Varnishing Day and Buyers Day at the

Royal Academy 250th Summer Exhibition

Service for Artists procession from the RA
 to St James Church, Piccadilly London 

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Peter Hitchener Channel 9 Melbourne
Bob Parks

It was a privilege to attend varnishing day at the Royal Academy of Arts 250th Summer Exhibition and be part of 'Art Made Now', chaired by the inimitable Grayson Perry RA. A service for the artists was held in the magnificent St James Church Piccadilly, starting with a procession from the RA courtyard throng. The procession was heralded by a trio of steel drum musicians which gave an eclectic vibe to this traditional pageant and was followed by prayers, hymns, and readings celebrating the vocation of artists. Varnishing day historically was for artists to attend to their works and apply finishing touches, but nowadays it is purely a celebratory event. I did however spy the legendary artist Bob Parks tending to his painting, giving it the once over with a cleaning cloth (toilet paper). 

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Dusty
Una Stubbs

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Traces of Childhood 1
Susan Aldworth

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I Love Alan
Joy Pitts

I was thrilled to see that Una Stubbs has a watercolour painting of the singer Dusty Springfield hanging in room IV curated by Prof Humphrey Ocean RA. I very much enjoy her lively daubing of paint which animatedly captures her sitter's character. It was great to talk to the artist Susan Aldworth whom I had met previously at the UCA PHD conference earlier on in the year. I greatly admire her printmaking which hold evocative trace memories of people. To get a chance to view one of her monoprints up close was a great opportunity for me to observe her process and expression. The overlapping composed elements of hair strands, feather and a child's smock printed in white on black ground provided the viewer with a sense of drama and a presence of souls. An x-ray of a past life perhaps. Joy Pitts's 'I love Alan' and 'I love Claire' humorous compositions using name tapes and dressmaker pins on canvas were displayed along with other homages to Grayson in the McAulay Gallery, room of fun. The personalised textiles configured into simplistic portraits captured the essence of the characters presented, making them easily recognisable. 

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Chris
Joe Lycett 

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My Name Is Not Colin
Victor Silky

Joe Lycett's 'Chris' brought happiness to my heart. This disembodied head made of air dry clay and acrylic seemed as if it had rolled about the gallery and laughed its head off, coming to an halt in the corner of the room. 'My name is not Colin' by the eponymously named artist Victor Silky was another delightful exhibit. An excretal slug made of mixed media and cocktail sticks showcased along with exquisite collagraphs and lithographs  was très amusant!

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Manny
Liane Lang

The prints this year have their own space upstairs in the Sackler Galleries. Some artists are unhappy with this new location and feel these works are sidelined however I believe they have been given importance and elevated to be housed with the Gods! Liane Lang's Manny (a slang term for male nanny) is a print on marble and depicts the greek god Dyonisos holding an infant. Lang has photographed the cast statue, which resides in the RA schools corridors, and has printed this onto a slab of marble wittily connecting the past with the present day. 

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Blue Mother
Sara Jayne Harris

On buyers day I was thrilled to discover some red dots adorning my print 'Blue Mother', meaning my framed work along with a number of editions have sold and will shortly be going to new homes. I enjoyed meeting gallery visitors and telling the story behind my exhibited work. I felt humbled by people's evident interest, emotional reactions and palpable connections with the work, one visitor had visible tears in their eyes. 

I am proud of Blue Mother!