RA RA AT THE R.A.

Yesterday I went to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. When I've visited the exhibition in previous years I have sometimes found it a little overwhelming - so many pictures crammed in together, vying for attention. I was pleasantly surprised on this visit, however, as the galleries appeared to have a lighter more open feel to them. The exhibition curator, artist Tess Jaray, has hung the artworks in one of the large galleries in an interesting wave-like line which flows around the room and introduces an element of movement to the mass of paintings.

As ever there is a variety of styles to cover everyone's taste and I think despite its sometimes negative press coverage, well worth a visit. Here are a few that caught my eye:

image courtesy of www.artnet.com/artwork

Peg Painting by Annie Morris - wooden clothes pegs each individually painted with a naked figure, I love artwork where there's so much detail you find something new each time you look at it.

image courtesy of http://garybettssculpture.com/

Masterchef by Gary Betts - a mound of small porcelain figures entwined like a bowl of human spaghetti, delicate and beautiful.

image courtesy of http://joelpenkman.com/

Black Treacle by Joel Penkman - painted in egg tempera, elevating the everyday to the extraordinary with amazing craftmanship and gorgeous colours

And finally a really sweet painting which I loved called The Underdog by Oliver Canti which unfortunately I can't find an image of, but I can only say the expressions on the dogs faces are wonderful.

Continuing with the art theme this weekend I'm going to the Nucleus Arts Centre Artist Open Studios.

*Here is the Urban Dictionary definition of ra ra