Art I've Recently Seen

Have seen some great art recently in Bath and Salisbury.

In the Adam Gallery in Bath I loved the colours and the simplicity of the work by Elaine Pamphilon.

 I also really loved this tiny painting by Michael Hyam and I'm going to attempt to create something similar in my final painting (to be done in oils. Gulp).

Question: is copying bad? I'm not sure. I'm not going to try and profit from copying, and I know it's a great way of learning. But it's an interesting question, all the same.

In the Victoria Galleries I loved the photography of Roger Mayne. Again, it proves just how much better black and white is than colour in terms of impact (and that fixed lense cameras definitely have their merits). He photographed a 'slum' street in London over many years, and his photos are wonderfully evocative of the sense of community and the period in which they were taken.

We also really liked the work of a French print maker, creating prints (mono prints and metal based ones). I can't remember her name, nor the name of the gallery, but here are some photos. The works really grow on you but they are quite 'plain' some might say:

 I love these two prints alongside one another.

 We also really loved the way they were double framed in oak.

Finally, in the Fisherton Mill Gallery in Salisbury, it was really useful seeing the linocuts of John Walker as they gave me the idea to just spot colour one bit of one of my lino cuts. I couldn't find an example from him, but in the ones I saw he would simply colour, say, the shape in the sky red, with great effect.

My hand-coloured prints - one lino cut, one acrylic etched.