My third newsletter features a special trip to New York where I visited some amazing museums, a local fishmonger that serves delicious sashimi, how I am painting in a flow state with my current project and an introduction to my upcoming collection launch.
All Things Arty
New York City
A couple of months ago my fiancée took me to New York City to celebrate my birthday. I’ve visited a couple of times before and wasn’t let down this time by the intoxicating air of possibility and opportunity that it emits along with its truly awesome architecture - the vast streets and towering skyscrapers.
We were staying pretty much right next to the Whitney Museum of American Art and our trip coincided with the opening few days of its famous biennial exhibition. A lot of the work in the biennial had a noticeably political undertone, sometimes verging on clichéd, but it was nonetheless excellently and meticulously curated resulting in an impressive show. A highlight for me was Suzanne Jackson who used acrylic paint, gels and found objects from the natural world in layer upon layer without canvas to create artworks suspended in the air allowing a translucence and new dimension to a typically 2-dimensional medium.
An expert level of curation was also visible at both the Museum of Modern Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art as well (I could have spent days there!) and whilst we barely scratched the surface of what NYC has to offer, it felt like all of these galleries were a metaphor for the city we saw as a whole - surprisingly well looked after and designed with a sophisticated aesthetic.
Another highlight was The Highline, a former elevated railway line that has been transformed into a public park and mile and half long walkway. Walking along at 9am on a quiet Sunday morning, the planting and sculptural paths with hints of its industrial past were truly inspiring. The juxtaposition of this green garden oasis amongst the towering city architecture and the vistas that emerged as you walked along was spectacular. I spend a lot of time marvelling at the beauty of the natural world, but visiting New York it’s hard not to be mesmerised by the ability of humans to create such an incredible metropolis.
Foodie Musings
If you're new to my newsletter, this is the section where I write about some of my other passions, namely food and drink! My third foodie musing features a local fishmonger.
Oeno Maris, Newington Green, London
One of the major draws of London has to be its access to so much exceptional produce from around the world. Oeno Maris is a master fishmonger that specialises in the finest sustainably sourced fish and seafood available, which luckily for me is just ten minutes’ walk from our flat. Each morning it takes Dan Murphy, the owner, hours just to set up and make sure all he has to offer is looking its best; it’s worth getting there early just to see his counter in all its splendour.
Oeno Maris is not just a fishmonger though. You can now go and have incredible sashimi, sake and natural wine on-site, either outside on a sunny day or inside in the dimly lit but very cool shop itself. The sashimi varies each week but there’s always a variety of tuna available to try. I tried a type of fatty tuna that melted like butter as you ate it - a complete revelation. Each dish comes simply yet beautifully plated and served with fresh wasabi grated at the table along with rare aged soy sauces and rice wine vinegars for dipping. I’m told that it’s the only place outside of high-end restaurants that you can find this sort of quality in London and although it’s not cheap, you’d be paying a lot more for it elsewhere. If you’re into your sashimi it’s a must and even if you’re not, it’s worth trying to experience something special.
Inspiration Update
Whilst the subject of my paintings continues to get more conceptual, the colours, shapes and feelings are more often than not informed by memories, experiences of daily life and the places I visit. When I am in the right zone this accumulation of information releases into my work in bursts of energy.
I’m currently trying to push the idea of creating work in an almost flow state; a state of mind somewhere between deep focus and the subconscious where I’ve discovered that I create some of my most successful paintings. I’m intrigued by the idea that work produced in this zone might prompt certain emotions and deep thought in the viewer as well and I’m excited about how painting can be beautiful but also have so much more to it.
As with my latest project that I’ll be launching very soon, I’m keen for people to stare into my paintings and explore their own feelings. The process of creating these paintings can be very cathartic and I hope that simply in viewing my work it might also trigger a similar response.
Recent Work
I’ve finally catalogued the last several months of paintings I’ve been working on which I’m pleased to say I'll be launching in the next couple of weeks.
“Hope: Answers for Loss”, brings together approximately 30 paintings that I’ve created as both a means of processing some of my own challenges and also in the hope that it resonates with other people. You might have already seen some of the pieces in the series but there’s another sneak peek below before I launch the whole collection online.
In other news, sadly I didn’t make it into the final selection for the Royal Academy Summer exhibition, although having read some of the reviews perhaps I ought to be glad(!) and I am holding onto the shortlisting as being a big achievement in its own right.
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