Saturday 25 June 2016

BP Portrait award 2016

Usually get to see this every year and it never disappoints. I loved the seeming simplicity of the winning portrait by Clara Drummond. It's subtle colours and arresting gaze standing out amongst the photorealism that is so prevalent.

Also good to see another portrait by Mark Shields, from Northern Ireland, whose work I've often seen in this exhibition.


By chance, I saw one of his self-portraits last weekend, a tiny pencil drawing, in Gainsborough's house, in Sudbury, Suffolk - in an exhibition of portraits from the Andrew Lambirth Collection.

New Tate Modern

Had a quick look at new extension at Tate and I love the curved staircase and the texture of the raw concrete.

New bookshops- huge mesmerizing choice of art books.
 And Ai Weiwei's tree