Allen Jones, a British pop artist

This comprehensive retrospective, hidden away in Burlington Gardens, behind the RA, exposes a brilliant pop art career. While I did know Allen Jones's scandalous chair and table art, there is so much more to this talented man. He uses colour to convey energy and emotion. His drawings can be both accurate and dynamic.

But it is his life size fibreglass models that are most impressive. Each woman is made as an individual and we can see works created across almost 50 years in one room, without obvious discord. He also cuts out large dynamic steel sculptures that capture individuals and couples dancing. The debate rages; is he a feminist or a misogynist? Not sure, but I think his longevity and adaptability reflects a true artist who is able to capture changing attitudes across time.

Roberta Smith critiques art critics

It is a special treat to sit in on another professional's important event, and enjoy the experience. It was the annual lecture of the International Association of Art Critics, held in the lecture theatre at Tate Britain. The speaker was Roberta Smith, a weekly columnist in the New York Times. Although her published title was Art Criticism: Personal and Political, she explained several other variants of what she intended to talk about. And it was very much like a chat with good friends; interspersed with some pithy and powerful insights. She also spent a long time inviting and responding to questions; often from very important local critics who wanted to grandstand their own views and opinions. What I enjoyed most was her fresh and honest approach to art criticism; for her, the key was to interest people long enough that they wanted to go and see the exhibition she was commenting on! She seemed critical about whether artists really know and own the meaning of their work. Many cannot explain or document the process of creation. So she aims to describe what she sees, and she focuses on describing what she calls content; the sublingual power of art to please, created by the artist's process of making and their sensibility. I tended to agree with her that art should not require a lot of interpretation, but I also recognise that we get to know some artists better than others. I liked the way she avoids taking particular stances and writing to agendas, as she said they represent a narrow vision that is boring and predictable. I also agree with her goal to describe what she sees, and decipher the artist's content to explain why the particular piece is interesting. In my case, I can only explain art exhibitions in relation to my experience and knowledge of the artist or their content. For her, it seems her comments responate more broadly with contemporary American society and with her experience in understanding and contrasting many different forms of art.

Expressing modern history: Anselm Kiefer at the RA

This ia a monumental exhibition, by a living German, painting in France, in the most establishment of English art galleries! We are told at the beginning that Anselm was born near Freiburg in 1945, so he lived through the shadow of the crumbling Nazi regime in a corner of the country that was somehow sheltered by France and Switzerland. I found his work resonated with many aspects of contemporary Germany that I know: a deep connection with their land (in his case, the Black Forest and the Rhine River); a curiosity about the art, architecture and cultural legacy of the Nazis; and a respect for the jewish struggle and survival. While we did see his inner rebel in his first few paintings on display, where he portrayed the Nazi salute against a variety of backdrops, it was clear that he is more than a reactionary artist. His paintings are large and extremely textural and they convey big concepts.

I liked the way he used sunflowers as a symbol for hope, even though at times they were suspended dead, upside down. He also used ash and splitting clay to represent the barren destruction. He cleverly portrayed the neo-classical architectural style created by Albert Speer during the Nazi regime, to recreate a sense of fear and foreboding; it was accentuated by having all four walls of a gallery hung with large paintings on this theme. I also appreciated the way he was given freedom to create pieces for the individual galleries of the RA. His piles of gigantic leaden books and discarded canvasses contrast with the way we were drawn along the Rhine river in the last room. My only unanswered question; if this really was a contemporary interpretation of Germany history, where were the Germans in this exnibition?

The Courtauld Gallery - a hidden gem

The Courtauld Gallery is a small and surprising art museum in Somerset House, on The Strand in central London. It houses the impressive Courtauld collection, which traces the history of art from the early Renaissance. They have a very broad but comprehensive selection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. Most notable painters have at least 1-2 pieces and there are more extensive collections from Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cézanne. It is a great reminder of artists I love. At this time of year, there is also a outdoor skating rink set up in the inner courtyard!

a panoramic view from The Shard

We were so lucky to visit this new London skyscraper on a sunny morning in December. Every other day in the preceeding week had been grey and damp. I could imagine the foggy vista of nothing. But I am reminded of the power of sunshine and blue skies. It transforms all those dark buildings into a thriving metropolis. The roads and trainlines resemble the arteries and veins, threading their way throughout the city.

