Art school girlfriend

Saturday saw Sian and I return to the Royal Academy for the first time since the pandemic. We’d intended to go last year, but with train strikes and scheduling issues we just couldn’t make it. This year all the star aligned and we ascended the familiar steps at Green Park station on a baking hot day.

It felt so right to be walking up to the Royal Academy again, and the air conditioning was a huge relief. I had prepared my comedy comments in advance, but even I was surprised at how quickly I dished them out.

“Mine’s better that those!” I snorted in the first few seconds that we walked in through this odd little corridor. “Can’t believe that got in!” before Sian said I sounded bitter, cause I did. We walked up to the bar and bought so spicy pricey sparkling wine and had a nice wander. As per most year’s the work I responded to the most was the figurative paintings - which is odd cause in my own practice I am an abstract kinda guy - i also liked the lino and woodcuts.

It was good to see Corneila Parker’s variation on her theme get a rinse and repeat. However it wasn’t a vintage year, I didn’t think this year had a strong identity, the work from us mortals were really shoved in the corners, and boy the prices! Eye watering. I did love it though, there were still some truly work which filled me up again, and as ever made me want to visit more galleries and the next day pushed me back into my studio. There was a welcome playfulness in some of the work which can be seen below , and it was so good to be back amongst art again, and for the first time I actually joined up as a friend of the RA which I’m determined to use and also go to my exhibitions because it truly is one of the joys of my life.