Unit 2 - Context - Prints, Nash, Butterflies and Prunella Clough.

The focus of our visits was to be on the london print week collections. I was sent a list by my friend, who is doing a printing MA .

I arrived early to slip in a few shows that had caught my eye, but hadn’t made it to the final list.

First was -

https://www.artlyst.com/whats-on-archive/prunella-clough-alan-reynolds/

Prunella Clough was an artist I discovered when I went to look at the Maggi Hambling‘s ‘response to the refugee crisis’ painting In Tate Britain, before Brexit, or the pandemic swamped our lives. I had needed a Hepworth, Frink moment after a really annoying day. Nothing else would do, I was going to be in a filthy mood for days, and very unproductive unless I had a reflective moment to sort myself out. I needed inspiration and explanation. I went to commune.

Low and behold a rehang and the Cloughs appeared, intreegied I was immediately drawn to them.

The current exhibition I saw left me a little under whelmed, although I did like some of the Reynolds, Cloughs paintings didn't have that curious spacial quality to them they felt like serious efforts to make something rather than moments of reflection, pings to the past, windows into someones thoughts. disappointed I remembered the gallery two floor down in the same building.

It was a print show, I texted my friend, no response so I took the moment and snuk though the door. immediately gravitated towards a tiny image above the gallery girls desk. I applogised, she moved and I zoomed in.

Bliss, the tiniest Nash print of a tree, with a personal inscription, I was in heaven.

Suddenly the gallery girl was behind me chatting about how he had worked in a herb drying hut in the village where she grew up and we chatted. We talked about the Prunella Clough show and she said ‘but we have some too. you missed her big show we had earlier in the year........we have some still would you like to see them. ‘ Just what I been hoping for and a print to boot and a painting.

Gentle, magical and very ephemeral. I left complete with a catalogue....still thinking about that Nash complete with an inscription - At least I have a picture. There were a lot of really wonderful paintings in the gallery but the Nash, the inscription, so personal, made it magical.

My friend rang and I rushed off to St. James, with a stop in the Halcyon gallery and an encounter with the gallerist, A mother, ex student from Goldsmiths, who showed me the exterordinary works on display, while we chatted about work, art and childrearing in the Covid pandemic. All very ‘now’, butterflys so teconally enhanced I couldnt wait to escape.

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I founds some Warhol Cowboy and Indian screen prints downstairs. The whole thing felt rather brash. Over lit, a hard sell, very 1970s. I wasn't sure how appropriate the images were, yes wonderfully executed some really nice text, but a very cinematic take on killing off a native population. They made me feel uncomfortable.

I found my freind and we did the print run finishing with a James Rosenquist, a flying print, and then the vention blinds experience.

Saw a few more shows, but to be honest Im still thinking about that Nash.......