Big City

Saturday 8.05am and I found myself on the train to London. The weather looked promising and despite the train heading to Paddington, rather than Marylebone, and putting 20 minutes on the journey all seemed set for a good day.

Once in London we headed over to Trafalgar Square and The National Gallery.  I'd not been there before but I'll definitely be heading back at some point.  There are some fantastic paintings here, some well known and some not.  Big draws include Van Gough's Sunflowers, Monet's Japanese Bridge, Constable's The Hay Wain and works by Canaletto, Turner, Rembrandt, Degas and so on.

There were so many highlights but favourites included Canaletto's Basin Of San Marco on Ascension Day and Regatta On The Grand Canal.  The detail and vibrancy of these pictures is amazing.  I also really liked Guardi's pictures of Venice.

Boilly's A Girl At A Window (looks like a black and white photograph). Freidrich's Winter Landscape, Zund's Storm Study and various landscapes by Calame also grabbed my attention.

Another highlight was Hoogstraten's Peepshow (circa. 1655).  A wooden box with a hole at either end.  Look through the hole and you can see the inside of a house.  The way it is painted on the inside gives it a 3D effect. 

Having spent a few hours there we headed to the cafe and after something to eat and drink we left.  We walked along the river and eventually came to St Paul's Cathedral.  Again I'd not been there before, I've walked past many a time but never ventured inside. 

We spent a couple of hours wandering around. Looking up at the ceiling.  We went down to the crypt and saw both The Duke of Wellington and Nelson's tombs.  We also saw Christopher Wren's final resting place.

Once back above ground we headed up the The Whispering Gallery and then up again to the Stone Gallery and finally up again until we reached The Golden Gallery.  As you step outside onto the small ledge above the dome the views across London are fantastic.  There is also a sense of relief having just climbed the 528 steps to reach the top! 

After St Paul's we headed over to Oxford Street and then onto Soho before heading back to Embankment and back along the river to The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey and then back onto Paddington before catching the train home.

It was back at the station that I checked my phone and found a text with the sad news about Amy Whitehouse's demise.  I was shocked but not surprised.  Although not one of my favourite artists she was still a real talent and will be missed in the world of music.

Sunday.  A proper summer's day at last!  We decided to head to Earlswood Lakes.  We've been there quite a bit this year but with the water and woods it's a nice place to wander around and explore. One thing that was noticeable was how the water level has fallen compared to the last time we were there.


Bird wise it was quiet but it was quite a good day for butterflies with Peacock, Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown as well a quite a few Whites.

We spent a few hours there and then popped along tho The Manor Tea Rooms for something to eat and drink.  It was great being out and about in the sunshine. I just hope there are a few more days like that before the summer ends!

Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Saturday started well, bright, sunny and mild. Clare and I walked into Solihull where I collected my winnings at the bookies.  A 50 pence each way bet netted me 11 pounds! Thanks to Boston's Angel that came in at 16-1 at Cheltenham the other day.

After the bookies we jumped on the train to Wolverhampton.  Clare wanted to have a look at the 60s exhibition.  Before we had a wander around the gallery we stopped at the cafe and had a coffee.  I like this place.  The cafe is on two levels with the bulk of the seating up in the roof space.  We sat and looked out the window at the daffodils in St Peter's churchyard next door.

Whilst upstairs we popped into a gallery which had an exhibition called Animals.  Most of the exhibition was by Robert Davies and consisted of pencil drawings on large pieces of paper.  The animals he has drawn are a combination of rescued farm animals and famous racehorses.  The idea behind the drawings is to explore our relationship with the animals, the personalities we project on the racehorses and the anonymity of the farm animals. 

The drawings are stunning and the detail is amazing.  Even up close they could be mistaken for photographs. To me it felt like the artist had even managed to capture some of the personality of the farm animals. In contrast, the racehorses seemed to have less of a personality.  I wondered how much of that was deliberate.

In a side room there was a film showing Robert at work as he drew a racehorse.  The film, sped up, shows him in his studio with a blank piece of paper and a picture of a racehorse.  It is fantastic to watch as the horse takes shape.  There is also a black cat that makes a cameo appearance which seemed to go down well with all who watched.

Apparently his main profession was as a photographer but there is no doubt that this man has a true talent.  You really should see this exhibition!  I have put links to the gallery and to Robert's website below.