I loved seeing the long white overground trains crawl like snakes up to and across the Blackfriars Bridge station. It was also great to pick out classic buildings, like St Pauls and Buckingham Palace. The River curves between east and west. There is still a lot of building in the capital; the expanded Tate Modern and many new glass skyscrapers are still growing in the city.

Finally, I loved the shadows and reflections on the water. I also enjoyed walking up the last 2 flights of stairs to feel the power of the wind on the open air platform on the 71st floor. I loved seeing the tips of pointed glass just above us, and looking into the windows of a BA plane flying past! It was not difficult to decide to extend our visit to investigate the restaurants on the 31st floor. Our luck continued and we were able to eat at a cancelled booking, in a corner table at Aqua Shard. The purple and brown decor served as a warm backdrop to the city views. Service was brilliant, as was the food and wine - a truly memorable experience.

Egon Schiele recognises vulnerability

I am unsure why this exhibition of Egon Schiele's drawings at the Courtald Gallery is titled The Radical Nude, except that Victorian attitudes of nudity must still be present in English society. The power of these skilful drawings for me was in their sensitivity and honesty. The crisp and delicate lines reflected hidden muscles so faithfully and delicate pastel colours reflected unusual skin tones. In all, there was a deep respect for his models, including himself and his family. I did not succomb to the predominant propoganda message of ugly, gaunt, perverse street life. Instead I came away with a small cameo of an artist wanting to share his personal life at the turn of the century in Vienna. Yes, he was working with other great artists like Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoshka, who were also keen to break with tradition. But personally, I am sorry about his early death, three days after that of his wife, during the influenza epidemic of 1918. I wonder what he could have achieved had he lived a longer life?

Late Turner: impressed by explosions of colour and texture at Tate Britain

Perhaps it was good to be primed by the movie, which I thought was disappointing. I was hoping that Turner's real art might be different and this time I was truly impressed. Tate Britain had expertly curated 6 large rooms of his late works; painted between 1835-1851. It was a visually and emotionally stunning array of large mounted watercolours, complemented by many quick drawings on paper. It was difficult to imagine an established artist in his 60's and 70's creating these controversial masterpieces, although in retrospect it is clear that he broke with tradition, and was therefore misunderstood at the time.

Each room was visually stunning and closer inspection of many pieces revealed Turner's multiple talents. He was able to combine palettes of blue-brown-cream oceans or landscape combinations as creatively as orange-gold-pink sunsets. Generally, he overshadows individuals and small villages with enormous skies; some convey idealistic and romantic sunsets while others are in the eye of a storm or in the midst of steam or fog; and there is often a hidden light shining through. In many pictures he skilfully draws in foreground and middle ground scenes, and many are partially obscured, as if looking through a window. I particularly liked his delicate scenes of European mountains, valleys and lakes, and rather dismissed his chintzy reproductions of the great mythical narratives.

It was also clear that, as a wealthy English artist and businessman, he had the means to travel to Europe and convey the grandeur of cities such as Venice, alongside Swiss mountains and lakes. He perpetuated the romance and enigma of the continent, with his tonal pallets of translucent watercolours. He also relished the opportunities to convey the colour and energy of real fires in the Tower of London and Houses of Parliament!

A genius exposed in The Imitation Game

This has to be one of the best films I have seen in ages, on so many levels. The story is complicated; Alan Turing is a seiously talented mathematician who ultimatly breaks the Enigma code to fast track the end of WW2; he models the basics for computing and artificial intelligence, and yet was chemically castrated for being gay. Equity was a non-issue, rather the brilliance of diversity shone through. While he was a true genius, in a nerdish way, Alan was also clearly on the autistic spectrum. He was emotionally independent of others, and he was so focussed on building his machine that he considered it his best friend. The acting was also superb; Benedict Cumberbatch plays Turing in such a convincing way, that we believe in him totally. Instead of focussing on the ultimate tragedy of his life, we are captivated by his brilliance and the way he works with a small group of similarly talented geeks. He was also gently influenced to be more likeable by the subtle attentions of Joan Clarke, his fiancee, overacted appropriately by Keira Knightley. I really enjoyed one of the film's guiding mantras: “Sometimes it is the people whom no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” So true that I want to find out more about Alan Turing and his enormous legacy to our world today!

