Matisse, rain, tube closure and gourmet therapy

Hello. I hope you had a good weekend. As I mentioned in a previous post, Mike and I visited Matisse the cut-outs exhibition at Tate on Saturday. It was raining again! So far anytime we visited the Tate, it has rained. Fate or bad luck?

The Thames  in rain

There were lots of works from private collections. I have seen quite few Matisse in my life, but there were huge works I have never seen. Marvelous! When I saw his Dance, I wanted to dance in front of them. But I thought other visitors wouldn't enjoy my impromptu performance, so I stayed still. His large works embraced me, and suddenly I didn't see any other visitors. What an experience! Matisse always lifts my spirit and all happiness comes out from inside. Nothing else in art does this to me.

After the exhibition, I wanted to buy some of my favourite works on cards. Alas, they looked so different from original. After a bit of thought, I decided to buy Tate original coloured cards for cut outs, apparently intended for children! I will make my own ones.

When the sun appeared between rains, St Pauls looked lovely!

 

St Pauls

After that, we went to Cecilia Coleman Gallery at St John's Wood to drop off a couple of my works. Unfortunately we were unaware of the closure of Jubilee line. We ended up changing tube and bus in rain. It took us 1 hour instead of 20 minutes. When we got there, we had to go to Richourx, a lovely Italian restaurant, for some cakes to recover from all the hassle!

This time I only took a few works, but soon they will have more my works including popular Angels and a mask. I will also start making some rabbits for them, too. Watch the space.

Available from Cecilia Colman Gallery

Available from Cecilia Colman Gallery

On the way back was the same problem. There was no tube. We walked to a station for over ground train. On the way there, Mike spotted something moving. 'There is a dog!' I looked where he was looking. Before I said anything, he said ' It's a goat!' Would you believe it, there was a goat in the middle of London! I looked around the building. It appeared to be a school. I imagined that this goat happily munching grass over the weekend.  

A goat in the middle of London! 

 Because of the problem with the tube, we couldn't go to the Foundling Museum to see Greyson Perry's work, as it was close to closing time. Instead we went to the British library to look around, and went to St Pancras early for shopping. You already guessed that we had organic almond croissants from Le Pain Quotidient on the way, and, of course, we bought more for Sunday breakfast. But this time we went on further. We got Fortnum and Masons's Alcoholic jam, Kir Royale, and 50% off Turkish delight, Peyton and Byrne's fig rolls and Godiva's alcoholic truffles: whisky, cognac, champagne and rum and more!  A bit of gourmet therapy for us, after the stress from tube closure. Godiva is our current most favourite chocolatier.

Lovely Turkish delight. I have to ask Mike to bake scones to try the jam. : ) 

Heavenly!

 Mike and I will be easily caught by a witch in the woods with her chocolate house!

People who made the fair so lovely! - Landmark midsummer Art Fair 3

Mike and I went to London to see Matisse at the Tate today. It rained in London again!  Despite that, it was a lovely exhibition, and we both enjoyed it. I even bought a Tate original coloured card set to make cut-out like his! I am so easily influenced! :D I will share the experience next time. 

Tate gallery, London

Today is the last of the art fair story. I would like to introduce the lovely people I met at the fair today. One of the joy of our lives is to meet nice people. 

I have already thanked visitors. Here I would like to thank volunteers. Everyone was wonderful! We made friends with an elderly couple. They had been always helpful and kind. Thank you so much! 

We had met lovely exhibitors. Sadly I didn't take everyone's pictures, but here are some of my neighbours.

Arleen Wild is so kind and friendly. Everyone loved her. She makes her work from by acrylic painting and textile.  

Arleen Wild

Alan Emsden's works are sensitive and peaceful. His works were popular. His wife is so lovely and supportive. A very nice couple!  He told me that he could hear my 'people' humming together!  

Alan Emsden

Bridget Skanski-Such showed her Morris dance skill before the fair was open. Amazing! She also uses textile to make her beautiful work. She is from Lincolnshire. 