Having spent ten minutes chatting to the curator we left the gallery and took a look at the other exhibitions.  The Pop Art exhibition was quite enjoyable and I particularly liked Cinema No 6 by Colin Self.  A study of art deco cinemas.  King Kong and Martians by Nicholas Monro were other highlights.

The Bostin 60s exhibition wasn't what I imagined and although it was nice to look at the period bits it didn't really do much for me.

Leaving the gallery we hit the shops and then headed for City Bar on King Street. We'd eaten there last time we were in Wolverhampton and enjoyed both the food and the atmosphere.  We had a drink and some food and listened to the bloke at the end of the bar.  He seemed to have an opinion on everything. Having no interest in anyone else he was quite happy to talk, loudly, at anyone unfortunate to end up at his end of the bar.  It made for great entertainment.

We headed home and as it was such a nice evening took a detour through the park where we watched the rabbits feeding in the fading sunshine. It was a really nice way to end the day.

Later we watched the Supemoon rising.  If you don't know what that is, here is a quote from NASA's website.

'On March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It's a super "perigee moon"--the biggest in almost 20 years.'

It was a clear evening and the moon did seem bigger and brighter than usual, casting it's lights across the sky and illuminating the odd cloud that happened to pass.  A nice way to end the day.
http://www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/wolves/exhibitions/004564.html

http://www.robertdavies.uk.com/index.html

Street Art - Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry

Popped along to the Street Art exhibition at Coventry's Herbert Gallery today.  They have some really good exhibitions and this was no exception. The exhibition features prints by Banksy, Jamie Hewlett, Pure Evil and Shepard Fairey amongst others.

Highlights for me included SPQR's Super Soft, Nemo by Graeme Nimmo, Nous Somme Tous En Situation Irreguliere by Miss Tic and Banksy's Americans Working Overhead Sticker.

Another highlight was Pahni's Nowhere Near Here, a stop motion animation (set to Royksopp's What Else Is There?) that uses a combination of light with stencils and long exposure photography to tell the story of a dog running around the city at night, doing whatever a dog does. Filmed in Bristol it took over 300 hours to make.


Nowhere Near Here from Pahnl on Vimeo.

Next up was Mohammed Ali, a local graffiti artist who uses arabic script in his work. His art seems quite political but among the pieces highlighting the problems in Palestine were a couple that focused on the Blitz.  I took a photo on my phone and the spotlight was perfectly positioned to make it look like light coming through the window.  I was quite taken with it.

The exhibition ends tomorrow. If you're free you really should make the effort!

Chairs, Erotic Art and Fireworks

A Good Chair Is A Good Chair is an Ikon exhibition of Donald Judd's work. He is widely regarded as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. A key exponent of minimalism, Judd (1928–1994) worked across art, furniture and architecture.

With sketches and early pieces by Judd the exhibition shows pieces which are rarely seen outside his home town of Martha, Texas.

I really liked the simple designs and the practicality of the furniture.

On the floor below is an exhibition of Kitagawa Utamaro's wood block prints. The 18th Century Japanese prints are part of the British Museum's collection and focus on the images of women, in particular the courtesans of Yoshiwara, the regulated brothel district in Edo (now Tokyo).

This exhibition is co-curated by acclaimed British artist Julian Opie and Timothy Clark, Head of the Japanese Section, British Museum.

The detail in the prints are fantastic but be warned some of the prints are of a sexual nature.

After lunch at The Green Rooms (the busiest I've seen for ages) it was off to the Custard Factory for a rummage around the vintage clothes shops before heading home.

As the evening approached and the temperature dropped we headed to St Margaret's School in Olton for their firework display.  It's only small but the display itself is fantastic, well worth the £5 entrance fee.  Afterwards we headed to my parents house for baked potatoes and Scrabble. 

A Site Of No Special Interest - A Brief History Of The Rea Garden

Yesterday I popped into Solihull to meet a couple of mates for a few drinks.  As I'd got there early I decided to pop along to Solihull Library to check out A Site Of No Special Interest. It's a small exhibition which shows a derelict space in Digbeth being transformed by a goup of artists. I had picked up invitations for the opening night but couldn't make it.

Situated adjacent to the River Rea and close to the Custard Factory, the previously burnt out factory space had been sealed off for more than 15 years and nature had turned it into an overgrown wilderness.

However, in autumn 2007 the site was re-entered and developed by artist group Behind Closed Doors for their inaugural project The Secret Garden.

