Rowley Gallery Blog
Dear Chris,…. France was so hot, too hot to think sometimes. I’m glad you had a good time in Cornwall. And refreshing sounds very nice…. I was in Kenwood on Sunday (19th August) and it was very beautiful. I saw this Olympic scene in an old shop window in Highgate Village…. maybe something for the blog? It used to be an old second hand bookshop but is now in between uses. Hope all’s well at Rowley, best wishes, Chris. Continue reading “Highgate Olympics”
Dominic just sent me this photo. It’s the view from the back door of The Rowley Gallery workshop, looking across the yard and over the District & Circle line and out to the west. It was taken on the Saturday before last, August 18, which was the hottest day of the year. Such a blue sky and intense shadows, more like California than Kensington.
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)”
This is View From Albert Bridge by Lawrence Quigley, one of a series down London’s painted river. Continue reading “Messing About On The River (4)”
I keep seeing this image on billboards around town. It’s a photograph of one of Andy Goldsworthy’s Cairn sculptures and it’s being used by The Maccabees to promote their new album. It reminds me of a visit five years ago to Digne-les-Bains where I found a whole series of his sculptures. Continue reading “Refuges D’Art”
The fox slowly and artfully began to materialise on the periphery of my conciousness and seep seamlessly into my paintings about five years ago. Today I class it as a major player in my lexicon of characters; those I call upon, or more likely those who call upon me. Continue reading “Fox Muse”
This is The Oarsman’s and Angler’s Map of the River Thames from its Source to London Bridge. It comes rolled in a tube and at one inch to one mile it is 2.5 metres long. It was engraved by E G Ravenstein and first published in 1893. This edition has an introduction by Richard Way, specialist bookseller from Henley on Thames:
…. The Thames flows roughly north west to south east but Ravenstein cleverly elongated this dimension by ironing out the river’s NE SW meanderings. The river is thus contained within an artificial boundary 5 miles wide. The map however retains a true scale along its length. If Ravenstein had represented a geographical reality at this scale the map would be shorter but 4 times wider. Ravenstein presumably selected London Bridge as the end point of the map because it was the last bridge on the river. Tower Bridge opened the year after the map was published.
It would be a difficult piece to frame and an awkward piece to hang. I thought it might be best presented here. Continue reading “Messing About On The River (3)”
