Eva Gustavsson

This relationship was identified by recurring patterns, shapes or colours and the images derived from fragments and details of specific objects and places fixed or imprinted in my memory.

The method of working in series, groups and pairs were also reflected in the presentation of the work, where my intention was for the paintings to hang unframed closely together on the wall in the gallery allowing the viewer to make associations across the space.

imprint
This body of work comprised abstract paintings that were created in series or pairs, establishing a relationship between each image.

Eva Gustavsson, I have not featured paintings recently, primarily because the photography takes up more time ergo I see more photos than paintings however I am in the process of weeding my HUGE collection of journals down into a more manageable size and so I have been flicking through some very old a-n magazine back issues. Gustavsson's work appeared in a back issue from 1999! Told you I had issues.

The work very much resonates with my mood at present.

Dear Daisy

I am very sorry I advised you to forsake Biology for Physics. I now realise that this was a big mistake and I have single handedly scuppered your dream of going to medical school. I realise that your failure to work beyond the hours of the school day has had absolutely no impact on your grades and that had you had the opportunity to take Biology all your dreams would have born the delicious fruit of an offer from Oxford. I of course now realise that with this goal would have come the necessary desire to achieve. It had nothing at all to do with your poor grades for this subject last year.
I realise that you work your socks off; it is just that I don’t see it. Yes, you are quite right I must be blind. Of course you must be exhausted which is why you have to go to bed when you get home every night and absolutely, you need to unwind by watching inane comedy clips on You Tube.
I must of course take full responsibility for your lacks-a-daisical approach to independent study, because I foolishly guided you through the early years collecting resources and helping present your projects. I confess I remain very proud of the A* that I gained (on your behalf) for that excellent piece on the ‘Long March’ and treasure still the letter of commendation you received from the Head Teacher.
Yes of course you are right to have taken my guidance for granted and by way of an apology I have of course spent most of yesterday tracking down a range of under graduate courses that will inspire and delight you for the next three years.
I appreciate that you will move out to your Nan’s house but I thought maybe just a little further might be in order, hence my suggestion of Dundee. It does have the very best reputation.
I realise that to secure such a prestigious place you will need evidence of a work experience placement and I can assure you that it is all hands to the deck on that front, and I promise to have your CV written by tomorrow.

The view from here

My week began with not one but two new arrivals

This little package from La Belette Rouge A VERY BIG THANK YOU

Second new arrival, this is a rare contemplative moment, he maybe over 5 years old but he has the body and enthusiasm of a puppy. We spent over 5 hours at Battersea Dogs Home last Sunday and decided on this abandoned Staff. We have named him Firat, a Turkish name that I had chosen if I was carrying a boy and coincidentally the Au-pairs boyfriends name too!
He is a joy such a lovely dog we spend all day shaking our heads as to how anyone would not want this dog.

On Friday I took my year 12 students to The Photographers Gallery
to see Deutsche Börse Photography Prize


Taryn Simon (b.1975, USA) nominated for her exhibition An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar at The Photographers' Gallery, London (13 September -11 November 2007).

Tod Papageorge (b.1940, USA) nominated for the exhibition Passing Through Eden - Photographs of Central Park at Michael Hoppen Gallery, London (7 March - 12 April 2008).

Emily Jacir (b.1970, Palestine) nominated for her installation, Material for a Film, presented at the 2007 Venice Biennale (7 June – 21 November 2007).

Paul Graham (b. 1956, UK) nominated for his publication, A Shimmer of Possibility (steidlMACK, October 2007).

My vote went to Emily Jacir, but most of the girls voted for Tod Papageorge, I was really heartened to see an artist being nominated for a publication rather than an exhibition. I would have no idea how to get my work in a gallery but there are now a number of really good publishers that you can access via the web now that make publishing a book a very real proposition.

The way an image is laid out on the page and juxtaposed with other images is as creative as curating any exhibition.

I do not know why, but the sight of such hideously kitch plastic flowers in the gallery's toilet made me laugh.

I then walked up past St James's park

past offices with beautiful and very real flowers

under a stunning blue sky

to WHITE LIGHT / WHITE HEAT at Hauser & Wirth

This dog was not for sale but was so beautifully regal I had to take a snap.

