I am totally smitten by the work of Richard Long. We spent a day through at the Edinburgh Festival, originally to see the work of Anna S King (more about her work in a mo..).
Here are some of the spoils of the trip..
I've never seen Richard Long's work in the flesh before, and now I understand he is the Master- upon who's shoulders others have climbed. This exhibition focuses on his 'mud' works - which have a cumulative effect - silting up on you until you are amazed by the technique of some of the larger wall pieces. The texture of the mud close up is just beautiful, and I wonder why we bother with wallpaper when the rivulets (like the bookcover) under a glaze would be so calming and fascinating.
I became absorbed by his hand prints (he's got big hands), and standing in front of this was quite impactful - like a huge mandala it resonated quite deeply whilst having the presence of an Indian block textile print.
But never mind that - there are the maps (eek!) and the photographs, and the text pieces of his walks in Gill Sans font! Swoon... Unfortunately there were no postcards as RL had gone off on another walk before proofing the artwork... (we like that).
From here I embarked on my own walk to see..
Anna S King at the National Museum of Scotland. Anna makes baskets, weaves, bookbinds and uses poetry, words and texture to inform her work. I liked it - especially the tiny handmade poetry books tied onto the little baskets. (Again, no postcards available!)
A serendipitous discovery - Alex Hartley at the Fruitmarket Gallery. His postcards are the 2 featured on the left above. That's him clinging to a wee croft house. He climbs buildings and photographs the climbs and his route, amongst other works. We liked his feature on the Cardross Seminary building which is near where we live. As with Long, the theme was journeying through a landscape - this time architectural - routes, paths and a physical interaction recorded in photographs. The Fruitmarket had even created a false facade over their frontage which I liked too.
I tend to skim past the big attractions, looking for the subtle and quieter voices amongst all the Hooha of the Festival... but I did like this!
for Warhol's exhibition on the Mound - that's the Scott Monument in the background if you're new to Edinburgh.
...I also have to include this one!...
...note the juxtaposition of the empty Irn-bru bottle for scale.
(explanatory note for those outside Scotland - Irn Bru is the Scottish Coca-Cola made in Scotland "from Girders" favoured 'generally' by a type of person who tend to leave half finished bottles behind - therefore you will find them by roadsides, on window sills, country lanes...- at times an art form in itself)
Phew, after all that walking & culture you may need a sit down to recover...
thistle do for a nice seat...
Finally we retreated to the peace of the Botanic Gardens to see William Eggleston's portraits from 1974 - beautiful colour and detail - I love the diner and street furniture type photos against the blue skies.
