Rowley Gallery Blog
Mary Kuper just brought us a new consignment of paintings. This one is of Simonsbath, Exmoor and the River Barle where Mary was swimming earlier this year. She uses thin glazes of oil paint on board and adds small brush strokes and scratched marks drawn into the paint, creating a richly textured surface. Continue reading “Super Kuper”
I was just sent this lovely photograph of the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park. The trees seem to be keeping their leaves longer because of all the extra rain this year. It comes from a post at the Londonist – Top 10 Things To Do In The Royal Borough Of Kensington & Chelsea – a list of recommendations compiled by visitors to their website. It’s a nice reminder of some of the wealth of attractions we have on our doorstep.
One of the many highlights of our recent trip to Cornwall was one that I took with me. Just a couple of days before we left London I received a copy of Holloway, a book by Robert Macfarlane, Stanley Donwood & Dan Richards. I kept it unopened in its Jiffy bag with Dan’s handwritten label and best wishes until we arrived, so that it became a part of our holiday. Inside, when I finally opened it, was a beautifully printed and illustrated book that told of the search for an ancient Dorset holloway, previously visited by Macfarlane with Roger Deakin. They were looking for the hide where the hero of Geoffrey Household’s novel Rogue Male went to ground. I’m not sure which I knew first, Household’s book or the film with Peter O’Toole. The abiding feeling was not so much of threat but of the safe harbour to be found beneath trees. Continue reading “Holloway”
Christopher Corr sent us these photographs from America. They show a wonderful collection of mostly wooden vernacular buildings at the Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts. The Shakers began building a community here in the 1780s and continued up until the 1960s. They considered this their utopia and named it The City of Peace. Many of their buildings are still preserved here. Some have been lost and some have been re-erected here from other Shaker settlements. Continue reading “Utopia”
These are the first etchings I have done since printmaking at Edinburgh College of Art in 1984-88 where I did a lot of mixed media using silkscreen printing with etching. They are solar plate intaglio and relief etchings. It’s a technique which allows you to transfer a black ink drawing made on acetate onto a plate, using the sun to etch the plate, by exposing it to the sun for as little as 3-4 minutes, rather than using toxic chemicals. These are my first attempts. Continue reading “Printmaking In Granada”
Marcel Gatteaux just brought us this souvenir of his recent trip to France. It is presently displayed centre stage in The Rowley Gallery window. I’m hoping that as well as a fishmonger he’ll bring us a butcher, a baker and a candlestick-maker too. There is something about its simplicity and its proportions and the way it fits the frame that marks this as one of his best. See it here on our website and see what a difference a frame makes.
We’re a little late with this one. Jonny Hannah is presently exhibiting a series of prints, paintings and constructions at the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum in Jonny’s home town of Dunfermline, Fife. It’s a celebration of famous folks from Fife. Continue reading “Jonny’s Fellow Fifers”
We crossed the river by ferry from Helford Passage to Helford Village. The Shipwrights Arms was tempting but we passed by determined to return there at the end of our circular walk. The pub had recently fallen on hard times and been threatened with closure until a consortium of anonymous locals from around the Lizard Peninsula bought it from the liquidators. It is presently being run by volunteers. We wish them every success. Continue reading “Frenchman’s Creek”
This is the preserved skeleton of The Star Of Hope emerging from the sands on Ainsdale Beach. Most of the time it is covered, occasionally wooden stumps show themselves at low tide, then once every few years the sands shift and reveal this spectacular wreck. Continue reading “Strands”
Some recent snapshots from the Helford River and neighbouring creeks. It is such a beautiful part of Cornwall. Don’t be surprised if it inspires a few more posts. This first photo shows spectators at the Helford Passage Regatta, fun and games on the river and at The Ferryboat Inn. Continue reading “Messing About On The River (6)”