Rothko and Red

A 'Rothko- esque' image on the programme 

Well had the pleasure of  a belated 'treat' yesterday when my Brother took us to see 'Red' a rather deep 'two handed' fictional work  about the Art of Mark Rothko in particular his works commissioned  for the The Four Season's restaurant in The Seagram building.


There were several things impressive about the production, one of them was the staging but beyond that was the hard work by the Actors who were very much present for the complete non-interrupted 90 minutes (in fact  Alfred Molina was on stage nearly 10 minutes before the scheduled start).

As well as a drama it was a useful piece describing the place for Abstract Expressionism and 'Color Field' work in the development of 20th century western art.


Rothko first came to my notice via the excellent 20th Century Art introductory course from Nick Pearson held at OPEN Ealing a few years back.

Certainly Rothko's work developed and there is (it is more apparent to me now) a connection with Turner but he was labelled as 'angry'  - as well as Rothko I'm keen to find out more about  Jackson Pollock  (aka Jack the Dripper) one of Rothko's contemporaries who's style of  creation of his work  I fear gets more coverage  than the product.

[It feels now surprising to me that I didn't reference the play in my own year of red].

The play was not condescending nor did it talk down to its audience - I'm going to go back to Tate Modern to look more closely at The Seagram Rothkos very soon.

Amongst those entering the foyer with us was the BBC newscaster and journalist Clive Myrie -funnily enough also going to the play - we saw Mark Austin (then an ITN Journalist who is now with Sky News) when we saw the the Blue Man Group a few years back - who next?

Might be worth moving closer.

The Real Greek

Ahead of the play we had a very nice Greek(-ish)  meal at nearby (St Martin's Lane) The Real Greek, to me a cross between  a traditional Greek Restaurant and a Tapas eatery - with an added  fusion twist - many thanks Lee.

'More is More' and the Last Photo' Exhibition session along with planning (No 102)

Yesterday we had the last of our Exhibiting Photography course - it was good to get the opportunity to try out what we had been exposed to and I'm optimistic that I could have a visit from our course tutor Shirley Read an expert in Photographic Curation.

My inclination is somewhat against the times to say 'more is more'.

I have the following provisional line up for tomorrow.

As you enter from the left - 3 with galss 

And next to them - people

On the other side of the arch - 3 featured works showing my images if what I think is A Cosmopolitan City  - starting with 'Covent Garden' then hopefully the red images will draw the eye.

And  then 3 bigger pictures - with a certain 'distance' to them.

And now with the new £1 coin - £133.03

We'll find out how it looks in the next day (and Tim L's too)

The photographs are taking me back to my 'red' project  - oddly the first of a rather excellent short series by  Wayne Hemingway's 'Owning Colour - Red on Radio 4 also had that effect.

Doors

I like Gordon Road

A revisited road but a new door

Gone but not forgotten (Red)

Well I suppose a year is quite some time and although I've finished  my 365(or 6) project the colour Red remains in my mind

here are couple of recent instances

Well Christmas is on the way

And tree of life (Well Helen's done a lot of trees)

A tree of Red (at night)

And the video ..

Gargoyles - And The (Red) Leap is made

A gargoyle (it will let water out)

And the opposite number

I (and probably most of us) like a bit of  trivial knowledge.



 At  a National Gallery (London) talk last month I learnt that Gargoyles (from the French Gargouille  meaning Throat/Gullet )  should be a  water passing addition, typically on a Gothic style construction - here are a couple deployed ornamental-ly in someone's front garden.

And here are a couple of Dogs.

And The Leap is Made

366 images and 365 of them taken by me (this was the first) - it's at an end now.

This is the image that brings the project to its conclusion and it's hopefully with a smile that we finish (before the next 'idea' gets underway) - I will try and get more interest for what I've done as it's been good (for me) and reckon others too could enjoy  - if you want to have a go get in touch or have a look at Noah Scalin's book.

And I don't think it'll be quiet but a bit less red

And here's the link to a 20 minute video of the whole lot - get yourself a cup of tea and a bit of cake and enjoy ..

Another Ealing Gallery (Temporary) and Red 1- the end of the 365

Mostra Art Space W5 5AA

So yesterday mentioned an Ealing Art Gallery (permamant) here's the temporary one at 16 Bond Street W5 5AA - Polish artist and gallery (Mostra) with diverse work on show.

