Two Liverpool galleries and making paper beads

I've been quiet on the blog front recently, as I have been busy, both getting out and about and also working hard in the studio

Firstly I wanted to share my recent trip to Liverpool and the Tate where the Matisse works to know by heart exhibition is on at the moment..

I adore visiting art galleries, I always leave inspired, my head filled with new ideas.

I have always loved Matisse and this small exhibition  spans Matisse's life and as it's centre piece is the iconic 'The snail' collage.

It is a huge collage, about 3 metres square, and as a collage artist it was lovely to be able to get up so to one of his most famous 'cut out pieces'

There was a very exciting children's workshop going on at the time, looked like lots of fun!

Why visit one gallery when you can do two! So I also visited the Liverpool walker Gallery and the wonderful pre-raphaelite

Beauty and Rebellion exhibition.

 The exhibition concentrated on the links with Liverpool and the pre-Raphaelite movement. The city played an important role as many wealthy art collectors of the time were based in the city and commissioned works by artist such as Dante Gabrielle Rosetti and Sir John Everett Millais

Liverpool already has a fantastic Pre-Raphaelite collection housing works such as Dante's dream

The exhibition added many more to this with some beautiful works lent from private and public collections. There were many highlights, Monna vanna was one of them! 

unfortunately photography wasn't allowed in the pre-Raphaelite exhibition although I did take photos, where allowed, in some of the other rooms.

Monna Vanna wikepedia

Here are a few other pieces I found of interest,

This is Michael Raedecker's 'mirage' which is a combination of acrylic threads on linen.

The trees really seem to jump off the linen background.

This made me smile! A toilet' loophoniun' by Fritz Spiegl !   

 I also liked the collection of china fragments, I love collections of things, and the idea of displaying broken fragments of the past really appealed to me.

finally a little peep at what I have been up to in the studio.....

WIP

Lots of tearing and sticking going on...
Making paper beads too..... there is a connection... I will share once it is done. ;) if you are interested in learning how there are loads of you tube tutorials. I'm just making basic paper beads although you can do some amazing things to make them really exciting!

making paper beads