some of the more complex Portuguese names we studied are real tongue twisters.

Anyway our tutor gets them spot on, but when she does the whole tone and inflection of her voice changes so that it's like she has been possessed exorcist style. Each time a name comes up I have to check her head isn't spinning.

So back to Duchamp. I spent too long reading The White Cube by Brian O' Doherty on holiday which delves long and deep into the mysteries of curating. This very room above was discussed in the book at length and my own personal reading of it was that yes, Duchamp is very clever, he can out fox the best of them on and off the chess board. Yes, he had genius ideas, very challenging one too. But this? If my work was put up in an exhibition and someone did that my first thought would really have to be what a self centred twat. My second would be get the scissors. Really could he BE more selfish? I put this thought slightly more academically phrased to the group but I was politely smothered by a knowing smile and was told that I was missing the point, who cared about the work when such genius had altered the view point? One student went so far as to tell me that it would not be a problem to just step over the string!! Really like cats cradle with feet? Yes, I am sure it would be simple to do a Celtic line dance across to each painting.

So my scribbles got darker and I decided maybe I was just a little bit too old for this stupidity!

Effing inspectors are in tomorrow, so see you Friday.

London Art Fair Sartorial Style

2012-01-23T03:53:00.000-08:00

Once again I was at an art fair on a Saturday (as opposed the the more sartorially oriented weekdays) , My intention was wholly scholarly, I was there to look, and I mean really look at how painters apply paint to the canvas. I did lots of work and garnered copious ideas. Of course there were some well dressed bodies around and I could not resist catching a few, they follow a recurring theme with me, which is wide loose top over narrow trousers. That is just the way I like to dress, having broad shoulders and narrow legs and hips I like the silhouette.

Not too good a photograph, but I was smitten by the art work as well.

I will never tire of that yellow, I have a small collection of cardies, but this one was gorgeous.

As was this stripy top

My favourite of course, you can never have enough grey jumpers can you!

I am currently working hard on a project for college, I learnt so much from the mistakes of the one and two year students last week at their presentation, (I am a doing it over 3 years) Not least the physical presentation of the art work which Is why I found this art fair so rewarding.

I am splitting my rationale, from my statement of intent, this will ensure clarity of purpose. I originally thought the work was all about me, but is fact it is as much about me being an art teacher as well as my painting, I originally failed to see this as a positive, but research as proven me very wrong, even Matisse did some teaching ! And so I am now writing about the impact my teaching has had on my work.

Liliane Tomasko

2012-01-18T06:07:00.000-08:00

Images from here,here and here

I was googling the work of Sean Scully, when I came across the name of his wife Lilane Tomasko, as is often the case her work is more beautiful than his, and yet he get the publicity, and she very little.

This is one of the many issues that we can investigate at college, but I think it is so big I would not have the time to do it justice. After my last lesson on Monday I woke in the night with my heady almost pounding with acquired information, and nuggets to explore. The sessions are excellent, but why give us so much now, why not spread the good out a little more?

Still at least it has picked up, and better still I have a much clearer vision for my exhibition next year.

Do we always have to dress to flatter?

2012-01-16T03:57:00.000-08:00

It is always nice to look slim, especially if you have remained so through diligently exercising and moderating your eating habits. I have long since given up dieting per se, but I do watch my calorie intake, so that yes, I eat butter on my toast, but no I no longer eat a take-a-way curry. I monitor the quality of what I eat not the calorific value.
That said, yes, I am bigger than I was, not majorly so but after I had Leyla I gained a dress size and it has clung on since, mainly hugging my midriff, so that I shun anything too body con or tucked in. For me comfort trumps style and whilst I would never wear anything to clingy I don't mind if sometimes I am hidden beneath woolly layers, sometimes style should be fun, cosy, cuddly and above all warm. So please ignore the shocking quality of the photographs, I am so blind I can't see the smears, sadly the camera can! Instead I give to you some cuddle and some bargains. Last Friday I had some weird epiphany moment, I suddenly thought I should go to the Uniqlo on Oxford Street, because the sales are almost at an end and last summer I grabbed two wonderful pairs of +J trousers for peanuts right at the end of the sale. Jil Sander has now designed her last collection for Uniqlo, and I missed out online, it pretty much sells out the first hour past midnight.
Amazingly I was able to engineer 2 hours of time up town and so I went, and seriously how weird is this? On one small rail was just a few pairs of trousers, 4 in my size, plus a skirt. The skirt was a no, (I stuck to my rules on that one) 3 of the trousers fitted, (the other pair was a size 10, I misread the label and yet I did pull them on!) 3 pairs! all beautifully cut, all fully lined wool. What I love about +J is that they are cut very generously and are high waisted, which I find so comfortable. 2 pairs were wide legged, but they were so lovely and only £19 each, I had to have them. How is that for luck?
And there is more, I was desperate for a pee, so went over to John Lewis, I tried very hard not to look at the rails of grey cardies, like sirens luring me onto the rocks. Bastards. But they won, kind of, as the fair isle jumper on the left is not grey, and yes, it is a jumper, but the sleeves are woefully impractical and it is less than flattering, but hey, with my new trousers ,I LOVE it.
Next up is my new, not in the sale grey cardie, worn with the other wide legged +J trousers, a lovely deep moss green. In the middle, I spied near Bond Street, a girl wearing this outfit, clearly younger and slimmer, but I do like the idea of cosy wool layered over flimsy silk, so I may give it a go.

Enough about me, two from Bond Street. above a gorgeous outfit as seen in the Hermes window, love the trousers. and below Tory Burch, I have heard a lot about her and now have seen the clothes, Love them, but would need to be twenty years younger I think.

I had a glorious couple of hours wandering around with no agenda, the morning was bitterly cold and crisp, and London was very quiet, just how I like it.

Sunday was all about Leyla, she finished her final exam and so dragged me around the park with her bloody Rollerblades, which she can't use, and then to see War Horse, which I thought would be dreadful, but is in fact fine. It was not the horse that made me cry, it was the battle scene, all I could think of was how on earth did my Grandad survive?

Maison Martin Margiela

2012-01-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

I once used to wear black suits, back in the day before I had children when I harboured notions of managerial positions, this was my look. It is the look that seduced Emin, boy did he feel conned when I reverted to type!!

Now this is what I hanker after, in my fantasy world of lottery winnings tumbling past my ears these are the clothes that would envelop me during the cold dark days of winter.

Style Icon Lucinda Chambers

2012-01-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

I wish there were more photographs of Vogues fashion editor out there in blog land, she is responsible for some of Vogues best fashion images, how brilliant does she look?
Photo from here

And this one from the excellent Anne Bernecker

The view from here

2012-01-13T03:18:00.000-08:00

The field next to his aunts house, as I paint I am surrounded by a moving carpet of red beetles, yet only the ants climb into the paints, I sit on an old chair and paint so can't go too far, their is no need when it all looks this lovely though.

The village sits high up on top of a mountain, the view above is from his aunt's veranda, she spends the weekdays looking after her grandchildren and returns at the weekend, the house is big and was part of a farm, but it is sadly falling into disrepair, her husband died of cancer many years ago and she had 3 girls all of whom have flown the nest. It looks idyllic, but if this painting had sound all you would hear is the constant bickering from a neighbouring house!

This is the view from Emin's house, on the front veranda, I have used considerable artistic license and removed the junk yard that is attached to yet another smallholding lived in by a very deaf old lady, the same old lady that proclaimed she had goats in her garden prettier than me!

This is the view to the right of Emin's house, sadly the mountains have bleached out but on a clear day they rise up majestically.

Down a small lane, 10 minutes walk away is this view, they are all of the sea around here, there are places where the entire horizon is just sea, it gives the landscape a wonderful hazy glow when the sun is out.

This is a heavily reworked painting I sat in the garden of a house that has just been built on the outskirts of the village, it overlooks the valley, across to another village. During the call to prayer there is a small time delay which allows the call to echo across the valley, it is rather beautiful and something I would like to capture on tape. Emin apparently owns a scrubby patch of land down there!

Finally there is a scrubby field 5 minutes away where plants have reclaimed once ploughed land, I love the colours of all the different tress, although I never got to grips with that ethereal silvery beauty of olive trees. I would love to return at Easter one year to see the flowers too.

I painted double this but these I felt were the better ones, they are visual notes for me to paint from, rather than accurate representations, I am also conscious that I use watercolours like oil and often layer them up rather than allow the paper to create light. I half wished I had taken pastels too, but I like the way just using paint forced me to mix colours and focus on how the light changes colour almost every second of the day.

The second week was more rewarding than the first, simply because I finally warmed to the subject and got to know the colours better, I'm going back next year, but perversely will probably approach the project from another point of view using a different media.

Benim guzek Africam

2012-01-11T05:52:00.000-08:00

I too love all things African, a fairly trite statement, I know. Not unlike proclaiming a love of all things European, or Asian. Sadly I am not educated enough to specify the origin of sculptures, textiles and jewellery I love, but on retirement when I steal from my school resources it will be the box of African artifacts that will vanish with me.
Situated on a very industrial estate, just outside of Magusa (Cyprus) is a large bakery, it sells all manner of greasy pastry and overly sweet cakes and ice cream, but it does have free wi fi, and so you can sit and watch the locals come and go whilst simultaneously deafened by a music channel, whilst downloading the latest Guardian. There are worse places to spend half and hour, and for me there was a battered dog eared Vogue from Turkey, inside was this lovely page of jewellery, the text I can't translate, the jewellery I love. This too is fabulous, although a little too theatrical for me to wear daily, I do love the concept.

Both from Anita Quansah

Was it a Merry Christmas?

2012-01-09T01:35:00.000-08:00

Oh, the tales I have heard about Christmas, they would make last years play Seasons Greetings by Alan Aykbourn seem tame. I have heard 3 different versions of the same story from my mother, my sister and my daughter. The conclusion to my daughter's moody antics is for my mother and my sister electing to spend next Christmas in Australia. Far enough from Daisy to not feel the bitter chill of her frosty glare.

Kitty too at the opposite end of the country with the other family had to suffer, but she did so graciously in silence whilst her new baby brother was spoilt rotten.

And me? well, had the day fallen on a weekday it would be business as usual, Leyla would have gone to school and I would have painted. Instead it fell on a Sunday and so I decided we should have a jolly day out in Bellapais...Sadly rain stopped play.
We drove through torrential rain and it only stopped for a brief moment the entire day.
My uncle is a big fan of misplaced Santa's and so this one was for him.

The oranges were abundant hence scrumping, since the restaurant we planned to eat in was closed.

Is it me or is there something wrong with this picture? Clue, woolly hat + sun glasses!

But I did get to church!

and despite the grey rain soaked skies it was as beautiful as ever

Just a lot greyer.

but we did see our first double rainbow

and some blue sky on the way home.

By now we had fine dined at a Burger King! and I had endured a very expensive tantrum on the phone with Daisy. I decided it would have been cheaper to fly her out to spend Christmas with us next year, which is more likely than she thinks!

When shopping online does work

2012-01-06T05:53:00.000-08:00

A recent post on Out of the Bag highlighted the seductive, but oh so flawed practice of Internet shopping. My fingers have been burnt so many times I have all but ceased on what was an often fruitless exercise in anything other than deflated dreams. I like to feel the weight of the fabric, I am very tactile when it comes to buying anything remotely sartorial, I often chide Leyla for walking into a shop and touching everything, only to find I do that too. One particular minefield when buying online has to be shoes. At what point can you be sure they will fit? And yet curiously I have had the most success online with shoes than most other purchases. The trick is to know your brand and stick to it like glue. I lover PF Fliers for pumps as well as Converse, the sizes stay the same making it easier to buy online.

Last summer was saved. really saved by a very basic pair of Fly Flot mules. I was not keen to move on to boots in case they were not sized the same but as luck would have it Pavers have a shop in York and so I could try them on. I then bought these online, only just the right side of orthopedic Blackpool Landlady I know, but with my feet, if the shoe fits....

They are much nicer in the flesh so to speak, they do gape a bit at the top but the shaped curve does not make it so obvious, I must be the only fatfoot who does not have cankles! But what I love is they have just a little height enough to ease the pain in my heel. They were not my first choice but I came late to this party. Not the next though, so later this year when their boots get restocked I will be more on the button.

So with spring ahead I am now tempted by these.

The perfect work shoe to wear with skirts I hope.

I am today wearing a black dress/tunic form COS, (see top piccy) purchased yesterday before meeting Lucy to see Richard II (mmm 3/5) For me it was serendipity, there was only one on the rail in my size, and it was in the sale, (as was the grey cardie I bought on impulse before the bloody sale!) an otherwise itchy combo of wool and angora it's really lovely and not at all itchy, which is more than I can say about their trousers. 5 pairs I tried on, and my normally reliable source dried up.

But back to the grey cardie, yes, I know I said no cardies, but it was lovely, what I really want now is a rich clotted cream jersey top with a scoop neck and 3 buttons down the front, I used to own some old men's flannel undies that had that and I loved them, now I can't find anything silky enough to wear under a jumper which has the desired buttons.

It is on my wish list.

The view from there to here

2012-01-05T03:18:00.000-08:00

So yes, I have returned, we made it there, and I have come back infection free. A small miracle I think.
I have painted a lot, and I have read a lot, I have even become quite bored a lot, but that was my fault as I went as per usual woefully unprepared for the extreme dip in temperature and prolonged darkness once the sun dropped like stone from the sky.
It was 70% sunny and warm, but the other 30% was, I have to say, verging on Old Testament biblical in it's extremeness. The house sits high up on the converging points of three peaks, so the clouds scud at some considerable speed across the sky and the rain lashes down in torrents with enormous flashes of lightning. I don't know why, but Mediterranean thunder storms are quite hairy at night.
I managed to take some more photographs which I will post next week. Plus I survived a really crap head cold, which was pretty much obligatory considering how busy I was before the end of term.
But more importantly I painted, nearly every day. nothing special, but I have defiantly moved forward for my project, which somehow has morphed into a landscape project. But what landscapes. I did not have the emotional connection that I have with Scotland, but I have enjoyed the challenge so far and have come home with numerous ideas to explore. So this was the view nearly 3 weeks ago, balmy days picking flowers. My life was made very simple as Leyla went to school each day, so all I had to do was cook. The garden needed very little attention so despite lugging very heavy wellies, I did not go into the fields much.
The one down side is that because a wall is being built at Easter, the extra planting has to wait until next year, so despite assurances to the contrary we will be going back next winter...Joy!
Back home and the gales have followed, going home last night my scarf was woefully inadequate and so I dived into TKMaxx, and fell serendipitously on these Scottish lambswool gloves and the softest cashmere moss green eternity scarf.
Sometimes it is the small things that pep up my day, because I sure as hell did not want to be back at work.

I do have plenty to look forward to though as I keep on writing here, but I need to keep writing about it to convince myself that life is good.
So, I am attending lectures at the Tate Modern ..Good, but have to write 50000 words by May...Bad!
I have some great ideas for painting..Good, but teaching keeps getting in the way ...Bad!
But best of all I am going to Madrid in February, and guess what? There is a HUGE art fair on at the same time ..Good... so I have my carrot to survive, and I need it as there are 3 parents evenings in the next 5 weeks..Bad very bad...

And one more thing, I really, really miss writing. I wrote not a jot for 10 days, I thought my head would go *BANG!* with the muddled mess backing up. So in the end I wrote and wrote and wrote, all on scraps of old paper. I essentially annotated my paintings, but boy did it feel good, really good.
I should really just bite the bullet and get a computer to use, but in a way I do feel that absence from gazing at a screen forces me to evaluate and appreciate. I don't see reading blogs as wasteful at all, I have learnt so much you would not believe. But I do think I need a break occasionally, but thank you all, to any poor soul who wades through the meanderings of an increasingly old and addled brain. And especially to those who comment, into what seems like an empty vacuum. I do read them, I long to chase you up, but this effing job just keeps getting in the way. Yes, that same effing job that pays for those glorious holidays. me complain?

