December Arts Newsletter
It's hard to believe it hasn't already been December for several weeks and I will admit to having already relished a couple of those awful Netflix Christmas movies. As an antidote, there is lots of good art to see in London at the moment, a few recommendations below.
The Sentinel, oil on canvas 70x50cm
I have been busy in the studio on a new body of work that I am really excited about. I have been moving towards partial abstraction and looking at using flat planes rather than fully describing every element, a sort of collage with paint. It has been lots of fun so far. I have been using my reliable muse, Wimbledon Common.
This piece above, The Sentinel, is of one of the huge oak trees on a path leading down from Camps Road. My palette has not changed (I am still addicted to Prussian Blue) but my visual language is shifting which I am find all rather thrilling.
Exhibitions to see this month
The 80s: Photographing Britain is the new show at Tate Britain. It is the work of dozens of photographers depiciting the troublesome and riotous parts of the decade. There are lots of protestors: Greenham Common, poll tax, gay rights, miner's strike, in short it's a pretty big undertaking. By all accounts, howerver, there are some omissions (no city boys, acid house, football culture?). It looks interesting, though, and I have booked to visit in mid Dec with friends to give us a breather from Christmas overdrive. Tate Britain until 5May
If you are looking to expand your artistic horizons then you should make your way to the Sperentine to see The Call. It is a collaboration between artists Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst and uses AI to train data into creating art. The data the AI is using is recordings from 15 community choirs across the country to create new songs. Singing in a group is one of the oldest human rituals for communication and this immersive installation aims to recreate this and teach us about how AI learns. I'm unsure of exactly how this is going to work but, as a member of 2 choirs, I am intruiged to find out more. Serpentine North
If you'd rather see something a bit more familiar but no less exciting then I would definitely recommend Picasso: Printmaker at the British Museum. Picasso used every medium available to him and created over 2,400 prints across his lifetime. This show has prints as early as 1904 and as late as 1968 so we see nearly all points of his career through etchings, drypoint, acquatints and more. I'm looking forward to this and it has inspired me to create the Picasso workshop (see below). British Museum until 30 March
***London Christmas Recommendations***
London sparkles at this time of year. There are lots of Christmassy things to do like tour the best Christmas trees in London which could get expensive if you stop for a drink in all of those fancy hotels. Or, much cheaper, you could discover the best Christmas lights. My favourite, though, is touring the best Christmas shop windows across London - again, though could get expensive if you shop in them all. If you're in Mayfair, you must check out Annabel's private members club facade, pictured, which is always outrageous. (I've never been in, if any readers are members, I'd love to come for a drink and explore the interiors!)
