Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

Thanks again to Helen to her invite. We were lucky that it wasn't too busy so we could peruse at our leisure. It seems as if the RAs are all patting themselves of the back. I kept seeing work by the same people in several different rooms, and, other than the first big room, lots of walls with scarcely anything on them (looking a bit scabby!) as if someone had been too mean in their selections. Having said that, I found these gems:

Cape Cod by Ashley Hanson

Without any labels to any of the works, it took me a little while to recognise this as a kind of map. The colour, the texture at the boundaries reminding me of de Stael's work. And his website reveals even more colour and greater abstraction. Someone I'm sure I'll come back to.



from Dusk to Dark series, by Clare Winchester


Clare Winchester aparently uses oil paint wiped across waxed board to create these images, so she explains on her website. To me they resemble drypoint prints, partially wiped to produce monotypes. Hmm...inspiration to get those printing inks out.....

And then how could I ignore Gillian Ayres or Barbara Rae? They both produce such amazingly colourful work. So here are two treats:



Star Spangled  by Gillian Ayres

Ceanthru Thaidhg by Barbara Rae

Last month I just happened upon the closing day of an exhibition at Adam Gallery in Cork Street of Barbara Rae's paintings, prints and sketchbooks. There's obvoiusly a whole synthesis of stuff going on which then allows her such freedom of mark-making. I've just read and interview with the artist on the RA website which discusses her working methods: pure acrylic pigments applied to the paper, then lots of fluid on top so that the pigments merge. Sounds like an interesting experiment I might have to try......

There was obviously heaps more at the RA show, but these for me were the highlights...and they are enough inspiration to be getting on with....