All Things Considered

Brita Granström
Posted by Simon Lewin

Berwick based artist Brita Granström has two exhibitions running concurrently at Northumbria University in Newcastle from 18th May until 29th June 2012.

In Butcher, Baker, Cockle Sweet-Maker, Brita focuses on the town in the same way that painters such as Bawden and Rowntree documented English towns during the 1940s. As well as the buildings, she engages with local traders - the butchers, the bakers and the pub landlords.

A Breath Of Fresh Air is a broad survey of Brita's paintings of Swedish and Northumbrian subjects. These reveal a kind of windswept paradise, a terrain of boundless adventure for children, where they might enjoy fishing, messing about in boats, or discovering a dead seal on a beach.

And in the Gallery Print Room you'll also be able to see original artwork from the children's book Charles Dickens - Scenes from an Extraordinary Life by Brita and Mick Manning. Signed copies of the book will also be available during the exhibition.

For full details on all the exhibition visit the Northumbria University website.

You might also enjoy these short films show Brita at work: One | Two

From top to bottom: Pay Here Please, Brenda On The Phone, The Butcher (screenprint), The Call Of Nature, The Dead Seal and a photograph of Brita drawing on location (photograph by Tom Band).

Posted by Simon Lewin on May 13th, 2012

Ed Kluz – Theatre Britannica
Posted by Simon Lewin

Work commitments means that we're very reluctantly able to be in London tonight for the opening of Ed Kluz's Theatre Britannica exhibition hosted by Ben Pentreath and Bridie Hall.

The exhibition features drawings, collages and other works by Ed who is fascinated by the objects of our cultural heritage. He seeks out the eccentric, the lost and the overlooked. Follies, curiosities, vanished buildings and folk lore inspire artworks which explore themes of renewal and reinvention.

Ben and Bridie have very kindly let us display Ed's fabrics for St. Jude's in one of their Rugby Street windows. I have to say we're delighted with how Painswick is looking in situ.

Theatre Britannica runs until 26th May 2012 at Ben Pentreath, 17 Rugby Street, London WC1N 3QT.

Here are some of the works exhibited. From top to bottom: a window display featuring Ed's Painswick fabric, Old London After Canaletto, Dundee Arch, Gothick Cottage, A Norwich Prospect and The Dunmore Pineapple.

Posted by Simon Lewin on May 9th, 2012

Caught By The River
Posted by Simon Lewin

Our friends at Caught By The River are publishing a paperback version of their first book, Words On Water.

Featuring a beautiful brand new cover painting by James Lewis, a rejigged design inside and a new introduction by Charles Rangeley-Wilson, all orders taken before 15th May 2012 will be despatched ahead of publication date and signed by the editors and as many of the contributors they can get their hands on.

Order your copy online today.

Posted by Simon Lewin on May 1st, 2012

David Gentleman
Posted by Simon Lewin

It's been a good year so far for books about London. Christopher Brown's An Alphabet of London is already being reprinted and Spitalfields Life continues to find new admirers.

And this week sees the launch of David Gentleman's London, You're Beautiful. David Gentleman has been drawing London all his adult life, and for the past year has spent his days focused on looking afresh at the city. The resulting book of sketches, drawings and watercolours, arranged month by month, shows a year in the life of London and reveals the city that is hidden in plain view.

An associated exhibition of David Gentleman's work opens at The Fine Art Society on New Bond Street on the 4th May 2012.

Order a copy online via Amazon

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 29th, 2012

Bauhaus at the Barbican
Posted by Simon Lewin

The biggest Bauhaus exhibition in the UK for 40 years, Bauhaus: Art As Life, opens at the Barbican on 3rd May 2012.

From expressionist beginnings to a pioneering model uniting art and technology, this London exhibition presents the Bauhaus’ utopian vision to change society in the aftermath of the First World War.

The exhibition will feature work from Bauhaus Masters including Josef and Anni Albers, Marianne Brandt, Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius, Johannes Itten, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Hannes Meyer, László Moholy-Nagy, Oskar Schlemmer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Gunta Stölzl.

Find out more about the exhibition and book tickets online via the Barbican website.

Photograph: Lis Beyer or Ise Gropius sitting on the B3 club chair by Marcel Breuer and wearing a mask by Oskar Schlemmer and dress fabric by Beyer, c.1927. Herzogenrath, Berlin. © Estate Erich Consemüller

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 27th, 2012

Paul Bommer – an exhibition in London
Posted by Simon Lewin

Paul Bommer is busy preparing for his next London exhibition, 'Umbra Sumus (We Are But Shadows)' which runs from April 27-29 inclusively in Spitalfields.

