Sunday, 12 October 2008

Golnaz Fathi




She has, however, moved away from the traditional styles of calligraphy -- so emblematic of her Iranian artistic heritage -- and has used the traditional calligraphic form as an abstraction of itself.
On show here or visit her website here
I do love the whole text thing. It is my next project with my year 10 students.
I keep adding to my list of 'must see', Will there be enough time?

Thursday, 9 October 2008

Burberry Prorsum




Photos here

For me this was the very best collection of the recent shows. Two articles I have read via The Thoughtful Dresser from here and here really sum up for me the current mood as does Christopher Kane's clothes for Burberry. I am slowly learning the art of layering and it does not get more beautiful than this, I am lucky that I am nearly 5'8 so i can wear longer clothes than many and this is one look I am keen to try. Even his jewellery was good.

No discussion of Britain’s sartorial tics proceeds very far before it collides with a cloud front, a rainstorm and the occasional heatwave. The weather doesn’t merely affect the way we dress, it defines it. It may be no exaggeration to say that most of the enduring wardrobe components this country has given to the world – the trench coat, the argyle sweater, the cashmere twinset, the wellington, the sprigged tea dress – arose from a need to combat the elements. As for our other great contribution, thank 1,000 years of military doggedness. Savile Row tailoring wouldn’t exist without Army uniforms. Without tailoring there would be no mods, no Vivienne Westwood, no easily definable system for telegraphing one’s class. Punks wouldn’t have looked nearly so sharp.

So true, I go on and on about the weather, but it really makes dressing hard. Today for example I have to leave at 7am so it is cold, perhaps 10 degrees I have a 20 min walk in this. But my room gets the sun all day so now it is 28 degrees I have to work all day in this. Walking home 17 degrees! another 20 mins walk and often a long wait on a very very windy station platform. No Brief Encounteresque steamy tearoom for me either. So as you can see it is not an easy day to dress for, hence my obsession with the weather and what the hell to wear each and every day.

ROBYN DENNY




Wonderful collage by ROBYN DENNY

One of the better galleries I saw at last weeks Art London was Jonathan Clark, I loved all the artists the gallery represents, I also noticed some choice catalogues on the website that I may have to get sometime in the future. The gallery is not a million miles from the Michael Hoppen gallery so I can pay them a visit on my way.

Wednesday, 8 October 2008

Kurt Jackson




On the theme of water, Jackson is one of my favourite painters of this subject. He has a really comprehensive website here

Jessica Backhaus


From here via here
A very beautiful website, it made me feel rather sad and melancholy.

The last of Kew







I have noticed a theme or strand running through many of my photographs. Water. I have a real love of reflection, on land gets replicated by my other love which is shadows. It's like I am always chasing ghosts. I rarely if ever photograph people, I find landscapes too ethereal and I never feel that what my eyes sees is ever reflected through the lens.
That has left until now still life. I have over the years tried many versions but again I have never realised my intention. This has not been the case with my photographs of water. the images never let me down, I am always pleased, if not quietly impressed by the results.
I have always felt at peace next to or near water, I used to think it was the sea I wanted to be near, but actually I prefer still water, the water of lakes and lochs or quiet streams. If you were to drop me blind folded into a city with no map and then take away the blind fold I would instinctively walk toward the water. When I think of places I have loved to stay, Sweden in particular they are united by their proximity to water.
The Red Sea one of the most incredible places I have been, it gives you one of those visual memories that you can revisit over and over, creating that 'happy place' we all need.
So I think I need to round up my favourites and maybe then print some of them properly for a change.

Tuesday, 7 October 2008