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Reframing the Landscape: ‘Digging Deep’ at the RWA and ‘Spirit of Place’ by Susan Owens
As a landscape artist I was interested to visit the Royal West of England Academy exhibition ‘Earth: Digging Deep in British Art 1781-2022’ (now finished). By chance, as is so often the way, I was also part way through ‘Spirit of Place: Artists, Writers and the British Landscape’ by Susan Owens. The two combined…
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Wake, walk, work: My week in Suffolk
In September, sick of waiting to be ‘given’ a residency, and finding myself unexpectedly free of family responsibility for a week, I made my own artist’s retreat and residency in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. I exhibited and worked in the Courtyard Gallery and I had access to accommodation near the gallery. Here is my honest account.…
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Why on earth would you do that?
The short answer is because I like to, but the longer answer will make a better blog post. I’ve been asked that question, usually by amateur artists (whom I greatly admire by the way), incredulous that I don’t either paint or print in multiples. And sometimes I see their point- it’s often difficult to…
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‘Drawn to War’ : A Review of the New Eric Ravilious Documentary Film
A new film about Eric Ravilious shows his joy, and his wife’s despair, during wartime. I was lucky enough to go to a viewing of ‘Eric Ravilious: Drawn To War’, a new documentary directed by Margy Kinmouth and released in cinemas in July. It features contributions from Ai Weiwei, Alan Bennett, Grayson Perry and…
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How long does it take to form a habit?
There are different schools of thought. More than 2 months to become automatic. 66 days is the received wisdom (backed up by science), though it can vary widely depending on behaviour and circumstances. One study found it took anything from 18-254 days for people to form new habits. And what happens to the brain…
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Fighting Time
I’m going a bit deep with this one. It started in December with me stealing my husband’s Christmas present (before he’d read it)- Oliver Burkeman’s ‘4000 Weeks: Time and How to Use It’ and is continuing with Tara McMullin’s excellent podcasts and essays, via my favourites Wendell Berry and Michel de Montaigne. Actually no.…
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A Review of ‘Paula Rego: Subversive Stories at the Arnolfini, Bristol’
Of late, the Arnolfini art centre in Bristol, has been hosting some brilliant exhibitions- contemporary, yet accessible. Their Paula Rego print show is no exception. ‘Paula Rego: Subversive Stories’ showcases the print output of Dame Paula Rego RA, from her days at the Slade in the 1950’s, all the way through to her current…
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Musings on Circular Time and the Vernal Equinox
The vernal equinox has just passed here in England. It doesn’t quite align with Easter, or the ‘start of spring’ (ie 1st March), or in fact my marker of Spring arriving (which is the first day I really feel the warmth of the sun on my skin- sometimes February, sometimes April). But it is…
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‘Radical Beauty’ – Helen Frankenthaler at Dulwich Picture Gallery
Helen Frakenthaler, once the queen of abstract expressionism, in a world of big male egos, also made floatingly beautiful woodcut prints alongside her large scale, stained canvases. Dulwich Picture Gallery continues it’s run of excellent exhibitions with ‘Radical Beauty’, it’s survey of not only Frankenthaler’s prints, but also how she made them. I visited…