Looking back on a glorious summer and remembering highlights such as the re-gathering of work of some old colleagues and fellow exhibitors at the ‘Ikon Artists of the Sixties’ show at the Medicine Bakery Gallery in July at the old RBSA premises on New Street, Birmingham. Good to meet again and catch up with Dinah Prentice and Jess Bruton, both co- founders of the Ikon Gallery in the early sixties.
My sculpture, the yellow and white, 4ft. ‘ Squares’ of 1967 (re-constructed in 2004), seen against the dynamic grid paintings of David Prentice, looked fresh and strong and I was most pleased to be showing in such impressive company in an historic gallery space in the centre of town. The evening was very well attended and thoroughly enjoyed.
During this last few months I have enjoyed collaborating with Jacqui Gallon who continues to work tirelessly and enthusiastically at her own practice and in the initiation and running of projects and workshops. Notable amongst these was the ‘Down to Earth’ project held in the church hall of St Mary’s in Nanpantan, near Loughborough, in which I was pleased to be a participant. An exhibition of this group work is to be held at the church hall this week, 22/23 and 24th November, which includes some of my pieces developed later with the Giclee print process which is quite new to me.
In my studio I have been working on a number of studies for painting using drawings made by using a range of wooden implements (sticks, twigs etc.) and Indian ink which have been based on my experience of visiting a nature or wildlife reserve near Coventry called Brandon Marsh. These studies continue to be involved with my ongoing interest in natural elements expressed through gesture and accidental effect. This way of working was first investigated in the ‘Haiku’ series a year or two before and shown at the Lightbox Gallery in Leicester.
In early November I was able to see the Anni Albers show at the Tate Modern and to pay homage, again, to the large late Rothko’s and to see, once more, the iconic large Monet painting of water lillies.
20 November ’18