The view from here

2011-12-16T02:34:00.000-08:00

tomorrow morning will be this. Please, please,please. I just hope it continues to rain rather than snow. if the weather allows it we will take of tonight and land in warmer climes. And yes that is the sea.
I managed to make a bit of progress with my painting on Wednesday, so much so that when I got out some previous work I appreciated just how far I had come. Sadly I know from experience that the holiday will change me, and so instead of picking up where I left off I'm going to start afresh. So I have packed away the oil bars, it is watercolor time now and then I have to come back and try and paint with just my oils.
We are away for quite sometime and so I have books galore to keep me going, mostly on curating, as well as articles from back copies of Artreview. I also have a rather worthy tome on Caravaggio borrowed from mother and finally one of my all time favourite Christmas presents, a signed copy of The Incredible Human Journey by Dr Alice Roberts. She came to Daisy's college to lecture and so Daisy managed to get her to sign the book. I was SO touched, you can't believe how touched I was. So that too will be read. I think the woman is just amazing.

I have not left any post dated pieces, I've been just so busy, and have had little time to play around up town. I'm looking forward already to the New Year in terms of college. which moves to the Tate Modern, (hence my curating research) lots of plays. including Richard II and One Man Two Guvnors, a huge David Hockney retrospective, and Madrid. All this before Easter. so that should keep away the winter blues.

Oh and Kasabian? AMAZING really just AMAZING

So

MERRY CHRISTMAS

HAPPY NEW YEAR

LOVE FROM

ALISON

XXX

2011-12-14T06:22:00.000-08:00

Last Friday seems so, so far away,even as I sit here I have no recollection, oh, wait, slowly it is coming back to me.
The original plan was for Leyla and I to go and see Noises Off at the Old Vic. Then Lucy joined us, and then Leyla decided a school disco would be more fun, and so then Kitty said she would come, and then Lucy had to have an operation and then Kitty had to work her shift, and then Leyla was banned from the disco, and then Leyla came to see the play with me. Got that?

So we went up town and went to John Lewis, picked up the camera I had bought for Daisy, and got mother some perfume. We zipped in and out of COS, wallet still intact and grabbed some food from Vapiano, before running down to Waterstones to pick up a couple of books for Leyla. Then back to the Old Vic. Noises Off is just Brilliant. I laughed and laughed. Just as well really.

Saturday, up at the crack of dawn, as was Kitty, who was on a 7am shift. Got the train to Kings Cross. NO, stop. Got on the WRONG train to Kings Cross, not once, but twice. Seriously thick as pig shit sometimes. I have lived in this city for twenty effing five years how do I do it?
So got there in the end. I too needed a book but nowhere sells the ones I want, I gave up and bought a newspaper instead and then sat next to someone eating sunflower seeds. Moved.
Got to York on a glorious sunny day. Forgot my camera! Can you believe it? I went and sat in a church for half an hour as mother was busy. I know I'm a walking contradiction, but I might not believe in God but he does do great architecture and All Saints in York is one of the very best with outstandingly beautiful stained glass windows. So mustered up, I went forth and had a very relaxing weekend, it was over in the blink of an eye, I travelled back to London, got home and sat in the bathroom sobbing. I miss Daisy more than I knew. She is a lot happier and so a joy to be with again.
I am now so not packed for a holiday I begin Friday night. And in stark contrast to the highbrow culture I have participated in this month I am going to see Kasabian at the O2 tomorrow.
Oh, and I have spent today painting. This is a good thing, I have worked away my demons and my watercolors are packed if nothing else is! Sanity saved.

Sometimes it comes good in the end

2011-12-08T03:30:00.000-08:00

Some time ago I wrote about how much better my purchasing had become. From my mistakes I made some rules and give or take a wobble or two they have come good. My rule to stick to buying jumpers not cardies has paid dividends, not least because a pair of Pegged Zara trousers form last year has suddenly become wearable. Last year I wore them once, I couldn't find thin enough socks to wear with them consequently they rode up around my fat calf muscles and became so irritating I gave up. For some reason now they are fine. Two narrow skirts too have become worn after languishing unloved for over a year which is why I'm not panicking too much about what to wear with this impulse buy. The skirt is very high waisted so a normal length cardie drowns it. The dress on it's own is lovely but the top is so pale and made of a very fine stretchy jersey, (clingy) so I become quite self conscious and feel the need to cover it up a little. I have decided to be patient, it will come good in the end. I may try a yellow cardie, with it as yellow and grey are one of my most favourite combinations.

It was my last class of the term last night, a large cohort of students are unhappy with the teaching and during the group session last night we tentatively voiced the lack of direction. We of course were archly manipulated into seeing the small steps we had made as something grander. So I am pegging my hopes on some serious philosophical discussions when we are based in the Tate Modern next term. Of course after two weeks I will be bitching about that too!

Moomin Love

2011-12-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

In the room euphemistically known as my studio, or resource room, I have photographs ripped from magazines pasted onto the wall. Half the room is devoted to art and all that inspires me, colour, shape and form all collide together. The other half is devoted to rooms I would love to live in. The wall of images sits behind the kettle, so as I wait to make a coffee I gaze longingly at the achingly beautiful spaces. I am ever ready for that sudden windfall of money, ready to shove a handful of clippings under the architects so they can conjure up my dream home. Pride of place now goes to this photo spread from this weeks Saturday Times supplement. What's not to love and covet?

I remember reading a Moomin book when I was young, I loved it so much I bought another, but for some reason it was impossible to read. It was like the first one was so perfect I couldn't move on. I had the same problem with C.S.Lewis. Still, I love the characters and now gaze longingly at this studio whilst the kettle boils.

The view from last night

2011-12-06T00:38:00.000-08:00

I took these photographs 2 years ago at The Frieze Art Fair. I loved them then, I love them now, I love the controlled chaos of moving ink across a photograph. I love the colours and the strange juxtaposition of textures. Last night I finally made it to the Gerhard Richter retrospective.

I had almost forgotten that I had booked to go to a talk by one of the Gerhard Richter curators at the Tate Modern. I had wondered that despite loving his work if I would ever make it to the show. I am so glad I did. I used my student discount and managed to hear an excellent talk about how the show was curated, plus see the exhibition twice both before and after. I found that a perfect way of doing it. Once with no preconceived ideas and once with a lot more knowledge that forced me to look at work I had previously not really paid much attention to.

It was strange to go out on a Monday night, but the effort was rewarded with this stunning view over the Thames to St Paul's

The view from here

2011-12-05T03:16:00.000-08:00

It is very rare that I plan something and then actually realise the plan. But here is the evidence that I indeed make it to Leadenhall market. rather too early though as the few stalls that were there were only just setting up. Being tucked away in the city it was very quiet, despite copious publicity, it seems shoppers still prefer the jostling melee of Oxford street to the calm environs of this beautiful arcade. Those of you more inclined to Harry Potter will recognise this place, Leyla did from this photograph.
Sadly it is full of the usual generic high street stores, with little in the way of individual boutiques, so I managed somehow to get to Bond street and grab a coffee before walking down to get the train home in time to collect Leyla for the concert. On the way I spied this very secluded passage, places like this are littered across the city, and I love them.

I did not have time for Selfridges windows, which having researched them is just as well as they would not yield much for me photography wise. Instead I snapped a few windows down Bond Street. I was hoping to find the Lowery exhibition on at Richard Green. I managed to walk straight past it!

But did find this at Hermes, now there is abox we all would like to find under the tree. Yes I am feeling quite festive for the moment. It is all very fresh and not as jarring as I normnally find it. Even the 'muzak' in the supermarket i am currently finding quite jolly.

Next a whistle stop tour of Cork Street.

Flowers Gallery always has a lovely show on at Christmas that focuses on the smaller canvases from a very wide range of artists. There was a superb Maggie Hambling and this one from Tai-Shan Schierenberg was lovely too.

But for me this beautiful painting by Johanna Melvin was my favourite. I can find very little about her luckily this was on the gallery website

Further along the ever reliable Kurt Jackson. he is one of those artists whose work does not translate very well on a larger scale. However his small mixed media pieces are really lovely, especially his most recent paintings of the Dordoigne. I think the new location has lifted his painting to a new level.

Walking down Bond Street I came across this group of people. three of them were in quilted jackets, they have become ubiquitous across town I tried to this of a collective noun for them but couldn't!

So the outcome of my research was neither Spitalfields or Leaden Hall would be worth the effort,the latter too quiet, the former is just another vehicle for Asian imports. Both Emin and I were smitten with the area despite going the wrong way twice! But having worked out a quick way to get there, I will return.

The family carol concert at St Martins-in-the-Fields was just beautiful, and so, so brilliantly sung very moving. Yes, Mater, I know at moments like these I am very, very blessed. After we went for sushi, I ate and drank far too much as usual and had stomach ache all the way home! that said Leyla matched me plate for plate and was fine, I think the food is too rich for me.

The view from here

2011-12-02T03:24:00.001-08:00

Have you ever noticed that when times are tough at work, you find you can cope? Maybe only just, but books get marked, children get taught and paperwork is filed, worst of all data is compiled. All this and plus have staff who need suporting too. Then you go to a meeting and you talk the talk and bullshit with the best of them, then the person opposite suddenly says, "you're clearly under a lot of pressure with little support, it must be difficult" It was like being hit by a steam train. BANG, it dawned on me that yes, I was working hard with little support. My reaction at the tiniest skerrick of empathy is to blub. However I managed to suck it back up and soldiered on, but inside it can feel overwhelmingly hard sometimes.
As a result of the additional work I have struggled to go up to London, (especially Selfridges) to photograph the Christmas windows. I could have gone last Wednesday as strike action closed my after school class at college, however I realised too late and ended up spending a very fruitful couple of hours in the Library. I feel like I have paid to be a member of the most expensive library in the world since the tuition has been crap, so far it has been the only benefit. This weekend I was planning on going Christmas shopping with Kitty. She has shown a remarkable reluctance to enter into the gift giving fray, but after digging away at her for a week it transpires she is terrified of buying the wrong thing. Apparently for too long she has put on a brave face on receiving unwanted presents and thinks everyone will feel the same about whatever she buys. I told her that few people turn there noses up at posh chocolates or other food. I have often shopped in a lovely deli on Jermyn street for small but delicious edible gifts. She remains very unconvinced! I have to say I never had any qualms about the presents I bought, for me the pleasure was wholly in the purchase, once wrapped I didn't give it a seconds thought.
Anyhow she has blown me out for a cinema trip with her step mother, such is the dog eat dog world of parenting.
So I am shopping alone at the weekend. I am doing a reconnaissance on two markets. Ledenhall in the city and then Sunday I hope to go and see what there is in Spitalfields. I will take a camera as it has been far too long since I took photographs for pleasure.
I have just remembered I do have Christmas Carols at St Martins-in-the -Field on Saturday with Leyla, so looking forward to some sushi afterwards.
Finally I am wearing the jumper I swore I would return, the reason? It's much colder, in fact this time last year it snowed. I also realised I was trying to wear it with the wrong trousers. Instead of narrow, it needed wide legged ones of which fortuitously I had.
I am still at work with some year 11 girls desperately try to make a clay shoe! I'm crap with clay but I have done my best and now need a glass of wine before an early night. I am shattered.

Where Children Sleep

2011-12-01T03:58:00.000-08:00

Risa, 15,Kyoto, Japan

Lamine, 12, Bounkiling village, Senegal

Rhiannon, 14, Darvel, Scotland

Nantio, 15, Lisamis, Northern Kenya

I love this idea, it is a real eye opener and beautifully photographed. See more on his website here

Frivolous Fun

2011-11-30T06:03:00.000-08:00

Black Fringe Ribbon Trim Necklace by Akong

Beautiful feather headdress by Rebecca Jewell

Why I love Consuelo Castiglioni

2011-11-29T02:30:00.000-08:00

The headline accompanying this photograph was enough to make my heart leapfrog into my mouth. Marne + H&M. Seriously, this has to be the one I pull my finger out for. Even if it's just to own a necklace or two.

But what really leapt off the page was what she is wearing herself. Could this be any better? The colour of the jumper, the patterned skirt, her hair. OK the earrings would drive me insane, and what I want to know is would she consider wearing this with tights? Or, is she granite like and goes bare legged? If so does that not look odd with a coat? Like a wool sleeveless polo neck. Of course the chances of her needing a coat as she runs for the 7am train on a sub zero morning, before climbing 4 flights of stairs into an over heated classes room are zero. I often think the life of a fashionista is totally climate controlled and not subject to the extreme vagaries we lower down the food chain are.
I have to say the best decision I ever made was to switch to jumpers, from an almost pathological need to buy cardigans, and after a recent wobbly moment last week I am back on top form currently wearing jumpers over skirts, but mostly black.
Now I've seen this I may have to get back out some patterned skirts just to have my own Marni moment.

Failure to launch

2011-11-28T01:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I could argue that the economic climate is not the best time to suddenly launch a career as an artist. But I was not prepared for the brutality that was to come. Despite the hoards walking round, little money exchanged hands, I'd spent the whole of Saturday night cutting out paper doves to make cards. I'd other designs too, but in the end ran out of time. Thankfully, as no one was buying cards, not just mine, but anywhere. I had completely misjudged the Christmas Craft Fair, it was mostly jewellery and commercially imported merchandise. The only thing selling was cupcake candles, soap and lavender bags. Maybe some scarves but that was all. Neither stall either side of me made enough to cover costs. Luckily I did. What was laughable was how many stopped ooh ed and aah ed but didn't even buy a card.
My sister was stoic, she came with food and stood with me for 4 hours. Emin drove me and helped price things up, which was nice since the previous night I had called him a thoughtless prick. Both Kitty and Leyla called me to see how it was going, which was sweet. The main shock was that it was not a craft fair for people who make things, it was just a cash cow for the organisers. lesson learnt.

I have learnt 2 other important lessons.
1. I must have a website, this is a no brainer and Emin has offered to build one after the new year, he is surprisingly keen to launch my art career, so I know he will do it.
2. Everything is now packed and ready to go, this took hours but has now made me realise it can be done. I have through numerous conversations found 3 more venues that would work better for my work. I'm going to do some research this coming weekend and then after the website is up and running go for it.

Friday was a triumph of sorts. A great meal at Les Deux Salons, even Kitty agreed. I treated my sister and I to a glass of Champagne which was what I had looked forward to all week. She was more deserving having lost £8000 of business in one day. I think she will be schmoozing a client this week to make up for it, poor soul.
The play (Comedy of Errors) I have mixed feeling about. 3/5 is a fair I think. The stage as always was great, just brilliantly done. The acting was either 'very good' or 'not great', but it rolled along nicely. After 5 min's Kitty leaned across and said "are they going to talk like this all night?" I panicked but then she relaxed and just let it wash over her. Despite the lack of understanding she really enjoyed herself, and may join us again, but only if they talk in English!!
My biggest concern about the play was one scene that they had set in a brothel, this is fine, kids need to know they exist, (and there were a lot of children there that night.) What was disconcerting was the man in the 'gimp mask' seriously was that necessary? Luckily Leyla didn't see it so I was let off that very interesting conversation!

The view from here

2011-11-25T01:16:00.000-08:00

I'm running late, this is a good thing. I have driven to work, which takes less than 20 minutes, as opposed to train and walk which takes over 40 minutes. I woke up to hear the 5.30am train moving off. I am so tuned into the trains that leave the station that backs onto our garden it's quite scary.
I reach for my phone and decide to treat myself to a lie in, so I reset the alarm for 6.30am. Yes, that's what constitutes a lie in! And indeed I do go back to sleep. A deep precious sleep that can only be achieved and appreciated after waking early. In fact I slept like a log most of the night having had an astonishingly stressful day, the details are boring, but after taking Leyla to her violin lesson I bought a bottle of white wine and a pizza, and kicked back in front of the television. Fuck making Christmas cards, I needed a break.

