Rowley Gallery Blog
Sam Lee takes his coracle down to the river via Ridley Road and Smithfield accompanied by Gerry Diver, fiddle; Jonny Bridgwood, bass; Michael Wright & Saul Eisenberg, jews harp; Ed Hicks, banjo. For an account of their visit to Khartoum, read English Folk Songs in Sudan by Tim Cumming.
We recently received six new paintings by Margaret McLellan inspired by trips to her favourite parts of Dorset. The first three Longhouse paintings find Maggie revisiting Toller Fratrum before returning to her beloved Isle of Purbeck for three Quarry paintings. Continue reading “Dorset Developments”
On this misty morning I’m reminded of a foggy walk last summer to see the Devil’s Frying Pan, though it looked more like the Devil’s Steaming Pan with montbretia (crocosmia x crocosmiiflora) turned up to gas mark 10. Nothing was visible beyond the edge of the cliff path except for a lovely glowing halo, like a white rainbow. Continue reading “The Devil’s Frying Pan”
I know, it’s wishful thinking but it’s been such a long time. This is George’s sundance incantation from The Concert For Bangladesh together with just some of the many suns of Christopher Corr.
This is a giclée print from a watercolour, pastel and charcoal drawing by Chris Ofili, Study For Ovid-Windfall. In 2012 Ofili painted a huge backdrop for the Royal Opera House production of Diana & Actaeon, a collaboration between the National Gallery and the Royal Ballet and a celebration of Titian’s paintings of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Ofili immersed himself in Ovid’s shapeshifting tales of transformation. His image of windfall/waterfall/shower of gold came twice for framing. Continue reading “Ofili Cum Ovid”
Jonny Hannah introduced me to C W Stoneking a while ago. I should have posted this video earlier, it’s a nice piece of vaudeville hokum, a pantomime Heart of Darkness. I love it and I love the comment it received on YouTube – I’m drawing a wobbly line here but…George Formby, Hank Williams, Mance Lipscomb, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, C W Stoneking – and the reply from C W Stoneking himself – That is a wobbly line, what are you doing with the other hand?
Duke Ellington and Joan Miró at Fondation Maeght in St Paul de Vence, Côte d’Azur, France.
Meanwhile Sue was in another wood, not Hollywood but Pinewood Studios where her father worked as a boom operator, and where she proudly introduced Tilly, her pet griffon to Marlon Brando. Continue reading “Sue, Tilly & Marlon”
I was just reading Melissa Harrison on the lifelong benefits of outdoor play and it seemed the appropriate moment to dig out this scruffy old photo. There seems to be a lot of concern about nature defecit disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods. The National Trust commissioned a Natural Childhood Report which showed how a generation of children are losing touch with the natural world. It seems we were the lucky ones, this merry band; I’m on the left, alongside Stephen, Stephen, Stephen, Stephen and Michael. We would dam streams to make pools for bathing, with wagtails and dippers and once a kingfisher; we knew perfect climbing trees with branches in all the right places, and often puddles of water in the crevices; we’d forage for blackberries and wimberries and sorrel and others too sour to swallow; we found water boatmen, pond skaters, caddisfly cases, tadpoles, newts, eggs in birdsnests, foxgloves, horsetails, sheep skulls, and a blade of grass stretched between thumbs for a birdcall. All without fluorescent yellow tabards.
There was a lot of fuss last week about Edward Gorey’s 88th birthday, even though he died at the age of 75. There was a Google doodle and he featured in The Guardian and the Los Angeles Times and at Brain Pickings to mention just three, then Margaret McLellan sent me this catalogue of gruesome infant deaths – Hi Chris, This came today. I thought you might enjoy it. Best wishes, Maggie. Continue reading “The Gashlycrumb Tinies”