Notes from my journal – 2

Popped in to see the Gluck exhibition  – Art and Identity at Brighton’s Pavilion Museum and on until 11th March.

It is full of personal exploration, clothing, artifacts and indiscretion. But like so many other artists she came from a well heeled background, the Lyon’s catering empire no less, running off to Cornwall with fellow art students during the Great War.

The exhibition explores identity, sexual orientation and same sex union. There are  intriguing and sometimes heartbreaking stories as well as beautiful paintings.

The painting of her grandfather is one of her earliest, but there are other portraits and several exquisite flower paintings. One has to admire the irony of the painting of the judge,  a distant relation who would only pay half the fee so graced just half the canvas!

   

   

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Later in the Pavilion Gardens I found Robert the chief gardener pruning, so asked him about pruning in my own garden. ‘No’ he said, it was not too late but I should get it done as soon as possible.

        

Took some interesting sunsets from the bus, loved the setting for the crescent moon.

   

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This is not my favourite time of year so decided to join something new a few weeks ago – the  ‘We Bop’ choir.   We sung a set to celebrate the switching on of Brighton’s Christmas Lights.  Choir leader Rachel Myer is a genius at teaching four and five part harmonies and my fellow singers are a really  friendly lot!

   Left sound check – right the lights                   —

This morning we popped along to the Ming Gallery Open House.  They have several artists displaying their work, including imaginative collages by Jules Foreman and spectacular flower paintings  by Claire Harrison.

Claire has small gifts and calendars too

I got talking to the gallery owner who does calligraphy and also creates imaginative calligraphy cards. This one is called ‘Happiness’ 

I also came across these tiny cards by the Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong.  The owner told me he was very famous and decided to share his major works by producing these tiny cards, so that it would be accessible to everyone.

Wu Guanzhong was a contemporary Chinese painter widely recognized as a founder of modern Chinese painting. He is considered to be one of the greatest contemporary Chinese painters.  (source Wikipedia).

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Finally a slow walk back along Montefiore Road to Harrisons of Hove. This restaurant has a laid back atmosphere, a varied breakfast and interesting lunch menu.

With so much bad news about and endless consumer hype what more could anyone possibly want?

 

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