London anD Woking visit Oct 2024

I’m having a change of scenary this week and topping up my art bank with a foray into London and a quick pop into Woking. Looking for ideas and inspiration and hoping to catch up with friends and nearest and dearest.

Henry Moore

To start with I went to The Lightbox Woking to see Henry Moore in Colour. This is purely an exhibition of his drawings, hung in a traditional manner in one room. Quite a subtle intimate viewing of his masterfully drawn pieces on paper, many working drawings for his better known sculptures but none the less a lesson on draughtsmanship and some interesting use of colour and subject matter. I had the gallery to myself so enjoyed sketching some pieces of work that intrigued me. Definetley worth the £12.50 to get in. Find out Moore at…

https://www.thelightbox.org.uk/whats-on/henry-moore-in-colour

Michael Craig-Martin

Next up Michael Craig-Martin at the Royal Acadamy. I’ve been a fan since my graphics course in the 90’s, his bold use of graphic flat colour and line and household objects of great appeal at the time. I loved seeing his old work particularly the pieces on graph paper using pencil and the thinnest black masking tape I’ve ever seen. Having worked in a drawing office for the Electricity Board in the 90’s these pieces chimed with me and once I’d got my nose pressed up against the glass to see the real thing it made me want to rush back to my draughtsman’s table in my studio and get drawing. I couldn’t do that however so I got the iPad out and spent time with his colourful acrylic canvases instead and tried to get a sense of his play with colour which was so dazzling. I made no attempt to draw like him though and gave it my own twist which was rather fun.

The Michael Craig-Martin show was busy, I arrived at midday which was good, but it got busier and busier, but not as mad as the Van Gogh exhibition just around the corner at The National Gallery where people were queueing around the block all day. It almost had the feel of a pop concert walking past it on the way to the RA, good to see Art pulling the crowds sad Van Gogh is not alive to see it but great that Michael Craig-Martin is still going strong and I’m happy for him that his retrospective is such a huge success. Also great that, like Hockney, Michael Craig-Martin embraces new technology and collaboration. A high point of the show was the digital art and an immersive room where 4 projectors played a moving piece along with music specially composed to enhance the drawings. None of the drawings themselves were actually animated they were hundreds of Michael Craig-Martin’s original drawings which moved and danced around and became layered and smaller and bigger and multiplied. Hard to explain really, but very beautiful and mesmerising you really have to see it for yourself. Go to

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/michael-craig-martin

to find out how.

The Other Art Fair

After the intense experience at the Royal Acadamy which left me giddy I went on a nostalgia trip to the East End to Brick Lane near where I lived when I was a designer in London. I had a wander around the streets of Aldgate, Shoreditch and Whitechapel trying carefully not to tread on any Gilbert and Georges. I used to bump into them from time to time when I lived there. I’ve only just found out now I’m home that they have opened their own gallery off of Brick Lane about a year ago, darn it I was right there how did I miss it? I missed it as I had a ticket for The Other Art Fair at The Truman Gallery. I focused on that and nipped in when the Private View opened at 5pm and I got a good look around before that too got stupid busy. The sheer variety of Art and fresh talent there was almost overwhelming, it was a great show and it was busy and buzzy as I left.

It was good to see a trickle of people making their way over to the wrapping station so sales had been made. Hurrah for whoever made a sale.

The highlight of my evening was meeting Vic Lee who I have been following on the socials for a while now, I’m a massive fan of his lettering murals and really recommend you go check out his work. He is working on a really interesting 150 portraits with text and you can buy his prints and originals at the show. Follow him @vicleelondon and find out more about the show at

https://www.theotherartfair.com/london/