Guardian Private View of The Turner Prize Visit, Painting That Makes Me Cry and Wishes To Work On A Larger Scale

Art Journal October 2010 post by Jenny Meehan

The colder weather always puts me in a writing, or rather, typing mood.  It keeps my hands warm  in what is a very cold office.  First on my list today is my visit to the Guardian Private View of The Turner Prize.  It was not an emotive experience for me, and while I can enjoy the experiences I experienced last night, I am not stunned, not impressed, not motivated in any strong direction. I don’t like plastic wine glasses at all, but the wine was nice.  I had good company, and it was fun, we laughed a lot.  Shame the rest of the gallery was not open, I would have enjoyed it more.

I do like the painting of Dexter Dalwood, I like what he is doing in it, I like the collage effect, I like the size, but  I find the surface of the painting uninteresting and want the surface to offer me more…the flatness does not appeal to me.  There was some of his painting in the books at the gallery which I thought were better than some on display, and I would have liked to see them up on the wall.  I don’t think all the work on show was his strongest work, but I am sure there are many reasons (that  I am blissfully ignorant of) as to what exactly was selected.  So, in summary, I did enjoy the work of Dexter Dalwood…give me a painting any day, with a bit of a pictorial element, some visual variety, some evidence of imagination, and a nice big size, that can be hung on the wall.  That’s what I go for.

I take a look  from time to time,  at the prints of Ivon Hitchens paintings in my much loved “Ivon Hitchens” by Peter Khoroche, and almost cry. Now, them, even though only delivered to me through printing ink on flat paper, and small in size too, I do find emotive.  If I sound like an incurable romantic, then it may be that this is what I am.  Well, when it comes to paint at least, not so much other aspects of life.

In the “real” world,  I’m looking…looking at clouds and buildings, pigments in the direct sunlight, the types of pigments used for painting walls, how they change, how they relate, and they are coming closer to me I hope, almost like the air I breathe. I’m not painting right now, but I am forming many images in my mind as I concentrate on seeing and perceiving more of the light and colour and shape and form around me. With all my recent studies on the formal aspects of painting, I still find myself looking to nature, and I think there is a wonder there, that I could easily miss if I spent too much time with my own work.

One thing irked me at the Turner Prize Exhibition, and that, I must confess, did come from a little jealousy, but of a very practical nature.  Simply…How great it would be to be able to paint on a sizable canvas, rather than the small scale substrates I normally use.  All my paintings have to be stored in an already very full house.  We must work with what we have.  At least I experienced no other jealousy about any other aspect of the Turner Prize Exhibition.  Oh, there was the room, the space, of course.  That is a great space.  Room.  Room to fill.  I wish I had that.  Nothing else though.

Ah well,   I had my painting big moment.

NOTE:  Inserted later….YouTube video of the mural painted for Trafalgar Junior School in Twickenham. I have popped this in as an encouragement, for I got my opportunity for a very big painting in the end!

“Muybridge Revolutions” Exhibition at Kingston Museum, Kingston Upon Thames. Amazing Glass Zoopraxiscope Discs

Art Journal Post October 2010 by Jenny Meehan

I went along to the opening for the “Muybridge Revolutions” Exhibition at Kingston Museum ages several weeks ago and it has taken me this long to get around to writing about it.

The opening was a little delayed, so I spent some time looking around the “Town of Kings” display at the museum. It tells the story of the borough from Saxon times.   I like the stained glass window which celebrates the May Day Morris Dancers very much, and also discovered that Chessington IS a place of historical interest, because of the “Chessington Hoard”; some tiny coins were found in Chessington, I know not where, and cannot remember when, but they are gold and special! Now, fancy that! I have spent many years scouring the ground for treasure, and all I come up with is broken glass.  Maybe I should have dug a bit deeper!

The exhibiton at Kingston Museum….back to that!  The glass Zoopraxiscope discs looked fantastic, backlit against their black backgrounds, but for me the most enjoyable part was watching the reconstructed animations which showed the images on some of the discs in movement.  I will be going back again to enjoy the experience again.

I also attended the lecture by Stephen Herbert which examined the links between Muybridge’s work and the history of the moving and projected image. It was titled “Eadwead Muybridge, The Father of the Motion Picture?”. Very informative.