So drinking my coffee looking at the view from my classroom window rather than reading the papers online I see the sun streaming through onto my Ficus, with my fake orchids behind. I love the colours so grab my camera.
The fake orchids are stuck into a real orchid, the flowers of which I have only been seen twice, and they were quite grim. I'm too afraid to re-pot it, despite the fact it's one large root ball, in case I kill it. So it sits, sulking on my cupboard and so to teach it a lesson I stuck some silk flowers in it!
I have driven in so I can take home my boxes of stuff to sell at the craft fair. Lucy has tried to drum up trade by posting it on Facebook. If it all works out I will pay off my MA fees, if not it may just be enough to buy me a sausage sandwich. Watch this space.

Tim Walker

2011-11-23T03:59:00.000-08:00

Tim Walker goes to Mongolia.

When I saw this photograph my jaw dropped, it's just so beautiful. I bought Vogue because it's choc full of the most amazing images. The story behind them is remarkable too. They travelled to Mongolia, to go so far with so much luggage and get these photograph is a triumph.
I have wondered if Tim Walker wasn't running on empty recently as he does seem to rely on props to create a story. These photographs prove he should get out more as they are so much better than some of his previous work.

Whilst we were in Istanbul Emin asked why I bother taking photographs, when I do so little with them. He's right, I should make more effort to at least make a blurb book. I'm hoping the MA may help give me a direction, we shall see.

I am still frantically wrapping up old collages, some over 8 years old. I have so far found and wrapped 120 pieces, plus made some ginky cards. I would've liked to have packed up more peices, including some oils, but I'm running out of time and part of me, the negative fatalistic part thinks what's the point.

Looking back over my old work has made me realise how much I miss watercolour painting, so I think I will try and do some in Cyprus, (snow and fog willing) The early dark nights should focus my mind, no distractions I hope, that's what I am looking forward to the most right now. Oh, and Comedy of Errors at the National Theatre on Friday night with the girls. I have booked Les Deux Salons as it's Leyla's favourite for the burgers, which she has declared the best in the world.

My sister has had a rough week so I think I may have to treat her to a champagne cocktail.

Finally my favourite bit so far from my new book by A.C.Grayling is, do you believe in the tooth fairy? No? Then why do you believe in God?

The post where I have to admit I have lost any sense of self control

2011-11-21T01:17:00.000-08:00

These I will keep.

It all started inauspiciously enough, I was on my way to the NPG to look at the recently opened Taylor Wessing Portrait prize exhibition as well as listen to two of the photographers discuss their work. This exhibition has become a double edged sword for me on the one hand I love looking at the photographs, on the other should one of mine not be there? I did enter this year, but did not submit the image because it just looked crap on a larger scale. I am aiming for next year all guns blazing, or not.

I digress.

Because I never read anything properly, I'd made some stupid assumption the tour started at 5.30pm, which would be logical since most teachers have a long way to commute into London. Sadly, it started at 5.00pm. So I ran in only to not find anyone, no one knew where they were, and I was told to go in and wait inside the exhibition. I waited for half an hour but no tour appeared. I decided they must be in the lecture theatre and since I was hot and very stressed and had for some reason a crippling stomach ache, I limped home, tail between my legs and walked the dog, smarting from having wasted £7 on travel and even more money in COS.

What made it worse was I was outside the gallery at 4.45pm, but then decided to run up to the London Graphic Center to buy some spray varnish for some work I am attempting to sell. I shot through Waterstones and bought a book and of course was then lulled by poisonous sirens into COS. In the heat of the moment I bought a tunic dress and a knitted dress. Impulse. So I was both poorer and missed the talk.

I put the irritation to the back of mind, but then this morning I woke up and stood frozen like a rabbit in the headlights in front of my wardrobe. It's not that I do not have anything to wear. I have felt 100% positive about all my sartorial style until today, but this morning something cracked under the strain, and the reason is.... Historically I have always felt cold, I'm only comfortable in warmer climes, but it has been my misfortune to spend the last 7 years in a classroom with no heating. I am therefore programed to buy wool anything really. Dresses, jumpers, skirts, even Nora batty tights all worn over up to two thermal layers.

So what has changed?

For a start weather has not got much colder, balmy climes most days, second, I have a feeling they may have fixed the heating but worse of all I feel like I am going to combust most days, so I feel it has all gone horribly wrong. I am hot, so hot I can now only wear 40 denier tights, plus I have to fling my cardie off every 5 minutes. I no longer wear a vest let alone two, and I often have to open a window at work. YES it's the menopause. But how do I know this will last? Do I buy the wool just in case? But then I feel like I have wasted my money. I itch to wear the new stuff, but I feel like I'm going to explode the minute it goes on, so I get ready, then get ready again. I was so pissed off this morning, I stand there looking at all the clothes I have bought yet cannot wear and having been fine for weeks now I feel it has all fallen apart.

On top of this I have started to wake up in the night and then lie in bed raging against the lack of self control I have, and then I think does it really matter? Then I start to think what am I doing with my life? Why am I even here? ON and ON it goes.

So I have written it all down, it's now in a box and I just have to get ready for Sundays craft fair. because lets face it, that is my problem, the though that I will stand and sell nothing and then have to lug home all the stuff I have spent hours wrapping and wonder why I am even bothering, why don't I just read a book and give it all up.

Oh and yes, I did get dressed eventually, I think I will return one jumper and one dress, please, please pray I can find the receipt and return them, and more importantly walk past Eileen Fisher, because those clothes are gorgeous especially for a menopausal woman!!

Istanbul .....the locals

2011-11-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

Those two dogs were enjoying a game of tug of war!

Fishing, fishing fishing, everywhere.

It was still alive!!

That is all the photographs I am posting, there were more, but I think it gets a bit boring after a while.

Having almost thought I was on top of the paperwork another list appeared pretty much at the same time the books needed marking, so posty light again.

Robert Motherwell

2011-11-16T04:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think I am close to realising a goal and then I walk into a room and see this, and I realise I am still at the bottom of the stairs looking up.
Bernard Jacobson Gallery

Another gallery close by that is exhibiting an astonishingly brilliant exhibition is Ordovas, the current Francis Bacon show is just brilliant, don't let the doorman put you off the staff are lovely.

The view from here

2011-11-15T03:16:00.000-08:00

I had one of those weekends that made me wonder if I would ever get to sit down. In my fantasy world I would go to the gym before pootling in the kitchen and then watching crap TV all evening. This weekend involved none of that. Instead I volunteered my services to Emin helping cut back a vine. Comedy moments galore, because think about it, when is it quite frankly the very worst time of year to cut back a vine laden I tell you with red grapes? Yes, this weekend is the correct answer.
I am not talking a carefully nurtured and pruned vine, I am talking Sleeping fucking Beauty's Castle vine, It had spread EVERYWHERE and some, taking no prisoners. I donned wellies and a cagoule, because directly afterwards I was going to the theatre.
I was thoroughly juiced for 2 hours, it mattered not how carefully I clipped the stuff. it just kept on splashing. Plus of course the grapes were riddled with mould and flies and wasps. The joy!
I did skulk off for a bacon butty before passing the baton to his niece and collecting Leyla to go and see a rather saucy production at The Royal Court, called Jumpy. The premise was the relationship between a rattled mother turning 50 and a dysfunctional teenage daughter. Throw into this mix a childless friend in need of a relationship and the usual sprinkling of feckless men all on a pure white stage and you pretty much have the premise.
There was much that was good, there were however too many opportunities missed. There was way too many swear words for Leyla nudity and a rather risque burlesque routine. But she loved it. She on a couple of occasions nodded like a wise sage at the dialogue, but overall I felt the daughter was too hammy and over written. Teenagers are far more subtle than this one was and I came away feeling it was a missed opportunity.
I then persuaded Leyla to get the bus to Knightsbridge so I could indulge in my favourite pastime, COS. There is a new store open near Harrods and it has been a while...I tired on various bits and pieces, much was lovely, more was laughable, and I purchased another jumper. So you see I have stuck to my rules with considerable success, sadly the weather is not playing ball and the climate remains a little balmy for a wool jumper. But my day will come.
Now having poured scorn on Mary Portas recently it has been her turn to pour a little back on COS, I now realise she does not get it at all. The whole grey thing maybe a metaphor for dull, be that metaphor is beautifully cut and produced in some of the best quality fabrics on the high street. Can you for instance go into her outlet and pick up a jersey dress 80% Silk 20% Angora? Does she use the finest Merino Wool, machine washable? The clothes she so damns with feint praise are classics, we wear them year in year out with minor updates very little dates. I know where my money is spent, I wonder if women are still spending in her shop?Bitch over .

Supper at Kulu Kulu was amazing, really, I could have eaten that sushi until me belly exploded! It nearly did
The rest of my weekend was shop, clean, walk dog, boring, boring, boring. No gym...again.

I returned to work to a very magnanimous email from Mother, who was hurt by my comment written for last weeks Identity post. I am guilty as charged and as always have tried to gloss over the elephant in the room ( my deep seated rage) and put it down to artistic license for a drama queen.
Yes I know I am papering over the cracks, I am too old for anything else.

Finally, I am pleased to report that due to a small unexpected weight loss* I am wearing two items from my wardrobe that have languished unloved and forgotten, a long slate grey jumper from GAP sale last year over a ling tube jersey skirt. A year ago this would = sausage, now it looks quite sleek and very classic. The downside is that a once favourite combo from last year now drowns me and can no longer be worn.

* Yes I too loathe smug cows who, with little effort drop a dress size. That has not happened, rather a few skipped meals have shrunk my back fat that's all.

Istanbul, it's all about the food

2011-11-14T03:37:00.000-08:00

The first time we stayed in Istanbul we struggled to feed ourselves anything remotely edible, this time it was hard to stop eating. The difference was all in the area we stayed in. If you stay in the old part near the mosques you will be subjected to tourist pap and little else, unless you are on an unlimited budget. This time we were located away from the tourist attraction, more centrally where local people lived and worked. The difference was immense, with amazing cake shops and copious cafes selling a far broader range of traditional foods, not just kebabs but casseroles and soups and salads.
We were spoilt for choice.
We also discovered that in the smaller cafes you could order small plates like tapas and have them brought to the table and top up as and when, until you were full, the most expensive plate came in at around £3.50 so hardly busting the budget. In fact we spent very little by using public transport and eating this way.
My favourite cafes were out of the main fray down side streets, where the locals eat, and the locals all seemed to eat out, there appeared to be no such thing as a packed lunch. My favourite time to photograph was just as they were getting ready for lunch, the calm for the storm.

I started to seek out the smaller cafes, with their slightly retro air and hotch potch interior design

The really urban cafes would have bags of bread on each table to help yourself to, and best of all a sink or hygiene wipes to clean your hands before and after you've eaten, real Turks only use a fork plus bread to eat with! Looking back at the photographs this is something I would like to have spent longer on photographing.

Everything is washed down with tea, copious bucket loads of tea, it's consumed throughout the day, I missed more than anything the chance to have my food with a glass of wine, not a single drop passed my lips all holiday, I can live without it, but I must confess I find life a little duller.

I See You See I

2011-11-11T00:49:00.000-08:00

The captions I placed around the object, I decided one statement would not work as I wanted to lead the viewer around the pieces one by one.

This was really a work in progress, I would have changed the scale of some of the pieces had I time, the small copper coloured maquette I would have liked to make in copper rather than a photograph, but I gave it 7/10.

The Pantone card was a last minute addition, I found it in my pigeon hole with a thank you note from the Head Teacher for a recent presentation. I like the fact that he 'gets' me ..Cool but quiet. I love grey as you know so I felt this worked with the whole. I think the only other item I would have included was a small painting, but I was worried it would clutter rather than enhance.

So I felt acquitted but the stress truly I cannot convey to you how hard I found it, not least because having prevaricated for days, the very day I was ready to print the printer broke down, I nearly followed, but I think the sheer unadulterated misery on my etched across my face transmitted itself to the IT engineer and miraculously he called another engineer who fixed it by lunchtime. Then it was all hands to the deck and my assistant prepared it for me whilst I mentored another member of staff.

It was then a quick dash to the studio to put up the work and grab a coffee.

Although the idea of Identity I thought was quite trite, it did seem a good way to meet the other students some who are here from Singapore, Brazil and Israel! As I was talking about the piece I realised just how much though t I had put into it and having looked at the other students work I realised that actually the irritation with the theme was my blinkered outlook not their choice of theme.

The work of some of the other students ranged from brilliant to a bit sixth form like obvious. Some were happy to open up, some were very cagey. It was an interesting night and I was able to stay off the drink which can you believe was Chardonnay. Who the fuck still sells that stuff?

Roll on the next project.

The view from here

2011-11-10T04:19:00.000-08:00

Imagine it is a lovely crisp autumn day, there are people spilling out of the nearby catholic church and I have arranged to meet Daisy and Kitty so we can take Daisy shopping for jeans. Our final destination is GAP for obvious reasons, but I had though that maybe we could look at some cheaper jeans in New Look first.

So I am standing on the corner gazing at this view with the sound of birds singing, the sun warming my face, waiting and thinking life is good, all was calm.

I then saw Daisy's face and I knew we were in for a rocky ride. She looked thunderous, still smarting from putting on weight over the summer, the idea was to buy some larger jeans so she was more comfortable. The weight gain has become the elephant in the room, it poisons the atmosphere wherever she goes, whenever we meet.

I am waiting outside the changing room and when I look inside she is just sat with her head in her hands, I get irked and she cries, really really cries. I cry really really cry. I have not cried for ages, (OK not like this anyway) I am not sure if I will ever stop.
It transpires the source of her current mood swings is some kind of contraceptive implant, she hates it, it is poisoning her moods and welfare. She had tried to have it removed but was told it was too expensive. I have given her a week to demand its removal before I start phoning and making very big waves.

After a group hug with Kitty the air cleared and we walked to GAP, Kitty wove her magic and 2 pairs of jeans were purchased. Daisy was happy...ish.

Istanbul

2011-11-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

Coming back to work on Monday I cried, not because Istanbul was so great, but because I just wanted to knuckle down and get on with my own work, I have finally grown up and now think more about creating the image rather than obsessing about my own image. When I say I cried, I did not actually sob, more a tear escaped. The pressure has piled on this week, extra marking coupled with having to evidence planning on a daily basis rather than half termly. On top of that I have to now mentor 2 more teachers. Curiously I do not mind this but it has already seeped into my available time, and the pressure of all this work plus getting ready for my sale at the end of the month has started to keep me awake ..just a little.

Istanbul, wouldn't want to live there, we both decided we love the city but not the crowds. The traffic and constant thrum of car engines combined with the constant hooting of horns on top of buses belching out clouds of noxious crap, really was a struggle.
Plus the earthquake opened up a can of worms, did you know 70% of the buildings in Istanbul have been constructed with no planning regulation? Since the other 30% are probably mosques, it's a sobering statistic, so we found ourselves drawn to walking the banks of the Bosphorus, which I constantly kept calling the 'river' Emin berated me each time. For mile upon mile you will encounter nothing but fisherman, which kept Leyla entertained.

As did the plethora of cats, they are everywhere, I mean everywhere, often mingling in the parks with feral dogs, who are so passive it was hard to believe they were not trained.

We only crossed the bridge to the old town once, I wanted to revisit this mosque, which in the courtyard has the most beautiful tiled wall, as it's by the sea the gulls swoop across the sky line and one afternoon this amazing sky appeared behind the mosque opposite.

I confess I have forgotten the name of this mosque below, we went unintentionally whilst looking for a museum, previously it was partially closed for renovation, but now here it is in all its glory, I really loved it because it's painted inside not tiled, the colours used are beautifully subtle. There is still a lack of intimacy about the large cavernous spaces but at the same time they do inspire a certain awe.

And so to Bebek, the area we gravitated to the most, it was Leyla who kept wanting to climb up to see what was there, we found some huge houses protected by barbed wire and this stunning view. As always we hypothetically shopped for real estate and decided here was where we wanted to be, quiet with stunning views.

