Outstanding

James Turrell: Mors - Somnus (07) Medium Diamond Glass (image from here)
One work in the RA Summer Exhibition that was worth the visit alone for me was James Turrell's light piece in a quiet cool dim room. The diamond square of light changes colour ever so gradually, and not an even flat colour.  Subtle tones are spread across the whole square, radiating from its centre.  The square is set in a white wall, not black as shown above.  Except that it does not look white: as the colour changes in the square its subtleties are signalled first in what you apparently see of the opposing colours in the surrounding wall. Those of you who typed on the original word processors will remember that the bilious green text would conjure up red letters when looking away or shutting eyes. 

This piece of Turrell's - as so many of his - is extraordinary colour work.  This is where Mondrian was leading.  
This work was compulsive viewing, entrancing, thought-provoking, and so joyous.  This is an artist who makes me look at the world again and again, and think about what I am seeing. 

Summer hotting up

- and I am seeking cooling greens.

Encapsulating England

In so many ways a pointless exercise, but if I had to pick one view which epitomises England for me it is this one of Thurle Down which I took from the Ridgeway at the end of April.

Caught my eye

I was quietly reading the other evening, past dusk but with the curtains open, when my attention was drawn by a quick movement outside.  On the grass was a tiny fluffy black ball with huge feet, moving at tremendous speed.
Taking off my reading glasses I saw that it was a moorhen chick, looking for its mum - which it quickly found as it zigzag-ed around the garden then back towards the wetland. 

The photo here captures just the kind of chick I saw (image from here).

Leapt out on a flick through

The Munch catalogue from the current British Museum exhibition, Edvard Munch: love and angst arrived in the post today.  I have only managed a quick flick through the pages.  It looks interesting and comprehensive - yet, the image which stopped me in my tracks is by Vuillard.  I had not encountered it before, but it leapt out at me, and I love it.

Vuillard: Aurelien-Marie Lugne-Poe (image from here) 

This time of year

takes my mind to the delicacies of Nature, and coincidentally I have been reading a catalogue which does that, and more.  David Hockney, Vincent Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature is an exhibition on at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam until 26 May.  The catalogue is available in this country, published by Thames and Hudson.  I am not illustrating it here because I think that the cover design is execrable - but I'm probably out of date with typographic fashion.  

The content is fantastic, however, putting views from both artists side by side.  I have spent a most enjoyable time looking and looking.
A long and interesting review of the exhibition in Studio International is here - but I think that the reviewer had not read the catalogue, not quite getting Hockney's fascination with perspective/points of view.

Linked with what I was saying about this time of year, I found the drawings a delight.  There are fascinating examples from both artists.  I had forgotten about, and was pleased especially to be reminded of Van Gogh's elegant and eloquent pencil lines.  The Van Gogh Museum website has an excellent search facility through which I have spent a deal of pleasant time wandering.  Then I look through the windows to the growth outside, and am filled with delight - and perhaps even a glimpse of inspiration.

Garden outing

A couple of days ago we went on our first garden outing this Spring, to Waterperry just north of Oxford.  We used to visit in the 70s when we lived nearer there.  Then we stumbled across the first Art in Action, and for many years after I used to visit until the crowds became unbearable.  But all in all we have not been over in that direction for ages.

We were astonished that we had to park in the overflow overflow car park, but found that once in the gardens there were not many folk about.  It was a glorious Spring day.

There were many delights, and these are but a few.  The Pasque flowers were looking good.  I have never had success with these, but am attracted to them.  They have a very short season, and do not like to be swamped, so need their own space all year round.

The Pasque flowers are growing in raised beds within a kind of walled garden where the walls are beautifully clipped high hedges.

There are many magnificent trees in the gardens, and now is a time when the beautiful structure can be appreciated while the nascent leaves shine like jewels in the sunshine.  

This is also a time when the bark can fascinate.  I was drawn to the bark of a stately tulip tree, 

as well as to the subtle range of colours as well as the shape of these ancient apple trees.  Later in the year blossoms, leaves, and fruit can distract the eye.

On the outside of the real walled garden I was attracted to a shaped forsythia.  I had never seen this shrub grown in this way before, and found it lovely.  The colour of the blooms complements the pitted bricks so well.  I suspect a deal of work is involved, however.

Waterperry gardens holds the National Collection of saxifrages.  I'm someone who generally prefers small flowers rather than blowsy ones anyway, and I find that alpines are exquisite when blooming.  It helps also that 'in captivity' they are grown in raised beds, closer to be seen.

Wrestling with myself, and an exemplar to admire

Pause
One of the aspects of my creative output which causes me guilt is that it adds stuff to an already overburdened planet.  At my most depressed moments I think that my self-fulfillment is otherwise simply creating more landfill in the long term, and causing me storage problems in the short term. 
My husband's photographs are mostly stored digitally, and thank goodness most of my own designs similarly never get beyond the digital.   And recently I came across a wondrous artist's book which is digital - so appropriate as litter is its subject.

Caroline Fraser: page from On the moon (image from here where the book is explained)
I had no idea that the astronauts who visited the moon left behind such litter - I am appalled, but certainly not surprised.  I am so cheered, however by Caroline Fraser's book pointing out the thoughtless trail of detritus.

I think that with my own work, at present I cannot stop the physical manifestation because the feel, the stitching, the display are all part of what I need for myself.  But I shall try to cut down as much as possible the creation of detritus, and perhaps think more about digital projects.

Curiosity

Warm yellow

Blackthorn in bloom: a joyous sight

Blackthorn flowers Prunus spinosa (image from here)
Yesterday was yet another hot sunny day which felt more like the beginning of May than the end of February here in the UK.  I was driving through much less traffic than normal - as it was half term perhaps everyone had gone to the beach? - and was able to appreciate the roadside plants.  Hastened into full bloom from their previously tight buds of a few days ago were the blackthorn trees - a fresh clean white delicate cloud on black stems and trunks.

Robin and blackthorn blossom (image from here)
When I was looking for suitable illustrative photos for this post I also found these two pleasing pics above and below.

Harvest mouse on blackthorn blossom (image from here)
And I must admit that the Blackthorn Fairy was one of my favourites when I worked with the Flower Fairies at Blackie publishers in the 70s.

Cicely Mary Barker: The Blackthorn Fairy (image from here where the accompanying poem was very obviously written pre-global warming)

Spring surprise

It has been so mild for a couple of days, it feels beautifully positive.  I have been enjoying so many snowdrops around.  The horrendous traffic as I drove to the dentist at rush hour yesterday was quite forgotten when on my route I saw a display as full as the one below.  There was a lovely mist then hovering just above the blooms, but today the sky is as blue as the one in the picture above.
(Both images from here)

A new year trip

Kate Bentley: Woodsman cottage (image from here) 
We decided to take a few days away, touring landscape and exhibitions.  A start, through thankfully quiet-ish motorways, took us to Cumbria and the Great Print Exhibition.  Of all the exhibitors there the one which made the most impact with me is Kate Bentley.  From her website it seems that she is better known for her oil painting, but I really was attracted to her photographic prints with watercolour.  Their feeling reminded me of the prints by Elizabeth Magill, that kind of hovering state.






















Kate Bentley: Fern Woods (image from here)

Kate Bentley is a member of the Society of Women Artists, and more images can be seen here.