Gallery

Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Aukland

Arts Chat, Exhibitions & Galleries, Gallery, Uncategorized

An explosion of mining art – that is the way this gallery mentions the fantastic development of art in the region by local miners. This gallery is a beautifully refurbished building in the middle of the town. The exterior and particularly the interior are worthy of awards for the design and ambience lending to a superb venue to display these unique works of art on its walls. This gallery of course specialises in works of art produced by miners from the local community… Norman Cornish Brian Brown Tom McGuiness Robert Heslop and William Hindmarsh … amongst others. Sparing no sensitivities, the works illustrate the fears, dangers and uncertainties of the mining occupations. They also display the camaraderie, social cohesion, community spirt obviously most positively strong in the area. A fact necessary against the adversity of the type of employment where … Continue reading Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Aukland →

Majesty of Iceland in Art

Exhibitions & Galleries, Gallery, Roaming The Arts, Uncategorized

Visiting Iceland is always a joy, especially when visiting its outstanding galleries of art and museums. … Majesty of Iceland in Art The National Gallery of Iceland is an excellent case in point. This gallery prides itself on exhibiting traditional works through to modern contemporary and conceptual art. In this article I’m going to simply take a wander through an exhibition I visited recently that looked at requisitions from a local business person and collector Ragnar Jonsson who was most interested in art works depicting the emerging independent state of Iceland. So let’s take a wander … Art-Tales is a magazine blog site following the journeys and reflections through the art world of artist, sketcher, art historian and critic Al Beckett. Merely to amuse, inform and entertain, Art-Tales is aimed at people who simply wish to dip a toe into … Continue reading Majesty of Iceland in Art →

Ísafjörður Museum of Everyday Life

Exhibitions & Galleries, Gallery, Roaming The Arts

This museum is an absolutely unbelievable gem – Ísafjörður Museum of Everyday Life Nestled away in the little Icelandic port of Ísafjörður, one could be excused for walking right by without noticing. But when you do notice – you notice. Maybe that’s why there were only a handful of visitors when we arrived or does that say something about the clientele of the cruise we were on? Best to look at their website to get a really good feel for what this original place is all about. Here it is – just click on the link … We loved the shoe and boot stories. The original owners could be heard telling stories of their experiences with their shoes and boots on display. From young people to fisherfolk, all had their real stories to tell. Just think about what tales your … Continue reading Ísafjörður Museum of Everyday Life →

Reykjavik Iceland Dieter Roth

Artists, Gallery, Roaming The Arts

Visiting a part of the world such as Iceland, you often stumble across something quite unique and inspiring. Reykjavik Iceland Dieter Roth The National Museum of Iceland has always lived up to expectations and our recent visit did not disappoint. Working through the traditional and conceptual, almost as an after-thought, we stumbled across an exhibition of the little known artist and jeweller Dieter Roth. Roth became a world-renowned jeweller following an early career as a commercial artist. He was born in Hannover Germany to German and Swiss parents and spent his early years as a Swiss-German, in Zurich Switzerland to avoid the ravages of WWII. He re-joined his by then, destitute family in Bern in 1947 after his training as an artist and poet. It was his discovery of the artist Paul Klee that inspired him to move away from … Continue reading Reykjavik Iceland Dieter Roth →

Akureyri Art Museum Photography

Exhibitions & Galleries, Gallery, Roaming The Arts

Svarthvitt or black and white – Akureyri Art Museum – Akureyri Art Museum Photography Is this a primary role of photography – to capture the everyday, the ready-mades, that we simply walk by and ignore but which are essential to our lives, the quality of life? Christopher Taylor at Akureyri Art Museum Photography: Is this art? Recording the existential components of our routines, elevating them to perhaps a true perspective? Snaps versus capturing the essence of character, of the everyday. These thoughts occurred to me in a quiet moment visiting the art museum in Akureyri Iceland, whilst on a trip visiting the island and neighbouring Norway. These two countries have produced some fantastic art works most of which have been developed independently of the mainstream of art development, influence and avant-garde found in mainland Europe or indeed the USA.That is … Continue reading Akureyri Art Museum Photography →

