My visual wish list

Relationships are I find very claustrophobic, I suspect that it is probably my relationship that is so, or maybe it is just me. I have but two weeks a year when He Who Must Be Obeyed is away, so I have to cram in as much as possible as well as try to spring clean the house. The recent luxury of spending Monday night alone has gone but it made me realise I must carve more space out in the future.
First up on my MUST visit or else list is Jonathan Clarke & Co

This gallery is miles away from my usual beaten path and yet it houses many of my most favourite artists work including Ivon Hitchens. The more I paint (and yes I was doing just that yesterday) The more I become interested in seeing how other artists apply paint to a surface. You can't see this in books so first hand experience is everything. This gallery is in a very pretty place and if a day is fine this Easter I will go for a walk with my camera.

Second up is the V&A Quilt exhibition. I quilted as a teenager, I still have the quilt in a box somewhere,

I am particularly interested in Tracy Emin's work but also there are some pieces by Natasha Kerr whose work I use a great deal when teaching. The exhibition has had rave reviews too.

The ubiquitous Irving Penn is on at the NPG

This is not an exhibition but something I saw in the Guardian today click here to see and read more, This is not a forum for political comment, I have read a great deal about this war, enough to know that there is no 'solution' that we can impose. I particularly enjoyed the interview with Julian George, who brilliantly describes the almost comical juxtaposition of western military might in a raw biblical landscape.

Last and yet probably top of my list Kingdom of Ife, again this has had good reviews and if I were to choose one Genre of art to collect it would be from in and around here. I love the statues and jewellery, I have a tiny collection which I treasure.

The best place I have seen to collect examples is Brussels, I remember in particular one shop had some stunning examples of necklaces that if I ever can afford to do so will go back and buy.

So in two more weeks time I will be feeling the salt on my face as I sit on the beach at Southwold, and then it will be back to London to cram in as much me time as possible.

In the meantime I am making considerable in roads with my painting, hence the paucity of posting just a shame the teaching keeps getting in the way.