Emin shocked me by saying he preferred Berlin, but I could see why, it's less frenetic and I for one really missed the contemporary art galleries. They are here but impossible to find, believe it or not the Istanbul Biennial was on yet there was no mention of it anywhere, no one knew where it was, it was so frustrating. Plus the weather stayed relatively dry, if very cold meaning it seemed churlish to languish inside museums all day.

Back home I found an interview with the organisers who stated the the lack of publicity was deliberate!! WHY? How is that something to be proud of? The city was heaving with tourists none of whom would get the chance to see some really interesting art work. I doubt the locals knew about it either, certainly none of our au-pairs had heard of it.

Some people are seriously stupid and those organisers were right up there.

Just down the road from here was a museum called Sakip Sabanci Muzesi

It was originally a house owned by one of Turkey's rich cotton merchants, the house was given to the university to stop it being sold off by his heirs, it was an amazing mix of fifties architecture and traditional Turkish antiques, the real bonus was an amazing exhibition of Sophie Calle's photography and video instillation's undertaken with the local population, it made the holiday for me plus Leyla and Emin both enjoyed it too.

I am now going to York for the weekend, to see my beautiful daughter, who has taken the day off work to go shopping with her cash rich sister!!

I have just re-read this post, so bloody boring I've lost my humour mojo, sorry.

Frieze Art Fair

2011-11-03T02:37:00.000-07:00

Tony Swain

Walid Raad

Michael Bauch

Dayanita Singh

Frieze Art Fair

2011-11-02T02:10:00.000-07:00

Sandra Gamarra

Lucy Skaer

Harm van den Dorpel

Andrew Kerr

Yuko Someya

This last one I would have bought it was so beautifully delicate.

Eva Kotatvoka

2011-11-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Last year I posted a photograph I'd taken of this artist's work, a small piece tucked away around a corner. This year she was deservedly given a whole stand, it was the very best stand in the whole show, she is a real inspiration to me and I credit her with guiding me from the flat surface to a more thoughtful instillation approach to mt photography.

Yes I am back.

No I was not squished! Although sobering fact of the week, 70% of building in Istanbul are built sans permission and with no planning regulation, big gulp.. Next time we will stay further up the coast, but I digress. I am slightly anal in that I like my blog to run in sequence, so although I have an Enormous folder of images to trawl through I am spending the week on art for you instead.

Another reason is that have you noticed that when you do your job well you are then expected to not only carry others but train them too, without any extra dosh. That is my lot this week, lots of extra work, on top of putting together my first art presentation next Wednesday, preparing for my first sale at the end of the month.. unpacking then repacking to go to York on Friday.... I have to remind myself to breathe sometimes!!

Sartorial Frieze V

2011-10-28T00:27:00.000-07:00

Again perfect dressing for that certain age, this was one of quite a few dresses/jumpers I saw with this sheer top, the only down side was she had left the washing instructions in the back!

I liked the way she had layered her sheer fabrics.

I loved this dress with the battered brown handbag, I tried to get a better shot but it was really far to crowded by then.

I will be back next week either sodden or replete with amazing photographs of Istanbul, hopefully!

Sartorial Frieze IV

2011-10-27T00:23:00.000-07:00

I love it when dresses combine two textures like this, it hung beautifully. The photograph does not do this outfit justice it was a perfect combination of colours which I like.

I love grey knitwear with sequins, it is now cool enough to wear my one now.

I loved this jersey top with the stripey detail.

Sartorial Frieze III

2011-10-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

I love the asymmetric buttoned grey with the loveliest of suede bags which you can only just see, my perfect combination with jeans. The shoes with these trousers looked great, I nearly wore my black version and having felt the heat inside the tent wished I had!

I love back detail, I saw this and a lovely stripy version, sadly she moved to quickly through the crowd to photograph it, I wish shops did more like this though.

Sartorial Frieze II

2011-10-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE the grey with the amazing silver jewellery, I have tried to find a necklace like that for ages, it's gorgeous. What is not to love, the skirt has a wonderful retro feel the stripe top is great especially with brown accessories she looked perfect.

I could never do the puff sleeves, but I liked the detail on this dress and the well worn bag made the whole outfit look great.

Sartorial Frieze I

2011-10-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

A perfectly dressed woman of a certain age, I loved the boots with this this pretty cotton tunic.

No, not the riotous pattern although it was good, what I loved was that necklace, I have a bit of a thing for large chain links.

I suspect this is Orla Kiely, I love her patterns but not the prices.

Something Stripy for the Weekend

2011-10-21T04:30:00.000-07:00

This was an impulse buy some time ago, As I was paying for something in COS I spied 3 women carrying this top, I could not decide what side of 'convict' this fell, but in the end I loved the shape so much I thought 'what the hell' I've noticed I do not wear necklaces with stripes, the clash feels a bit much, so I have been wearing earrings more often instead.

Sadly it was the last batch of +J for Uniqlo today, the skirt I lusted after sold out in seconds which is good as that means I stick to my rules, even if they were enforced by the speed dial of others who were clearly prepared to stay up until 1am for them to go online. I guess that makes me a lacking somewhat in sartorial ambition!

I did as a consolation prize, (because I knew I would fail in my mission) buy a dress, YEAH I stuck to the rules, I cheated though as it's a skirt with a grown on top but the dress is grey and looks lovely, and more importantly very comfortable, perfect for layering a jumper over. I did weaken and buy a top too, but I impressively returned it because do I need it? NO.

I have been working with the oil bars again with mixed results, but it's good to push ideas around. I've assembled the bones of my Identity project too, last night I finally enrolled and I'm officially a student with an I.D card to prove it. Our library tour was cancelled so I went anyway, never one to conform I could not believe we were expected to sit and learn about bloody Photoshop, instead I gazed at some wonderful photography books and have already scanned half the pages of a book on Self Portrait it was so inspiring.

So Tutors 2/10, facilities 10/10!

Tonight I pack for Istanbul, luckily the temperature is in the high teens so I may get away with a light jacket rather than a full on wool coat. I have not a clue what we are doing but I am determined to spend some time at my favourite mosque in Enimonu.

Tomorrow I'm taking my newbies for a tour of Cork Street, self indulgent, you bet! I have left some Sartorial Frieze for you all to enjoy and will be back photography rich by November.

Maureen Gallace

2011-10-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

I spied this beautiful little painting on the Maureen Paley stand, it was so different from the brash look at me art everywhere else, I have google the artist Maureen Gallace and found these.

Such a wonderfully light touch, with luminous colours that hold your attention like a good landscape should. . One of only a couple of pieces I would have willingly spent money on.

images from here

Sartorial contemplation

2011-10-19T00:06:00.000-07:00

So young and with such wonderful hair!, I love the symphony of cream knitwear too.

Quite apart from the stunning artwork I love the floral shirt, I do love a man in a floral shirt!

This outfit was so lovely, my favourite flowing tunic with the mast fantastic shoes, where did she get those shoes?

More lovely shoes, with classic dresses.

That jumper on the left was lovely, I really liked the contrast of sheer silk with the wool knit.

I ache to waft around in billowing white like this, never gonna happen, not with my shoulders or my propensity to spill & splash.

I just love the proximity of his head with the head in the image behind him.

I love how they frame this photographic diptych.

The view from here

2011-10-18T00:54:00.000-07:00

I did not really notice the furniture this time, primarily it has not changed much so did not catch my attention.
What did was eveyones hair, I don't know why since I don't really 'do' hair, but I wish I did in a way because it can really make the most amazing statement.
Maureen Paley has the most incredibly distinctive silhouette, it took me ages to capture this glimpse but I love the way she was profiled against the text of a piece of artwork on her stand. This wonderful salt 'n' pepper up do I envied, but my hair is just too floppy for this. I love the zip on her shirt too.

This hair was stunning a whipped cone with a short back and sides again a great silhouette

I hope I can be this elegant when I finally go grey.

Nearly missed this but again I love the height. I always want to ask them how they do it without a hair headache, I get them a lot as the weight of my hair rages against my scalp.

What was annoying was had I seen these photographs I could have returned and focused a lot more on the hair, I wish I had visited over two days like last year, the focus becomes clearer after the first day.Next year....

Sartorial Frieze

2011-10-17T04:35:00.000-07:00

I did not want to go on a Saturday, but could not afford the time off work, I knew it would be a sartorial desert, which it was, but nothing prepared me for the crowds. After lunch it was heaving to the point of unpleasant. It was also ridiculously hot so despite staying for most of the day I have half what I achieved last year.
Many of my favourite Gallerina's had disappeared, I suspect the smarter ones do the business weekdays and the assistants do the weekend, hence the paucity of style. Of course I did get far more than this, but I will drip feed them to you whilst I am away next week.
I love the stripey cardie, you can just see a tiny bit of red that trims the neck line, I love it with the shoes too.
Second from right the colours are lovely, but she was clearly cooking, could those sleeves be rolled up any further? And most hilarious of all the Gallerina on the right is wearing the same dress as last year, that is some seriously good value cost per wear!

I did manage to get some work done too, for my identity project so it was not a complete disappointment.

I still ache all over from being on my feet for so long. Remember I did shoe shopping prior to this with Kitty. 4, count them, 4 pairs purchased.

Snowy weather booties

Work pumps

Scrummy brogue boots with kitted lining

Navy sparkly ballet pumps

She was over the moon, although a little shell shocked at the profligacy of it all. I think it's safe to say she is kitted out for the winter now.
She has just learned another of life's tough lessons, having paid for a book she checked her debit card receipt to discover that a £7.99 book had been charged at £45! luckily she checked and went back and thankfully they refunded her the money, but I have begged her to check before she taps her pin number in, not easy for a dyslexic though.

I am now tearing my hair out as to what to pack for Istanbul, it has rained non stop out there for weeks but looks to be a little brighter by Saturday, as we leave on the first flight out of Heathrow Saturday I need to pack now.

Oh, and the Tempest, on the bright side Ralph was very good as was the actor who played his daughter and Caliban was the best I've seen. Sadly the production was just horrible, crap set crap costumes and the music...Oh dear God it was TORTURE, really not good. All this would have been fine if the seats were cheap but they were not, which is why I prefer rep', no matter how pants the play I will never had paid too much and so resent it less.
I now realise that Sam Mendes is a genius with Shakespeare, his production was so much better, only let down by a poor Prospero.

Do we need Mary Portas?

2011-10-16T06:32:00.000-07:00

I started to pick up, via some comments on a couple of blogs that those across the pond are receiving nothing but good vibrations from the hermetically sealed world of Mary Portas. This brilliant article is very good and pretty much sums up how I feel.

That said the hypocrisy of the Guardian is breathtaking since all the clothes they ever feature in their supplements are for a size 8.

I initially felt some level of empathy with Portas, during her first series Mary Queen of Shops, she appeared to have some good ideas, but as the programmes rolled on she became a grotesque caricature not helped by the ubiquitous repetitive editing by Chanel 4, a company past master at the art of stretching 20 minutes of good television into 60 minutes of repetitive drivel.

The hype around this venture is completely disproportionate to her talent, the article which I could have written myself (it's so spot on, seriously, how long have I been saying it's not age but size and poor cut that causes problems for older women.) Despite Portas's constant harping on about the lack of choice for women over 40 I have managed very successfully to dress myself from a whole range of shops. No, not just COS, but also Zara, Muji, Toast, Kew, The White Company, Banana Republic, +J Uniqlo even GAP to name a few.
I look for a good cut and even better fabrics that drape and fold and hide. Poor fabrics cling and need ironing and I'm not prepared to iron ever!
So what are my gripes?
-Portas appears to wear mostly high end designer clothes when did she last shop on a high street? Has she not heard of COS?
-In this country we produce some of the best designers in the world, why do we need someone untrained to design for 'us'? It's insulting.
-Why is Portas so hostile to the younger market? My girls wear my clothes, surely we should not teach them age discrimination at such an early age.
-And like everyone who commented on the Guardian article, why when Portas is so forceful at pushing her own philosophy onto others could she not accept some of the more negative comments from her Guinea Pigs?

One of my all time favourite soundbites came from one of her more eloquent guinea pigs 'Pen'

"My body is better than this dress"

YES, she was so right.

Now THAT is a wedding dress

2011-10-15T04:04:00.000-07:00

This has to be the most amazing wedding dress ever, I love it, and the necklace too.

Something Stripy for the Weekend

2011-10-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

I know what you are thinking, where are the stripes? Well maybe not in this picture, but they are on me, right now I am wearing pretty much this outfit, but with a stripy vest underneath.
I was flicking through some journals this week when I found the one I used to draw these in. Why did I stop? Because I became very ill, once I lose the thread I can't pick it up again, no matter how hard I try, it will be the same with these oil paintings, a prolonged break over half term and I will pack them away and move on. That makes my work sound quite disjointed but I don't think it is, it stops me from getting stale and repeating mistakes while allowing the successes to bask in glory.

A-n-y-w-a-y I was flicking and was amazed to see this picture, of what I wore over 2 years ago virtually to the day.
I am tonight meeting my little sister and so in honour of that I am wearing this outfit, all be it with some bigger jewellery. The pumps and top are the same but the trousers are now thicker jersey ones from COS.

Oh and the wine will be white!

I tripped over a great blog yesterday and a post that raised two very interesting issues.

First up, does writing a style blog make you spend too much money on clothes?

Clearly judging by the Anthropologie story it does, but as someone who achieved a whole year of posting outfits, for me it would be a resounding NO. I found I raided my back catalogue a lot more, I found I experimented more, but at no time did I go shopping for more. This maybe due to the fact that I have more clothes than is really decent or necessary and that I was not writing a style blog. But trying to work all be it very publicly how I could hone my style without constantly repeating mistakes and looking like a sartorial car crash all the time.
No, for me what makes me spend is proximity to shops, if I see it I want it. Luckily for me I work miles from anywhere I could spend and currently have not had time to spend more than 30 min's in COS this combined with the current Internet ban has kept me relatively on the straight and narrow.

I guess the whole posting to make money thing just gets out of control at the younger end of the blogging spectrum, too many see it as a cash cow rather than what it really is, a somewhat self indulgent diary. Oh is that just me then?r>
<strong>Second up, do I spend too much money on clothes?

Assembled Hazardly explains this so much more eloquently than I, but I was for the first time nodding in agreement with her. I too spend little on cosmetics or hair I do go out a lot, but not extravagantly always the cheap seats and voucher deals for me. That I spend any money at all on clothes is an anathema to Emin, he feel money should go on gadgets and holiday experience, I am from the "seriously who the hell needs and iPhone and an iPad camp?" but then who needs 40 black pairs of trousers? We all have our desires and needs and itches to scratch and I feel I just about cut my cloth. He has learnt to deal with it, just as I have learnt to clear up after him.
I do not yet really understand why clothes are so important to me, if I just schlepped around in my dog walking clothes for a week I really would get quite ratty, I do love to dress up, and I have not since the beginning of term had one sartorial car crash not even a bump, it's all good, and it was thanks the those weekly posts, so the money I have saved on therapy and buying cheap shit off the Internet is now invested wisely, to better end, so raise a glass and celebrate with me my sartorial success.

The view from here

2011-10-13T01:15:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are new to this somewhat sporadic blog I will elucidate as to the origins of what became a somewhat accidental A Room Of My Own.
I have for too long, laboured under the misapprehension that the room should be at home, as on a minor technicality, I should really be teaching when I am at work and if not teaching then planning or god forbid the most onerous task of all ..marking. I curiously love marking but not 60 effing sets of books at the same time, after book 25 I begin to lose the will to live, after book 50 I am numb with boredom and invariably reward myself with something tasty but mighty fattening.
A-n-y-w-a-y, back to the story, so when my new school was on the planning desk I was still primarily a darkroom practitioner and so insisted that I was given a darkroom in the new school, and lo they did build me one, but without the double door! Seriously what morons. Luckily the students embraced digital and never wanted to dabble in the experimental dark arts and so I have what is essentially a windowless cupboard.
I decided as I had lost my office in the move to use it as a library cum storage facility, but as we moved I began to see the potential as somewhere to paint. It may seem a tad perverse but actually a windowless room is a joy, no distractions.
Yes, the lack of natural light is a pain but the privacy more than makes up for it. So I styled it up took photographs and this is what you may have seen some years ago, clean and tidy with some watercolour paintings in progress.

