The Poppies today in October sun, Tower of London. Photographs by Shan Pope
Robert McPartland uses the repeating forms of commonplace objects in his still life paintings and drawings. Of interest here are the inclusion of leaves, fruit and vegetables that frequently appear; set against spoons, crumpled foil and paper spirals, you are able to meditate on their contrasting shapes, textures and energies. McPartland seems to be avoiding …
For those of us with botanical leanings, there is something slightly less satisfying about looking at a famous painting of a plant without knowing the exact species rendered. It’s equivalent to looking at a photograph of a captivating face from some faraway land and never knowing the person’s name or if they even agreed to …
There are people that have extremely difficult and painful lives, yet somehow, some of them are able to still go on to bring delight to other people’s. That is quite something. Yayoi Kusama is one such person and her latest exhibition at the Victoria Miro gallery has filled the uplifting artworks void in London recently left by Matisse’s …
Los Angeles based artist and designer Jon Lau paints plants at their charming, whimsical, gentle best.
Gilbert and George are always a trip – good and bad – but that’s the whole point maybe. Scapegoating, an exhibition showcasing their latest work is currently running at the White Cube gallery in Bermondsey, south London until 28 September. While themselves (as usual) and nitrous oxide bottles dominate this time, these self-confessed urbanites have …
Lots of new wildflower inspired fabrics at Liberty out now – a prodigious 166 in fact. The new season takes its inspiration from ‘the study of wild gardens and represents the exuberance of nature, and wildness of the un-tamed spirit.’ What we really like about Liberty here, apart from its never-ending floral pattern creation, is its …
Plant Curator was slightly disappointed that the traditional flower bouquet given to winners at medal ceremonies was absent from this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow: Wouldn’t a bunch that celebrated some of Scotland’s amazing native flora, such as a selection of thistle species, have been a nice touch? Still, we can’t complain as it was …
Walking through the National Gallery in London is one of life’s great free pleasures. If you live in London that is. While there, what you tend to overhear most are people proclaiming, “now this one, is REALLY famous”. The truth is, they kind of all are, but some rooms definitely impress more. Room 45 is …
American artist Jeff Koons is having another good year. A retrospective is underway at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and since the $58.4 million sale last November for Balloon Dog (orange), he currently holds the title for the most expensive living artist. He rather entertainingly divides opinion: A kitsch misogynistic fraud …