Ladies lunch at l'Ortolan

It was great to be invited to save up for a splendid annual meal, and to have chosen l'Ortolan, a restaurant just outside Reading with a long history of French chefs and Michelin stars. We set off early from Oxford, driven in limousine comfort. On arrival, we enjoyed champagne on the Chesterfield in the large bar. It was complemented by wasabi popcorn, blue cheese shortbreads and deep fried haggis balls. I am so glad we opted for the 7 course gourmand menu with fine wines. The food range is too great to be described here; except to say we enjoyed fresh passionfruit, crab, scallops, venison and over 20 different cheeses. They were all delicately presented and the flavours and textures were complimentary. As was the impressive glass of wine with each course, brilliantly introduced by our French sommelier. It was such a shame to stop eating, so we extended our meal with a digestif and coffee; always a good end to a great experience. And then the walk past a giant fish tank which bordered the impressive aluminium open kitchen, to the toilet was a pleasant parting surprise!

Ai Weiwei complements Blenheim Castle

The more I see of his work, the more impressed I am. Ai Weiwei is an artist with a strong political message and a capacity to engage people across the world. While under house arrest in China, he used digital photographs to create modern installations to both complement and challenge one of England's most stately homes. Over 50 art works are displayed inside the palace and throughout the grounds. It is a little like a game of hide and seek, with a written answer sheet; although at times it helps to ask the guides to offer a more detailed explanation. There is a most stunning chandelier in the entrance hall, which kind of mirrors the large gold christmas tree; then in the bedroom where Winston Churchill was born there is a set of hand cuffs on the bed and a golden wire coat hanger twisted into Winston's profile on the wall. The dining hall has a fully set table in gold and white crockery, complemented by large golden busts of the 12 chinese astrological animals. And in one of the last rooms, there is a large bowl of single pearls; which are just out of reach! Outside he has set up patterns of large blue ceramic ovals in lines on the lawn, and hidden several pieces in the secret garden. It is such a great way to appreciate contemporary art within a living castle...

Effie Gray...a story behind the art

It is interesting when 2 films are released at the same time now about artists who were alive at the same time then. Compared to Mr Turner, which I have already criticised for lacking a narrative, the film Effie Gray provides us with the narrative behind John Ruskin's life, so we can appreciate the art and the people who are not only the physical models but the psychological contributors. Perhaps, it is because Emma Thompson has scripted this film to contrast upper class Victorian society with Effie's unconsumated marriage. We assume now that love and sex were the dark underbelly of a very prim and proper society; and that artists were perhaps best placed to capture and share this in their work. However, this film shares a very personal, but contrasting story in a respectful way. We see Effie, played by Dakota Fanning, try to uphold her social status in the claustrophobic family of John; he is the only cherished son, responsible for his father's legacy but emotionally ruined by his overbearing mother, played by Julie Walters. She sees a glimmer of humanity in Lady Eastlake, played by Emma Thompson, as the wife of the President of the Royal Academy, and shares her personal vulnerability. She also develops a real relationship with John Everett Millais, one of John's proteges and an accomplished pre-Raphaelite painter. I really felt for her, ignored by her husband, and increasingly adored by his best friend! So it is somewhat confusing to call this a love triangle, as history has done. However, there is some resolution as Effie seeks annulment of their marriage and she can become more than just an artist's muse.

The Casual Vacancy...politics of suburban life

I thoroughly enjoyed reading J K Rowling's first adult novel, having waited for the release of the paperback! Like many great stories, it begins with the unexpected death of Barry Fairbrother, a 40 something year old stalwart of the local community. We then build the jigsaw puzzle of his life, through the eyes of those around him; his wife and children, the other local councillors, the girls rowing team that he coached, local families and many more. The plot thickens when we realise that there is competition for his position on the council; all for different motivations, of course! We hear perspectives from both the adults involved and their children. It is great that the teenage children have such a strong voice, as they add their own form of manipulation to the melee. It is a pleasure to read and become a voyeur to this small rural hamlet that is fighting all of its own demons; can those who have more really share with those less fortunate, can parents really influence their own children, how do we live with mental ill-health, and of course who is really sleeping with whom? So it is not a surprise that the book does not have a happy ending, because there is no ultimate resolution of all these inherent tensions of suburban life. But it does feel like a real experience, empathetically written...