Well look how time changes. Why have I photographed it again? Well at college someone asked about sketch books and I panicked a little as I do draw in books and I do have books full of shape and colour references, but none of them are what I would consider to be sketchbooks. You do not really get the flavour of my thought process from the books at all, they are purely functional resources for me.
I then realised that this room is one big sketchbook, I pin all my reference source material on the wall and then work on the surface.
I work very small, never ever bigger than A4, to work bigger I would have to give up work as the momentum it would take cannot be achieved in the short bursts I have to work in. I do not resent that in the least, it makes me very disciplined and focused, which is a good thing.

So right now I am working very hard to free up my painting, if you peer hard enough you will see pinned to the wall a very small painting comprised of a red plate with a green circle on top placed on a yellow background. That is what I was working on, however although I love them dearly I was conscious I was trapped in the 'tea towel design' hell, a habit I acquired at college.

So I switched to oil bars instead.

Very messy and very fluid, they have really made me free up my mark making which I knew I could from last year at the Slade, but the minute you stick a brush in my hand I revert to type like memory plastic in a dishwasher.
I will go back to them when I am ready as I really love them, tea towels or not but I wanted to explore these ideas first whilst they were fresh in my head. I had thought we would take this work to be discussed at college, but bizarrely we have been set a project, I got the impression last night I was in the minority when it came to painting, and so for many, the project was set to kick start their own practise again.

I rarely post my work, I hate putting it out there, but I thought it would be fun to see what it looked like. They are about A5, no one piece is the same size as the other because I work on recycled card.

They are landscapes painted from memory, mostly Scotland but pretty much any visual reference will feed into them at some point.

But I finally feel I a getting there.

Great icons of style

2011-10-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

I just love these two women, they are both aging brilliantly, no fakery, just a love of colour shape and pattern. Fashion week ended with more of a whimper than a bang but there were some wonderful patterns which may hopefully filter down to the high street.

I had managed to persuade Kitty that flush with a salary at such a tender age she could do worse than invest in some classics that would last rather than fritter on the high street.Kitty has a very classic style and despite wealth beyond her comprehension has managed to not spend to much and will start a savings account next week.

She was very smitten with this bag...

but when we saw the price....she could not bring herself to splash the cash. Quite rightly she felt the stress of owning something so costly out weighed the pleasure it would bring, so the image is filed for another day.

Kitty is also very keen to buy some riding boots but would like me to help...with a heavy heart I will give her a couple of hours on Saturday before I skip over to Frieze Art Fair. Shoe shopping with Kitty is so not fun.

My camera is ready bloguettes for some super style snaps that I will take at the fair. Eat your heart out Paris, London will always be better! OK well at least equal to? No?

Talking of Paris that Woody Allen film is such good fun, I went with both Kitty and Leyla and they both loved it, Kitty so much I've had to give her the photographs I took of her on our brief visit a couple of years ago, at the time she was not keen, but the film made her love it. Leyla laughed out loud at the Dali scene, there is something quite sweet about a 10 year old laughing at Woody Allen.

The film is flawed of course, he is one of life's eternal romantics always searching for the fairytale ending, but suspend all of that disbelief and enjoy it for what it is, the perfect love letter to a wonderful city.. by an American!

Jeans for genes day

2011-10-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

I love this outfit, I love it so much I saved the photograph, I am wearing it with faux zebra skin Birkenstocks though, I like the way it makes me look like I have a waist. So no stripes today because the school is raising money, so I get to wear jeans, YEAH.

We have a full inspection Monday and Tuesday so WTF am I doing writing this I don't know but sometimes a girl just has to write now and plan stupid boring lessons later. Before I knew they were coming I snuck off early for an hour on the pretext I had to do stuff and college! Suckers, I did in fact need some oil bars as I am really struggling with some colour mixing, but guess what? I found a shop selling them just around the corner from COS. I was starving though so went to Itsu, and stuffed a box of sushi down me, plus I'm seriously addicted to endami beans.
A-n-y-w-a-y, as I sat outside watching the world go by, (is there anything better?) I watched a girl come out of Vogue house, she looked so lovely, she was wearing some soft sage green fitted trousers almost like jeans, with a cream, heavy silk blouse over which she wore a cropped, textured, linen jacket with the faintest hint of an indigo snakeskin print and snakeskin ballet flats topped off with golden blonde hair. Oh to be that young, that beautiful and that well dressed.

So I lumbered over to COS, needless to say both items I gazed at longingly in my checkout basket were not there in my super size L, however I did try on some other stuff and yes, I did buy a cardie, and no, I put back the navy dress! I stuck to my rules....ish. The cardie is a bitter chocolate marle, it really reminded me of some linen sofas my parents had when I was young, they were very into contemporary Habitat furniture then. (Weird, I know.) Being marle it does not look so naffly brown and in fact may very well qualify for Frieze art fair next week.

College was OK, they are not the brightest sparks in the box, but hey, I did get to think over some ideas. The first unit appears to be thematic based, it took me 20 min's to come up with an idea, I will tell you about it later, but either this is way too easy or I am over simplifying it, watch this space!

Lauren Manoogian

2011-10-05T00:58:00.000-07:00

Jewellery and stripes, how lovely are these?

Found via Totokaelo

Images from her website here

2011-10-04T03:32:00.000-07:00

This time last year I would have many photographs to edit after a weekend stalking the streets. This weekend I have nothing, I barely left the house. I spent all of Saturday painting a small box room in a house we are letting to new tenants next week, the room has to be finished by Friday, and as money speaks louder than my desire to frolic in the sun. I was there Sunday morning too, before my sister whisked me away to her house to help her pack for her immanent move on Friday.
My reward from my sister will be a celebratory birthday city break next year. I am surrounded by family that will not throw me any surprises for my half century, so my sister is determined to spoil me instead.

Other events hotly anticipated in October?

Ralph (wouldn't push him out of bed) Fiennes in The Tempest

Frieze Art Fair, sadly I can only make Saturday (damn this job).

Istanbul, unless it snows, don't laugh it has been forecast!

A day gallery hopping ( OK with 12 sixth formers, but hey its a day out)

Did a spend money on the new COS web site. No I just could not justify to stupid system of paying in Euros when it is cheaper to visit the shop. Any cash saved was sadly swallowed up with putting petrol in the car, but I did polish my halo anyway.

Something Stripy for the Weekend

2011-09-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Nearly all my stripes seem to have arrived serendipitously this one was no exception. I invariably buy clothes from Zara on impulse, they are always displayed very seductively (a lesson GAP could learn from) I had originally bought trousers and a top, neither I really wanted or needed and so I took them back, standing in line I saw this top, which looks very unprepossessing in the photograph below but is actually a lovely glazed cotton. I wear over a pair of Full Circle dropped crotch trousers I picked up online from ASOS in the sale, I love them, they are much cooler than normal trousers.
The top is a lovely coffee and black stripe in glazed cotton and I guess it will be a keeper.

Talking of keeping cool, hells bloody bells it's hot round here, I was scrabbling on my hands and knees last night to find some linen to wear as I was dripping with sweat. The day starts and finishes coolish but midway it's roasting. Most women are now back in sleeveless dresses and bare legs, yet they say we will have snow by October!! Yeah right.

The very best thing about the weather is there is a wonderful continental feel when walking the dog, you know that smell you get in the South of France? Well it's here too. I love walking the dog when it's like this.

The other day walking through the park as dusk fell, I reflected that despite my petty moans life can be good. As I walked I became very tuned into the sounds around me, the thwack of a tennis ball, the shrieks of pleasure from the playground, people eating the remains of a treat on a park bench and dogs yapping. It was one of those cinema moments, a classic panning shot that captured a tiny fragment of time that will be stored away and revisited when the temperatures drop and the sleet rain is horizontal.

Oh and just in case you haven't heard from the other bloguettes, bloody COS have an online store, just bloody great, 2 ways to break me in one fell swoop, I currently have 2 things sitting in checkout le sigh, what is stopping me is the exchange rate. Not my self control, sad to say.

Does it get much better than this?

2011-09-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

Dries van Noten, one of the very few designers whose clothes I would love to afford, any high street translation of these would just be a travesty.

images from style.com

Fianlly getting back to what really matters

2011-09-27T04:58:00.000-07:00

Obviously teaching matters, well ish, but it's an undervalued profession and I refuse to be bowed into think it is my career, it will forever be a stop gap and now finally I'm moving on. Not financially, but I am working on my art again,
I have been helped by a heavy room schedule which essentially ejects me from this seat and all the distractions you bloggers put out there. My home life too is currently volatile and I find this can also help me focus as there is little worth rushing home for other than domestic drudgery and recrimination.

To avoid painting I'm revisiting a project that must be at least 3 years old using oil bars, they're very messy but eliminate that dangerous design streak I have which makes everything look like a design for a tea towel. I blame my tutors for that.

So I'm blurring the boundaries.

Just in time for college!

Less is more

2011-09-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

Despite quite a complex show this year the lady herself walked out virtually unadorned. Very lovely she looks to.

I would love to see what she could do with just bales of black cloth!

I just wish I could wear a white blouse without feeling like a waitress!

Something stripy for the weekend

2011-09-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

I have very clear boundaries between the clothes I wear at weekends and the clothes I wear for work. I also have dog walking clothes, they are the clothes I wear in the house to cook in and then walk the dog, I even have a dog walking mac! These clothes are the style free flotsam and jetsam that I can muddy up and splash with food and grease to my hearts content. They are clothes that machine wash and blur the boundaries between dressing down and dressing gown.
The problem is and it was a big problem this summer is that they are not too good when showing a public face. I needed something to bridge the gap and so relegated these two stripy tops from the premier league of my work wardrobe to the second division. I must say very successfully they played too.
First up my grey stripe from COS It is very light and so good when the weather climbed into double figures for an hour this summer, I liked it with a very, very old faded pair of trousers. They were once a deep blue but are now nearly white. I do like this look though.

Second up this lose and floppy number from Ghost in York. Bought on impulse, I never felt it worked, I always felt under dressed and then I decided that the stripy combination of grey and black did not work. The fabric however is wonderfully heavy, so it drapes really well.

But then I paired it with jeans and suddenly it rocked. Well for me anyway. So I guess the message today bloguettes is...if at first it does not work team it up with jeans instead.

I have taught Kitty a sartorial lesson, if in doubt when undecided if something works when trying on clothes in the shop changing room, photograph yourself then walk away, and in the cold light of day decide. She did it last week and told me it worked to perfection. It is impossible to really see in such a small space and the camera gives you a much better idea of proportion and shape. Having completed over a year of doing just this with my daily outfits I now make far, far less expensive mistakes and dressing for work is now a breeze because if I have learnt one thing it is to pare down and refine. I have not made one mistake so far this term , and nor have I shopped for a month...YEAH

Bellapais for Mater

2011-09-22T01:12:00.000-07:00

As promised some photographs taken well over 10 years ago in Bellapais, (the village where Lawrence Durrell wrote Bitter Lemons.) the Greeks would have tourists believe this monastery has been desecrated by the so called Muslim heathens, yet as you can see it is primped within an inch of its life and very well maintained, as are all the vacated monasteries.
In fact much of Northern Cyprus was better off without the drunken tourist hoards that annually invade the south, including the turtles, and so instead of fighting to see the many architectural sites with the coach loads of tourists you can meander in relative peace.
Memo to self, we must go back when we are there this Christmas, for the day.

What I would love to wear

2011-09-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

I don't often like what Anna Wintour wears, much of the time the clothes wear her, so little of her personality comes through, much of it lies hidden beneath, but this outfit not only oozes lux but is also very lovely and very covetable, had I someone to cook and clean for me I too could waft around in such pale tones!

Y-3

Yes, it was new York fashion week last week and London this week, although I think London has been compressed into a weekend now. I always have a quick skim and only ever copy and paste something I would actually wear or covet, hence the very pared down selection, the Y-3 I adore for obvious asymmetric reasons.

Tim Hamilton

Just LOVE both the zipped top and trousers. surely someone could rip this one off!

GAP

No, not the pink trousers, but the top I love, plus the image, in fact GAP is starting to look promising, only I find myself hand washing all of Kitty's uniform a) because she always chooses stripes, what the hell do you wash them with? and b) I still think their jersey shrinks in the machine.

The view from here

2011-09-19T04:17:00.000-07:00

Another lesson observation is over, truly there is so much going on in this room it would be quieter to work in the corridor, sorry break out area, because in this business nothing is ever described in plain English when it can be dressed up with a pink bow and presented as something it really is not.

Well that was not what I would call a particularly relaxing weekend, not what I would have prescribed for myself at all. Friday started badly, the intention was to collect a print my mother purchased at the RA Summer Show. The email made it clear that my sister who works 10 minutes from the gallery was far to important and far too busy to be required to go and fetch it. No, I, who works well outside London was expected to fetch it, so I offered to go just before meeting Kitty to see the Degas. To achieve this I had to leave work on the dot to get the 15.38 train home before switching travel cards and bags to get back on the 16.10 train to London.
So I missed the train because a colleague decided that Friday of all days was the time to talk about work. I then managed to get Emin to meet me at the station to do the swap, so I could make the 16.20 train instead, this, was amazingly accomplished only for my best laid plans to die a death half way to London Bridge with the demise of my train, made worse by the driver locking us on the train so we couldn't change onto another train for 20 minutes. I arrived at Green Park just as the gallery closed. Joy. I then became really pissed off that it was I rushing not my effing sister. So I then waited for Kitty who was 20 bloody minutes late because she was trying on clothes after to work! By now I needed a drink so we went to the Kings Head round the corner and despite the hoards outside, inside was relatively calm. I still have to pinch myself how quickly Kitty has gone from a school girl to a working girl, we chatted as workers do and then went to the Degas, which is patchy but thoroughly enjoyable. Kitty in particular loved it and became surprisingly animated at how lovely some of the work is. I am not sure it was worth £14, I don't pay, for that price I would want a few more paintings and less fillers via the work of other artists plus Nijinsky spinning a couple of pirouettes around me.
I asked Kitty what she fancied to eat, bloody Chinese was the answer, I hate eating Chinese in town, unless you get to Hakassan it's laden with monosodium glutamate. I went for a cheap cafe where the lighting would make the most hardened member of the Stassi feel at home, the food was functional and pretty much thrown on to the table, but a dropped chopstick was replaced without asking, I was strangely quite touched by this.
All done until kitty spied M'n'M world. 4, count them 4 floors of M'n'M hell. Still, she was happy.

Saturday was spent decorating a room in a house we have bought to rent out. Sunday was spent helping my sister, (yes the really busy one) to sell her junk at a car boot sale. Why someone who gets a 4 figure bonus needs to stand in a damp field all morning just to sell tat is a mystery to me. One day boot fair next day 5* luxury corporate entertainment overlooking a beach in Monaco! I can see why it is I whole has to be mothers gofer!*
After that I painted some more before walking the dog cooking dinner and then going to the gym after which I sat down and had another pint, thus completing the circle.
Phew!
It is very sobering too see your past wardrobe sat on a table selling for pennies, although much was worn more still had the price tag on, I wondered if she had learnt from this, Yes, it seems she had, hence the recent purchase of a house rather than living like a student at an age when she can afford the the luxury.

* I should point out my sister did collect mother from the airport recently, when mother came out of arrivals she insisted Lucy allow her time to get a coffee, what she failed to understand was every minute spent queueing was another £10 on the car park meter, That would have to be a bloody good coffee.

