In the gap between Christmas and New Year my husband and I took some time out in London to see some exhibitions. This photo was taken whist walking the London coastal path from the Tate back to the tube. This is a view that I love for many reasons, one of which is Mary Poppins and for me, the moodiness of the night sky makes the photo, reminding me of the death eaters arrival, in the Half-Blood Prince.

Our accommodation base was in Marylebone, not far from the Wallace Collection and a Banksy, Another World Is Possible (this can be found on the wall above the platforms at Edgeware Rd tube station). It is right by a very busy road, making it difficult to get a clear picture without being run over, this was a delight to see in person.

The Wallace collection has never been a place that has ever been high on my list of must sees. However as we were late arriving due to rail issues it was the closet thing to us that was open. I was pleasantly surprised by how graceful and elegant  the mansion was. There is a warm feel to the home and an air of magic on a dark wet, winters evening. the red room as well as the green room were my favourites with their opulent wall papers, furnishings, and gold trimmings.

Next day saw us travel across town to the Excel for the first exhibition of the day, Disney's 100. As some one who has grown up on and adores Disney this was a must see and I happily entered the Disney bubble. It was some what disorganised at the start, where everyone was crammed into a narrow corridor  trying to see and read exhibits before it opened up in to a larger open space, this first section was quite stressful as you try to keep personal space.
Highlights for me were seeing original story boards, scripts, illustrations, Micky and Minnie Mouse, Dick Van Dyke's carousel horse, Winnie the Pooh, and Pete's Dragon. Afterwards we headed back into town to get food from a great little noodle shop opposite Leicester Square tube station. you will get a large bowl of noodle soup that will more than set you up for the day, I would highly recommend the dumplings as well.

We then moved over to the Tate to see the Philip Guston exhibition, I had studied some of his work when studying my BA Fine Art and was eager to see his work in the flesh, it did not disappoint. His paintings were inspiring, in his use of large, loose, and expressive brush strokes. This is something that have been doing and enjoying as I paint Power, it brings an element of fun to my work, especially when I have the right play list playing. As I walked around the exhibition and read the information about Philip Guston and his work I began to gain a better understanding of and appreciation for his paintings. 
​
I always find being in the Tate a bit like being in Ikea, you lose all sense of the outside world and all time. It was then refreshing to step back outside into the nights air and take in the beauty of Saint Paul's and the financial district twinkling like fairy lights in the nights sky, as we walked down the London Coastal Path to the BFI South Bank and the Red Shoes exhibition. Although this was a small exhibition it was a delightful, a show of props, costumes, and letters in homage to a classic based on the Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale. This was my first visit the Barbican and wont be my last! It offers a sanctuary from the busy London Streets. You can take time out and chill in a wee booth, watching archived films and documentaries, giving a chance for weary, painful bodies to recover. The bar area has a chilled buzz about it, where you can enjoy a drink and play games.

Finishing the day off at the National Portrait Gallery to see the latest Portrait Artist of the Year winner, Wendy Barratt's, Dr  Jane Goodall painting. To see it in the flesh, you got to actually see it's delicateness and the sense of mischief in the face looking down on you. this is something that is lost on the TV screen , and I would highly recommend that it is viewed in person if you ever get the opportunity. Another portrait worth viewing was Malala Yousafzai, by Shirin Neshat,2018. A calming beauty radiates out at you as you view this portrait.


​

Our third and last day in London saw us exploring Eataly, where I wanted to eat  everything and got excited over getting the last two bottles of Mole Cola. As I munched away on my tomato focaccia we made our way to Spitalfields Market, where I enjoyed some
yakatori for breakfast and picked up a porchetta roll for dinner (which was enjoyed on the steps of Saint Paul’s). Our next stop was Brick Lane for some frankincense, I totally fell in love with this district, it still holds all the charms that you could once find in Carnabury St and Soho before they were taken over by developers and gentrified. I would recommend on visiting this area on a weekend by passing Spitalfields and instead heading to a wee indoor market where the food stalls will have you salivating and struck with indecision over what you’ll eat first. Head down stairs to discover the Aladdin’s cave of retro clothing stalls and, best of all, a record stall (my purchase was Jayne’s Addiction). This area is full of retro shops and appears to be quite creative. If you love graffiti then this area is a sweet shop for the eyes. Unfortunately the bagel shop had a huge queue so I didn’t make a stop, which I later regretted.

We then hopped on a bus heading to Saint Pauls, to walk across Millennium Bridge and back into the Tate to see Capturing The Moment. Highlights in this exhibition was Miriam Cahn, Das Shöne Blau, this painting was calming in appearance but closer inspection was very harrowing, as you realise it’s two migrants drowning. The way that the bodies are elongated and appear to merge with the water has a haunting appearance. Another artist and painting that I found captivating was Jana Euler, the painting was one of nine paintings in their ‘Great White Fear series’. This is a very realistic painting and from a distance I thought it was a photograph. I loved standing in front of this painting studying the technique used and gained some ideas for my own artworks. Afterwards I headed to the shop in the hope I could find some relevant books for art history, receiving so excellent help from a member of staff and recommendations I purchased two books. The first being “I Was Raised On The Internet” ISBN: 978 3 7913 5802 4, I haven’t read this one yet but looked like it might be relevant. The second book is “Goodbye, World! Looking at Art in the Digital Age” by Omar Kholeif, ISBN: 978 3 95679 309 7, so far I have read the chapter “Looking at Art after the Internet”. I have found this chapter interesting, especially where the author discusses intellectual property, copyright, and appropriation by others using social media and the internet. After the Tate it was then time to collect our bags and head home to rest.