The artist is now focusing on Mythology but earlier work shows connections with Caravaggio (and I think Braques).

Great use of the empty unit.

References to classical art and mythology  on show

Red 1

I've been thinking about how I'd finish (my almost) year long quest, I thought about using others Red centred  work  or going out and painting something  Red (my shed?)

But this would have gone against the direction of what I've done which was  something that contained  elements of  'chance and serendipity'.

So  in the end I came across this in a nearby shop last week (I didn't mess with it)  and it kind of summarises the endeavour.

The Project has acted as a mixture of Diary and provided some Photographic favourites  (for me) too.

Sort of sums it up

Tomorrow we wrap it up (it was a Leap Year)  - if you're in London come and have a chat with me about it (and the next project too )  at Ealing, Bond Street Pop up from 11th November  until about 20th

Ealing Gallery and Red 2

A Gallery in Ealing - definitely welcome

So on chatting with Tim Layden the other day we got to talking about his work (without him)  touring China and the subject of showing his work more locally.

Interesting to learn that there's a high-endish Gallery in Ealing just by St Mary's Church (Felix and Spear)  - I hope it does well but it's a challenge to get people to travel away from the usual Mayfair/West End artistic homeland and when I passed by last week it sis look quiet.


Looking trough the window I see they have an exhibition of  predominantly  Oil on Canvas works by the  painter  Richard Cook  - 'She Lies Within My Sleep', hope to have a proper look soon.

Stone Circle (2014) by Richard Cook

Pumpkin Trail 

Well I couldn't believe the numbers at yesterday's Northfields Allotments Pumpkin Trail - weather was very kind and this is obviously (in retrospect) just the sort of event that local people will get out of their armchairs for - Children of course like the spooky.

The hard work by the organisers paid off in getting more coverage and publicity around the desire of 'Pathways' to change the use of part of the site.

A Message going out to Pathways?

Pop Concert like crowds 

Red 2

Well keeping with the Allotment/Halloween theme - decorations (understated) on Plot 202 included these 'Bloody' Red Hands

The Red hand of Halloween beckons to the end of the project..

Pumpkin Trail and Red 3

And downright odd

Do come along

Unusually trailing an event - not reflecting

We're having  a Halloween event at Northfields Allotments today - support us if you're in West London

Spook-ish

And scary

Red 3

The clock is really ticking (last few days of Red)  .. Put the kettle on

A very red Teapot

Ealing Hairdressers, Heathrow favoured and Red 4

Say it Loud and Proud 

I quite often hear bits of the Jeremy Vine Radio programme (BBC Radio 2 weekday lunchtimes) - I like the sincerity that the host brings to the topicality of the show.


Last week I think it was I heard an interview of one of the guys from South Ealing's M&M hairdressers, the 'salon' has hit the news in the past for its' Mickey take of the North Korean dictator's short back and sides haircut (his father's was even worse) - seems it brought about an intervention from the staff of the nearby embassy (it's rather oddly a 'normal' looking house on the North Circular Road).


They've got a winning formula for publicity and bring a smile to the face of passers by  - The display now is of the two leading contenders for the US presidency .

M&M Hair Academy display an even handed approach to US politics 

Heathrow favoured

So the government has made a sort of decision on London's airport expansion, Zac Goldsmith is calling a sort of referendum (No 'official Tory will oppose him the Richmond By-Election).

It does seem puzzling that the opinion that the Prime-Minister had about the extra air traffic previously has now been revised.

Of course Crossrail leads to Heathrow 

There are two pretty big questions that do need answering:

1) Is extra airport capacity needed in the crowded South East?

 and if it is

2) Why are the Tory Government  not going with the quicker, cheaper speedier alternative - Gatwick that 'solution'  destroys far less homes and has a lower impact on the lives of the people living in the  capital?

This story has I feel quite a lot of (air) mileage in it!

Red 4

25 years of the Big Issue and a Red vest..

Sometimes it feels like 'Us and Them'.

Eating out at Isabella's W5 and Red 5

A pleasant meal and I find my judgement lacking (again)

It's odd how quickly we forget - I'm saying this in connection with the changing face of Shops, Cafés and Restaurants.

{Like the New Broadway Pizza Hut which then became Maggie's and now is a Turkish 'Mikla' cafe}

After a few months it can be difficult really to recall what went before (unless you've got the photo's!)

