Rob Ryan

One of my favourite artists... he lives in London too!

Fringe Festival

I think this HDR image of Dave's is a bit spooky, but it captures the crowds on the Royal Mile waiting for Fringe Festival and Military Tattoo events well. Edinburgh was full to bursting with out of town visitors all keen to see shows and spectacles. We booked on the night on impulse for three shows, a cabaret act, American comedienne Charlyne Yi (yes, just because she has the same name as me!), and Javier Jarquin, a fellow New Zealander who is a favourite of my Mum's. He is otherwise known as the Card Ninja.



The festival really made it interesting to walk through the city - colourful characters give you leaflets, engage you in witty banter, bribe you with jellybeans and otherwise try to persuade you to go to their shows by any means!

Shipshape

It was a grey rainy day when I went to the National Gallery to see the Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries exhibition, which was very interesting. I had to smile when I saw what was on top of the 4th plinth on this occasion. Doesn't it look lovely and whimsical?

Angel of the North

Please excuse my silly pose, I'm not trying to be Kate from Titanic, but I couldn't resist copying the Angel of the North.



You can see how big it is in this photo... I've always admired this sculture so it was great to see it up close! Secretly I like it's nickname - the Gateshead Flasher. In person, it's both modern, traditional and a bit austere. Sculpturally, it reminds me of a plane held vertically but conveys an emotion that surpasses that!

Girls at the Gallery

I loved this sign up at the Christchurch Art Gallery... The three of us had lots of fun walking around looking at the exhibitions, including Provocations: the work of Christine Webber (indeed very provocative!), some Italian works by Sutton, and the permanent collection.



The Gallery is lovely and light filled, great for looking out into the city too.



After a walk around the gallery and the art centre, we'd worked up enough of an appetite for some indulgence at Strawberry Fare.



Don't worry! We actually all shared this very chocolatey dessert after some wholesome salad!

Weta Workshops

We are both big fans of Weta Workshop, so the Weta Cave in Wellington's suburb of Miramar was a must-see. They have free admission to a mini museum and screenings of a movie that illustrates some of the goings-on at the Workshop. Unfortunately they don't do tours of the workshop but it's still an interesting insight into this very creative hub! Not hard to see why so many talented people are attracted to working for Weta. Here are some pics from the Cave...



Some treasures from Lord of the Rings, including Frodo and Gimli doubles.



Gollum looking lifelike.



And a close encounter with an Orc!

Pop Life

Quick! If you're in London, go to Covent Garden to see the giant Jeff Koon's Rabbit balloon in the Market Building. It's up until tomorrow. The Tate Modern is hosting a new exhibition.

Paris Modern

The city is a fascinating blend of old and new. The turf-covered building is part of the new Musee du Quai Branly, and I suspect the black and white images appearing along the Seine are part of the Nuits Blanches event in town.

The Modern Pre-Raphaelite

The Royal Academy of Arts is currently showing an exhibition of over 40 of John William Waterhouse's paintings. Clare and I meandered across Central London today to see it (including a little detour around Buckingham Palace, with me spotting my first Royal guards in uniform complete with bearskin hats!). Waterhouse is Clare's favourite artist, we've admired his art since high school days.

Blue Frog

I've been tinkering around with my paints at last. It's over a year since I've been able to paint anything so I decided to get re-acquainted with watercolours after trying to clean my oil palette and ending up with smeary yellow fingers. I'm still not quite used to using watercolour after using acrylics for so long. It's harder to stop colours from getting muddy and I know sometime I need to learn try using masking fluid to keep my whites white. It was a fun way to get back into some creativity. This is painted from Dave's pic of the blue frog at London Zoo.

On Monday, we went to Westminster and toured the House of Commons and the House of Lords. You go through an impressive security check, but it's worthwhile for the free look at how Britain is run and the impressive Houses of Parliament.

We're looking forward to going to Devon this weekend for a short break. Then only a little while to go before we head to France - yay!

Art is on the Street

Some interesting work, found on Brick Lane...

Dear Valentine,

It's not hard to guess who you are,
But I'm sending you my thoughts on a winter's morning
with a little help from the Royal Mail
I hope they keep you warm
A London valentine for my London sweetheart

so happy we found each other

& we'll travel far together still

... My heart belongs to you!


Love,

Char xoxoxox

Near and Deer to Us

The Autumn weather in London has been a bit temperamental this weekend but Dave and I still managed to fit in a beautiful seasonal walk in Richmond park today after a brief trip out to Greater London to attend to some emergency vet cases.

Dave spotted the deer hiding in the grasses and we crept up to practice a few wildlife photography skills, albeit with my basic point & shoot camera! These are red deer, who are resident in the park.

Magnificent antlers.

...Here I am in my warm weather gear. We retreated from the onslaught of lousy rain and cold temperatures to South Kensington to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards at the Natural History Museum. Thanks to Dave's Mum for tickets that gave us the VIP treatment and a quick swoosh through the velvet rope!

There were plenty of stunning entries this year, with some notable favourites - this one is amazing, almost monochrome in its simplicity but still a touching photograph (there are tiny baby ostriches trekking up the sand-dune!).

Here's one for my family... the Bears. It was taken by a 11-15yr old contestant. Wonder what his mother said?

And we'll leave you here with one we couldn't resist. It's called 'Troublemaker'. Have a great week ahead and I'll see you soon with some pictures from Scandinavia! Much love. xxx

True Blue

I did manage to complete my mission... though slightly distracted I must say! Thanks to Miss Pen Pen I managed to catch a stunning art installation by Roger Hiorns called Seizure.
Here's an excerpt of the Artangel booklet:

British artist Roger Hiorns uses unusual materials to effect surprising transformations on found objects and urban situations. Fire emerges from storm drains, perfume permeates metal surfaces, and copper sulphate crystals colonise industrial objects.

Over recent years Hiorns has engineered crystal activity on a range of objects emblematic of rational structures of human knowledge and industrial power. Removed from their original function, car engines and architect's models of cathedrals take on new lives of their own, as strange totems encrusted by a brilliant crystal growth.

SEIZURE, Hiorn's first major sculptural project within an urban site, marks a radical shift in scale and context in his work. The artist encourages the growth of an unexpected crystal form within a low-rise late-modernist development near the Elephant & Castle in south London.

Awaiting demolition, the concrete cloisters play host to a surprising chemical reclamation as the crystals begin to take over the interior of one of the flats.

The building itself is easy to miss, but there's a subtle queue of people waiting to be fitted with a pair of gumboots, which adds to the novelty of the experience. It does take a while so bring someone to chat to! Gloves are optional and you are allowed to touch the crystals. Entering the unit is like entering an ice cave or an alien landscape of pure blue crystals and moonscape floors. I was awed by the pure blue colour and the uniformity and strange beauty of the crystals in mass effect, like a strange growth or cut geode invading the city.

The address is:151-189 Harper Road, London SE1 6AE, closest tube : Elephant and Castle. Extended until 30 November 2008.

...Photo credits to my exemplary co-pilot Dave... also the source of said distraction. (-: