Tate Britain: Off The Wall

The Tate has so far remained open whilst slowly introducing 473 years of British Art in the upcoming display of both famous and unfamiliar works, due for completion in May of this year.

Through half opened doors the BP British art works can be seen laying propped up against walls as the “walk through” collection unfolds.

Slowly but surely the Tate edges towards this room by room account as staff push our heritage around within protective yellow boxes.

Crafty things on the High Street

Popped into Antiques on High, 85 High St,

Oxford to find new mugs being unpacked.

Interesting to see how far designs come along

in the space of a few months, from colourful

stylisations to new found explorations in realism.

 Pushing the confidence levels enables us

to choose how to depict things rather than

how to limit things. Not that realism has

all the answers but skills enable craftsmen

to go wherever their inspiration wants them,

either towards abstraction or further into

the realms of imitation.

20th Century Art & Design

Leonard Rosoman (British, 1913-2012)

Cows passing into a yard

oil on canvas

19 1/2" x 29 1/2"

Sold for £2,400

Mallams: Auction of 20th Century Art & Design

Spent the afternoon at Mallams Fine Art Auctioneers, Weds 12th Dec. Subject matter proved king as sexy Spanish Royos outsold British rural scenes, but all credit to the humble Rosoman above which outclassed more lucrative subject matter. In general, prices rewarded honest study and craftsmanship regardless of style although mood won over lighter unconsidered works.

Razer

Attaching Razer's armour plating
en route to the reunion with it's arch
rivals in Birmingham December 2012

Sheffield: handheld at 3am

The early hours of Sunday morning are perhaps the most pathetic part of the week if you're trying to get anywhere. Somewhere between derigging a hall at 1.00-2.30am and 7.30 when Sheffield train station opened I managed to avoid the small gangs of exuberant clubbers staggering home and found peace in Sheffield's dark side streets far away from those left twitching in the cold waiting for services to resume.

Sheffield, Sheaf Square

Cutlers' Hall, Church Street

Tramlines

Holly Street cornered with Trippet Lane

Townhead Street

Paradise Square

Sheffield Cathedral

East Parade

As beautiful as this Stainless steel bench may be I'd had enough of dodging other nocturnal groups by around 5am and was ready to give in to the lure of Mcdonalds, where much to my surprise, after not seeing a single policeman all night the Force demonstrated their stealth like qualities by threatening a 15 strong gang of wild chip fighters over the public address system, "unless all of you leave immediately we'll come over and get you" (Voice of the law, Mcdonalds, 21.10.12)

Helen Elwes and Justin Hedley

Helen & Justin watching over their group show in the
priory church, Blackfriars, proved to be a useful exercise.
I bumped into Helen recently who told me she had to call
upon one of the monks to help restrain a wannabe art thief
during morning prayers.

British Waterways & Locks

Bridge 235

Enjoyed a hectic time preparing for Artweeks: whatever ideas there were to start with vanished as the very process of getting out of sketchbooks threw me into new territory. Where as anything can be jotted down in sketch form how can such notes take shape on canvas without finding the information needed to reproduce the idea. Although a wide area around Oxford was covered whilst looking for input, the output was more of a Giacomettian dillema; big ideas, shrinking images. Not that any subjects required of themselves to be turned into wire like resemblances but the canvas board sketches became the main works, and just when I needed a square canvas, 4 turned up on the doorstep thanks to my parents.