…During my stay in London, I camped out at a hotel near Kew, which is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, in south west London … Even structures that were once functional seemed to carry an artistic touch, such as the Standpipe Tower (below left) at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum …
Being based here during my London stay, I quite often wound down the day with a stroll on the Kew bridge over the River Thames (above right, looking towards down town London), into a part of Kew where nicely quaint and manicured dwellings would capture light and cast shadows that intrigued me, and ponds (below) where I could picture setting up an easel and painting at my leisure …
… Kew is best known in tourist circles for its world famous garden along with it’s glass ‘Palm House’. Apart from its appealing architectural format, the Palm House is made up of hand blown glass panes (below left) an artistry unto itself … And of course the picturesque Kew Palace, the smallest of the British Royal Palaces (below right) … perfectly ‘Palladial’ … serenity balanced, if you can imagine …
…Ah yes, but perhaps the “happy” reason for my walk is ‘The Crown and Rose Pub’ (below left). So handily near by for sustenance at the end of the day… just a quaint little setting with its ivy scampering up the side of the building and simple Tudor architecture (beckoning to be a backdrop in a future painting?)… a walk down the pub’s side alley (below right) and one enters a quiet space…
…It’s quaintness and peaceful patio was a place to rest and revitalize before the next journey … such a private rear court yard (below left) to enjoy in good company… including the Guinness! (below right) …
…If the weather hadn’t been so lovely I would have situated myself inside the Rose and Crown. The quaint and cozy atmosphere and old country charm is so typical of the pubs I encountered in England. Not enough can be said about these “public” houses. They are in such stark contrast to what one would encounter back home. The details of the pub will make great reference material for future painting projects!.
Although busy London streets are not my “cup of tea” to miss a visit to Harrods Department store would have been a sacrilege … Harrods is a visual spectacle unto itself with it’s stately dome (seen at a fair distance below left) and brims with self confidence with it’s self portrait etched in glass (below right) … This store occupies a 5-acre site and has over one million square feet of retail space, with over 330 departments making it the biggest department store, not only in London, but in Europe!…
…Never have I been in a shopping place that has this much opulence … from the hand painted sculptured ceilings (below left) with their endless display of chandeliers, illuminating every inch of space for the ultimate shopping experience … to the numerous sculptures that are adorned throughout the five floor extravaganza, such as the marble sphinx (below right) … I found all of this to be a banquet for the artistic eye!
…Every display is crafted with much care and artistic flare … so richly coloured and appealing to the eye … an artist’s eye anyway ..and opulent in its presentation (example below left) … At the time of my visit to Harrods, it was owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed who set up this memorial for his son Dodi and Princess Diana, (below right) …
… Having painted and done several graphite portraits of Princess Diana in response to this tragic event it was only fitting that I should take in this memorial …Being an artist who is driven to explore a great variety of artistic endeavours, sculpture, did not pass me by … In my early teens I dabbled with the art of sculpting, by both chiseling blocks of plaster of Paris, and moulding chunks of clay … Both methods intrigued me, and still do, (though time does not permit me to work at everything I would like to). My subject matter of course, was always the human form, and I have the greatest appreciation and respect for this art form, whether it be Bernini, Michelangelo, or the figures modelled by the very talented Marie Tussaud. (Yet, another great “female” artist!) Marie Tussaud first started displaying her works in Paris and after the revolution she travelled to London to exhibit her work. Unable to return to France because of the Napoleonic Wars, she travelled throughout England and Ireland exhibiting her work, eventually opening her own museum in London and … well, the rest is history. I’ve read of the trials and tribulations of this remarkable woman and her life has intrigued me, as well as the wonderful art form of wax modelling which became her legacy … so … a visit to Madame Tussaud’s “Wax Museum” was an absolute must while visiting London … …There are so many great wax sculptures in this museum, including some horrific depictions in the Chamber of Horrors, but I will just share a few of my favourites with you … Obviously I could not pass up the chance for a snap with Princess Diana (below left), even though it saddened me just a little … And of course one of my personal favourites (below right) … shaken not stirred …
…And another favourite (below left) … I asked John Travolta to dance, but he was lost for words … and of course Fidel Castro, who was once described by Pierre Trudeau as one of the most charismatic individuals he’d ever met …
…And I just couldn’t pass up this well done likeness of the Rolling Stones Keith Richards in his role as Captain Teague, in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean … and I will end with another shot of Princess Diana … note the queen mother in the back ground …
… There is still so much more I could share of these stops, but I hope you will be able to discover for yourselves … as for myself, I long to return to find new discoveries … I hope you’ll continue to join me, as I blog on with my visual quest of some of my favourite places in England…
...And Beyond…
England has always been a land that’s intrigued me. Not only did I have a keen interest in a number of British artists, (Gainsborough, Reynolds, Sergeant…and the list goes on) I’ve also had a keen interest in its history, architecture, and it’s quaint villages.
When my daughter moved to England it was the perfect opportunity for me to explore all its treasures! And although it would probably take a life time to cover all the places of interest, I did make a nice start by traveling for six weeks throughout the southern portion of the country.
Although I spent several days taking in some of the “highlights” of London that would interest the artistic eye and temperament it was by far the smaller towns, villages and historical places that captivated my visual senses! Acquiring a National Trust pass was a great asset to my travels, allowing easy access to historical sites many with lovely gardens.
I was also fortunate enough to be traveling in the months of May and June. This meant the weather would be “decent” for outdoor extravaganzas, and the gardens would have blooms to tantalize the artistic eye. June is also the month for the “trooping the colour” in London and the “Mall” was decked out in its finest, adding to sightseers “visual pleasures”.
Entrance to the Pall Mall
To Buckinghams Gate
Me in front of the National Gallery
The National Art Gallery
The National Gallery in London has a spectacular array of paintings by artists from around the world.
I was amazed and delighted to find many of my favourite paintings on these walls. And, as usual, you can expect to spend the greater part of the day inspecting the works of art contained in this large gallery. As with all the galleries photos are not allowed (unless you’re a real sneak and don’t get caught! … I’m not that brave.)
But art and artistry could be found throughout London. Trafalgar’s Square starts with it’s grand architecture, to it’s fountains in front of the National Gallery (above) to it’s statue (below left)…
…To statues depicting British rule and dominance (above right) … to the classical dolphins found at the base of many lamp standards (below left) …
…To the exquisite architectural styling of the Parliament Buildings (above right) and even an artistic flair of a stranded cargo troller at low tide on the River Thames (below)
A highlight of my initial foray into London was a quick trip (well, they are never a “quick trip”) to the Tate Gallery (below left) where one of my favourite paintings, The Lady of Shalott is exhibited… it is an 1888 oil-on-canvas painting by the English Pre-Raphaelite painter John William Waterhouse.
Tate Gallery
Lady of Shalott
…England seems to have an endless source of vast historical manor houses, castles, estates and cathedrals, and the thing to note when visiting these is the fact that they will always have paintings and sculptures in them!!! So if you are in England, and artistically curious, don’t pass these up as they are every bit as exciting as the formal galleries. The fact that paintings adorn so many walls of these historical places should be an inspiration to young artists and a reminder of the importance and high regard in which art has been held through the ages… … I leave you with my memories of the National Gallery and Tate and hope you’ll join me on my visual quest, as I present some of my favourite places in England in upcoming blogs …
