Drawing dried up buddleia - and Grayson Perry at the NPG

Today's task at Morley was drawing dried out buddleia flowers, using three different methods of drawing - outline with pencil, shape with small circular movements of the pencil, using ink and a brush.  I was Ok with the results of the pencil drawings, less happy with the ink and brush.

Pencil

Ink and brush

I restored my artistic sanity with a visit to the Grayson Perry exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.  I thoroughly enjoyed this and the pieces seemed very familiar having watched the first two episodes of his current series on Channel 4.  I particularly liked the way the pieces are placed on a path through the existing collection in the National Portrait Gallery, rather than all placed together in one exhibition room. This made me look at some of the permanent collection in a different way, particularly the collection of black busts in room 21, the display of suffragette photographs and articles in room 31, and the portrait of the Bronte sisters.  As ever, I did ponder who does the embroidery on Grayson Perry's hand-embroidered pieces.  In this exhibition, the number of French knots on the piece about the Ulster loyalists, " Britain is Best" is mind-boggling, and I don't think these can be done by machine.    The Scottish pedant in me couldn't help but notice the mis-spelling of Hogmanay on the tapestry " Comfort Blanket", but perhaps this is deliberate.  On until 15th March 2015 and,  perhaps because the pieces are distributed throughout several galleries, not too crowded, and it is completely free.

Stitching hiatus gives time for London art day

I'm in a bit of a lull on the stitching front, due somewhat to catching up with family commitments but also to a degree of inertia at picking anything up.  In the hope of getting the creative juices flowing again, I had a London art day today.  As I started off at the wrong gallery, I had a chance to walk along Millbank and the Victoria Embankment and came upon two pieces of sculpture that have passed me by before.

First, 6 bas-relief panels on the doors of what is now Ofgem ( used to be ICI) by W B Fagan.  II was particularly taken by the panel depicting Jacquard loom weaving.  Terrible photo due to the shadows.

 I have loved this type of door since seeing Dante's Gates of Hell when I was young.  

Next, the statue of Daedalus, by James Butler, a memorial to the Fleet Air Arm.

On the way, three London icons in one photograph, with the camera showing that it is not the same as the eye in capturing colour constancy, which was part of the subject of the first exhibition.

Making Colour at the National Gallery has been on my list of must sees, and I'm really glad I went.  I am very interested in both the craft and the art of painting, and this exhibition combined both aspects.  Since reading "Colour, travels through the paintbox" by Victoria Finlay I have really enjoyed understanding why certain colours and painting techniques came into being.  The painting that I spent most time with today was Moroni's Portrait of a Lady "La Dama in Rosso" due to the sumptuous depiction of the three different types of cloth in the costume.  At the end there are some interesting experiments in the little cinema about  perception of colour , one of which had everyone in the audience gasping with surprise.  Well worth a visit.  Books in the book shop to go on my wish list are, " The Secret Language of Colour"  by Joan and Arielle Eckstut, "Colour in Art" by Steffano Zuffi, " The Colour book" by Sophie Pietromarchi ( intended for children I think, but looks like good fun).

Then on to the BP Portrait Award, and particularly the lace paintings by Sophie Ploeg.

I found these entrancing, and even more so when I read that the lace in each portrait is an actual piece of antique lace, and that the sitters could choose their own clothes that  they wanted to wear with the lace.

My favourite in the actual portrat award was Henrietta and Ollie, by Tim Hall, as there was so much going on in the painting.

Rounding off ( feet complaining a bit by now) with a visit to the Mall Galleries to see " Still Alive, contemporary still life".  Favourites here were Toby Wiggins " The Golden Cloth" and James Lloyd, " Paper Model".  In the book shop, " Nature Morte" by Michael Petry, and lovely cards by Sue Campion.

Steel drum player, glass harp player and good guitarist buskers on the way back to the station added to the perfection of the day.