Category: Art

Posted on

Life is in the Details

 I am currently looking to move house in the near future and although I am excited at the prospect of a new abode, I will be sad to leave. So in order to enjoy every last moment here, I have been paying more attention to the details in this little place that I have called home. 

Collection of random things in my kitchen including the mask I made for a party last Christmas

A Mucha print, picked up from Columbia Road market for a fiver

 

 

Bathroom mermaid

Retro phone and photos of Amsterdam

Seahorse mirror mosaic My home is a complete haven for me and it is a place where I can express my creatvity and enjoy the beauty in the little details around me.

Dansette record palyer

Collection of mini boxes in display table

How have you created a space for yourself in your home? Does it reflect who you are?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this – please leave me a comment below or through the contact form – or connect on Facebook or Twitter 🙂

Posted on

Victorian Pub Architecture

 Last weekend I found myself in the city on a quiet Sunday afternoon and there I spotted this beautiful Victorian pub. Inside Manchester United were thrashing Chelsea on the big screen, but I was really taken with the original features which have been preserved and shown off well by the landlord. The frontage is adorned with imposing bowed windows

The mosaic floor is beautifully preserved

The Hope is on Cowcross Street, Farringdon, EC1M6BH

I just love stumbling upon amazing architecture like this, and I feel so lucky to live in London surrounded by all of this history! You can read my previous post about the beautful mosaic floors at The Hackney Empire here.

 

Posted on

Banksy-style Street Art and Art Galleries

Marilyn Monroe with angel’s wings This is a quick post as I wanted to share this beautiful Bansky (or Bansky-style) street stencil which I spotted on Upper Street in Islington. I love spotting street art like this and always try to take a photo of it, when I see it. It reminds me that art should be every-day occurances and for everyone, not just for the few. Maybe this is why I love statues and sculptures so much.

I had actually been to the Estoric Gallery earlier in the day, which is a small gallery I had never been to before. It was just the right size for me. I find that I get sensory overload if I look at too much stuff at once, because I just find it a lot to absorb. So visiting a gallery like this is always preferable to me than a huge one (although you could go back more than once!). It also made me think of the Tate Modern which has this great sign above it:

I love the fact that it has this huge sign on the building which can be seen from the Millennium Bridge – it hopefully encourages more people to visit it.

View of The Tate Modern, from The Millennium Bridge

Here are some shots of the New River where I went for a walk yesterday, after a visit to the Estoric Collection which is a small gallery housing Italian art.

The New River Walk is an oasis of calm in the centre of London

Nature conservation is a high priority here

How often do you visit art galleries? Does art feature in your life on a regular basis? What are your views on street art? I’d love to hear what you think. You can leave me a comment below or connect on Facebook or Twitter.

Posted on

London’s Statues, Mythology and Stories

I am obsessed with statues! I know, it’s a bit weird. I think it started when I watched Clash of the Titans when I was a little girl and the statue of the Goddess Thetis came alive with Dame Maggie Smith’s face superimposed on it. It freaked me out, but at the same time I couldn’t stop looking! I had a similar experience as a teenage visitor to New York and saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. I just couldn’t believe the magnitude of the statue before me, and I think the early cinematic memories from ‘The Planet of The Apes’ (1968) were etched into my psyche. The closing scene which shows the Statue of Liberty only from the chest upwards, haunted me as a child!

London is a fantastic city in which to indulge one’s interest for statues, but if you can’t get to London yourself, have a look at this book – it’s full of beautiful colour photos and background information into the lives of the subjects.

A fabulous book on the subject

On a recent trip to St Paul’s I spent some time looking at the cathedral and some of its many statues. The monument to Queen Anne is flanked by four ladies representing England, Ireland, France and North America.

I think my love of statues also stems from the fact that I also loved Greek mythology as a girl. I was an avid reader who became easily engrossed in stories, and was rather prone to day-dreaming! I would stare at the pictures in the books, and always wanted to see more pictures than were there. When I started becoming interested in art, my appetite for myths returned as so many painters depicted heros and heroines in a way I had never encountered before.

 The painting below is by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1693-1770) (photographed from An Introduction to GreekMythology by David Bellingham, 1989).

‘Zeus sits in majesty on a cloud, while Hermes performs aerobatics above; Aphrodite sits with Eros (Cupid) aboard a chariot pulled by sacred doves; Athene appears below.’

Paintings like like reignited my love for myths and stories by adding another dimension to them for me.

A monument to Queen Anne who reigned from 1665 -1714

North America – I love the lizard and the severed head

Ireland

England

France

Look at the detail on her sash – looks like a gorgon’s head

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Somerset House – My birthday celebrations

Although for some people, January is dreary, sluggish and a time to stay indoors, it’s not like that for me as I celebrate my birthday on the 9th. As a child this time of year was like one long party. The Christmas holidays rolled into January and before I had had a chance to play with all of my toys it was my birthday! Well, yesterday was a wonderful day and as such, I thought I would share some elements of it with you. 

 

After a hearty breakfast (which was cooked for me) I went to visit my mum, who after all, gave me my birthday. Having filled up with tea and receiving my gifts I went on my way to Somerset House. I always think of it as a place where the records of births, deaths and marriages are kept, but in fact, the public records which used to be held here were dispersed to different offices to the 1970’s. Somerset House is now a cultural and arts centre, open to the public with lots for everyone to enjoy. 

View of The Thames from Somerset House

 

I didn’t go and see the Dior exhibition, although it looked very good through the window. 

 

 Through the entrance hall which is beautifully grand, is the Michelin-starred restaurant Tom’s Kitchen. I had a look around inside and it was exquisitely decorated with old maps of The Thames on the walls. It didn’t look stuffy or overly formal either. I walked through to the ice-rink which has been a winter feature since 2000.

 

Hidden down a corridor was the famous staircase ‘The Nelson Stair’ which was rebuilt in the 1950’s after suffering war damage.

Messing about

View of the ceiling from the stairs

A photo of my ticket to The Courtauld Gallery – Lucas Cranach’s Adam and Eve (detail)

The main part of my trip was to visit the Courtauld Gallery. Although I enjoy exhibitions I think I get sensory overload and end up with a headache if I try to see too much on one day. I much prefer smaller galleries or to visit them more than once and just see them a bit at a time if possible. So for me the size of this gallery is perfect. It contains many personal collections and the paintings and exhibits are displayed in themed galleries. I didn’t take any photos inside, so I have shown you a picture of my ticket, featuring Cranach’s Adam and Eve(painted 1526).

I can’t explain the feelings I had when I was standing so close to such masterpieces that I have poured over for years in books. I could see ever crack in the oil and imagined how many owners had had possession of such a painting over the years. I particularly loved the Creation and Fall of Man by Mariotto Albertinelli in the Renaissance Gallery and spent half an hour looking at the paintings in that first room. Maybe that’s why I usually feel so tired after I visit an art gallery!

The Ice Rink in full romantic evening splendour

Later in the evening I had a delicious dinner in Soho’s Lexington Street. What a a fabulous birthday! Here’s to a happy and healthy 2011 🙂

Posted on

Autumn scenes

These are some photos I took last year in the beautiful Northumbrian countryside. For anyone who has been there, you will know that it is a place of extraordinary vistas, which stretch for miles. As the northern most county in England, it is also the least densely populated, which accounts for the views of undisturbed natural beauty. The trees in these photos made me think of Salvador Dali’s ‘Swans Reflecting Elephants’ when I saw the reflections in the water. Have a look below:

 

 

 

 

Beautiful autumn gourds

Happy Halloween!