Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano

In February I recieved an email inviting me to submit a photograph to an exhibition. Photographers get these all the time, and as many are from commercial operations, I very nearly didn’t give it the time of day. But as one of my images, 43 Gardeners’ Hands, had already been selected, it caught my eye. I read the small print and after a couple of emails with the organizers from Orticola di Lombardia, it turned out to be a genuine and very well planned show entitled ‘Small Garden’ in the Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano. It is part of an annual show called ‘Orticola’, which is staged every May in Milan in the public gardens in the Via Palestro.

The curator was Iaia Gagliani, who  selected botanical work from 20 photographers worldwide. Nikki de Gruchy was the only other British photographer involved, so it was a great priviledge to take part.

In the end two different images of mine were actually exhibited in the show itself, though others appear in the presentation slide show (see below).

The show runs from 9th to 20th May 2012 at: Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano – Via Palestro 16 – Milano

 

Tulips
Tulips

 

The full list of participants:

Rita ANTONIOLI (Italia)
Cristina ARCHINTO (Italia)
Andrea BOYER (Italia)
Paul DEBOIS (Gran Bretagna)
Nikki de GRUCHY (Gran Bretagna)
Beth DOW (USA)
Gianluca GIANNONE (Italia)
Juan Marin GOMEZ (Spagna)
Patrick GONZALES (Francia)
Gavino IDILI (Italia)
Hengki KOENTJORO (Indonesia)
Alexei KRASNIKOV (Russia)
Uwe LANGMANN (Germania)
Laura MAJOLINO (Italia)
Malena MAZZA (Italia)
Beth MOON (USA)
Stefano ORAZZINI (Italia)
Jeroen OOSTERHOF (Olanda)
OSSIANE (Francia)
Jib PETER (Francia)
Federica RONCALDIER (Italia)
Marcin SACHA (Polonia)

Milan

Earlier in the week I had the opportunity to spend a day wondering around Milan after attending the ‘Small Garden’ exhibition at Galleria D’arte Moderna di Milano.

Left: Hotel Brasil Right: Parco Sempione
Left: Hotel Brasil    Right: Parco Sempione

 

Milan, Creperia Vecchiabrera
Milan, Creperia Vecchiabrera

 

Left: Bed, Parco Sempione   Right: Louis Vuitton shop, Montenapoleone
Left: Bed, Parco Sempione      Right: Louis Vuitton shop, Montenapoleone

 

Fuel station, Via Marina
Fuel station, Via Marina

 

Left: Montenapoleone, Milan  Right: Disused restaurant
Left: Montenapoleone, Milan    Right: Disused restaurant

 

Hotel Brasil
Hotel Brasil

 

Traffic lights, Via Bellotti
Traffic lights, Via Bellotti

Polymer Gravure printing

I can’t exactly remember when I first came across polymer gravure printing. It is a modern variant of the copperplate gravure process that the photographers  Alvin Langdon Coburn and Edward Steichen used to great effect in the early 20th century. Maybe it was the book of Mr Coburn’s work I was given whilst at college.  All I know is that it has been driving me nuts for at least two years, as several attempts haven’t got me very far.

Two weeks ago I attended a three day course at Rabley Drawing Gallery in Marlborough, run by printer Martyn Grimmer with the intention of of improving my understanding of this dark art. A steep learning curve, but after returning yesterday for another session, I managed to ‘pull’ my first (fairly good) print! The results:

 

The plate, shown here drying in the sun.

The plate, shown here drying in the sun.

 

 

The plate being inked before taken through a print press

The plate being inked before taken through a print press

 

A print not quite right - apparently this is called mid-tone measles. The only cure is to start again.

A print not quite right - apparently the patches are called mid-tone measles. The only cure is to start again.

 

And when it comes out as it should.

And when it comes out as it should.

 

Details, showing the embossing

Detail

 

Details, showing the texture of the ink in the photograph

Details, showing the texture of the ink in the photograph

 

Portrait of Cuba 2

Left: Bay of Pigs. Right: Bay of Pigs Museum
Left: Bay of Pigs. Right: Bay of Pigs Museum

 

Left: Bay of Pigs. Right: Bay of Pigs
Left: Bay of Pigs. Right: Bay of Pigs

 

Bay of Pigs
Bay of Pigs

 

Left: Organic smallholding, Viñales. Right: Lagoon, Trinidad
Left: Organic smallholding, Viñales. Right: Lagoon, Trinidad

 

Left: Che Guevara memorial, Santa Clara. Right: Mural, Havana
Left: Che Guevara memorial, Santa Clara. Right: Mural, Havana

 

 

Left: Havana. Right: Viñales
Left: Havana. Right: Viñales

 

Hotel chalet, Soroa
Hotel chalet, Soroa

 

Left: Havana. Right: Havana
Left: Havana. Right: Havana

 

 

Land Girls

Four more portraits from the Land Girls series from autumn 2010 and summer 2011.

Anna Pavord

Anna Pavord, garden journalist and author

Camilla Phelps, journalist, Tamsin Hope-Thomson and Kate Bradbury, garden journalists and researchers at the BBC allotment, White City

Camilla Phelps, journalist, Tamsin Hope-Thomson and Kate Bradbury, garden journalists and researchers - at the BBC allotment, White City

Veronica Peerless, journalist and deputy editor Which? Gardening

Veronica Peerless, journalist and deputy editor Which? Gardening

Sally Nex, journalist

Sally Nex, journalist

Remembrance Day

I went to a Remembrance Day service this morning. It was a shame that a local resident decided 11am was an appropriate time to start manoeuvring a car next to the memorial. Couldn’t even wait a couple of minutes. It made me think about some of the sites I’d visited over the last 18 months – Thiepval, Fromelles and Delville Wood. Amazing places to see, though very sad.

Grave of unknown soldier at the Fromelles Cemetery, France

Grave of unknown soldier at the Fromelles Cemetery, France