Matt Adrian
Juliette Bates
At the suggestion of one of the lovely women in my class a group of us went to see the Da Vinci drawings in the National Gallery. I would have travelled to Dublin even if they only had had one of the drawings on show, or so I say now, but the reality is that I often miss out on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like this when they involve longer distances, and it takes someone else's initiative to prompt me to make the trip. It was wonderful to see the drawings in real life and marvel at how well preserved they were.
Whenever I go to a museum, I make sure I have time to visit the museum shop afterwards. Some of the best art books I have are from museum shops; those shops are such treasure troves. This time I left empty-handed, only to find that John had bought this book on birds in art. We seem to be building a little bird-book library, and this is a delightful addition. I just realised I ended up taking photos of several crow paintings and of birds with humans, but those only form a small part of the selection in this book. It is a joy to dip into.
Both the exhibition and this book have left me with that feeling of excitement and wonder that needs cultivating, as it can be elusive in day-to-day life. I finally have a desk (two, in fact; lucky me) in my studio and am settling in, gathering my canvases and paints and ideas and anxious to get started again.