Lorna Simpson Thun Switzerland

Artists, Exhibitions & Galleries, Gallery, Roaming The Arts

Upon arriving in Thun Switzerland, we made a bee line to the Kunstmuseum to view the exhibition by Lorna Simpson ‘Haze’ Lorna Simpson is a USA artist who became famous in the 1980s with her conceptual works comprised of collages of photographs from her grandmother’s old ‘Ebony’ and ‘Jet’ magazines from the 1950s to 1970s and text snippet works. A time line. Simpson challenges the conventual view of memory, identity, history, gender, and fiction. With the ‘Haze’ exhibition, we saw many examples of her collage works as well as her interpretation of the blurred views when looking at the old magazine covers through ice (actually glass blocks). Most effective. However, her most stunning works were her large paintings of clouds and glaciers. Depicted in luminescent blue and white with splashes of black. The ‘blue hour’, the magical moment of dawn … Continue reading Lorna Simpson Thun Switzerland →

Bob Ross BBC Covid

2020, 2021, Artists, Gallery, Roaming The Arts

One of the few benefits of the experience of Covid-19 lockdown and home confinement, is the opportunity to learn new things, develop new skills and find new techniques. Bob Ross BBC Covid One of the few benefits of the experience of Covid-19 lockdown and home confinement, is the opportunity to learn new things, develop new skills and find new techniques. Bob Ross BBC Covid This has been my experience with watching and following the American artist Bob Ross on BBC 2 most evenings of the week. His style is simple and straightforward but not as easy as he makes it appear of course. That is the usual case with these things. But with some perseverance and patience, some semblance of how he creates his paintings can shine through. I’ve used acrylics rather than oils. Far less expensive and I find … Continue reading Bob Ross BBC Covid →

Amman Hashemtite Kingdom of Jordan

2019, Gallery
Amman Sketch in Roman amphitheatre

Amman Hashemtite Kingdom of Jordan Amman Hashemtite Kingdom of Jordan : a sketch from the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre overlooking the city of Amman with the ancient Citadel on the far horizon (backdrop photo to frame the sketch) I had about 5 minutes to complete a quick pen sketch which I coloured in later. Sitting high above the orchestra and stage area, the weather was warm in November with a slight breeze to keep cool by. Art-Tales is a magazine blog site following the journeys and reflections through the art world of artist, sketcher, art historian and critic Al Beckett. Merely to amuse, inform and entertain, Art-Tales is aimed at people who simply wish to dip a toe into the art world, share an insight, smile at a joke and maybe even be informed a little. Al regularly visits … Continue reading Amman Hashemtite Kingdom of Jordan →

Klimt Staircase Vienna

2019, Gallery

Klimt Staircase Vienna It’s not difficult to be over-awed enjoying the experience of the Gustav Klimt staircase at the Kunst Historisches Museum, Vienna. The sheer technical and aesthetic brilliance is breath taking. As you enter the Museum the staircase lies immediately ahead of you. You amble across the foyer and start to ascend the gently rising steps, being careful to avoid tripping as you indulge your senses to the full. Your gaze flows around and your desire is to get much nearer to study the detail, but alas the distance is of course too far. I was visiting the Autumn 2019 exhibition of Caravaggio and Bernini  and as my timed ticket was not due for another hour, I sat with a coffee and drew a sketch of my view from my table. By sketching, the beauty becomes even more apparent. … Continue reading Klimt Staircase Vienna →

Saltaire Village Yorkshire UK

2019, Exhibitions & Galleries, Gallery

Saltaire Village Yorkshire UK Saltaire Village Yorkshire UK:  Village is near Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is named after Sir Titus Salt who built a textile mill, known as Salts Mill and this village on the River Aire. Designed by architects, Lockwood and Mawson, Salts Mill was opened on Sir Titus Salt’s 50th birthday, 20 September 1853. In December 2001, Saltaire was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Source : https://saltairevillage.info/ This is a sketch I  started from a window in the converted mill. Art-Tales is a magazine blog site following the journeys and reflections through the art world of artist, sketcher, art historian and critic Al Beckett. Merely to amuse, inform and entertain, Art-Tales is aimed at people who simply wish to dip a toe into the art world, share an insight, smile at a joke and … Continue reading Saltaire Village Yorkshire UK →