Paintings – Page 5 – Home Office Charm

Inspo Week from Decorex & Frieze London

In London this week we had two big exhibits. Decorex and Frieze were on this week.
Wednesday, I popped into Decorex ( the interior designers’ top show) and found they were showing three big design trends with lighting. The new styles included natural lampshades, ethereal and fantasy. Below are some photos showing those themes. It was showing in Olympia London, and I felt very at home, since I am from the locality. It was my first time going to Decorex, and I got inspired to do a booth there in future as I was inspired by a small cushion maker’s tiny booth. That could be me, I thought. Not particularly making cushions but instead offering my items to the interior design trade.

The second show was Frieze which according to the tour guide “is the Hollywood of the art world”. It was beautifully set up in Regent’s park. I was very impressed. Slightly overwhelmed and a little bit intimidated at the beginning.

It was great to see so many giant paintings. Some cost £300,000 to a million. Others cost about £6,000. Our guide told us about the process of the gallery pitching then a selection panel decides which work to exhibit. The dominant theme this year and recently is about showing consciousness. There were fewer north European artists and more artworks from voices we don’t always hear about, like native Americans, Vietnam and Brazillian. The underlying themes also had much to do with sustainability, social good, or responsibility.

I’d like to attend next year and will plan to make a whole day out of it with a nice lunch and make it more social.

Purple Reign II: Cortège Sketching

Symbolism & Storytelling in Art

It was sad that Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, last week. I didn’t realise. I was at a work party. Then, on my way home, I saw all the adverts on the bus shelter portray TFL’s tribute/ perhaps public announcement. This is because all digital posters were saying the same thing. They all said Queen Elizabeth II 1926 to 2022 on a grey background. It was not too unlike the image below. That was my first indication that something had changed. I was very surprised.

Today I have been watching her coffin leave Balmoral and travel to Edinburgh. The road from Balmoral to the East is a road I had also travelled when I lived in Aberdeen as an MSc student at the University of Aberdeen. When the BBC TV presenters were calling out the towns like Banchory and Stonehaven as well as Donatoar Castle while the beautiful helicopter camera view of the journey televised its hearse tracking, it brought back my good memories of the Scottish countryside. It also felt quite moving.

Today it felt fitting to create some etchings and quick paint sketchings and draft paintings in royal purple. These are unfinished works. Below are images using purple. I sometimes shy away from purple, but since Queen Elizabeth II’s death, I’ve seen the Empire State Building shine her image amidst purple lights. Purple is currently a big theme.

Queen Elizabeth’s coffin is due to arrive in London via Northolt Airport (not far from where I live). I remember going to Northolt airport 25 years ago to watch Diana’s coffin arrive from Paris, and I (with some friends) watched it travel down the tunnel for the A40. In fact, I’m inclined to go to the A40 on Tuesday to pay my respects to Queen Elizabeth as the hearse makes its way into central London. If I get any pictures, I will post them here. The ritual of watching dignitaries and their coffins travel by road via TV reminds me of when I watched Nelson’s Mandella televised coffin travelling to its burial site in 2013. It is amazing what TV can allow you to do nowadays.

Considering the art display situation: Is that so wrong?

Personal Reflections

I was filming my art and editing the MP4 files for a long time (see picture below). Then after a week, I decided that I wouldn’t say I liked the movies and thought these images of the painting as originally imagined being placed (see the project showcase (https://homeofficecharm.com/portfolio/snaps-of-the-lampshades-in-situ-as-imagined/).

Image of black screenshot of my Camtasia editing. To illustrate how I edit my movies. — I used Camtasia to edit movies for reels but didn’t publish them in the end. I think IG might have an easier editing function. I’m sure Camtasia is great for other things.

All the editing gave me time to reflect. I make the paintings small so that people like me still doing online teaching or online meetings can adorn their shelves with some backlighting that will sit on the shelf. I know that as an artist, it is a big no-no to consider the end user. But I cannot help it. Just as you consider the support for the artwork, I believe you should also consider where your artwork will be placed in your home or office, probably because of my business background. And thus, I’ve always found it easy to imagine where people might place my art.

Finding Affinity in The Black Fantastical

Exhibitions & Events, Symbolism & Storytelling in Art

I saw the In the Black Fantastic exhibit at the Haywood Gallery. A big show of artists from the African Diaspora. Including Chriss Ofili, Nick Cave, Hew, Locke and others. Below is the full list of artists at the In the Black Fantastic

Artists at In The Black Fantastic

Wangechi Muto
Lina Iris Viktor
Hew Locke
Nick Cave
Tabita Rezaire
Rashaad Newsome
Ellen Gallagher
Chris Ofili
Cauleen Smith
Kara Walker

I was excited to feel a sense of affinity developing as I saw the work of these artists. That sense of like mind arose because many of these famous artists used gold or gold leaf, some used gems or Swarovski crystals. I saw gemstones sprinkled and how some used raffia trim as fringing on the edge of a painting. Others used fringing within the painting.
I loved the idea of fantastical art as it is an escapist emancipatory healing kind of space to work within as an artist.

I get a sense of hope, but it is not blind hope. It is the kind of surreal conceptualisation of the future that recognises the hurt that has gone before in a beautiful way.

In the Black Fantastic is showing at the Haywood gallery London until 18th September 2022. It is a little awkward to get there. The nearest entrance is on the south side of the Waterloo bridge,

Watercolour Conversations

Exhibitions & Events, Personal Reflections

I recently saw the David Remfrey exhibition at the Royal Watercolour Society. I was invited to the exhibition by my old friend Rick who knows the artist. Rick was pleased to see his likeness in a couple of David’s paintings.

The images below show my friend Rick pointing and repeating the pose in the painting “What the Night Tells Me,” which is normally in someone’s private collection.

We also met another watercolour artist at the exhibition (viewing David’s work, I think he was from New York). We had wonderful conversations about the different characters found in David Remfrey’s work. My friend was very proud to see his portrait in the painting, and the back story was wonderful to hear. I had heard the story before but seeing the painting in real life while he explained how he knew David and his partner made the tale more significant and profound.

**Left:** The Dancers is my favourite painting by David Remfey. **Right** his 2022 book

Visiting the exhibition was a real treat for me as a dance and art enthusiast. I was delighted to be given a signed copy of David Remfrey’s book there (it was my birthday). Book title is David Remfrey Watercolour by Royal Academy of Arts and Royal watercolour Society 2022.

I loved how exquisite the paintings were. The impromptu gathering of people was magical. It set off an intriguing, informative and interesting conversation about watercolour art. As someone that uses acrylics mostly, the visit inspired me to try out doing a watercolour series of paintings/ creations at a later point.