Down in London for Jeanette's opening at Flow Gallery and also to see a few people about things at the print centre. Staying with Jeanette's cousin who lives in Henry Tate Mews in Streatham. Interestingly the living room was originally the ballroom and it is thought that this is where Henry Tate first held viewings of his art collection. The Flow exhibition looked really lovely (see my review on interface). Went to Tate Modern yesterday (tea opposite the wonderful Lindsay Duncan) and a trip to the Printroom in Hampstead. Also over to Spitalfields area.
It's Manchester Artists Book Fair today, Heather Prescott has taken everything over there so hopefully that will go well. I've sent over some new book works so we'll see.
Saw a few things I really liked in Tate. One of them a film by Maya Deren, Meshes in the Afternoon. I could really see how this influenced mainstream cinema, including Hitchcock. Really interesting that connection between art film, influencing mainstream cinema, influencing contemporary art such as Douglas Gordon. I want to take aspects of the noir into my own work and have always been inspired by the use of colour (specifically red in The Birds and technicolour in things like Rear Window).
Find visiting London exhausting but incredible. Had tea in Islington with our friends Julie and Douglas. So good to spend a bit of time with them…always wish it could be longer. Listened to some jazz. Saw Buckingham Palace up to Covent Garden… so many options for everything in London. It's just so nice to be based in north Wales but the opportunities open to artists and creative people are so limited compared to London. However, it's interesting that people seem unwilling to travel within London, north to south being seen as too far…