Mr Turner; a beautiful film of an ugly man

The cinema was full on Sunday evening, of the opening weekend; probably in response to brilliant reviews. I was keen to learn about this painter of light, clouds, storms and mist who broke with tradition, but also managed great fame and fortune in his lifetime. So it seems that William Turner was born into an ordinary working class family, where his mother was mad and his father doted on his son. But it soon became apparent that this artistic genius was oblivious to his wife and children, used women to meet his own needs and was fiercely competitive in the traditional art circles of the time. Turner was convincly played by Timothy Spall, as a growling, rotund and callous man. In contrast, every scene in the film was aesthetically beautiful, with early and late sunlight glowing gold and amber on the surrounding countryside, docks and city streets. I think it was quite an artists' film, with many of his masterpieces recognisable in their evolving and final forms. It was fun to see other contemporary artists such as Constable in the Royal Academy scenes. But the film was a long and largely disjointed set of scenes, which lacked a common narrative across time.

Discovering Tutankhamun...in Oxford

The Ashmolean's summer exhibition, Discovering Tutankhamun, recounts the story in 1922 of finding the tomb of this Eqyptian boy-king. Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter led the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun and painstakingly began to document every object in the 4 hidden rooms. The exhibition begins with Carter's diary open at the page where, in November 1922, he recorded finding the stone steps leading down to the door of a royal tomb with its seals still intact. When he broke through a second door, and used a candle to illuminate the underground caverns, he reported seeing many "wonderful things". While we can only see drawings and some very old photographs of masks, beads, carriages and painted boxes, of originals which will never leave Cairo, there is a sense of the enormity of his find. Although Tutankhamun only ruled for 4 years, died in his late teenage years and never had children with his step-sister wife, there is a sense that this find gave him an international reputation that is larger than it could have been at the time of his death...

Poppies surround the Tower of London

This is one of the most impressive displays of public art I have seen in London. This progressive installation, titled Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. Exactly 888,246 ceramic poppies have been hand made by artist Paul Cummins, to represent soldiers who lost their life, and have progressively filled the Tower of London’s moat. It was great to see the crowds of people out to see this spectacle, without entry fee. It was also fun to hear parents telling thier children of the significance of each poppy. And it was amazing to see the enormity of this vision...wow...

Sigmar Polke: linking the Tate Modern with New York and Nazi Germany

Art reflects reality, or so it seems with the wildly divergent creativity of Sigmar Polke. He grew up in what is now Poland, and his family fled to East Germany, and later to Dusseldorf, and then Cologne. It seems he lived through Nazi Germany without having to leave the country. But it also seems that his artistic skills took him on many journeys away from the norm and the establishment. Tate Modern has teemed up with the Museum of Modern Art in New York to co-curate an impresssive exhibition of paintings, sculptures, movies, books and other objects. The interesting thing, for me, was his use of different materials for his paintings; he used fabric, felt and bubble wrap as a basis, and then used various elements such as meteor dust and sand in his paintings. He even exposed uranium to create a wonderful pink hued set of abstract shapes. He also documented his experiments with hallucinogenic drugs, with some respect and artistic license. Overall a very creative man who created a very real alternative to orthodoxy.

Is it golf or money that is A Dangerous Game?

The choices were limited on Friday night, so we opted for this docu-drama, focussed on exposing the ugly arrogant and ignorant Donald Trump trying to bully the locals near Aberdeen, to build a very expensive golf club and resort. This was really the second drama by the British director Anthony Baxter, to follow 'You’ve Been Trumped' which grabbed news headlines back in 2011. It continued the protest against property tycoon Donald Trump’s scheme to bulldoze a luxury golf resort across environmentally sensitive coastline in northeast Scotland. There were quite a few strands to this drama; the corruption of many by money and perceived power; the portrayal of golf as an elite sport for the super rich and the stoic attitude of people who really love the land and their lifestyle in Aberdeen and later Dubrovnick. It was quite disjointed in places and there was a feeling that the film was just another different level of propaganda. There are always more than two sides to every story. But I think the take home message for me was something about the power of bullies to engage people with formal power, such as police and Mayors, to take their side, probably with promises of lots of money! Is it also a coincidence that these people are often over weight and have a very superificial way of thinking and speaking?

