Free exhibitions in London

Due to family commitments, I didn’t get to many exhibitions between September and January, so I am making up for it now. on Thursday I went to two exhibition, both free, but very different.

I have mentioned The October Gallery here before. It really meets the definition of a hidden gem: down a small side street, not well-signposted, but marvellous when you get inside. The current exhibition, “Portal” shows the work of several artists, and is on until 5th May. Lovely lunch in the cafe, surrounded by the art.

Then to Morley College to see the biannual exhibition, “Made at Morley”.  This is a curated exhibition of work from students who are studying drawn, painting and sculpture at Morley College. On until 21 March. Lots of lovely things to be inspired by.

Abstraction

I have signed up again to take part in the Contemporary Quilt Group monthly challenge.  The size this year is 7" x 9", in landscape format.  I've been dithering about for weeks deciding on a theme, not helped by the fact that group members post their pieces for viewing on Yahoo, and the platform seems to be broken. There are therefore very few finished pieces to look at to spur me on.

However, the snow paralysis n the UK gave me time to think, and I've decided that my theme will be "abstracting nature".

Taking the gannet photos from the art class as inspiration, ( I love watching gannets), I have worked on abstracting what, for me, makes them distinctive: the sharp, streamlined shape as the enter the water; the blue highlight around their eyes; the yellow neck feathers.

Sketching out ideas, and trying to explore geometry in my sketchbook, leading to an almost finished piece.  I'm still deciding on whether this needs more quilting and will add a two colour binding to disguise the wonky geometry of the two  triangles at the side.

Other creative tasks were knitting a hat with beautiful yarn found in a charity shop. It's a lovely hat, but it is not a good look for me, so it is off to a local charity who are collecting warm clothing for homeless people.

Snow and ice in London

No dye to hand, so I couldn’t try snow-dyeing.

Frosty

Hope you are keeping warm this week.

Still, still life drawing and beautiful stitch

 A return to the still-life this week with more focus on "dark darks" and "light lights”. Our teacher had us all drawing the composition for 5 minutes without looking, before we got into refining the drawing:

In the afternoon, off to a lovely little exhibition of stitched pieces at the Daniel Raphael Gallery in Marylebone. Beautiful work from two artists whose work I am familiar with,Maryam Ashkanian, Alison Holt and from some that I am not: Richard McVetis, Julie French, Lucie Feighan, Ulla Stina Wikander and Robert Dean ( who I cannot find a link to).

 Lucie’s website very generously shares full pictures of several of her sketchbooks, many hours to be lost looking at those.

Well worth a visit, and on until 22nd March.

Still life drawing

I am still learning to draw and this term we are focussing again on still-life. I have more confidence now, so could attempt the complex surface of the golden yellow vase.

 

Charcoal

Exhibition wanderings

I have l had little blogging time due to a very busy January, but several artistic visits have been made.

Monochrome at the National Gallery, an unexpectedly absorbing exhibition of works in one tone, including several textiles. on until 18th February

Hannah Ryggen, a most Swedish / Norwegian politically involved  artist / artisan weaver - tapestries at Modern Art Oxford until 18th February. I was fascinated by these works, particularly the variety of themes and how she literally wove her domestic life into her art alongside depictions of huge political events. She raised her own sheep, carded her own wool, spun it, dyed it with natural materials and wove without any preparatory sketches or backing cartoons.

My eye was drawn to the shadows created by the gallery lights on the fringes of the larger tapestries

The Lost Words, the most marvellous display of watercolour paintings on gold leaf , from the book of the same name by Jackie Morris and Robert MacFarlane.  At The Foundling Museum until 8th May. Truly beautiful, and although I own a copy of the book, to see the paintings glow in the light of the gallery in a way that is impossible to convey in a printed image is a wonderful experience.

A visit to Warwick University Theatre ( younger son was playing bass guitar for a production of Rent) allowed time to see an installation of huge oil paintings by Clare Woods , on until 10 March. These are so new, you can smell the oil in the gallery, and they invite such close looking it was very difficult not to touch them. The educational activities attached to the exhibition are really superb, with a range of art materials and papers available for anyone to make their now work inspired by what they have seen.

Wanderings in St James to The Portland Gallery to see firstly the superb pantings of Scottish landscape by Frances MacDonald. ( exhibition now finished, and over 90% of works on display were sold) She uses a palette knife with such gusto, she sweeps you in to her paintings.

Then to The White Cube to see puzzling works by Korean artist, Mindjung Kim. I can appreciate the artistry of the works in ink on mulberry paper,( emending me of the shadows above)  but the assemblages of strips of coloured paper didn’t stimulate a great deal of interest for me.

 

Great fun at the Philip Mould Gallery , until 18th February, with an exhibition of hats by, and a painting of, the millinery maker, Victoria Grant

 

Multiples of objects seen with reflections of London life

 

 

 My own multiples are also developing in a charcoal drawing inspired by the necks of gannets and the twisting structure of a wisteria pod

 

Sewing has been functional rather than artistic: repairing cushions; making hessian bags to use when transplanting garden plants; sewing hems, so no point in showing any of that.