I then went to see Georg Baselitz: Mrs Lenin and the Nightingale at the White Cube

It blew my socks off, the colours were stunning and such fluid brush strokes too.

White Cube in Masons Yard is a superb space for displaying large pieces of art work, it is a large square block countersunk into the ground and juxtaposes brilliantly with its more traditional neighbours

Downstairs were these water colours which were exceptionally covetable

Axel Hütte: Out of Darkness at Waddington Galleries Cork Street

IAN DAVENPORT FABSTRACTION on at ALAN CRISTEA GALLERY

A wonderful retired couple walked in whilst I was looking and I overheard them say they had bought a couple of his paintings but could not live with them so sold them. How wonderful to be able to breeze around Cork St buying up a little of what you fancy.

One of my favourite colour combinations at Nicole Farhi.

I have far too many clothes but this top from COS was irresistible. I love that colour blue as it brightens up both grey black and brown. However having had a sort out this weekend, memo to self "you do not NEED any more clothes"

Apart from a loose black Tee. I tried on three in Banana Republic and all three clung to my belly like a cling film body wrap. They put far too much elastaine in their jersey to be flattering when you have a thickening waist line

Exhausted I slumped atTerroirs, a wine bar with 'rustic food' I met my sister after she had finished work, the wine list is brilliant but two things really niggled me.

First, I walked in without a booking and after a 'builders' sharp intake of breath and pulling a few faces they agreed to give us a table as long as we were out by 7pm, fine but when we left at 7pm it was a third empty, so why the rush. So many places do this what on earth do they hope to achieve other than irritation.

Second, was that we sat down to eat at 5.30pm but we were then told that only bar snacks were available until 6pm! seriously what on earth is that all about. The rest of the menu is cold apart from 4 hot dishes that only needed to be warmed up, what a stupid system. Other minor niggles were the olives I like an olive to place hairs on my chest and make my eyes water. They gave me a bowl of insipid Briny berry's and they charged for the bread, which at the prices they were charging was unacceptable. Most of the food is very protein and carbohydrate heavy but utterly delicious a triumph of good sourcing. I will return, but only for a snack and a glass of rosé.

And so to bed...

Now that's what I call style

Nancy Cunard was always my No 1 style icon although..

image from here

The beautiful Georgia O'Keefe ran her a close second as I got older

image from here

But now jostling for first place is Louise Nevelson

Louise Nevelson by Richard Avedon

I do hope Paul Pincus does not mind me 'lifting' this from his blog. The image is so amazing and I have never seen it before. The more I see of Avedons work the more I love it. What a talent he has for bringing out the inner character of his sitters.

One of my year 13 students has been studying the work of Tim Walker who worked for Avedon and some of the stories she found about Avedons relationship with his sitters was fascinating, (far more so than most of Tim Walkers work sadly).

Now for some Sartorialist gold. This image is my favourite from this years shows

I WANT THIS COAT

and this one too

images from here

This is not dissimilar to how I dress, give or take a few kilos! OK a lot of kilo's.

I am always slightly bemused at how Scott Schuman is able to take so many good images from both the New York, Milan and Paris shows and yet despite visiting London for the second time, very little has appeared on his own blog. I would have thought London has to be a brilliant place to record street style.

Can it be true that the Sartorialist doesn't 'get' London? (I mean this in the nicest possible way) or does it just rain far too much!

P.S

OMG I was trailing through some old posts when I saw the work of Zoe Arnold, finally the penny dropped, I taught her art. She was an amazing artist even at the age of 13, that she has gone on to produce work as exquisite as this is heartening.

True talent will always shine.

Flickr update, Seriously this is taking FAR too long, it looks good so far, but I am only up to 230 images and that has taken a week. The best place to load I have discovered is on Daisy's Apple Mac. I always thought they were over hyped but having used one they are, by a country mile the best P.C's to use ever.

