The Pie Factory is a wonderful space inside, discretely done up to maintain its industrial roots and nice rough surfaces and it was a good exhibition.
It was worth getting up at 5am to hear Phil Abel's talk about Hand and Eye Press and the new interest in letterpress - and the old Thanet printing fraternity's take on the punter's new found passion for deep indentations ( conspicuous printing consumption?) - it was a pity my Peter missed it but he was minding his own p's and q's/shop.
Just my luck there were engineering works after Ashford so I had to go via London - I'd been looking forward to the cross country route through Rye and Appledore, and annoying to have to pay 3X as much for the privilege of going via Victoria and waiting 15 mins at Gatwick for the train doors to open.....hey ho.But dawn rising over the foggy Ouse on the 6.50a.m was pretty good and then the sunshine when it broke through was ravishing.
The new Turner Gallery in Margate was very handsome, nestling behind its own little concrete wall - I quite like looking at the town however tatty - and the views of the harbour from inside are great especially with the sun shining on the shore.
It was humming with people looking at the show on Youth which had some good stuff, old favourites, Hockney's kissing boys, Perlman(?)'s two Jewish boys from the Tate against the graffiti, two early Peter Blake's I've always liked.....loads of interesting photos, couldn't do justice to it in the time....
I also wanted to see the shell grotto - wonderful, loved it....
Then the next day we went off to spend a couple of nights with Old Stile Press just over into Wales up the Wye valley; still glorious weather and Tintern Abbey giving an intimation of how wonderfully sublime it must have looked before the cluster of gift shops and car parks etc ( packeted chocolate raisins, 'Sheeps doo-doos for Ewe' - says it all ...)
Lovely food (outside for lunch, bliss)art and conversation from Nick and Frances and great to see where their books are made at last - other people's work spaces are always fascinating - they were among the first to encourage me when I set off on my first artists books.....
I thought a couple of days away might improve my lungs, but no - watched a magic new-to-me Hungarian 1971 film on dvd tho - 'Szinbad', wow......
Am now just finishing printing a few copies of Cock Robin - last 6 stanzas are done; so come and see me at Oxford
details on www.fpba.com
I must also start doing the 'slides' for my talk on the Sunday afternoon...
the books may be dry by then.....
fingers crossed...