Gone girl twists in the tail

The film opens with a scene on their fifth wedding anniversary, where Nick(Ben Affleck) laments that he can not know what his wife Amy(Rosamund Pike) is thinking. It quickly becomes clear that this marriage is all but over, except when he returns home from a fairly honest bar chat with his twin sister, we realise that Amy has gone missing. So the plot moves quickly to find out what has happened and why? Was she kidnapped? Did Nick kill has wife? Did she stage her own murder in revenge for him cheating on her? No one is quite what they seem in this tantalising adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s bestselling marital mystery. The pace quickens and each argument is conveyed very convincingly, until we see a version of the truth that is very confronting... There are questions about who could be a sociopath and at times, it seems both could be.

explosions of colour, shape and texture at the Summer Exhibition

For all it's pretentious elitism, the Royal Academy hosts one of the few truly open art exhibitions; this 246th year they chose more than 1,000 prints and paintings from the over 12,000 submitted. Always there are true masterpieces from the 100+ Royal Academicians and some notable distinguished and foreign Honorary Academicians, like Anselm Keifer and Georg Baselitz. Every room is overflowing and the walls are absolutely covered from floor to ceiling. My first impressions several years ago were similar to the sensory overload of arriving in India. Over the last few years, I have become accustomed to the style of several better known Academicians, such as Sean Scully, Barabara Rae and Tracey Emin. But this year, similar to last, I discovered some new and great talents to watch. My 3 favourites are the bright stylised flowers and fruit of Gillian Ayres, the clean contemporary lines of Michael Craig-Martin and the geometic colours and shapes of Mali Morris. I also love the links between Venice Biennale artists and the uncertainties of knowing who will become truly great in the eyes of the world... And of course, there was an almost hidden masterpiece of film in the final room titled "walking drawings across estuaries" where horses and people make stunning marks in the bare sandy beaches of a northern English estuary.

Malevich- from figures to shapes and back again

It is rare to see the transition of a great artist from figures through abstract to defined shapes and back to enhanced figures. Tate Modern has secured a truly international retrospective that is both aesthetically comprehensive and intellectually complete. Kazimir Malevich was born in Kiev in 1879 and seemed to absorb impressionism, surrealism and cubism in order to define his own geometric style, otherwise known as suprematism. He is recognised as an avant garde leader, with his Black Square being a key contribution. His career spanned a politically unstable period in Russia and was obviously influenced by his European contemporaries. Each of the 12 rooms are distinct and dramatically different from the others. It was great to see his commitment to teaching about colour and form, even using German to move beyond Russia. This room reminded me of the Bauhaus movement but was almost 10 years earlier. I loved the way he predicted the death of painting, but then showed us that he could engineer it's own resurrection...

Ghosts...haunt us all

I was pleasantly surprised to see a London play in the cinema in Oxford; specifically, Richard Eyre’s Olivier-winning adaptation of Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen. I remember studying this play in grade 12 and not being sure I had totally understood it - how could I have, given my very conservative upbringing! I guess my teachers thought they were quite radical, but I am absolutely stunned by how contemporary this play really is, given that it was written in 1881. Helene Alving (Lesley Manville) has dutifully lived a respectable life while suspended in an emotional void after the death of her cruel but outwardly charming husband. She is determined to confront her past and tell her son Oswald (Jack Lowden), the truth about his father. However, she is thwarted, as Oswald returns from his life as a painter in France, demonstrating too bluntly how has inherited the legacy of his father's dissolute life. Although the play is essentially quite dark, it creates a sense of recognition and exhiliration for the freedoms we actually have and a determination not to become bored and indifferent to life.

abstract art amidst the old masters

Only in Oxford could one of the 38 university colleges, Christ Church, have purpose built a small gallery to show and protect donations of over 300 paintings and almost 2000 drawings. There is a strong theme of 14-18th century Italian paintings featuring masters such as Filippino Lippi, Tintoretto, Veronese, Annibale Carracci and Salvator Rosa. There is an overwhelming sense of ornate gold frames, with myriad biblical stories.

But for 3 months this summer, Sean Scully has dispersed 11 abstract paintings and 33 prints amongst the greats. His paintings stand out for their simplicity of coloured rectangles, but they fit in well with the complexity of colours. Strangely, the impression from very strong coloured abstract paintings forced me to look in more detail at the intricate old masters and revisit the stories they were describing. There was an unexpected dialogue across centuries and geography.