Tomorrow I am dragging my poor year 12 students to the Photographers Gallery but I am itching to post a photograph of our new arrival if he would just sit still for 2 consecutive minutes

Guy Tillim

Guy Tillim's most recent body of work examines the modern history of Africa through its civic architecture. Avenue Patrice Lumumba travels through several countries in Africa, including Mozambique, Angola and The Democratic Republic of Congo.
The series reflects on the architecture of colonial and post-colonial Africa, looking at the many city streets named after Patrice Lumumba, one of the first elected African leaders of modern times. Lumumba became the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1960 but was assassinated in 1961. Streets that bear his name have come to represent both the idealism and decay of an African dream
Currently on at The Photographers Gallery

It would be too trite to comment on the politics of Africa, but these images are very beautiful and more subtle than some of the more text book photographs that so often come out of Africa.

Things that piss me off, and that's just this week

No 1, 14 day money back guarantees.
This is fine if you buy something from a shop with a gazillion branches. But when you are one of, well one and you are miles away from where I work this policy = a stress induced ulcer. I am referring to those bloody trousers I bought from Selfridges, the ones that screamed midlife crisis mixed with fashion car crash. AKA harem pants. I could have bought them mail order but I was too tight to pay the P&P well that would have been a lot cheaper than the train fare. Memo to self DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM SELFRIDGES AGAIN
I managed to see a window of opportunity and went last night. This brings me neatly to…

No 2, People who borrow MY* camera and don’t bring it back when I need it.
That camera is like having an extra limb, I hate not having it and last night I saw at least TWO photographs that I could have taken, but no some muppet had borrowed it from me and not brought it back in time

No3, Parents evenings
As a teacher they are a pointless verbal dance of inane politeness, when all I really want to say is “your daughter is a bone idle lazy slattern who I would cross the street to avoid” or alternatively “your daughter is a vacuous fool and NO, drawing effing Disney cartoons is categorically NOT a sign of artistic genius”. From the other side of the fence I know exactly what the teacher is thinking and so it is pointless me going, but both Daisy and Kitty insist that I play this relentless game of charades and so this week I have one of my own and two of theirs to go to. My cup runeth over with joy

No4 H&M pattern cutters
Who could not cut their way out of a paper bag with a pair of sharp scissors. Pattern cutting is not just an art, but a science too. I could not do it at college so I appreciate it is not an easy task, but seriously is H&M not a big enough organisation that they can afford to get in some properly trained pattern cutters? I on impulse bought a pair of what appeared to be some really nice cotton trousers I tried them on at home and despite actually doing them up that is as far as the fit went. When I tried to walk in them they pulled across the thigh. This is just crap pattern cutting, memo to self DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM H&M AGAIN

No5 Over heated shops
Its still bloody freezing outside so why is it sub tropical in the shops? Short of stripping to my undies and carrying my clothes around in a shopping bag the only way to shop is very quickly. I tried a coat on in Uniqlo and honestly thought I would combust. So irritated was I walked out forgetting that I wanted to buy a short swing rain coat, the loss of this ‘must have’ accessory will now haunt me all spring.

No6 Slow loading computers
It is a testament to progress that once I would patiently wait months for images of the biannual fashion shows to emerge into the public domain. Now I can barely contain my irritation when I have to wait 40seconds for a page to load. Now try doing this whilst loading images onto Flickr and scrolling through various blog’s. My middle name may be multi task but patience is not my surname!

No7 Lent
Whose stupid idea was this? And even worse what brand of psychosis drove me to give up cheese. I am really struggling, worse than giving up chocolate. Did I really think it through? please keep in mind I am already having to cook sans pork or alcohol take away cheese and what have I left?

* Ok not technically my camera, since the school paid for it, but possession is nine tenth of the law…

Whats New

The sun is out, the frogs are bonking, the birds are nesting, the trees are budding, the catkins cascading and we have a new arrival.*Spring has most definitely sprung. I took a break from labelling and uploading images onto Flickr, keeerist that takes along time. I feel like I am whittling a Giant Redwood with a blunt penknife. So as I have managed to loose a list of photographers to post, I will go a bit girly instead and feel the Marni love, or did I?

It was all a bit jumble sale for me, the kind of clothes that make you itch a little. I applaud the whole 'recycle grannies broken jewellery box' thing but somehow it lacked the swoon factor I have had of late.

And how much more Valerie Belin can a model get?

On the other hand a slice of divine from Paul Smith, I have always loved the whole lace & utility thing but add to this his knitwear and my favourite silhouette this was for me a sublime collection

Seriously how lovely are these two cardies?

* I will enlighten you all tomorrow!