02/04/19
Derry today.
CCA - ‘Celebration Factory’ by Filip Markiewicz. Huge drawings and impressive array of work.
‘Fragmented’ by Aimee Melaugh in the Gasworks. Such a beautiful space. Can’t think of anyone who paints atmosphere and smoke like she can.
Joseph McWilliams “Community Door” 1976 part of the “Troubles Art” exhibition in Nerve Visual.
06/04/19
Work submitted to the RHA open call.
Detail of a piece by Cecilia Danell - part of her solo show “In a Landscape” in the RHA.
Intense paintings by Liliane Tomasko in the Kerlin Gallery.
08/04/19
Royal Academy - Renaissance Nude exhibition was great. Highlights were Pontormo’s “Study of a Nude Boy”, Dürer’s etchings, creepy little paintings by Hans Memling and, of course, Titian’s Venus.
National Gallery - “Rokeby Venus” by Velazquez is just an unbelievable painting! Real surprise was being moved by Caravaggio’s “Boy bitten by a lizard”. Came out of nowhere. Loved how the two Rembrandt portraits faced each other in their room. A conversation? “The Ambassadors” by Hans Holbein the Younger. Great to see it in the flesh finally. So many great works - probably could have stayed in there all week.
09/04/19
“Brighton Pierrots” by Walter Richard Sickert.
Went to Tate Britain and was annoyed that many of the works I had been looking forward to seeing were out of view for refurbishment. However it was great to see some other great pieces, including Sickert’s “Brighton Pierrots”.
View from Tate Modern.
Bonnard show was incredible. Wish it wasn’t as crowded to spend more time with the work. The self portraits were anxious and sinister. Preferred Franz West ’s collages to the sculptures.
10/04/19
11/04/19
Just shy of forty miles walked.
13/04/19
Horrible day in the studio. What’s done can be rectified thankfully but I’m not sure what brought it about.
Not enough looking?
Charging in?
Carelessness?
Fatigue?
All of the above?
Note for “Rose”: Less is more.
14/04/19
Rehearsal.
16/04/19
Still no word - need to not get hopes up.
18/04/19
“Ruins” detail.
Office wall.
Tried and failed at sketching.
19/04/19
Sketchbook work.
20/04/19
Eventually in the studio… “Ruins” is still an exciting composition so not sure why it’s stagnated.
“The Lost Woods Study” close up.
21/04/19
So - “Ruins” has ground things to a halt. Can’t say it is entirely the painting’s fault but it has eaten a lot of time where I’d be working on multiple pieces simultaneously.
I’m not abandoning it completely. Just setting it out of sight and out of mind until I’m in a better position to complete it to the best of my ability.
“The continuous practice of painting is a process against forgetting.”
Hans Ulrich Obrist
24/04/19
Night shot.
25/04/19
Some good drawing tonight.
26/04/19
Studio work. “Rose” face is all but there.
27/04/19
Dublin bound.
IMMA Freud Project: Gaze was stunning. “Relfection: Self Portrait” - have wanted to see this piece in the flesh for a long long time. Interesting mix of artists alongside Freud including a Hopper sketch, a Rembrandt etching, Abramovic, Dúrer, Dorothy Cross and others. The Doris Salcedo show “Acts of Mourning” was intense. Moved by “Plegoria Muda” and “Tabula Rasa” pieces the most. For the past week that has been in NI, we all need little blades of hope. Group show “A Vague Anxiety” was great, particularly the work of Saidhbhín Gibson (sculptures) and Susanne Wawra’s incredible paintings.
29/04/19
Scam emails- beware!