Picture Diary

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Sep 17

Magical visit to Ben Johnson’s amazing house studio at St Peter’s Wharf, Hammersmith. Part of ‘Artists at Home’ 17-19 Sept, this weekend. Great paintings. Beautiful part of the World. Do go if you can!

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Sep 9

Sunny day on the South Bank … and the joy of the little children!

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Aug 24

Sampling street food at Lower Marsh, Waterloo (where I’m currently living in temporary accommodation).
THAI HOUSE run by Andrey, unexpectedly from Turkey, with chef Nut, from Thailand. They have been there for five years (with a second stall in Victoria), from Monday to Friday.
I had a small chicken Panang which was very tasty and really copious (£5.50). There are tables in the street and a small community garden nearby.

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Aug 21

The country on London’s doorstep … in fact at the end of the Metropolitan line. Amersham! There is a 20 mn walk to the incredibly picturesque Old Amersham where every other shop is an eatery. An embarrassment of riches!
My friend took me to the (Michelin) Artichoke - very special, all delicious and beautiful looking. I came out with a spring in my step and marvelled at the fairy tale ‘Remembrance Garden’ nearby.

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Aug 15

Do you think this is well away from London? It is not … It is the delightful local museum for the Borough of Barking & Dagenham at Valence House, a hidden gem, perfectly in keeping with its surroundings - the enormous Becontree cottage garden estate, built after the First World War as ‘homes for heroes’ - gardening heroes! It was ready in 1934 with all ‘mod-cons’, gardens being ranked as important as houses. A special place …

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Aug 4

So … what makes you happy? The Wellcome Institute relishes the big questions and tackles this one through a two-part show: Joy and Tranquillity.
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I’ll be honest: I came for Tranquillity but found Joy more straightforward. Tranquillity had a dig at the world of yoga; also, despite the splendid photography, it created a forest ‘experience’ which resonated a little fake to me. While Joy homed in on a marvellously direct drawing of a rat which the sewer made happy!

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Jul 25

Back at the American embassy … to look for the sky swimming pool everyone is talking about. After a minute or so, a lone swimmer appeared …

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Jul 20

A glorious day in Greenwich. Heatwave.

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Jul 11

I walked around the City of the Dead on a glorious summer day and it was uplifting…You can now go on a self-guided tour of the oldest part of Highgate cemetery (West). Its architectural heart around the Egyptian avenue is stunning.

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Jun 28

It was a magical evening at Holland Park Opera on Sunday night, despite the torrential rain as part II was getting under way … My first live event in over a year - a very emotional Traviata. Excellent performance and the joy of sharing! ——————————
But here is the thing: Holland Park sits 1000 people apparently and the audience with COVID restrictions was down to 400. They’ve got to find a way of balancing the books with that number. It is sooooooo much nicer when we are not packed like sardines with queues for everything.

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Jun 25

‘Lovely bones’ - check this astonishing public sculpture in Bermondsey Street! It incorporates actual bones found in the Thames. Artist Austin Emery has pulled together 100 stones carved by members of the local community to make a striking installation piece (2020).
Can you spot the bones, and also Tower Bridge …?

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Jun 20

We had fun at Thai Elephant in West Wickham. They were running a special offer on their mainly Dim Sum offerings; our copious meal was a tenner a head! We should all try London’s fringe venues more often …

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Jun 12

This is one of the earliest ‘naturalistic’ pictures of London. It is very little known, perhaps because it lost its attribution to the popular Anthony Van den Wyngaerde some time ago. It dates from around 1550 and is in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum which holds so many London treasures. It will be published in our forthcoming ‘South Bank Notebook’ which will dedicate a whole chapter to Artists’ London. ————————-
Old St Paul’s Cathedral lost its spire in 1561. This drawing is one of a handful which depicts the Cathedral with its spire (first detail).

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Jun 7

Don’t miss Jiro Osuga’s wonderful exhibition - The River. This ambitious project will take you on a colourful, upbeat walk from Kew to the Thames Barrier, ambling along the south bank to admire the north bank. Clever and exhilarating!
Online exhibition until 20 June. See Flowers Gallery website

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May 22

Yes, the Ashmolean Museum may be the world’s first purpose-built public museum, but its initial good fortune was largely based on a unique corner of Lambeth in South London in the 17th century.

There lived John Tradescant the Elder and his son and there they created this country’s first botanic garden. They also brought together fantastic objects from far away places to exhibit in their ‘Ark’ which is evoked here in the basement of the Ashmolean Museum, but also at the Museum of Garden History near Lambeth Palace. The two displays could not be more different.

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May 11

‘It always feels strange for the first few days after landing in Tokyo, or in London after a stint in Japan. You see everything in double - each time you see a lamp post in Tokyo, for instance, you are reminded of the equivalent in London and vice versa. But that sensation fades with time. In the end human beings are much the same the world over.’ ——— Jiro Osuga, from ‘The Streatham Sketchbook’. See Your London Publishing website

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May 9

Highly recommended: Parkland Walk, from Alexandra Palace (Gate9) to Finsbury Park. Pick a nice day ... 😉

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Apr 20

This is the amazing London’s Rhinebeck panorama dating from around 1810. All the details selected focus on the South Bank - Your London Publishing’s current project.
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Can you spot Southwark Cathedral? And nearby St Olave’s (no longer there)? What about the funeral taking place in St John’s burying ground? Polluting glass houses/potteries in the distance?
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The original watercolour in 4 sections is in the collection of the Museum of London/Museum in Docklands.
These photos have been taken from the facsimile published by the London Topographical Society

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Apr 19

I never tire of ambling through Borough Market. A treat for the eyes mixed with anticipation and temptation (trying to resist the delicious cheese toasties at the market’s entrance is futile).

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Apr 16

Have you been to (scary) Vauxhall lately? Skyscrapers gone mad! But you can take refuge in the wonderful and soothing Bonnington Gardens ...

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