Paul Morrison at Manchester Art Gallery

It was difficult to find a weblink that provides a comprehensive back ground to Paul Morrison who is currently exhibiting at Manchester Art Gallery. His work includes canvases, sculpture and a "major site-specific wall painting". Major is an understatement - it was huge, a whole wall full in fact. Unfortunately the work is on display in the gallery adjacent to an exhibition of Da Vinci prints and you couldn't really get to see much for the da Vinci queue - who were generally treating the gallery as a waiting room.

Klimt Exhibition

Yesterday saw us at the Klimt Exhibition at the Tate Liverpool. We walked through the new shopping development to get to the Tate and it was wonderful to see Liverpool as it should be. For too long the City Centre has not reflected the warmth of its' people. I only hope that the shift of the commercial centre has been planned for.

I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition - as well works by Klimt there were on display works by other members of the Viennese Secession and the Weiner Werkstätte. I was particularly taken with the work of Josef Hoffmann, a new name to me.

Without reference to the catalogue or my notes the outstanding things for me were:

• the sharp contrast of faces portrayed in the Beethoven frieze and earlier portraiture


• the silver pieces of Joseph Hoffmann


• a simple, small table with a single drawer. The proportions were breathtaking - they just seemed so right.


• the appalling quality of the landscape reproductions on sale in the shop!!!!!

After the tour we had lunch in the adjoining Tate 'cafe' overlooking the Albert Dock. For a Monday the place was amazingly busy, service was poor and the quality of the food wasn't a reflection of the prices! That said, an after lunch tour of the dock proved that there was plenty of choice on offer as far as food is concerned.

It wasn't the best of days to take photographs but I always find it difficult to relate this tourist attraction to the intimidatingly busy, then intimidatingly derelict, dock landscape that I visited in the late 60's and 70's.

Artist's postcard - but I'm not the artist!

For a while I've been trying to think of a theme that I could use occasionally to work on small pieces which I could carry with me. Then I looked at Barbara's post and an idea was born - to take a small detail from a painting and re-create it in stitch. This interests/challenges me on two levels. The first means looking in detail at a painting, noting how the paint is applied and then comparing this over a range of pieces by the same artist. The second challenge is the usual one of interpreting the work in stitch - at least I can make this easier for myself by careful selection!

So here is the first, an easy choice - easy to recognise the artist and easy to interpret in stitch. At some point I've have changed the orientation but this wasn't a conscious decision!

Painted vilene, overlaid with sheers.

Poster collection

An ongoing series of posters designed by graduates of University College Falmouth for the purpose of pasing on advice and inspiration to first year students.The scheme began in 2006 and was repeated in 2007. An advice to sink in slowly poster is given as a welcoming gift to every student enrolling on a BA course at UCF.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adviceposters/sets/72157602720078403/with/2091992488/

Particular favourites are -






And because I've met this seagull .....

One to watch .....

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/textiles/lawty/world_beach/

Dale Chihuly / Botany photo of the day

This Psittacanthus wasThursday's photo on http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/:

















I was immediately reminded of Dale Chihuly, whose work I initially saw at the V & A and took an instant dislike to. But after time and further exposure, notably at Kew, I have developed a respect for what he does. I guess that's what education is about.