Although he was born in Dublin in 1945, Sean lives and works in New York and his abstract art combined colour, rectangles and stripes in a way that transcends words. He overpaints, and cuts out and inserts small canvases within larger ones. But somehow there is a clean simplicity and a clever juxtaposition of colour. I was totally impressed and will definitely seek out more of his work.

modern art in Oxford

Just occasionally, I look for an impulsive hit of inspiration at Modern Art Oxford. Recently their shows have lacked connection or inspiration. And often, as was the situation last weekend, they are between shows! There was just one room open - Metrics by Patricia L Boyd. It was cognitively complex and partially aesthetically pleasing... She presented a range of commissioned sculptures about the everyday spaces in which we work and live. However, I would call the sculptures constructed copies of chairs, tables, desks and bookcases! But the interesting take was they were all covered with a 5mm veneer taken from the floor of the artist's studio - so they were randomly paint splattered! There was another level of complexity which was underdeveloped. Apparently her studio is in central London, and each 'sculptural' construction was named by the address of a local office, shop or cafe. While randomly interesting, this needed another connection - perhaps a photo of the original site or piece of furniture would have made it more meaningful. O well, perhaps enough to get me back next month to see the next show...

Nicole's fall from Grace

Seriously disappointed at Nicole, her director Olivier Dahan and the writer, Arash Amel, in their sloppy and disrespectful portrayal of Grace of Monaco. Anyone can write a historical romance about a Hollywood star falling in love with a European Prince, and create tension about her need to choose between illustrious film roles and her commitment to her husband and children. In fact this is not that big of a storyline anymore! But to use the name of Grace of Monaco and not to reflect accurately history and relationships in the face of her living family is just plain dumb. It is also deceitful to the viewing public. The film parodies Grace's relationship with a weak and synthetic Prince Rainier and expects us to believe that Grace's biggest success is supporting her tax evading Monégasques against the nasty French who were threatening to limit supply of basic utilities unless they paid tax! I really should have listened to the critics, and used my time and money more wisely...

Jimmy's Hall

Back in time and to rural Ireland...to conservative and catholic politics. The director Ken Loach proclaimed Jimmy's Hall as his last film, while in competition at Cannes earlier this year. He adopted the true story of Jimmy Gralton (Barry Ward), an Irish communist who was eventually deported without trial in 1933, for having engaged his local community around a public hall in County Leitrim. However, we meet him determined to settle back to life in his home village, after living 10 years in New York City. It is not long before the townsfolk convince him to bring the hall back to life, and soon, it becomes the focus for education, community events and music. But it was around the music that the tyrannical catholic priest, played by Jim Norton, incited fear and intolerance; confusing jazz with moral decay. I was not sure about the current message of this film. It seems more than a conflict between the narrowminded rulers and the downtrodden masses. But I did enjoy two special relationships; Jimmy revisiting his childhood sweetheart Oonagh (Simone Kirby), and the way his mother, played by Eileen Henry, stands up to the authorities in a stoic and morally reasoned manner...

The Signature of all Things

I enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert's popular book "Eat, Pray, Love" in which she compared the power of food, spirituality and love as recovery strategies for her break-up. Sadly, the movie which starred Julia Roberts was disappointing, as was her follow up novel "Committed". So I was ambivalent when lent her latest 500 page novel "The Signature of all Things". It was well recommended and reviewed, so while it took me a while to get into, it certainly delivered an amazing escape from about page 150 onwards! This is unlike anything else she has ever written; a historical family epic with contemporary resonance conveyed in an engaging and chatty style. The story spans the 18th and 19th centuries through the lives of Henry and his daughter Alma Whittaker and their interactions with all the good and great from Captain James Cook to Charles Darwin. The writing is dynamic, descriptive and remarkably informative, suggesting an enormous amount of historical research across an amazing breadth of topics. Yet the big themes of the power of science and faith coupled with women's roles and contributions are sensitive and very well developed.

