Turner from the Tate

last Thursday evening i [along with a cast of thousands] was a guest at the opening of

Turner from the Tate

at the Art Gallery of South Australia

there are an overwhelming number of pictures in the exhibition

if you go

allow a whole day

take a picnic lunch and perhaps a yoga mat for a nanna-nap in the afternoon.

i was enchanted by

J.M.W. Turner's travelling paintbox

it's metal 

[a rather slimmer and more elegant version of my own portable studio : simply an old Brockhoff's biscuit tin]

and contains delightful glass-stoppered bottles of pigments

small bundled pig's bladders

and more

Turner was an enthusiastic wanderer

in pursuit of wild landscapes

in some of his marine paintings the vessels seem to be tacking against opposing winds

perhaps there were curious meteorological phenomena

and i do wonder how some of those bits of cloth casually draped across the bodies of women in his paintings stayed put in the days before double-sided tape

but his rendering of the impression of light is wonderful.

utterly.

and his orderly paintbox
has inspired me to try and tidy mine
shown here emptied of its contents
so as to facilitate a bit of panel-beating
after its most recent experience with the flying kangaroo

BTW that black blob is not usually packed in the box
it is Felix
graciously assisting me with my labours