The Affordable Art Fair

Today we were going to The Affordable Art Fair at Battersea Park, so we took the train to Sloan Square to meet Pete in the Oriel. We could not believe that the Oriel, one of our favourite haunts, has closed down due to the recession after 25 years. This is odd as the place was always busy, with the restaurant upstairs and the hidden away bar downstairs!

We sloped about disconsolately for a while, but eventually went to the bar cafe of the Royal Court Theatre, almost next door to the Oriel, hidden down the side.


































After a second restorative glass of wine and a modest snack, the surroundings looked less dusty and drab. We went around the corner and took the courtesy minibus to Battersea Park.

We looked at the artwork which is always enjoyable, and halfway through the exhibition we sat down for a while and had some sparkling water to drink, and more chat. When we all felt thoroughly tired we got the courtesy car back to Sloan Square and thus back home again.
A nice but tiring day.

The Affordable Art Fair

Today I went off by tube to Sloan Square to meet Pat at the Oriel as planned. We were going off to The Affordable Art show in Battersea Park, bur had a drink in the downstairs bar, which Pat liked, before we set off. We took the courtesy car to the show, scrambling out of it in a stiff and undignified manner from the seat over the boot.

Pat had not been to one of these shows before, and I was not sure if she would find it boring after a while, but she did not, and took a real interest in the artwork. I saw my friend from the Scottish Art Gallery. I always look carefully at his exhibition because he shows interesting and colourful art. This is the 10th year he has shown work at The Affordable Art Fair, two displays each year and he used to go to the Chelsea Art show as well. http://www.scottishartportfolio.co.uk/

We looked at pictures until we both got really hungry, and finding a cough sweet was not enough, we went to the cafe on the premises and had a Cornish pastie each (the worst I have ever eaten) with salad, and a flapjack biscuit.

Thus fortified we continued looking at the art. Having looked at everything, and feeling tired we decided it was time to leave. We waited momentarily for the courtesy car, and had more comfortable seats this time. As we drove across the bridge the view was stunning because everything was bathed in bright light with the setting sun, and the Thames looked as if it was liquid gold. One of the other passengers asked if we could all drive up to Edinburgh by the scenic route, avoiding all that motorway nonsense. It would have been nice......! On reaching Sloan Square we slipped into the tube and went in different directions home. Pat's parting shot was that we would have to think of somewhere nice to go next month.

When I reached Edgware it was dark with a new moon looking very evocative. I decided to walk for a bit more exercise, and as I was going along a car pulled up, and my terrible neighbour asked if I would like a lift home! I was so surprised, and all the way back he talked about cars, nothing controversial at all.

Art London, The Royal Hospital, Chelsea

This morning, after a slow breakfast we took the tube to Sloan Square as we had planned to go to Art London. After a large white wine in the Oriel which tasted like green cooking apples ( I think I will give this one a miss next time) we walked towards the river, and into the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital where an enormous marquis had been set up to house the art works.

The facilities were very good, and the whole exhibition gave the feeling of being light and airey. There was plenty to look at, and some of the paintings were of very high quality. Here are some rather quirky and interesting exhibits:

This was made from metal cutouts on individual wires.

By the time we left I felt I could barely stand up, but we walked back to Sloan Square,in the twilight, to get on the tube and go home again. I was also feeling really hungry, so Mas got me some chocolate (oh no!) which I ate in a trice and felt much better afterwards.

When we came out at Edgware we drove promptly to a Harvester bar in Mill Hill and had huge salads and chicken to eat.

Once home Salty made us welcome by being pleased to see us again.

The Affordable Art exhibition

I went to see my dentist who put in a temporary filling until I come back from my holiday.
Mas and I then went back to Edgware, had a sandwich and coffee at the small cafe near the station and then tubed it to Sloan Square where we followed our own tradition of having a glass of white wine in the downstairs bar of the Oriel which is one of our favourite places.














We were waiting for the shuttle bus and we noticed this thin building, and imagined that the room inside must have an end of about four feet wide, but when we moved the view changed.


















The bus arrived, and we were taken into Battersea Park to the Affordable Art show.
The art on display was interesting, and some seemed very good. I had a chance to talk to Linda Blackstone who has been having a busy and eventful time with her family. She was wearing red like me, but I noticed how many people were dressed in sober black and white while looking at the art.

















I rather liked these animal pictures, and thought a dog sculpture rather fun and clever as it was constructed using soft toys stitched together on a wooden frame.

















I admired some ceramics by Clare Wakefield which looked very organic and some as if found on a beach, the vases had some movable parts. http://clarewakefield.co.uk/
We had a soft drink before coming back home on the tube. We were both feeling really tired after spending the whole day looking at art. We dragged ourselves into the car, only to find it would not start! After trying for a while I was about to give up the ghost, but Mas persisted, and it eventually started and we drove thankfully home.