The English colonial plan to collect and collate plants from across the world provides an unifying function and many powerful metaphors across the years. While Henry moves on to harvest key plants in order to develop and sell pharmaceuticals, Alma stays focussed on understanding mosses; apparently one of the most resilient and ignored plant forms. They seem to demonstrate both a fatalistic acceptance of destiny and an ability to resiliently adapt and survive despite all obstacles. In turn, Alma mirrors the universal twists of love, science and missed opportunities through her idiosyncratic and vaguely eccentric life. In all, a captivating read...

Appreciating art in Oxford

I love the annual Art Weeks in and around Oxford, where artists open their houses and group together to display their work, so we can visit, appreciate, discuss, learn and invest. It is such an honour to see inside homes of creative people and their families, to appreciate their skills and insights and to learn about what has inspired and maintained them. Several years ago, I was impressed by the silver jewellery of Becky Morgans - and I first bought a series of flat silver bracelets and it took me a few years to buy one of her classic rings - a luminescent green piece of sea glass encased in chunky silver. Later I also invested in the creative genius of Lucy Poulson, for an complementary flat interlinked silver chained bracelet.

Sadly, I cannot invest in everyone I love and I have been watching the amazing wirework of Rachel Ducker. I also was greatly tempted by Bridget William's pottery; using simple designs in blue for functional kitchen objects and creating some amazing angular vases. I was inspired by Susan Moxley's new paintings with block of blues and greys.

This year I have continued my jewellery theme and have chosen the amazing silver work of Claire Acworth. She lives on a beautiful barge on the Thames and makes jewellery beside her kitchen sink. I was appreciative that she could create small topaz and tourmaline rings for my little fnger, separated by a textured single silver band.

I was also impressed by Tess Blenkinsop, particularly the brightly coloured bracelets and earrings that she has done for Tate Modern. I was impressed by Zoe's home workshop where she teaches in small groups. I have set a goal to make a silver necklace, perhaps over the winter months? I loved visiting the most stylish Guen Palmer to see the amazing ways she has brought stones together with shiny and patterned silver and gold. One day, I will buy something else to complement the small ring I bought several years ago! Yesterday, I made my final purchase of an amazing agate and aluminium necklace and bracelet created by Ann Collinson. It is so much fun to dream of being an artist and to support those who are living their dream...

Two faces of January

Success at the Berlinale fuelled my fascination to see this period and classicly inspired film; two faces of January. Early on, we see holidaying Americans Chester (Viggo Mortensen) and Colette (Kirsten Dunst) walking around the Parthenon in 1962. We soon learn that they have escaped for the summer, and while it seems they are the prey for a small-time con artist called Rydal (Oscar Isaac), we quickly realise that Chester is on the run from some of his own shady business deals. There is a hint of frisson between Rydal and Colette as he helps her to try on a bracelet, while ripping off her husband as he buys it. Then the aplha males spar for position and her attention, as a tense battle of wits takes us from Greece to Turkey, and finally to the back alleys of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. Visually and intellectually entertaining...

Tracks...through the desert

When I agreed to see this film about a woman's independent trek across half of the Australian continent, I didn't realise it was a film about Robyn Davidson's 1977 camel trek! As a young latent adventurer growing up in Brisbane, I remember Robyn leaving Alice Springs with her dog and four camels to walk 2,700 kilometres to the Indian Ocean.

I cherished the National Geographic story, with amazing photographs by Rick Smolan. This film was faithful to Davidson’s memoir, written by Marion Nelson, and it documented how she had accepted help and companionship along the way from the locals. The media, as expected, wanted to know why, and suggested typically, that it was a way of mending the heartbreak of her early childhood. However, it seemed unimportant for this film, which conveyed that the journey was her own adventure, and the reason was probaby because she could. Robyn is played by the enigmatic Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, after both Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman had been linked to earlier, unrealised versions of this film. The camels were stunning and it must have been a challenge to tame them sufficiently for filming!

Drawing with scissors; cutting colour

Not many artists reinvent themselves in their 60's after a major health scare and while the rest of the world is at war... I am so appreciative that my all time hero, Henri Matisse, had a second chance. It seems that he was unable to stand at his easel, so he learned to cut out sheets of paper pre-painted in bright and solid colours, from his bed. He then used his bedroom walls to display and re-configure his designs!

Tate Modern's new exhibition Matisse Cut-Outs brings together works from a large number of important museums throughout Europe and America, together with some private collections, in what is an extremely comprehensive retorspective of his last 20 years. It is an amazingly well curated exhibition, where we observe the importance of constructing an image from key objects.