Brrrr Cold

2011-09-18T05:26:00.000-07:00

This is not the actual image I wanted to post of what has to be the best dressed of all the fashion editors on parade at a fashion week near you, no the image I wanted was from the style.com web site shot by Tommy Ton, but it was a 'print screen' only and I'm just way too lazy for that so bear with me.

What originally caught my eye was not the dress (which is hideous) but her hair of course, just to ram home a point I love the way she frequently ties it up, it was after that I realised the incongruity of the scarf. Giovanna does do good scarf, but with short sleeves? Then of course you see the raging nipple erection and realise the scarf is really needed before hypothermia sets in, as her body fat must be below 15%.
Then I did some research and she is really very good with a scarf, I now covet some heavy silk numbers to tie closely like this too.

This is even more of a contradiction when you realise her dress skims her bum! but I love the Turkish style wrap, plus warm ears = warm butt.

One of my favourites of her, both these illustrate a nice tidy scarf, and both illustrate the early days when practicality won over fashion, and to be honest she looks better for it.

OK sandals plus scarf?

Something Stripey For the Weekend?

2011-09-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

The long and short of Primark.
Both my Primark cardies have been serendipitous purchases, it is not a shop I choose to go shopping in for various reasons, but it ticks Daisy's boxes and the sleep wear is great for Leyla. Walking through last year I spied this cardie, if you can grab the largest size the clothes are fine, this is a lovely stretchy cotton so it goes over most t-shirts and is perfect for the seaside.

This too is from Primark only this time I was waiting for Daisy to appear from the changing room, standing bored witless I started to look around and could not believe this shining beacon of taste and style. Again cotton, but this time loose and soft, this too goes over most things as I managed to procure a size 20.

I love wearing shorts, I do wish we had the climate for them, I love playing around with layering different lengths with them. These shorts have a story too, I bought them 8 years ago for a holiday to Turkey, the summer was unusually hot and so I wore them before we went, of course I washed them and hung them out to dry the day before, and there they stayed until my return.... I could have wept. I have worn them every holiday since, although they are a tiny bit tighter now, but they are the perfect length for me and will, I hope go on for another 8 years, until I retire!

When class is defined by a pony tail

2011-09-15T01:37:00.000-07:00

These images were in the Times recently, and although I have never seen the programme the girls have become famous from I did love the two images for the message they send.

Above poor taste is defined by shiny fabrics with lace detailing or a frill or 20, or a shed load of ruching, a la knicker blinds.
Best of all the message is big hair = low class.

Here class is signified by matt fabrics, muted shades, judicious pleating and folding, and best of all the ubiquitous pony tail. Basically no matter what you look like or what you wear, instant class is obtained by a slick back pony tail.

YEAH

Be still my beating heart

2011-09-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen such a beautiful cardigan? Grey, with the perfect sleeves. The only tiny little problem? The price. £155! Which if you think about the money I fritter on cardies barely worn.... then in that case it's a bargain. No? From Toast

Flicking through last weeks Stella Magazine I fell in love with this image, well the whole dam lifestyle actually. I coveted the apron so much I went to order it, but it was sold out...sob.
I really do need an apron, I am so fussy I can't wear any old thing, I like the idea of neutral tones in linen. I will now keep an eye out for something similar, and yes I know I could make one, but really where is the fun in that?

Oh the cardie is pretty lovely too. Looking for aprons I tripped over this school uniform on the John Lewis web site, is it not divine? I want one!

The view from here

2011-09-13T04:30:00.000-07:00

One of the fringe benefits of having girls as opposed to boy is that it is possible for me at least to upcycle my clothes.This summer I managed to achieve this not once but twice.
Daisy has taken a big bag of all my old silk camisoles that I failed to off load on eBay plus my treasured but languishing collection of Jigsaw thermal cardies, she looked so lovely in them that I decided to let them go and begged her to hand wash them and under no circumstances were they to go near a tumble drier. And yes, I am the worlds biggest optimist.
The more surprising upcycle was a bag of cardigans that had eaten away at my guilty psyche, it had been a couple of years since I had bought them. On impulse I spent far too much money on some cotton cardies from Kew, I really though they were the answer to all my problems, great colours, lovely shapes, etc, etc, in fact the colours were faded and really belonged on the beach and really the shapes were a little boxy and they lacked the fluidity of my COS cardies. So they sat unloved and unworn. Then recently Kitty adopted some Uniqlo cardies of mine and I thought maybe she would like them. She loved them, and what is quite sobering is that despite the fact that they are L & XL they look lovely on her, they drape so much better draped over her tiny frame she is an 8! So really they were probably not big enough. Now she is happy and I am happy especially as she wear them a lot, and now they can be machined washed without fear of loosing a couple of crucial millimeters.

I have found that by just not going into these shops saves repeating my mistakes, but I confess that despite all my very best laid plans my fingers have twitched in GAP recently. I did not succumb but really there are some lovely jumpers in there!

My favourite fashion writer has thankfully jumped ship from the Times and gone over to the Telegraph, Lisa Armstrong is such a good writer and now you can read her on the brilliant Telegraph website. Her description of hair disasters is identical to mine and the book she describes I have ordered on amazon, any book that recognises the style of Nancy Cunard will always be welcome on my bookshelf.

Screen Saver AKA Sanity Saver

2011-09-12T01:24:00.000-07:00

My computer at work somehow managed to host a virus on Friday, so everything was wiped and reloaded fresh, this meant I had to reload my screen saver which was a particularly vibrant image of blossom. Now it is this, when I look at this my karma re-boots itself and I think to myself, not long now.

Autumn most defiantly has arrived along with gale force winds, i'ts quite humid so we sleep with our dormer windows wide open along with the bathroom window, it's like we're camping in our bedroom, but I love that feeling of a breeze whistling past me whilst wrapped in my duvet.

I broke my first resolution yesterday and bought a Vogue, primarily because there was a lengthy interview with Tacita Dean who is creating the next turbine hall instillation at The Tate Modern. I am also very much looking forward to the Rothko opening at The Whitechapel Gallery, plus I have tickets for the Degas coming to the R.A. on Friday, so whilst day time is grim playtime is looking good.

Wishing I was here ..a few more

2011-09-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Above is my dream house, I wish I could dare climb the wall to take a closer peek!

Everywhere you go there are wetsuits drying

And exotic birds too!

Wish I was still here

2011-09-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

One of the sights that seers into your psyche is that of the huge flowering agapanthus profiled against the blue of the St Ives sky.
I also love sneaking a peek into the backyards on bin day!

Some of the gardens are very lush and of course this being England very green.

And laden with fruit, I was soo tempted.

The colours when the sun finally emerges all be it very briefly create stunning images.

Something Stripy for the Weekend?

2011-09-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

The first in an occasional series clearly featuring the most wonderful of patterns, Stripes. I have always had a bit of a thing about stripes, I can remember iconic knitwear from when I was a teenager featuring 'hoops' as someone once described them. Later I particularly loved a grey marle/blue combination and one particularly treasured item was a jumper knitted by Margaret Howell's sister which I wished I had kept to pass on to Kitty, who too loves stripes to bits.

So I decided to photograph all my stripes on and off, the first few will be from the holiday, before effortlessly moving into more winter modes. Some people bring back a stick of rock from their holiday, my treat to myself was this fisherman's smock, purchased from a fisherman's co-operative on the quayside of St Ives harbour, I love it, clearly not great in town but each and every year it will will be lovingly worn back in the town of its birth. And best of all it only cost £15! a bargain, and very comfy too.
Worn here with some cut off shorts, I live in shorts on holiday, nothing better than some brown pins, sadly no one gets to see them once I come home as it is bloody freezing now.

Just say NO

2011-09-08T05:57:00.000-07:00

Out of the Bag calls it wardrobe equilibrium, I call it having WAY too much stuff.

Us academics...well I try to be one, it sounds more learned than plain old teacher, so yes, us academics generally see the year differently to most. My New Year is actually September, this is when I try to turn over some new leaves, maybe try and make a little time for some painting, or make the effort to make my biannual marking schedule a little more frequent.
Also it's the time when checking the bank balance that the cheap staycation suddenly is not so cheap, add to this heady mix new shoes for the kids, well kid,as the others are no longer school bound, but yes, all the shit they need, plus the pain of a new travel card and my poor bank balance is already weepingly overdrawn. So after a particularly profligate bout of retail therapy in COS and then a brutal wardobe shuffle, I wrote down the following notes.

NO MORE INTERNET SHOPPING

The thing is you can't get a sense of scale or quality, and yes, I may have scored some occasional hits, I do wonder that without the hassle or filling in a return slip whether I would have even made tit o the till with most of my mail order purchases, so that has got to stop.

NO MORE MAGAZINES

Yes, yes, yes I know I have bleated on and on about this before, but I have once again become increasingly disengaged from periodicals, I hauled a shed load to St Ives and barely looked at them, and as for my stupid weak willed attitude to Grazia, that HAS to stop too, it's not like I don't have enough books to read.

STOP BUYING JEWELLERY BECAUSE IT'S CHEAP

Notice the very subtle caveat there, so it's fine if it costs a lot.. well actually I've found if it does it's generally more versatile and looks worth the money, recent cheapies look just that, and 4 cheapies are not that cheap. So no more crapola.

NO MORE SKIRTS

And if I really, really have to, (+J) then it cannot be below the kneee. Two of my poorest choices this year were narrow skirts that sit on my calf, when I photographed them FRUMP is all I saw, no ironic post Mad Men look for me, no sireee.

NO GREEN ANYTHING

I don't know why but I've always thought I liked this colour, but on reflection I've decided that blue is a better colour.

NO MORE BLUE

When you pick up a dress in blue because the only other two colours it comes in are puce and putrid obviously you will embrace the blue, but really, ask yourself this, if it came in black what colour would you choose? Yes, I thought so. So NO to blue. Unless it's soooo lovely and I just can't say no.

DO YOU NEED THAT CARDIE? DO YOU?

No, I thought not, is it black? do you have 10 already? Put it down.

STRIPES

Come ON really, is there not a combination you don't posses? Don't answer that as I could be a serial stripy purchaser, but now summer is over I must rein myself in. (I have a small series featuring stripes starting on Friday.)

SORRY HOW MANY BLACK TROUSERS DO YOU OWN?

OK 10 plus which may not seem much but that is just the ones in the wardrobe, there are another 10 waiting in the wings.

So yes, I guess we have 'wardrobe equilibrium', but the minute I say "no" I crave, so in order to assuage that feeling I have decided to focus on the following:
Dresses,
They all work for me, those that fit may be thin on the ground but they are must have in my wardrobe.
Jumpers
On the rise, my love of these negates the stress of trying to co-ordinate a top, although at this time of year the layered look works best, especially with the odd hot flush, but jumpers are green lit.
Scarves
They must not crease and they must look lovely, but scarves too get the green light
Can I do it until Christmas? A half term spent in Istanbul will help I hope, and there is little opportunity to gallivant up town, so watch this space!

I heart Jil Sander

2011-09-07T04:51:00.000-07:00

Well of course I can really only afford +J Uniqlo and of course Jil Sander no longer designs for...Jil Sander, so in fact for the last few years the collections she has produced for Uniqlo have been the nearest thing you can get to her.
I love what she does, it is a severe dress code and not one I could probably stick too, yet it has much to recommend. Sadly my shoulders have been a little meaty for her designs, but I have acquired some trousers and skirts in the sale that have all been very successful, and my black rain coat I can't imagine ever not owning, so if you can, do invest.

On my wish list from her grand finale are these two divine pieces, neither available just yet, but hopefully I will be successful if they go on line soon. They of course break all my new years resolutions, more of them tomorrow. But what are resolutions for if not to break?

This scrummy coat will go online at 1am tomorrow, but I would struggle to justify the price tag, and will regret doing so if it snows continuously from October onwards.

These trousers are being worn today, reduced by 70% they are so lovely, if a little roomy, they have the perfect cuffed bottom as well as a seam down the back which makes the fit superb.

You can read more about the collection here

Finally getting it right.

2011-09-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

I had one pleasurable day last week going through my wardrobe. The weather has changed dramatically and I don't really hold out much hope for an Indian Summer, so back went all those light airy pieces that saw me successfully through the 3 days of summer and back out came the darker tones.
Without a doubt the most influential piece I have posted this summer was the Joan Burstein images. Those photographs of what she wore have seared themselves onto my brain and has had, by far and away the most dramatic influence on the way I put outfits together.
So since my return to work I have outfit wise been riding the crest of a wave.

(Work shows no signs of becoming even remotely enjoyable, the mantra is to entertain and enthuse the students whilst we are bullied into submission. Someone is not seeing the bigger picture here and the ride is no fun either. That is all I will say on the matter as this blog is to keep me uplifted and sane.)

So let me firstly introduce you to one of two summer bargains. I know it is impossible to photograph black successfully, but these are the most gorgeous black trousers purchased for a song from the Uniqlo sale, they are +J, and cut to perfection. I love them particularly for the high waist which corsets me securely. They are pleated around the knee so very flattering especially with a range of COS tops of which this is one.

Second up was this grey marle top bought from would you believe, St Ives, I was covered in sand in full holiday mode when I spied this in a boutique along the harbour front. I had to dig deep to think if I was not duplicating a work top, but risked it, with these jersey trousers it was the perfect way to ease into work mode, and perfect day to night wear.

I met my sister to see a production at the National Theatre of Arnold Wesker's The Kitchen, I studied Wesker at school but despite the best efforts of the actors this play has not aged well and needs serious updating. The first half was excellent, but the second half was gauche and laboured to the point of embarrassing, so I doubt the reviews will be good. It was lovely to see little sis' though.

And layered with a cardie it still looks great, you can just see an impulse buy, it was a gilt necklace that is a tad scratchy, but very lovely. I waited all summer for it to be reduced in the Jigsaw sale, and lo, it came down to £19..SOLD

Barbara Hepworth's Studio

2011-09-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

The view from here

2011-09-03T00:22:00.000-07:00

Well yes I am still here, but I have now lost all my reading glasses and so sit typing like a myopic mole, neither attractive or efficient.

I have had two of the crappiest days back at work EVER , we have a new leader who is stamping his will down on our heads leaving me feeling like a branded steer. My migraine started yesterday and shows no sign of abating. ON & ON the paper work comes...
I never did sort out the garden, but I have, on a more positive note purchased a strimmer, plus extra blades for the lawn mower, whilst being locked out last night (long story) so I will be wading through the mire of dog shit this weekend in an effort to locate a lawn. That does not sound quite right, I will of course pick the dog shit up and not try to strim it, the vision of which is not pleasant!
I do have a couple of confessions to keep you going. I escorted Kitty to her place of employment on Tuesday, I had a cunning plan that backfire so perfectly i doubted myself as a mother. The plan was for her to learn an easier route to work, instead of catching a train to London bridge and then getting the tube to bank, I decided her life would be easier if she in fact caught the train straight to cannon Street and then walked the 5 min's to work, thus removing a busy tube journey. STUPID STUPID ME
What I failed to factor in was that she is dyslexic, and a dyslexic reading a fast moving dot matrix sign at the station is in fact not a good idea, so of course the next day she ends up in Charing Cross and has to navigate her way back to London Bridge and was thus 20 min's late for work.
She will in time learn, but for now will stick to what works.
So after dropping her off I went to COS, yes I know I should not but the loss of THAT cardie still burns so I decided in my infinite wisdom that they will surely do that style again and yes my size will be swinging from a hanger. And do you know what? It wasn't, but I spied an orange version and when I broke down and begged them for one in black the sales assistant behind me magically produced one...Oh happy days are here again. Yes, I did buy a jumper and yes, I did buy a stripy top. More on both later, when a) I shake off this monumental headache and b) I go buy some more glasses because the lack of is not helping my headache at all.
Catch up next week bloguettes!

Been shopping?