Bridget Skanski-Such

Diane Haddon-Moore uses strong colours. Her work looks dynamic. Her husband and I chatted about his experience in Japan.

Diane Haddon-Moore

Irina had manned, oil painter, Anna Ravliuc, her mother's stand. She has a business degree. What a nice combination! She is standing next to two paintings I loved. 

Anna Ravliuc's work with Irina

Dawn Reader, oil painter, paints cool landscapes. One of them was with penguins. Mike and I loved it. She went to see them!  I'm jealous. Her partner is Swedish Aikido-ka.

Dawn Reader

Orson Kartt, from Suffolk, is funky. His work is the mixture of humour and irony. Social political agenda like Zimbabwe's inflation is his theme.    

Orson Kartt

There are more people I made friends with although they were not close to my stand. Stephanie Wilkinson is a local artist, and she is also on twitter. Her work is beautiful.

Stephanie Wilkinson

Glass artist, Alma Caira lives in Whitstable, a sea side town near to Canterbury. I have seen her work before. Mike, especially, loves her chickens and fish, She also teaches glass art.

Alma Caira

So that was my adventure.  

 

   

Oracle has spoken - Landmark midsummer art fair 2

At Landmark, my whippets and owls were very popular. It is easy to decide to buy something small. A lady asked if I make little pigs. I have made one before, and would love to in future.

People have to think about big pieces more. I do the same. I think it over coffee, and then sometimes sleep on it. But once a while you feel such a strong connection that you knew you have already decided to have it. Owl finch owl caught lots of people's eyes, and he found a lovely lady. I explained her that the late Mochaccino, my miracle owl finch, was the inspiration. Since his death, I have kept making owls. Among them Owl finch owl is closest to Mochaccino. Here is his story.

Owl finch owl -side view - Sold

Mike made the mahogany mount with steel rod for him. I used bronze-gold glaze for the ball under him. He was mysterious, strong and beautiful, just like Mochaccino was.

Owl finch owl - Sold

Owl finch owl has human hands.

Water Boy found a lovely lady who reminds me of a mermaid. I was silently impressed by this. She almost chose Water girl, but, I guess, in the end, he chose her. She commissioned Mike to make an elegant mount for Water boy. He has started working on the design for it.

Water Boy - Sold

Empress and Oracle found a wonderful couple. I feel people or my sculptures tend to pick each other with similar energy.

She is the largest mask in this type. She is 21 cm tall, and quite deep. As her title suggests, she is majestic. Her eyes are incredible. You can almost read what she thinks.

Empress- Sold

Oracle has been very popular on social networks since I shared her photos a week ago. I am very happy with the way she came out. She is 34 cm tall and quite large. A few people asked me if I have pain to part with her because of the little dragon. I don't. To me creating has meaning. She found a lovely couple who love her so much. She would rather be with them, for sure.

Oracle -Sold

Landmark midsummer Art Fair 1

Landmark midsummer art fair at Teddington was fun. Fortunately, it went well for me even though it had been a bit quiet due to, most probably, the glorious weather we had had. We came home after 9pm exhausted last Sunday. Poor Mike couldn't take any time off this week. Even so, he surprised me by saying it was such fun that he would love to do it again. How wonderful! I have recovered from fatigue after having two good nights sleep.

It was built to be a cathedral, but remained unfinished for a long time. 

This is my stand, In hindsight, I have created way too many for the space. But I prefer being well-prepared.

During daytime

 As light changed, they showed different expression.

I am talking to visitors. 

All three days, the weather had been so good. I would have been to beach if I hadn't been there! 

High street

A pub

We walked to Teddington Lock after a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant. I had Dorset crab. : ) It was the longest day.

Over the bridge, I heard typical parrot calls. There were three Indian ringneck parakeets flying over us. Amazing! Then I saw two town pigeons flew over us and landed on a metal structure on the bridge about 5 meter ahead. Mike told me to be careful, as they could soil clothes. I looked up. One lifted his tail, and his dropping came onto a young man's shoulder! Oh dear! As I witnessed, I said very loud 'Ah, the pigeon pooped on him!' His girlfriend looked at the mess laughing. She gave him a Kleenex. 

