Still in London.
Its dawning on me - duh - that the reason I can't breathe in my studio is because I'm an asmatic and dust is a bastard. When was the studio last cleaned?? Oh, er, never? Hmmm.
Trafic don't help but I can manage that. Been to see the Emily Carr expo at Dulwich - somewhat underwhelming though admirable -East meets West at Saatchi's - amusing enough - and erm, probably others but can't remember.
Marlene Dumas was taking coffee at Dulwich next to me :) She was on my bus:) Too overwhelmed to talk to her - plus she clocked that she was recognised and didnt welcome me in, as it were.
Drama at home as G and girlfriend have been arrested for murder.Hope they're OK; sure they are innocent of such an irrevocable act.
Friday, 30 January 2015
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
14th Jan 2015
Went to the Courtauld to see the show of drawings by Egon Schiele.
Went with Min -
Massively underwhelmed. The Bexhill drawing far better. These were- almost - decorative, lovely drawing of course but uniformly outlined in black, coloured in, no sense of real radicalism. Self-pastiche, at best.
Stunning and dead good, natch. Just was expecting more.
No tickets for Rembrahnt so didnt have to judge that:)
Talked extensively with Min about the September expo and decided that a. photcopying and b. pasting the drawings onto the walls is a real direction.
Must talk with gallery. I'd be happy with this...
Went with Min -
Massively underwhelmed. The Bexhill drawing far better. These were- almost - decorative, lovely drawing of course but uniformly outlined in black, coloured in, no sense of real radicalism. Self-pastiche, at best.
Stunning and dead good, natch. Just was expecting more.
No tickets for Rembrahnt so didnt have to judge that:)
Talked extensively with Min about the September expo and decided that a. photcopying and b. pasting the drawings onto the walls is a real direction.
Must talk with gallery. I'd be happy with this...
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
ps 13/01/2015
Hardly work, but as a tool of work I should cheerfully report that today I went to the opticians.
My fingerprint dystrophy of the cornea is being well-managed, no deteroration of the cornea; no sign of macular degeneration; no sign of glaucoma; a slight loss of vision but no big deal; an emergence of cataracts but not a problem for 5 plus years.
Given the family history, pretty damn happy:)
My fingerprint dystrophy of the cornea is being well-managed, no deteroration of the cornea; no sign of macular degeneration; no sign of glaucoma; a slight loss of vision but no big deal; an emergence of cataracts but not a problem for 5 plus years.
Given the family history, pretty damn happy:)
new year jan 13th 2015
-in England. Have seen the exhibition at the Jerwood, Hastings, of the Chapman Brothers; The Nakeds, De la Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-sea; The Late Turners at Tate Britan, Is that all? Feels like more....
So, the Chapmans. As a big fan of From Insult to Injury I was pleased to see what they'd done to the Capprichios but also rather underwhelmed. The shattering recognition of FITI was lacking; the idea has been spent. But there were other prints that I enjoyed - strange one of a dog, not unlike my Lily. One signed A.Hitler which has a skeleton rising over a nasty black mess - his eyes are red and a rainbow glows over his head, between his skeletenal hands. Are they claiming a new dawn because of A. Hitler? Round the corner is an oil painting by A.H himself, hung on a wall in a room with a lowered ceiling - it can only be approached with a bent back, knees bowed. Wonderfully sinister.
The painting is awful, its a still life, a bowl with a couple of vedg and stuff, laboriously painted without grace.
The piece de, however, are the models under glass made of little plastic figures. Some are naked, hybrid, ridiculous - some are corpses - some are ronald macdonald. Landscapes of them, Brugel-like, meticulous, nightmareish. I went with Penny who ws depressed by it whereas I found a great cause for rejoicing as it was possible to make such a coherent response to our culture. Which transcends it, I reckon. A statement like that can only be part of the solution.
The Nakeds was great. Really encouraging from my point of view. Lots of work that I identify with and that my own could stand with - Beuys, M. Dumas, L.Borgeoise, T. Emin etc. Feeling more comfortable with what Im doing having seen that its acceptable in some quarters, though I was with the Tylers who were having a hard time with it and the general public made their unhappiness with the show palpable. Notwithstanding, feeling a direction now.
Quite strange that I have exhibited there several times but that only made me feel like a dinosaur.
The Late Turners was brilliant. His little notebook studies are soooooooo good. Delicious, charming, exciting, desirable. Contemporary! Looks like a really good artist did them yesterday. Layers of watercolours scratched through, over pencil, touched with red ink, fine lines, surfaces distressed. Oils fab, of course, but familiar with them and the watercolours are less overworked, more immediate and generally please and inform me - they are useful, in short.
More to come. Im trying to get in as much stimulation as I can. Doing some drawing; nothing worth noting but the machinery is creaking back into place.
So, the Chapmans. As a big fan of From Insult to Injury I was pleased to see what they'd done to the Capprichios but also rather underwhelmed. The shattering recognition of FITI was lacking; the idea has been spent. But there were other prints that I enjoyed - strange one of a dog, not unlike my Lily. One signed A.Hitler which has a skeleton rising over a nasty black mess - his eyes are red and a rainbow glows over his head, between his skeletenal hands. Are they claiming a new dawn because of A. Hitler? Round the corner is an oil painting by A.H himself, hung on a wall in a room with a lowered ceiling - it can only be approached with a bent back, knees bowed. Wonderfully sinister.
The painting is awful, its a still life, a bowl with a couple of vedg and stuff, laboriously painted without grace.
The piece de, however, are the models under glass made of little plastic figures. Some are naked, hybrid, ridiculous - some are corpses - some are ronald macdonald. Landscapes of them, Brugel-like, meticulous, nightmareish. I went with Penny who ws depressed by it whereas I found a great cause for rejoicing as it was possible to make such a coherent response to our culture. Which transcends it, I reckon. A statement like that can only be part of the solution.
The Nakeds was great. Really encouraging from my point of view. Lots of work that I identify with and that my own could stand with - Beuys, M. Dumas, L.Borgeoise, T. Emin etc. Feeling more comfortable with what Im doing having seen that its acceptable in some quarters, though I was with the Tylers who were having a hard time with it and the general public made their unhappiness with the show palpable. Notwithstanding, feeling a direction now.
Quite strange that I have exhibited there several times but that only made me feel like a dinosaur.
The Late Turners was brilliant. His little notebook studies are soooooooo good. Delicious, charming, exciting, desirable. Contemporary! Looks like a really good artist did them yesterday. Layers of watercolours scratched through, over pencil, touched with red ink, fine lines, surfaces distressed. Oils fab, of course, but familiar with them and the watercolours are less overworked, more immediate and generally please and inform me - they are useful, in short.
More to come. Im trying to get in as much stimulation as I can. Doing some drawing; nothing worth noting but the machinery is creaking back into place.
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