The site was subsequently renamed The Rea Garden and has since hosted a varied Artist in Residence program, both supported by Arts Council England and National Lottery.

This exhibition is part archive and visual history of the changes to the site over the past three years, and part a document of the creative process and the art work it has hosted - some of which will be on display in the gallery.

It's not a large exhibition but it has some great pieces.  My favourite being by Graham Dunning (the current Artist in Residence).  Consisting of 3 turntables, each with a revolving record.  You are invited to play the records either individually or all together.

Although small I found I lost about 30 minutes. Next time I'm in Digbeth I will be checking out The Rea Garden.

The exhibition at Solihull runs until 9th October.

Finally!

A week and a day after moving out I have an internet connection again.  It's weird not being able to log on as and when I like but now I'm back and can catch up on things.

The move went well and the cats (Sooty and Sweep who I've yet to mention) have finally settled into their new surroundings having spent the majority of the week hiding behind the sofa.  They are now back to their old selves.

Last weekend was spent sorting through everything, labelling up boxes and storing away. Books have been taken to charity shops and other bits n pieces thrown away. 

After the move the next few days were quiet and it wasn't until Thursday that I actually did anything of note.

Thursday evening was a Bat Walk around Brueton Park.  Meeting at 8pm you spend 2 hours walking around the park with a bat detector.  There was quiet a few people there and after a lengthy but informative talk about bats the detectors were passed around and off we went.  We saw 3 species of bat. 2 types of Pipistrelle and also Daubentons feeding just above the lake.  It was a really pleasant way to spend an evening.

A quiet night in on Friday (pizza and Big Brother) and then into Birmingham on Saturday for the This Could Happen To You exhibition at the Ikon gallery.  The works on display were first exhibited back in the 70s. There are some great pieces.  The first being David Medella's A Stitch In Time.  A long piece of fabric is stretched across the gallery and you are invited to sew something to it.  It can be anything you like.  Some people have stitched their names but I also saw train tickets, football tickets (Villa and Walsall) and a Motorhead ticket. The most impressive thing was a bra with the words unstretched canvas sewn across the cups.  Having rummaged through my wallet I found an old permit to travel from Olton Station to Birmingham and just about managed to sew it on.  Clare stitched in an old library receipt for a book she had borrowed.

Other highlights for me included Peter Sedgley's Corona (1970), Roger Westwood's Train Window (1972), Harry Holland's Boarding The Plane (71-73) and Ian Emes' video French Window (the video for Pink Floyd's One of These Days).

After the gallery we headed home.  As we were passing Centenary Square a demonstration was under way.  It wasn't big but there was a heavy police presence.  President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan was in Birmingham to make a speech. The protesters were angry about the visit as they think he should have stayed at home as there is a massive natural disaster in Pakistan.  Floods have claimed over 1000 lives and rather than be there to lead his people he has taken off for Europe.  Apparently during the speech one man threw his shoes at him!

On the periphery of the demonstration we bumped into an old friend selling the Socialist Resistance magazine.  He was hungover and had not sold a copy. The asking price was 2 pounds but I bought a copy for a pound..  I haven't read it yet. 

Today we headed to Solihull Nature Reserve again. Clare and I took my parents as they had not been there before.  The weather was lovely and we spent a good couple of hours walking around and picked balckberries. Whilst on the bat walk the other night the Park Ranger told us that the reserve used to be a deer park and was part of Malvern Hall. He said that John Constable had visited and painted the park.  Having googled it it turns out it is in Tate Britain! Next time I'm in London I will check it out.

That's about it.  We got home early evening and despite my broadband being scheduled to go live tomorrow it has already been activated. Since getting in I have spent the rest of the evening messing about on here. It's good to be back!

Steve McCurry - Retrospective

Steve McCurry is an American photojournalist who has taken some of the world's most recognised photographs.

Yesterday I went to a retrospective of his work at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. It was fantastic. The photographs are mainly taken in Afghanistan during the Russian Invasion. This is where he made his name. Disguised as a local with film sewn into his clothes. His photos are beautiful, poignant and thought provoking.

It was busy in the Waterhall Gallery and I needed to go back to some of the images again when people had moved away. I would like to think the calibre of the exhibition dragged people off the street but I have a nagging feeling that the heavy showers outside may have played a part.

Despite the crowds I still think it is possibly one of the best exhibitions I have seen and if you can go and see it, you should.  It runs until 17th October so you have plenty of time.


To read an interview with Steve McCurry go here or visit his website.