As part of this exhibition, Paul has created over 120 faux Delftware tiles, taking their cue from the Spitalfields area, or from the daily blog Spitalfields Life - sometimes directly, sometimes a little obliquely.

Find out more about Paul's work.

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 18th, 2012

Spitalfields Life
Posted by Simon Lewin

We're long time fans of the Spitalfields Life blog, best described by The Gentle Author's pledge...

"Over the coming days, weeks, months and years, I am going to write every single day and tell you about life here in Spitalfields at the heart of London. How can I ever describe the exuberant richness and multiplicity of culture in this place to you? This is both my task and my delight.

Let me disclose to you the hare-brained ambition I am pursuing, which is to write at least ten thousand stories about Spitalfields life. At the rate of one a day, this will take approximately twenty-seven years and four months. Who knows what kind of life we shall be living in 2037 when I write my ten thousandth post?

I do not think there will be any shortage of material, though it may be difficult to choose what to write of because the possibilities are infinite. Truly all of human life is here in Spitalfields."

This new book brings together many of the places and characters covered by the blog - street life, street art, markets, diverse food, immigrant culture, ancient houses and history, pageants and parades, rituals and customs, traditional trades and old family businesses. Spend a night in the bakery at St John with baker Justin Piers Gellatly, ride the rounds with Kevin Read the Spitalfields milkman, drop into the Golden Heart for a pint with landlady Sandra Esqulant, meet Paul Gardner the fourth-generation paper-bag seller, Steve Brooker the mudlark who discovers treasure in the Thames, Bill Crome the window cleaner who sees ghosts and Alan Hughes the master bell-founder whose business started in 1570.

The book is illustrated by Rob Ryan, Lucinda Rogers and Mark Hearld (some of Mark's illustrations are pictured below).

On Friday 2nd March 2012 the book will be launched at Christ Church Spitalfields - between 7-9pm. All are welcome.

All photographs below by Simon Lewin.

All photographs above by Simon Lewin.

Posted by Simon Lewin on March 1st, 2012

A First Book Of Nature
Posted by Simon Lewin

The postman arrived with a very welcome package from Walker Books last week - a preview copy of 'A First Book Of Nature' by Nicola Davies which is illustrated throughout by Mark Hearld.

Over the last couple of years Mark had shown us various spreads from the book whilst he was working on the project - it really was a mammoth task.

A few words from Waterstones about the book...

"This is an exquisite book that evokes a child's first experience of nature. From beach combing to stargazing, from watching squirrels, ducks and worms to making berry crumble or a winter bird feast, this is a remarkable book - part poetry, part scrapbook of recipes, facts and fragments - and a glorious reminder that the natural world is on our doorstep waiting to be discovered."

The book is published in May but can be pre-ordered now Amazon.

Mark will be exhibiting original artwork from the book in London in May - and he'll then be joining Angie Lewin and Emily Sutton for our next St. Jude's In The City exhibition - also in London. Sign up for our e-mail newsletter if you'd like to receive details nearer the time.

And we'll soon be announcing details of 'Harvest Hare', Mark's first wallpaper for St. Jude's. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for details.

All photographs below by Simon Lewin.

All photographs by Simon Lewin.

Posted by Simon Lewin on February 21st, 2012

Naomi Mitchison
Posted by Angie Lewin

Simon and I took a trip to the newly renovated National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh last week.

One of our favourite images was this painting of Naomi Mitchison by Wyndham Lewis.

Naomi Mitchison was a novelist, poet and passionate campaigner for social justice and women's rights. Born in Edinburgh, Mitchison's first novel was published in 1923, when she was twenty-six and she went on to write over seventy books during her lifetime.

Find out about more about the National Portrait Gallery's renovation.

Posted by Angie Lewin on February 11th, 2012

Rob Ryan’s Valentine’s print
Posted by Simon Lewin

We're pleased to announce the availability of Rob Ryan's 2012 Valentine's print.

The text on this two colour screen print reads...

"All of the thoughts that I have held inside me ever since I was very small, silly fancies, grandiose ideas and embarrassing and happy and silly dreams that were always just mine and mine alone.

Could I share with you, and you alone, everything that lives inside my heart and my head that I have never shared with anyone but myself all of the years I have lived so far until now."

Purchase a copy of this limited edition print.

Posted by Simon Lewin on January 29th, 2012