A highlight is a complete set of original works and prints of his large illustrated text Jazz - a kind of adult fairy tale of images and profound messages, created against the backdrop or war. He created amazing images with colorful and stylised cutouts and wrote an accompanying text in his very floral handwriting - o I wish I could access my schoolgirl French with ease!

I also loved seeing his 4 blue nudes, coming together from the Musee d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou and the Fondation Bayeler near Bern. It was truly amazing to see all 4 together. Individually they are impressive and capture the female form in such simplicity. But to be able to compare these images, also with some simple sculptures was an unbelievable indulgence...

And the final piece d'resistance pour moi, was to see some of the preparations for his final Chapel of the Rosary in Vence, in the south of France. This was one of my most unexpected spiritual life events - to see the sun streaming in through his amazing stained glass windows, contrasted against the white simplicity and his stunning drawings on the walls. OK the Tate has not been able to do this, but to present some of his early drawings enabled me to transport myself back in time and place...

so how to conclude from such an exhibition that brings so many memories together in a unified appreciation of an old man that has changed the world of colour and form - all I can say is that he has inspired me to read his catalogues and varied books, and to get out my scissors and coloured paper to recreate my creativity...o wot fun it will be ;)

Banksy makes a man homeless

I was attracted to the tiny Burton Taylor Studio to see this one man play. It was advertised; In 2011, UK graffiti artist Banksy spray painted ‘This Looks A Bit Like An Elephant’ on the side of an old water tank in Los Angeles. The disused tank was home to a man called Tachowa Covington who, in his seven years there, had furnished it with carpets, a stove and even CCTV. The tank instantly became a work of art and was taken away to be sold. By making a statement did Banksy end up making a man homeless? So this play occurs against a backdrop of 2 recent art pieces in Bristol, Banksy's home town. One piece, portrays the image of 3 trench-coated spooks holding bugging equipment around a classic red phone booth, on a side road leading out to the GCHQ headquarters. The other piece, titled Mobile Lovers, was prised off the wall by the neighbouring youth club, to be sold at auction to ensure their future. So Banksy has moved into the realm of wealthy and famous contemporary artists, although it does not seem that is what he set out to achieve by his disruptive and smart street art. So this single act play kind of played out another parody of fame - in writing a somewhat meaningless statement on an empty water tank, Banksy bought unwanted fame to the long term occupier of the water tank. He lost his home, and for what? Although we were attracted to the play for the link to Banksy, we are engaged by the story of the man, whose life was ruined by the artist!!

Cezanne and his friends in Oxford

The Guardian's review suggests this is the first full-scale exhibition of the private art collection of Americans, Henry and Rose Pearlman. Their interests in landscapes, still life and portraiture gives us a chance to see a different collection of the modern greats. I was able to enjoy this exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum after hours on Saturday evening. The first room was a delicate display of Cezanne's unfinished watercolours; sensitive and subtle in his use of colours and texture. In the second red-walled room, it was amazing to see a range of brightly coloured oil paintings by Cezanne's contemporaries such as Degas, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec and Manet. Two brilliant oils by Cezanne were almost hidden; a splendid, classic view of Mont Sainte-Victoire, and the shadowy forest scene Cistern in the Park of Chateau Noir. And then the final room included wonderful portraits by Modigliani, textural paintings by Chaïm Soutine, the sensual and tropical motifs of Gaugin, and minimalist scultpures of Jacques Lipchitz. Aesthetically satisfying...

catholic integrity amidst dismal reality?

This film has a very dramatic opening line, shared in a confessional with the larger than life Father James. It quickly became clear that one of the locals had been repeatedly raped as a young boy and had threatened his own version of justice. We aren't sure whether to take him seriously and who he actually is. But what becomes clear, is that Father James is a priest with moral integrity and real life experience. While he may have been an absent father to his daughter, after her mother's death, he does try to reconnect and offer her hope. But what is truly mesmirising is the mix of tragic and flawed people who live in the small Irish seaside village of Sligo, and the way Father James continues to connect with and help each one, in his idiosyncratic and down-to earth manner. But as time counts down, he senses the sinister and troubling forces closing in, and he chooses to face his own personal Calvary.