Saturday 14 February 2009

Friday 13 February 2009

One of Those "Must Have" Pieces

...like a Fendi Handbag.

Portraits in a Photographic Manner


So, I went to the National Portrait Gallery yesterday to see the Photographic Portrait Prize(check out all these lovely links I'm making work! How sweet) It was a nice little trip to Trafalgar with Jason so I can't complain really. Got us both out the house. And I got a bus pass this week and was in danger of going a day without thoroughly abusing it.
As far as the actual exhibition went, I was maybe slightly disappointed. I felt about this years showing the exact opposite as I did the last years one. Last year I loved most of the non-prize winning pieces...
Untitled
by Harry Borden






Sophia
by Billy & Hells






and didn't particularly agree with the prizes.
Except for...


Slavica feeds her baby son Nikola while her husband Nebojsa sleeps by Ivor Pricket










Which was deserving of far more than the Godfrey Argent Award I thought. Still however an award to be very proud of.

This year, I loved the five prize winning portraits and left the gallery barely remembering any of the others.
Besides a couple of exceptions...
Louise Bourgeois


















Yes, so other than that, I wasn't particularly overwhelmed. And I usually hold this prize in high regard(what what don't you know), despite what I've heard from 'photographers' who say it's just amateur photographers or whatever. But what does that mean anyway? And I like it. That's what bothers me. Not that I really know anything about photography. Bloody fine artists.

In more fantastic news, we went to Paul's for a Cappuccino. And I kid you not(whoever you may be) Paul's make good ruddy Caps. People are always going on about the Italians and their coffee but if a French outlet can produce quality goods such as those Caps... well, it just blows the competition wide open. AND! There was a brilliant Come Dine With Me on yesterday. All in all, quite a success.

Thursday 12 February 2009

The Begining Has Just Bugun

So, this is it. I finally have a blog. I've become "that person". One that has a blog. A blogger. I've avoided it so long because I can't stand the word blog. I'm sure I don't need to list off the many similarities to unattractive words in the English dictionary so I'll leave it at that. I don't like it. As well as that, despite being involved in various sectors of internet communities, things like this, I don't like. Posting information about myself, photos of my life. On-line chat, on-line video. Not because I think it's strange for other people to know it. People who I may never have met, but because I can't think why anybody would want to know it, to see it, to read it. Not in a self-deprecating "why would anyone care about me" way. That's far from the truth of who I am.
Anyway, I've done it now. In part to force myself to be more active with my college research. If I'm presenting all my findings on-line for all to see. Well, I could easily end up looking like a total spud monkey if I stop doing it. That's the last thing I want.

So it turns out there's no such thing as a spud monkey. Already this blog business is making me look like a fool. Here is the next best thing. A monkey(of no particular description) with a potato or "spud", a colloquial term for potato.



On another note, coming up with a blog address was a pain in the arse. chloeblackman.blogspot had gone. So had chloechloechloe.blogspot. For a minute I thought I might have to be chloeblackman1. Which is as good as bending over.
The hyphen saved me. Just.

Just to clarify the purpose of this blog. It's likely to be a list of ramblings, intertwined with some research or interesting things I might happen to be looking at at that particular moment and possibly some of my own work.
For now! I'm going to get some lunch and head off to the National Portrait Gallery to see the Photography Prize.
This blog guilt is working a treat already.

Oh no. I just remembered that Keane exsist.