Rowley Gallery Blog
Running and painting surprisingly have much in common, the main similarity being that they are both totally engrossing activities. Both are an integral part of my life where withdrawal symptoms occur if stopped for any length of time. They both allow me to lose myself in the struggle and sheer pleasure of the activity and forget any other pressing problems. Continue reading “Running & Painting”
Last time we came to Windsor Great Park we tried to visit The Savill Garden but left it too late and by the time we got here it was closed, so we promised to return before too long. This time we got here in time for lunch at the Savill Building and just inside the the front door, opposite the ticket desk and beside a Diamond Jubilee display by a local primary school I made a surprising discovery. Continue reading “The Savill Garden”
Meghalaya's Living Bridges – Incredible India by dm_50ac6337ca078
In North-East India, in The Land Of Clouds, people have found an ingenious natural solution to the challenge of crossing a torrential flood river. Conventional bridges would be swept away, so they have devised a kind of slow organic joinery.
I sometimes describe Rowley Gallery picture-frames as slow frames, but 500 years to build a bridge makes them seem instant!
We arrived at the village of Stoughton in a remote valley of the South Downs via a single track road from the north. It felt like we were coming to the back of beyond. We left the car by the Hare & Hounds and began the long slow climb along this farm track up to Stoughton Down. Continue reading “Vale Of Yew”
A nice bundle of clean, new leaves of walnut burr veneer fresh from the tree. Continue reading “A Bundle Of Walnut”
The enormous equestrian statue of George III looking down over Windsor Castle from the top of Snow Hill, pointing out incoming aeroplanes on their way to Heathrow. Continue reading “Windsor’s Great Park”
This striking mandala-like collection of foliage was a recent visitor to our workshop. As the winner of the Blake Prize (an Australian art prize in honour of William Blake) it had been on a world tour and its frame was in need of some TLC. It is Above & Beyond by Janine Mackintosh, made from Eucalyptus leaves, linen thread and bookbinder’s gum on canvas and it measures 120 x 120 centimetres. It reminded me of another circular piece that I often see on my way into work each day. Continue reading “Above & Beyond”
I’d been curious about the Swan Hotel at Radcot for years, ever since we framed this memorable painting. In fact it doesn’t look much like its portrait at all, but it’s a good place to start from and a welcome spot for a riverside drink upon the return. This walk was inspired by a chance meeting two years ago at Jazmin Velasco’s house with Ron Emmons, author of Walks Along The Thames Path. I arrived just as they were about set off on the Richmond walk. In his description of this Radcot & Kelmscot walk, Ron says ‘This is a walk for when you really want to get away from it all’. Though there’s no escaping the jubiquitous Union Jack these days. Continue reading “Radcot & Kelmscot”
Our neighbours down the road at Kensington Palace just had a makeover. They recently reopened their doors to visitors after months of redecorating. The entrance hall is entrancing. It features a luminous lace light sculpture adorned with Swarovski crystals, in homage to the Royal Dress Collection. It’s tree-like structure appears to be related to the new concourse canopy at King’s Cross. Trees and branches also make an appearance in other rooms. Look out for the bottle-tree and the dolls tree-houses. Here below are more photographs from the palace. Continue reading “Kensington Palace”
This is one of my favourite trees, an ancient Hornbeam pollard at Bush End Plain, an area of wood pasture in Hatfield Forest. This place has been grazed by cattle and sheep for at least 1000 years, and these trees pollarded to keep their green shoots out of reach of grazing livestock. There are also deer here and Oliver Rackham has called this The Last Forest because it is the only surviving example of a Royal Medieval Hunting Forest, meaning forest as a place where the monarch had the right to keep deer and to kill and eat them. This maintained environment has been shaped with rides, chases and woodland by continuous managed development over the past millenium. Continue reading “Hatfield Forest & Hatfield Broad Oak”