November Arts Newsletter
The clocks have changed which means being more organised in the studio in order to be painting in daylight. Having had much less time than usual in the studio this year, I am now taking the opportunity to re-evaluate what I am looking for in my practice and what developments my work is going to take. I have started by making a piece for an exhibition in collaboration with the Wimbledon Museum at the start of next year. Each artist is taking a piece of art from the museum collection as an inspiration point and all are going to be exhibited together. See the images at the bottom of the email.
White cosmos, 30×40cm
I have a couple of spots left on my upcoming Monet workshops on either 8 or 22 November. Beginners/ rusty painters welcome. Email me to join.
Human Presence is the new Francis Bacon show at the National Portrait Gallery. We have not been short of Bacon shows in London recently (big one in RA 2 years ago) and some people have questioned whether Bacon's work is 'portraiture'. I think, as nearly all his paintings were of people, and he dealt with the human condition like no other painter ever, then he was the ultimate portraitist. No, this exhibition wasn't really needed but yes, I will go and see it anyway. NPG until 19 Jan
Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael: Florence c.1504 The RA is taking advantage of the Sainsbury Wing at the NG being closed and hosting these three giants of the Italian Renaissance all together to recreate a crossing of paths in Florence in 1504. Raphael, being the youngest was heavily influenced by both. Apparently they met to discuss on the placing of Michelangelo's magnificent David. I can only hope they were standing next to a Donatello sculpture (died 1466) to complete the full complement of turtles. This will be popular, I would book. Royal Academy until 16Feb
Warning for those with tickets to see the Van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery. I went the week before last and they had introduced extra thorough bag checks after the awful vandalism by protestors in previous weeks. This mean a queue of 90 minutes before even getting into the gallery. If you have tickets, I recommend going VERY early. The exhibition really was very good so do still go if you have tickets - forewarned is forearmed!
The artwork from the Wimbledon museum archive that I am using as inspiration is Silver birches, 1915, a pastel by Alois de Laet - a Belgian refugee based in Wimbledon during the First World War. About a quarter of a million Belgians fled the Germans to reside in the UK at the outbreak of the war. The De Laets rented a house near Haydon's Road and it became a meeting place for Flemish artists in London, 'a Flemisch Club'. Alois wanted to remain in London after the war but his wife persuaded him to move home to Antwerp where he continued to paint and become a successful musician.
My painting (so far) inspired by the Alois de Laet pastel sketch. I wanted to capture the melancholy mood of the De Laet pastel. I decided to make a dyptich from different angles so the sun is washing out the contrasts on the left whilst casting light onto the right. It is a work in progress but I think will be finished after the next session.
