Waiting For Inspiration

When I read what Robert Newton said in his post My Work about how he can get ecstatic with excitement when his particular method of painting works, it made me think about that feeling when a painting is all of a sudden finished, as if by magic, even though you’ve maybe spent weeks and weeks or months even, working on it. Continue reading “Waiting For Inspiration”

Frames of reference

Wind Comb

Another type of Comb. Not the hollow in the hills of Combe, sheltered from the wind, but here is a place to witness the wind. Eduardo Chillida’s Wind Comb. Three steel sculptures anchored to the rocks at the western end of San Sebastian bay. There are also some quite effective blow-holes beneath the pavement. Continue reading “Wind Comb”

Frames of reference

A Day At The Races

It’s Grand National day and I’ve just received a surprise collection of images from Christopher Corr that he made at Goodwood last year. It seemed appropriate to show them on Frames of Reference.

And it just occurs to me that the title of the previous post, Down & Round & Up & Over, might well be a description of the Grand National itself. Continue reading “A Day At The Races”

Frames of reference

Near Beachy Head

This series of landscape studies has been painted entirely on location. They are all painted from the same viewpoint near Beachy Head in East Sussex and are sections selected from the panoramic view. They are a direct response to what I saw and the experience of being in the landscape. Continue reading “Near Beachy Head”

Frames of reference

The Beauty Of Mbuti

These beautiful Mbuti barkcloth paintings are part of an exhibition at Raven Row called The Stuff That Matters. I was surprised and delighted by them, and taken back to 1980 when I saw an advertisement in Art In America for an exhibition of Pygmy Drawings at the Linda Einfeld Gallery in Chicago. The illustration struck a chord with me then and I wrote off for a catalogue. Continue reading “The Beauty Of Mbuti”

Frames of reference

The Stuff That Matters

Raven Row is a new gallery in Spitalfields. It is presently home to a wonderful exhibition of textile fragments, courtesy of the Centre for Social Research on Old Textiles. With little prior knowledge of the subject the beauty of the undertaking for me was initially its presentation and framing, which is just breathtaking. This is a beautifully renovated building and the exhibits are respectfully displayed. The delicate hand-wrought artefacts in their vitrines and the elegantly proportioned rooms combine to make this a place of pilgrimage. Continue reading “The Stuff That Matters”

Frames of reference

A Room For London

A miniature houseboat on the roof of the QEH designed by Artangel for Living Architecture, an organisation set up by the philosopher Alain de Botton to build innovative holiday homes around the shores of Britain. It sounds intriguing and fun, maybe crazy and very exclusive, though guests seem expected to sing for their supper. A little like Big Brother’s little brother house. Read more here.

Frames of reference