It is fairly quiet and the swans and cygnets on the lake create a peaceful mid-morning scene.
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| A crow crows as I walk past. |
I step into Pall Mall. Did you know that it gets the name from the 17th century from when a Frenchman introduced the game Pelemele (an older sort of croquet type game) to be played on the lawns here?
A lone jogger huffs and puffs by...
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| Jogger jogging |
Note: referring back to my post of 18th February ‘Now is the Time to Ban Joggers from Tranquil Walkways’ in which I complained a bit about joggers ‘en masse’. The odd solitary jogger is fine by me! It’s only when they are in their hordes taking over the pavement space that I have contention.
A long line of tourists crocodile their way up the red ceremonial route of Pall Mall and carry on past the elegant Regency style porticoes of the Mall Galleries, and on towards Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square.
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| A long line of tourists crocodile up the Mall |
Note: the Mall has been tinted red since the period of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation to create the effect of a giant red carpet leading up to Buckingham Palace – so eat your heart out Oscars!
Before entering the galleries, I glance up to the sky and see the sun (looking more like the moon than the sun making a feeble watery effort to break through the wintry cloudiness.
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| A watery sun tries to break through the wintry cloudiness |
I've
been supplied with good quality paper (which negates the lugging of my
sketchbooks in an already too heavy satchel!). I want to experiment using
charcoal and graphite sticks and mixing them with some wax. I have brought with
me a small pot of Michael Harding’s beeswax paste and a Windsor and Newton
colourless Oilbar. I draw a bit then smudge on some wax. Hmm this could be
interesting… I look up and become a little distracted (not this time by the
model, but by what is hanging on the walls. The workshop is being held in one
of the galleries and the walls are exhibiting some smashing works of art and a
painting has caught my eye.
It
is a stunning landscape painted with a palette knife.
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| Tim Galton 'Incombe Hole near Ivinghoe Beacon, Buckinghamshire' |
At the break, I sip a cup of tea and am idly looking at a painting of a rainy night scene, when the Assyrian Warrior God speaks over my shoulder, 'That's one of mine' he tells me. I look at him, and back at the label beside the picture; it turns out that the Assyrian Warrior is an artist called David Caldwell, and a good one at that.
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| David Caldwell 'Rainy Night' |
There is a beautiful oil of Ripley Castle. Gosh! That reminds me of an incredible experience I had whilst visiting this castle in Yorkshire. You wouldn't believe it! I must tell you all about it in another post when I have more time to tell you about a ghostly 'occurrence' from the English civil War. Its a very spooky castle.
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| Broken Vessel by Peter Archer |
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| Picture Details |
The Cowgate is the winner of the Prize and I like it.
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| The Cowgate by Henry Kondracki |
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| Details of The Cowgate |
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| The Garden |
Another Runner Up Prize painted by Benjamin Andreas is of Hoxton Square. I'm often in Hoxton so, who knows, I might pass by this location sometime...
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| Hoxton Square Daytime |
Emma Haworth's Secret Garden is like reading a wonderful children's story and I would have liked more time to explore it. The delightful naivety of its style would be magical to hang in any child's room.
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| Secret Garden |
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| Details from Secret Garden |
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Secret Place by Daniel Ablitt
Oil on canvas
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After spending the morning in distractions of the arts I exit the galleries and out into the afternoon.
Is the sun shining? Nope! The sun has failed in its vain attempt to break through the cloud which now hangs flat and grey overhead. Ah well, Spring is just around the corner, so who knows? We might get to see the sun some time soon.