The bridge a pigeon pooped on a man's shoulder. 

Just in case you wonder how we loaded everything in our tiny Yaris. This way! It took us an hour or more to put everything in. Next time we will hire a van. :D

  

Where the wind blows, Hope and Freedom

Hello. Beautiful sunshine came back. I am so glad. I thought our summer was over as soon as I put our winter clothes away!

Our house is full of boxes. In order to solve the space problem in our little car, I got Really useful boxes from the loft, and emptied the contents, our winter clothes, into bin liners(!) and packed loose delicate works. They are stackable, so I hope this will save some space.

Some of my pieces are really difficult to pack. As you know, I sell online, so I usually make something easy to ship. But for exhibitions, shows and art fair, I enjoy creating more free style pieces. This, of course, causes some headache and heart break when I have to pack them.

Where the wind blows. She is attached to a steel rod. This caused such a problem. But Mike with his great engineering brain, came up with solution. I hope she will be intact.

Where the wind blows

Where the wind blows - detail

I love this angle.

Hope
She comes with Travertine plinth, which is attached to her feet. This requires a careful balancing act. The real problem is her arm and little flowers on her head. Lots of bubble wraps are strategically placed around her.

Hope

Hope

Freedom
She was even more difficult to pack. She is too tall for most boxes in our house. Her arm is sticking out quite a lot. Travertine plinth is also attached. In the end, she went to a box without a lid and then to a Really useful box. Her arm is sticking out from the box!

Freedom

Freedom - detail

I hope all will make it to Teddington. Fingers crossed!

Royal parade - new masks

I have spent about two and a half days packing my work. It is almost done. There are about 60 pieces.  The problem is that each has a different shape and size. It takes time to find suitable boxes for them. Luckily majority went into the boxes that Mike found from work. But several tall ones have caused me a big headache.

There is still the last assembling to do, and the last firing was just done. There was an accident during packing. One of porcelain wings of an angel snapped. :*(   He had to go to firing to remove the epoxy attaching the wings.

It is difficult to pack and transport them safely, especially because our car is a Toyota Yaris, a tax-efficient little car! I am an accidental artist. When we bought the car, we didn't know that we would use it to transport my art work. I persuaded Mike to buy a little car due to less tax to pay! I even tried to get an Aygo, a tiny one. But he said he wouldn't fancy driving Aygo on motorway. I am now glad he said that!

Here are lots of masks for Landmark Midsummer Art Fair this weekend.

Princess of Baklava

Young Empress

Duchess of Macaron

Princess of Noisette

Forest child

    

Guardian of children without parents and a young faun

Autumn wind has already come! It was so cool that I needed a cotton jumper inside today. I hope this is not the end of summer. I have just put all winter clothes away! Typical! But fortunately the jumper was hiding behind a chair. :D

Yesterday I was able to take more photos of my latest works. My work is my diary. I create what I have in my mind on that day. I can read them like stories. So it is a bit strange for me to see all together in a random order.

He is 'Guardian of children without parents'. I made him soon after I learned that a lady had very difficult past. She was sent to an orphanage at the age of five, separated from her siblings. It saddened me very much. At that age, children badly need parents or someone who protect them. She said that she had felt that there is someone watching over her so that she could survive the time during orphanage. Hearing such a story was a shock to me, and the shock was resulted in this figure.    

He is a boy, yet wise. He shares pain and loneliness of orphans. He keeps an eye on them. 

Guardian of children without parents, 28.5 cm

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Faun is something I had wanted to make for some time. The problem with a ceramic faun is that without any support he would not stand on thin goat legs. So I made him this way. I also wanted to experiment with Forest boy type hair. He became rather sweet, unlike those fauns in Greek stories. 

Young faun 24.5cm

Young faun - back