2011-08-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

I have, I actually went to COS such was my excitement at seeing the new collection, sadly I had seen it all before I went and had bought some basics, what I am desperate for is to see the new knitwear and coats.....
I had during a vicious rain storm taken refuge in Next and whilst searching for an umbrella found this gorgeous sweater. The sequins are dull so it is not too dressy, sizing up to a 20 made it slouchy and it goes with my tan a treat. Buoyed up by this image I may attempt a few more to show you when I get back to work.

On the beach

2011-08-27T04:07:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this beach in St Ives, I love how families create small settlements using a range of windbreaks and tents. Best of all not one of them can see the sea!!

Even without the paraphernalia it is possible to create an oasis of calm.

An iconic viewpoint.

Proud parents watching their babies in Surf School.

This beach gets colonised by the gulls!

I will be back at work sometime next week hopefully with more photographs..

St Ives street style

2011-08-26T02:28:00.000-07:00

I was wearing far too many hats during this break, so failed to capture much street style. There was plenty to see, but the streets were heaving making a good shot without being seen very difficult to get.
Standard uniform for this holiday is to layer dusty colours and stripes on top with either a short skirt or shorts on the bottom. This makes it easy to hop from beach to Fore street without a change of clothing, (the two are less than 5 mins apart) I must confess it was with some relief I left my black wardrobe behind, it is great to layer and mix it up, so much goes down here the rules do not apply and it was sad to wash and pack them away again. I can't wear these clothes in London they have grown to signify a time and an attitude separate from the place I live and work and in that sense I am pleased to put them away. I may wear a pared down version for the next break in Istanbul which is coastal too, otherwise they will have to wait for next Easters outing to Norfolk. Yes we are braving the misty climes again!

The following two images were from the inside of the Tate both perfectly encapsulate what makes the perfect St Ives style.

I am SO pleased I have booked next year for 2 weeks, so I can add more to my collection.

The view from here St Ives

2011-08-25T01:41:00.000-07:00

I started a few very small gouache's, we only had a week so it was difficult to find any kind of mojo. That said the weather was mostly glorious which encourages me to go out rather than stay in and paint. But not the embarrassment of riches I came back from Scotland with. Which pretty much reflect the difference in weather.

Sadly the scanner has bleached the colours but it helps me work out the scale if I see them on the screen, as these are forerunners for some better ones I hope.

All are views from the balcony in the house, we return next year as I never tire of this place and hopefully now Leyla is more self contained and Mother more inform I will get more drawing done.

Thorpe Park hell & heaven

2011-08-24T00:31:00.000-07:00

For those few non Blighty readers Thorpe Park is a meek and mild water theme park, full of rides that are more than inclined to soak you through to your underwear, than scare the pants off you, (as our previous au-pair found out to her cost.)

I prefer it to most other theme parks but rely on Leyla being too small to go on the rides as my get out of long queue for little reward. Don't get me wrong I love a thrill, but as I have gotten older the thrills get less entertaining the more my body suffers. Not for me the G forces of fun, not now anyhow. So having ascertained Leyla was in fact big enough to go on ALL the rides my heart sank and off we went. We were there as the gates opened and amazingly unlike previous visits queues were short and much fun was to be had. We had togged ourselves up appropriately, taken waterproof bags and all was good..... well you know that was not going to last don't you. It would not be me if a series of most unfortunate events did not conspire to ruin my day, although if you make it to the end of the post there was a surprisingly happy ending. I did not get whip lash, no, instead Daisy by 3pm realised she had the wrong bag. She had borrowed an old Just Do It bag from Kitty. The whole bloody theme park was chock full of these identical bags so NEVER take one it can only end in tears. In her bag was her ultra special eczema cream, her Blackberry and Kitty's brand spanking new gilet, a very expensive duck down one. Instead Daiisy stood holding a bag full of wet clothes and a Blackberry, sadly not hers. She ran back to the last ride. No, no bag there. She ran to the lost property to see if someone had realised their mistake. No. She handed the bag in and prayed that the owner would realise their error and come back to swap it before they went home. I felt sick, but it was Kitty's day so told them to enjoy themselves. Instead of leaving early to get home and pack we were now committed to a late leaving time. To cut a very boring story short 7 pm came and went and although the girl retrieved her bag she in fact had not picked Daisy's bag up. I now had a migraine. It was gone 7 and with a heavy heart asked if they had checked the boxes where they threw the bags on the other rides. It transpired that despite working out that the problem started with Leyla collecting the bags on another ride by trying to be helpful, they had not bothered to check if it was still there. We ran back to the one we remeber Leyla being so helpful after and drum roll.....there it was, still in the box where Daisy had thrown it.

Oh, if only that was the end of the story.

I joined the M25 at junction 11 we had to go all the way around to junction 2. By junction 10 flashing signs were telling us, NO, STOP, ABANDON ALL HOPE, GET OFF NOW, in fact they were begging us to leave. The motorway was closed and nothing was moving. I left at junction 10 and after a quick scrabble round reading a map upside down I knew with the heaviest of hearts that I was going to hit the south circular on a Friday night. Hell has no worse punishment than that effing road but on a Friday night..... My head was THUMPING. A frantic phone call from Emin and we realised we were in fact blessed. A lorry had traversed the central reservation and killed a shed load of people. The road was closed both ways and many were stuck there for most of the night in a 30 mile tail back. Despite the hellish journey with a pounding headache we got home in time to pack, sleep and get the train to Cornwall. So Leyla's bag snatch in fact has a happy ending.

One final OMG

KITTY HAS JOB!!!!

Her first interview was with GAP and she got the job. I can't tell you how happy I am and how relived we all are, she had resigned herself to going back to college with a heavy heart. Now she will get training and experience from a great company. Have I not always said how great GAP is?

Is it good to be back?

2011-08-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

It has been far too long, luckily I get the impression most of you are away or off line too, so I don't feel so bad at the paucity of posts. Reading the last post I wrote I get the feeling I was quite low, no reason, only a frustration that most of this holiday seems very Leyla centered. It is not her fault and the whole bloody 11+ shebang will be over in less than 5 weeks.

Did I enjoy the holiday? Well mostly, there are some tales to tell, not Mother this time instead Princess Daisy has picked that baton up and sprinted ahead.

I have a shed load of photographs to look at but for now it is all very domestic. My current irritant is the weather, which in true 'It's August so it must be pouring' style has once again scuppered my plans to mow the lawn. I will soon need a bloody combine harvester.

One small plus was just before I left I could not decide whether to clean the house within an inch of its life and hope He Who Should Be Obeyed did not wholly trash it, or to not clean it and tackle the whole lot on my return. On past experiences it was pretty much a given that he would not lift a finger and I would as usual walk through the door to a mound of rotting chaos only to lash my self to a cleaning cloth for hours before weeping at the 3 suitcases of washing that had not a hope in hell of drying in this inclement of weathers.

(Everyone talks about the wonders of packing, few ever acknowledge the hell of unpacking and washing and drying and putting away...on and on...)

I cleaned before I went, that way It might shame him into at least trying to keep some semblance of order. Imagine my utter surprise when I returned to find not only a stacked dishwasher but the surfaces wiped too! 15 years it has taken for him to realise if he wants sex on my return the kitchen needs to be clean....Not that we have have sex in the kitchen or anything honest!

Holiday time

2011-08-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well another year rolls by and it is that time when I trot off to damper climes! Sun is always a bonus in this country never a given and Cornwall is becoming.

Daisy is here, they have gone to see their new baby brother, I have packed already as before we catch the train on Saturday I'm foolishly throwing a shed load of money down Thorpe Park's throat to entertain Kitty for her birthday treat. Oh lucky me. memories still linger from my last visit when I came home with whiplash. I was hoping for a more sedate time but Leyla has put on a growth spurt and now qualifies for the whole shebang.

There are no witty post dated posts I'm still tired and lacking in the time or peace or comfort to post so I will wave you goodbye, have a lovely time, and see you in approx. 3 weeks.

XXX

P.S Kevin Spacey @ Richard III ...AWESOME... truly a remarkable night out,

Sweet Sixteen

2011-08-02T03:36:00.000-07:00

Would I want to be there again? No, absolutely not, I would've like to have known I was beautiful so I stopped looking for love and worked harder at college, but that was pretty much it.

I am most defiantly enjoying life more now, I get more out of it most days not hamstrung by the need for the validation of others, I work at it a lot more too making sure I at least try to achieve something positive each day no matter how small. That said of course I have daily gripes and irritating niggles that mar each day. But Sweet Sixteen? No way. It is the age that Kitty has dreaded, the final transition into an adulthood and she has met it kicking and screaming. So desperate has she been to cling on the the heady days where all you had to worry about was what was for tea, what to potter at today, those days where food fairies brought each meal, washing fairies delivered clean clothes and there were no worries that were pressing.

Now today heralds the arrival of independence the need for employment sadly the job hunt has lacked fruition and it now appears she may have to return to college after all. So once again I will be strapped to a computed tapping in yet another series of witty answers with just the right measure of gravitas in order to secure her a place, or rather a place on the waiting list so late has she left it.

So Happy Birthday Kitty

You are really the sweetest of my girls, you have the lightest of touches and you are without doubt the best of my girls to spend the day with fun, witty and wise, who would have thought such a lovely girl would have emerged from that vile little teenage caterpillar?

Just as I wrote this a phone called came to alert Kitty that her new half sibling was on its way...Seriously three hundred and sixtyeffingfive days in the year and she goes into labour on Kitty's birthday. How unfair is that?

Mrs Burnstein Style Icon

2011-07-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

Would that I had the budget I too would wear much of Mrs Burnstein's very covetable wardrobe. There is much to learn here, the gist I have, the discipline I lack.

The lesson is focused on well cut trousers then go mad with skimming beautifully patterned tunic tops.
If you go to the full set of images you will see she rocks a tunic dress too.

Those lovely slippers crop up a few times too.

I Spent much of Friday walking across the retail world of London, Kitty was handing out C.V's, I was there for moral support. I have a feeling she will struggle to convince anyone that she is not too young, It will be a frustrating journey to convince someone to give her a chance. Once they do she will be home and dry because she is just the most conscientious and organised girl anyone could hope to employ. So fingers crossed.

So utterly smitten was I with Mrs Burnstein's outfits that when I tripped over 2 pairs of +J Uniqlo trousers reduced from £110 for the two to just £25, I snapped them up. I have a feeling that as I hit the big 50 this trouser tunic combination will be more prevalent. This combined with unique pieces of jewellery could be the way to go, and no better place to shop for that would be the amazing shop I found called Mor, on Ganton Street just off Carnaby Street, there was not one piece I did not covet. It erred on the side of ethnic but each piece was beautifully constructed. There is no web site so I will have to go back and get some photographs.

I am currently holed up in the so called 'room of my own'. Emin has man flu which basically equates to snoring louder than a beached walrus try to mate with an inflatable, this cacophony he combines with a dry hacking cough that perforates my ear drum. He is loving it (sleeping alone not the man flu) and I must confess to not being a little averse to some peace and quiet myself. It is also the only room with a computer hence this somewhat illicit post late at night.

The view from here

2011-07-28T03:14:00.000-07:00

There is a wonderful meadow near where we live, in fact considering how close we are to London we are surrounded by green parks and meadows. I once looked at a map of North London and could not believe the difference in green space between north and south, so I have gravitated further south with each move.
The dog is not too good when let of the lead and tends to do a runner, quite literally forgetting to stop, that, and his inability to contain his desire to be adopted by every passing dog walker all of whom he lusts after greatly, which of course never goes down too well with said dog walkers dogs, who then get snippy, at which point he then decided to chew their face off the dog not the owner! Suddenly he does not look so friendly and I the stress of seeing his admirers faces turn to sheer panic and that generally means he stays on his lead.
We then discovered this patch of scrub land which is in fact the north end of our local park, it has a small area that's enclosed and we have bravely allowed him some free running time. Leyla is great, she plays hide and seek with him which since he is a) stupid b) blind and c) has a crap sense of smell she finds great fun. He sadly rarely gets to find her, the only clue you can give him is to call him. She wisely taunts him with a branch, most dogs like to eat a treat, his treat is to eat the tree. However it is exercise for both of them. I thought having stood guard at the gate it was time to take some photographs . My favourite Lucien Freud quote is
" I always think that 'knowing something by heart' gives you a depth of possibility which has more potential than seeing new sights, however marvellous and exciting they are."
Which was the case as I stood and watched for a while, after 3 days I began to see things I had initially overlooked and so hauled my macro lens along. Butterflies are everywhere at the moment, as many as I remember from my childhood which has to be a good thing. Sadly the weather is not quite as I remembered as a child but that's memories for you. My mother is already forecasting gloomy skies for the holiday, I have never known anyone so ridiculously pessimistic about the future, why bother? Live for the day and enjoy the place, do we need it sunny? I am fine either way.

I am would you believe at work still. Although we broke up last Friday I have been dropping Leyla off at her crammer school, which bless her she loves and then coming in to work. This is not as altruistic as it sounds, I was woefully behind with my planning no thanks to you lot, and since there is a new Head Teacher on his way I have a feeling we will be cascaded on from high with paperwork next year, so I decided to plan as much as I could, thus freeing myself up for some painting next term!
The rest of my life appears to disappeared into a blurry mess of shopping and keeping the waring factions apart.

I have spent hours trying to help Kitty find some kind of gainful employment which is a very slow process.

I had intended to hit the gym and shed some weight, but I am dog tired and lacking and energy this week, a heady combination of unwinding couple with a period. Oh lucky me.

I did make it to my sisters birthday bash which was good fun despite eating the worst pizza of my life. She then phoned to ask if I wanted tickets to see The Tempest, I had not heard it was coming to town but it appears to be at a 'posh' theatre i.e one that cost's more than a tenner. I said "yes", but only if she would rough it in the cheap seats. I get a text back to say "yes no problem that will be £37 each"!! HOW is that cheap? How much were the expensive seats? It had better be good. It does have Ralph Fiennes directed by Trevor Nunn so I might get lucky.
I will endeavour to post a little more but it is not easy whilst at home in the house of bedlam.

Another year goes by

2011-07-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

I have broken up for the holiday, the summer holiday, not that you would know from the weather. I had such plans for you bloguettes I promise. So many ideas for posts, you would not believes my genius for publishing. I was going to regale you with stories coupled with bright witty commentaries about the life of a London girl. But guess what? Life got in the way. My home life takes up a shed load of time at the moment, I met Daisy for afternoon tea last week with her boyfriend, she wasn't quite wearing the dress she had on but as always she was a triumph of optimism over modesty. My daughter is the only person I know who will haggle her birthday money to a higher amount. Not for her the protestation of "But I paid for your fees, oh and your holiday" No she went for it big time, so that's me waving this months COS goodbye.
Leyla too is ever needy, I have to coach her daily and bless her she is very independent as long as back episodes of Friends are involved. If only Jennifer Anniston knew, that children who were but a twinkle in their parents eye when she was filming worship her from afar today.
Next week the idea was to be super disciplined, drop Leyla off at crammer school, then get to the gym, sadly I need at least one more day to prepare for school whilst my facile brain is at least in 1st gear.
With any luck I may just post a few to you too!

Lucian Freud

2011-07-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

I don't often jump on the 'look who's died' band wagon, but I do feel this time I must say something, despite his age, (and I would feel very pleased to have lived to that age) it was still quite a shock when his death was announced. I was impressed by the coverage on the news, of course money talks and this man really could make some serious cash. And yet you never once felt that that was what it was about. Unlike so many mercenary morons that masquerade under the passport occupation 'artist' he really was the real deal. If completely honest I rate Howard Hodgkin slightly higher up the food chain, simply because he paints with his heart. That said you cannot really come close to understanding Freud's genius for paint until you try painting a portrait for yourself.
My favourite story is the one about when he got into a fight and was so enamoured by the black eye he received he hurried home to paint it! If pushed I would favour his rarer views from a window to his flesh. Love them though I do I feel the emotion crept in to the viewpoints, an emotion that was somewhat lacking in his nudes. Whatever I think is irrelevant, he was a genius with paint and I am pretty sure he died happy, something I will emulate I'm sure.

image from here

Coincidentally, despite it being the 'summer' holidays I felt the distinctive whiff of autumn yesterday closely followed by melancholia.