Anyway the other day we had a meal in one of the new restaurants in Ealing's Bond Street, Isabella's Kitchen  and I enjoyed it but I think the place used to be (something like) The New Leaf China Restaurant but I'm not 100% sure.

I had thought while the premises  were being fitted out it was going to be Spanish - from the name but it's actually an Italian with quite a short menu, lots of Pizzas and some Pasta and 'Carne' dishes, I had a sort of Kebab which was very nice.

We ate upstairs as it was actually considering it was a weekday pretty busy and the service we had  was good the table next to us had a family  birthday celebration in full swing and when the party left they passed on the remainder of their wine which I thought was incredibly kind - Meal was reasonably priced too - we didn't have the Pizza (apart from a Bruschetta  starter version) but the small looked a fair size so goodness knows how the regular was.

Another variety of Cafe that'll opens soon - it's past the old cinema site in Ealing

Red 5

I'm not sure that it really looks like me - but it's Red

I thought I was much taller

Final Leap Brochures and Red 6

Only about week until my 365 (or 366) project is over-ish and  I'm trying to prepare some contents for the shop Helen and I will use for a few days next month.

Read left to right

'Collectable'

First time I've lined up these two prints that sort of work as a pair (StarWars Storm-troopers)  and am doing a selection of slightly varied brochures about the 'enterprise' too

Worksodhy (To rhyme with rhapsody) 

The Orchard Boys drinks  venue -The Drayton

I'm after coining some new words - for this one it'll be a portmanteau job.

I was out having a drink with artist friends John and Tim (I hope they're okay with me calling them friends I'm sure they'll not have a problem with the 'artist' - we were together at BEAT Orchard Café) - we got to talking about how you can get lost in stuff (when you're in the Zone)  - I'm not sure that the stuff can be described as work and I forgot to tell them it's called 'flow'.

Red 6

This time of year it's obvious that 'greenery isn't always

Autumnal Reds

Memento Mori Adding details and Red 7

It's that time of year

It's only a couple of weeks or so before Helen and I take up our temporary residency in Bond Street (and a week to the end of my 365 Project).


As well as mounting and framing my photographic prints  I'm trying to put together a sheet about each of the photo's I'm offering for sale  - this triggered partly by the fine details I see at some exhibitions) as opposed to those with nothing) but also as I find more about the subjects and reflect on the results.

A page about the picture

First is my own personal capture of a shop window's Memento Mori - this is a really rich area and encompasses one of my favourite Paintings at London's National Gallery  by Holbein (The Younger) The Ambassadors and the subject of Noah Scalin's own 365 Project .

I rather like this one - will others?

Red 7

Happy Birthday Debbie- what better way to mark it than with a 'red' gift.

.. oh yes, The Present's a Gift.

Apples, Allotments and Red 8

Still unpicked.

 Apples

 I've noticed that in what appears to have been a good year for apples in the UK many fruits have (and still do) remain unpicked - I'm not sure what this says about the state of the country and our diet -I wonder if the trees had Twix bars there'd be more interest?

 (And here are some tips for pickers)

Allotments 

A historic site

Good to see that the London Standard has coverage of the story about 'our' (Northfields) Allotments - development proposals are being downward tweaked but for me there's a real principle involved -Bishop of London bequeathed (1832-ish) land for specific purpose - allotments not housing I don't think our Law would (or should)  support this high handed attitude by career administrators seeking to impress.

(BBC Radio London been covering too)

Red 8

Well we've had a few forms of Red in transport- busses, bikes, cars even scooters  here's a predominantly red taxi..

Usually black this is far brighter.

More at the Saatchi and Red 9

The smell of oil is something I'm forever associating with the Saatchi Gallery because of the work of Richard Wilson (20:50) - have tried to capture the scope of his site specific installation there.

an odd 360 degrees

I'm hoping that it doesn't similarly suggest flogging a dead horse  or a load of pots  - what I generally get when I visit the gallery is a air of 'cool' and a slower pace from the rest of London - The man behind the venue doesn't get a great media coverage (in terms of his persona) but he does give us a place worth pausing in.

Jerusalem Donkey (2015)  by Mia Feuer 

Maha Malluh's Burnt Pots (570 of them)

I like their shop too

A part of their shop

Red 9

We've had a few Red Phones (354 and 60)  - this'll be the last and the 'Bling-iest'

A phone for a Princess?