The Friday Report

Yesterday I went to Ikea to get a few furniture items for my new studio. Any journey to Ikea is taken with a great deal of trepidation. I hate the place! I have an anxiety attack even before I get out of the car. Their lovely catalogues make the idea of getting a few pieces of utilitarian furniture look so easy and, as I don't like wasting days shopping, I always get sucked in. Into the nightmare world of Ikea, into the cheery egalitarian disney world of Scandinavian chic, sucked though endless walkways with all the other happy homemakers, most of whom are decades younger than me and pushing those multiple prams. The nightmare begins. What am I doing here?

Two hours later after wrestling with 1.6m long cartons which weigh 33kg (oh, I would happily pay a 20% service charge for some assistance or, perish the thought, an online shopping service) I emerge into the car park much in need of sustenance that is not of the meatball and watery coffee self serve variety. Mr Ikea, are you listening, baby boomers who are good customers need a little more service. 

Enough of the griping. I summoned up what energy I had left and went to see Tom Loveday's exhibition Memorial at Dominick Mersch Gallery .

Tom Loveday, Yellow Memorial, © 2009, 214cm x 183cm, Acrylic on Canvas.

These dynamic works, rather than providing a quick fix of cheery optimism, invite contemplation with their beautiful composition and skillful use of colour and tone. All is well with the world again.

When I arrived home there was an invitation to the opening of Jordi Alcaraz's exhibition at Galeria Nieves Fernandez in Madrid in the mail ..... if only!

Jordi Alcaraz. Altered Book.

The rest of the week was spent blissfully in the studio.