Sometimes I just don't deserve it.

2011-07-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

So the weekend is long gone, but the sting in the tail remains.

Friday I sat on my own like a little Billy No Mates at this bloody school BBQ whilst the rest of the parents cosied up and drank copious amounts of beer and wine. Over the tannoy the kids sang along to a myriad of karaoke tunes and that alone my little bloguettes was enough to send a sane man back to the asylum, as it was I laughed, there is something incredibly funny about small children singing out of key.
I survived, although I was frozen by the end of the evening as Leyla insisted i 'dress up'

Saturday my sister dragged me around some more houses, this time it was more fruitful and she has had an offer accepted, which is only the start of stress city, but hopefully her house hunting days are over.

I stupidly said Leyla could join me at the theatre that night since I had stupidly bought two tickets for A Woman Killed With Kindness, the clue as to it's main premise is of course in the title, but what I had not banked on was the lack of interval. Fidget does not come close to describing the tortuous writhing sack of snakes she became once she decided the play was boring. So basically after 5 minutes. Never again and really can you blame her? It has since garnered mixed reviews, although not an especially uplifting play I quite enjoyed it, the set was just awesome very, very beautiful based on a Hammershoi painting, it was sumptuous. I had plied her with a burger from Les Deux Salons too, just how ungrateful was that.

On a more upbeat note I have twice gone into COS and left empty handed, the cut and colour of much they are selling is not really very flattering on me, so maybe their day has come... well for now.

Sunday it was a promised visit to Harry Potter, before which I managed to finally get to the gym to keep at bay the expanding girth, this is really a bit of a King Canute thing because I am losing this battle daily.

Still, I do my bit and hope, so off we went and the sting in the tail was I dropped my iPhone and no the cleaner did not hand it back despite me begging he resolutely refused to even pretend to cooperate, even the manager just shrugged, I really wished it had a self destruct button the pain of knowing he would smugly be using it it the minute he left the building was unbearable, I had only left the cinema for 15min's before I realised. so of course I lost my temper and then cried like a baby. Emin took it surprisingly well and no more can I criticise Leyla since I am as bad as she at looking after anything. I should have known the writing was on the wall as on Saturday having bought Leyla a travel card I lost it before we even got on the train, part of the problem stems around the fact my stupid bag is full of the paraphernalia needed to cope with driving rain followed by searing heat. Hence it is full of an umbrella plus raincoats plus water and all the other detritus that follows me around. My second big mistake was to keep the phone in a pouch which protected it from a fall but meant I did not hear it fall out of the bag. So I think it safe to say that was one shit weekend.

No more nice Polaroids No more listening to Desert Island Disc podcast's ....

Oh yes Harry Potter is quite good.

Marzee Necklace Beauty

2011-07-19T02:07:00.000-07:00

The more I shop for clothes the less I see, and the more drawn I am to adding a necklace to something from my wadrobe instead. All of these are just divine and I am glad I do not live near the shop somewhere in the Netherlands as I would be bankrupt!

Philip Sajet

Willemijn de Greef

Chequita Nahar

all from here

Playing hookey

2011-07-14T03:19:00.000-07:00

One of the few perks of teaching is that once all the exam classes are over a few gaps appear on my timetable that allow the odd jaunt up town. I would really like to prepare classes for next year but we are still without any timetable so with the RA showing a brilliant photography exhibition called Eyewitness and the Serpentine opening a new pavilion I decided to escape after break.
My sartorial reflexes were far too slow though and despite seeing some loveliness I only just managed to catch this one. All over London woman are wafting around in wonderful creamy chiffon blouses. Not compatible with my lifestyle at all but lovely to look at. What I liked about this photograph was finally a red pair of jeans that did not scream RED, they were a much subtler washed out colour red, cut to my favourite length. I am very unsure as to whether Julian Opie is not tainted by the brush of 'emperors new clothes' but I did like the way the image on the door played with the paintings in the gallery.

Finally a couple of sneaky shots of Matthew Day Jackson at Hauser & Wirth

he has, apart from some really interesting sculptures, created a living room which I would love to live in myself, replete with wonderful sisal carpet and sixties furniture.

The photography exhibition was excellent, Andre Kertesz in particular was brilliant. Serpentine was less impressive but I have not sorted the images out for that so will discuss next week.

Mother is getting old

2011-07-12T23:56:00.000-07:00

No, really it was her birthday yesterday, I'm not being cruel just stating a fact.

As usual it crept up on me, I did not remember until Saturday and as my art work was at school I decided to wait and risk sending something Monday. I had earmarked a small oil painting after she had looked at one at the Summer exhibition for her kitchen before blowing her budget on a Joe Tilson print, but when the time came to choose I found I was ridiculously attached to them. Luckily I had done some less layered ones recently, trying out a new way of working and as they had taken very little time to complete I was able to let one of them go. The idea was to send it as a card as it was size A6 and tell her to bring it to St Ives where I know of a brilliant framing shop. Oil paintings need a lot of TLC when being framed, glass kills them and so rather than let her shove it in a cheap frame from the pound shop I though this time I would do it Justice.

Feeling guilty at this cheapskate option I then sent some flowers via M&S from the girls.
The following day it quickly transpired that despite not posting the painting until after 4pm it had arrived first thing that morning. Am I the only one in this country who is still amazed that the post office can do that?
I am thanked for the card and I am assured that I do not need to frame it as she has an old photograph frame knocking around somewhere.
A small piece of me dies.

Whilst I had an email to thank me for the card there no mention of the flowers. My sister of course had sent her an effing designer t-shirt , scoring maximum points for size and colour choice..Bitch.

I don't say anything about the flowers I want them to be a surprise, I get Kitty to phone in the afternoon and still no mention. In the end I phone and ask. No, they had not arrived. I then, whilst talking to her on the phone attempt to log on with my left hand onto my hotmail account, which is not easy because a) I have upper and lowercase letter in my password and b) effing BT hijacks our wireless signal so you have to click a raft off buttons to circumnavigate it.
That done I finally track the order, they were delivered a 1pm, no one was in so they left them In a 'secure place'... Yeah right, we all know they were thrown onto the doorstep.

Me " Did you get any flowers today?"
Mother " No, why would you send flowers, your sister sent some last time and they were half dead, what on earth is the point of sending flowers, why waste your money like that?"
Me "It's your birthday"
Mother " Well I've been in all day, I have not heard anyone ring the bell apart from the roofer, there is no way they rang the bell"
Me "can you check to see if they are there?"

I hear her walk to the door. Yes, they are there.

Mother "I've been in all day there is no way anyone rang that bell or even knocked"

I hear her opening the box.

Mother " OK, sunflowers and agapanthus?"
Me "yes, since you're blind* I thought I would get you something bright enough to see"
Mother " well they are fully open so that means they will only last a couple of days.."
Me " Since when did anyone send sunflowers in bud?"
Mother "I suppose so......(suddenly startled) OH GOOD GRIEF YOU MADE ME JUMP"

I hear my sisters deep Yorkshire voice in the background, she has come to take Mother out for dinner.

Mother " Why didn't you ring the bell?"
Sister "I did and knocked but you didn't answer so I let myself in"
Mother "I didn't hear you"
Sister " Yes, deaf as well as blind!"

I wish my mother a pleasant meal, god help my sister navigating her way through that menu, a Chinese with no onion or garlic!! No chance.

I have just received a more upbeat email praising the said near dead flowers as looking wonderful!

* I am not being mean she has lost much of the sight in the central part of her vision so sees mostly fuzzy shapes.

Sandra Kantanen

2011-07-12T01:30:00.000-07:00

If I am ever near the Tate Modern then I always pay the Purdy Hicks Gallery a visit, this time there was a brilliant mixed exhibition which featured the Helsinki School of photography Sandra Kantanen's work was head and shoulders above the rest, they are really beautiful.

images from here

The view from here

2011-07-11T00:12:00.000-07:00

Boris Mikhailov

I should really call this post emptying the in box of flotsam and jetsam, these images have languished for sometime waiting for me to weaver a blog post around them. Sadly I never have so I will clump them together. First up the Tate Modern seems to finally be taking photography seriously, it has appointed a curator and some of the new wing is being devoted to exhibition, and even now there are many more rooms than before devoted to some amazing photography. Above are just a few from a series by Boris Mikhailov beautifully muted shots that I thought were cyanotypes with that dreamy pinhole look about them. The printing technique belies a content that focuses on the sadder side of life in Russia today. Mikhailov is brilliant at doing this and in a way the subtlety of the images draws you in before you realise the subject is just so depressing. It is this kind of image beauty from the beast that I will study for my MA.

Shikanosuko Yagaki

A discovery for me was the work of Shikanosuko Yagaki, I love Japanese photography, it has a wonderful abstract feel to it unlike Mikhailov, I like the distance the lens has from the subject and the lack of engagement.

images from here

The next slice of loveliness has no name, I lost it but I think it must be from style.com, it is everything I want to be but can't, trust me it would take one door handle for me to hang myself and lose all sense of dignity.

This image is stolen from here

Leyla and I saw this art instillation in Berlin, YEAH, they looked amazing, what a genius idea. they had a different outfit on to this photograph but were mesmerising nevertheless. We also saw two girls wearing one dress, one walking forwards one backwards even down some stairs! Berlin is obviously very much a city of art.

Sohei Nishino

I saw these ages ago at the Michael Hoppen gallery, my favourite photography gallery in London, which is sadly off the beaten track. They do loose a lot in translation they are huge collages made up of tiny photographs like a great big patchwork quilt.

I would love to have bought Emin the one of Istanbul.

Now for something more quirky

Dalton Ghetti

from here

Andy Moore

from here

I am a sucker for all things Alfred Wallis and I love this collage mixed with text

You might be visually exhausted but my in tray is lighter, which is just as well as there is more to come!!

Royal College of Art

2011-07-08T02:21:00.000-07:00

So finally I organise myself to post the art work I saw last Thursday. The RCA has traditionally been cramped into a very small space the shows were often a hotch potch with different departments scoring the best spaces.

The very worst year was when they shoved the design faculty into a wooden shack across the road in Hyde Park. Now the entire fine art department has decamped to Battersea, it was a mission to get to but what an awesome space they have, it is right up there with the kind of gallery spaces you see including Victoria Miro and the White Cube. The photograph below should give you an idea of the scale of the sculpture department, the painting is across the road and has a lovely mezzanine allowing for more intimate spaces too. Yelena Popova

here

I loved her application of paint and use of colour, but especially effective was how the paintings were displayed, I wish I could get my students to think about this more.

Shi Kai Tseng

here

The above ceramics were not in fact in the ceramics department, but in product design, I really like the blurring of boundaries as far as materials are concerned and these vessels are doubly beautiful for combing two mediums as they also use photography to create the images via a pinhole camera. I can tell you having done both photo emulsion and pin hole that neither process is easy so to combine the two equates to an act of patience combined with dogged determination. The vessels were very ethereal but sadly not for sale.

Lauren Barfoot
Here

Lauren Barfoot's work which you can see in the background was brilliant too, I am really loving how computers and digital printing are blowing wide open the way textiles are printed, I have some images I would love to see on silk, but the best printing factories are in Milan!

Marina Dragomirova

Here

I love the fifties feel to her furniture and would love to weave one of these chairs, great fun.

Laura Amstein

Here

I failed to get any photographs of her work, she seemed stuck in a corridor but she had already won an award and I think she will be very successful, her bags are beautifully crafted and the colours are divine.

Jonna Saarinen

Here

Not everything here is original, but I like the shapes and colours of these fabrics anyway.

Catherine Aitken
Here

I thought this display was very original and something I would love to own

Back to the fine art studios

Ashley Rich

Here

and my favourite artist

Helen Pritchard

I would have bought each and every piece

Tate Modern

2011-07-07T00:28:00.000-07:00

Back to the Tate Modern, this time with 38 teenagers, which went surprisingly well.
I remembered to take the Lumix, which is the most forgiving camera in low light and I managed to grab a few sartorial favourites.
The next few were taken in the Taryn Simon exhibition, really excellent and thought provoking as these images illustrate.

Sartorial Tate

Loved the length of her trousers and the raw edge of the hem, in fact I am often drawn to neutrals probably because I can't wear them myself very often.

Love the bags in these two images

Beautiful stripes

plus a few spots..

The best for last

I love that yellow, but best of all check out the uber trendy cloth bag bearing the exclusive Daunt Books logo.

Muted creaminess from men's fashion week

2011-07-05T02:27:00.000-07:00

Why do men get all the wonderful tones and textures? I love all of these, I want some of this NOW!

Agnes B

Paul Smith

Yohji Yamamoto

Plus they get way more interesting models, SO not fair.

images from style.com

Vanity

2011-07-04T01:44:00.000-07:00

I met my sister briefly on Saturday to help with her house hunting. She referred to one of her friends children as being excessively vain. I wondered if she meant self absorbed rather than vain. How do you quantify vanity? Especially in a child.

The definition of vanity is to have an 'excessive pride in one's appearance achievements and capabilities'. Ouch, Define excessive. One mans' excessive maybe another mans' modesty. Vanity is as subjective a notion as what makes a good painting but whatever it is, however quantifiable, it is safe to say that my vanity has taken a few hits recently, not least at work where I confess my opinion of myself and my achievements could in some corners be construed as vain, wholly justified in my opinion, but sadly not in the opinion of those who matter in my so called profession. That bucket of melancholy is so full I am trying hard not to let it spill over into this blog at present for fear of unleashing a torrent of vitriol and ire against those better paid than I in this establishment, but I am keen to keep my job for a while.

No my vanity such as it is, (and trust me with a mother like mine I have a very, very grounded sense of self worth in the looks department) is at best modest I in the genre of all things English am hangdog and weak chinned. I have tried to dress it up occasionally as a romanticised Modigliani but lets be brutal I am no beauty.

This has been rammed home to me by two of my closets ...what? Not friends or family...Cohabitee's, I guess that's who they are.

First up

Emin recently bounded over to me like a Labrador puppy clutching an old photograph album. "Look, look" he cried "Look how amazing you used to look" "God you've really aged" He thrust under my nose a photograph taken 10 years ago just after Leyla was born my hair lush with hormones and my skin still plump and dewy with baby fat. At the time the photograph was taken I was dog tired and failed to see that really this was the last chance I would have to even contemplate vanity, but the damage was done on that score years ago, so that I never bothered to look in the mirror and so failed to appreciate what I had before gravity and depleting hormones shook me and spat me out a dried up husk of a woman.
As a teenager I reeked of eau de desperation seeking love at any price, I soon learned it was pointless to try and strike pose, too laughable. In fact laugh is what I learnt to do, Sod it, I don't need to see myself so why should I care what I look like? But remarks like that sting, really they do. I am nearly 50 and yes I am looking my age, I never did, but somehow life caught me up.

Second up

So imagine my surprise when walking the dog with Leyla yesterday when she said " Were you ever beautiful?" Did I need that? No, I realise that to a child I am a mother not a face but even so.... brutal and cruel, so any notion that I held that my children could at least see the beauty within packed it's bags and left the building. I explained that it was her misfortune to have a fuckugly mother so she should deal with it. Conversation over.

Clearly I am vainer than I think!

The view from here Hard Rock Calling

2011-07-03T00:27:00.000-07:00

It was only a week ago but already it seems longer, such is the complexity of my daily grind.

It was of course AMAZING, despite the very worst weather possible I enjoyed every minute. It was surprisingly well organised, my memories of queuing finally put to bed here as the longest we queues was 5 min.

James, Kaiser Chiefs then the Killers.

The Killers were really brilliant, the crowd was boisterous and we were all soaked to the skin!

Footwear veered from ludicrously optimistic to the pragmatic

Above sensible Hunters

Below espadrille's!!

I ask you what would you choose for a cold rainy night of dancing in a muddy field?