Art round up

August is a very odd month everyone seems to disappear to other places and spaces. I have perhaps been doing this a little myself, I am just enjoying listening to Radio 4 and painting as many pictures as possible in my days off. I haven't felt much need to be on the hot and muggy tubes of London, sometimes its nice to just really enjoy the place you are in. I am planning on leaving soonish to go camping. I feel I need to cut off from technology for a few days and just enjoy the trees, and bugs and dirt!

The above photographs are various paintings I am working/have completed over the last 4 days.

1. Frida inspired painting

2. An owl from my zoo series

3. A chicken from my zoo series.

4&5. A shrine to my chicken Percy.

6. An experiment with transfers

A-Z of animals

 Some animals that live in my flat zoo. I hadn't really considered until taking these how many animals I have dotted around my home. This is but a small selection there is also a large camel, 2 ravens, a llama and a host of others. I will post some of the others very soon (don't want them to feel left out)

1. A parrot I inked today.

2. A lion I also inked today.

3. A giraffe for Josh's christmas card.

4. An owl and a squirrel both originally belonging to my granny.

5. Percy the chicken (a chicken on the run from the law... she had to change her identity)

6. One of my oldest and most treasured; an owl that my dad bought me. In the background is a picture of my mum, dad and me (out of shot!) and a chicken that I embroidered.

Wes Kingdom at Fika

Last Friday I called my brother to see what he was doing that evening, he mentioned he was going going to a Wes Anderson themed restaurant with a friend. This got me pretty excited. A little research later and I discovered it was a themed pop-up at the Swedish restaurant Fika at the top of Brick Lane. Josh and I decided to play an elaborate practical joke (seriously!) and surprise George! We searched for all the perfect components to turn ourselves into characters from Wes' films. I dressed as Suzy Bishop from Moonrise Kingdom and Josh dressed as Steve Zissou from The Life Aquatic. Having constructed a pair of binoculars out of an old tube of wrapping paper we were off on our adventure. Once we arrived we nearly chickened out, George was already there and sat with his friend and we wondered if what we were doing was a bit stalker rather than funny. We managed to pull ourselves together and took a seat right next to their table, I stared at George through my binoculars and he looked up and chortled. WAHOO success, we didn't freak them out too much (well if we did they didn't let on..)

SO more importantly the food! It was a delight. On entering we were presented with the most beautifully illustrated map of New Penzance Island detailing the dishes on the menu. We were then given a book which contained the drinks list, Josh and I both had cocktails from the specially put together menu (they do offer non themed drinks too). I had The Life Aquatic; a concoction of dill vodka and elderflower liquor served in a goldfish bag, it was one of the most delicious cocktails that I've had in a long time, light, refreshing and beautiful. I sadly can't remember the name of Josh's drink but it was very alcoholic! From the menu Josh opted for the Tenenbaum's Dinner and I had Pitch Perfect Meatballs. Mine was a take on swedish meatballs, with amazing thick gravy and lingonberry jam. Josh's, three sliders filled one with goats cheese, the other applewood cheddar and another with brie. We both thought they were very beautifully put together and the only complaint we had was that the mash could have been seasoned a little better. We managed to squeeze in a small bit of pudding in the form of some ice cream and a bit of George's desert Kladdkaka (a a very intense Swedish chocolate cake). The ice cream was a little bit of a let down after such a delicious main course, it was a little lack lustre. However, I did see someone on another table being delivered the peanut butter & jelly sandwich which looked amazing and the Kladdkaka was delicious!

I should also say that the restaurant have really gone the extra mile with the details; props from Wes' films lined the walls including: Max Fischer's beret, Margot Tenebaum's novel and Suzy Bishop's binoculars. The staff were all dressed in yellow overalls and boots looking just like they'd stepped of Steve Zissou's expedition.  Overall it was a great night and hopefully I'll be back soon to sample other dishes from Fika's menu

Wes Kingdom is running at Fika until September, it was curated by danisdrawings.com

Making Waves

The last few weeks/months have been a jumbled mess of trips home, sunshine and days out. I've had more fun than I thought possible and adventured far and beyond. Now I am back in London trying to embrace the 32 degree heat. Its becoming increasingly difficult to dress for this weather as I am running short of ensembles that aren't just tshirt/short combinations. Last week the heat hit a new high when I had to don my cap and gown to graduate; I thought I was going to melt! It was a delightful day though and guess what? I got a first!

Lots of exciting things are happening right now namely I am writing a book and putting together an exhibition with my mum and brother.

Lally

1. A mask I purchased from The Conran Shop

2. Swan boats at Alexandra Palace

3. George eagerly eyeing up some vegetable pasta

4, 5 & 6. Strawberry Hill

7. Me, just before I had to take my hat off and put on my mortar board to graduate!

Octopuses Garden

Last Saturday night I had an Octopuses Garden themed party to celebrate my birthday the following day (I turned 23 on the 23rd!) Sadly a large segment of the night was undocumented due to a combination of laziness and drinking a little too much (it is probably a good thing there is very little photographic evidence of the night). Anyway as you can see I went over board with the glitter and confetti in an attempt to transform my living room into an underwater paradise. The party was suposed to take part in my yard but sadly the weather was a little windy, wet and wild so we relocated to the safety of my flat. I dressed as a weird amalgamation of a jellyfish and a deep sea fish. I wore a silver lame dress, a jacket made by my mumma and a collar of confetti made by me! Top marks to my darling Edward for being one of the few people to dress up, making a jellyfish costume (what a winner!)

Lally

Kew Gardens

Having handed my thesis in April I have been making use of my newly acquired freedom by going on all the days out I never had time to do whilst writing! In May I visited Kew Gardens with my friend Boe. It was the most beautiful weather, the temperature was just perfect and it started drizzling just as we were leaving (horray!!) I hadn't visited Kew since I was 8 years old so it was wonderful to go back and find it just the same as it was in my memory. My favourite places at Kew are the Princess of Wales Conservatory which houses all the cacti and carnivorous plants and the Marianne North gallery which houses North's vast ouvre of botanical drawings. People often miss out the North gallery as its a little hidden away (left of the pagoda) but it really is a beautifully arranged space and makes a lovely rest bite from the warmth of the conservatories!

I have lots to catch up on; so many photos to post, so expect more very soon!

Lally