The Breakfast Table

 

The Breakfast Table, 1884

John Singer Sargent

Love the morning light - the new day - creeping in to this painting.

Breakfast is by far the best meal of the day; sustenance for adventures that lay ahead. A slightly hindered scope for that in Jan 2021, but there was lots of it here

Tudor Prison Embroidery

I enjoyed reading about Mary, Queen of Scots' prison embroideries recently. They're full of symbolism - hidden and not so hidden meaning. The pieces made at Oxburgh Hall, where Mary was kept captive for the greatest period of time, are some of her most famous. There are many examples from this period - Mary was even joined by one of her jailers, the aristocrat Bess of Hardwick, herself an accomplished embroiderer. Subjects range from allegories of Mary's situation to everyday animals found in Tudor Britain - cats, dogs, honey bees - and more fantastical creatures such as unicorns and dragons. 

A mouse's tail here is held by a ginger cat - an allegory for Queen Mary and her red haired cousin Elizabeth.

Unicorn

Beehive 

Marigolds (Mary's gold) wilting in the harsh sun

It's inspired me to look at talismans and lucky charms to embroider - symbols we like to keep near during times of need...

90s Prada

Fabulous beach wear inspiration

Chains of Protection

Couple from Salamanca, 1912

Joaquín Sorolla

An image from the brilliant Sorolla: Master of Light exhibition at the National Gallery.

The couple wear their betrothal outfits, the woman resplendent in chains and necklaces of corals, medallions and reliquaries all of which are symbols of protection.

The exhibition closes on 7th July 2019.

Animals

Adam and Eve, 1504

Engraving

Albrecht Dürer

Love the menagerie in this garden of Eden which is on loan to the Royal Academy for The Renaissance Nude exhibition (closing 2nd June).

Monday's Wanderings

A library visit for more Patti and shoot research (this time a unbelievably huge Guy Bourdin reference book), riverside walks and imaginative window displays at Frame shop

Painted leather

Doing some research for an upcoming shoot and keep coming across Burberry's St Ives bags, inspired by artists such as Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood. I love the hand painted leather

Photo by Louisa Parry for The Guardian.