Roaming. Pit Stop.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Bikes. Netherlands. Port-a-loos. Skips.

Roaming. Big Bird Caged.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Caged Birds. Netherlands. Window Shop. Yellow.

Roaming. New Do.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Mannequins. Netherlands. Window Shop.

Art Martha. BP Portrait Award 2012.

I really should have posted this at the time, but for some reason what I wrote has sat lingering in my drafts folder. Stepping back in time to almost twelve months ago, I visited London's National Portrait Gallery to see the BP Portrait Award. I was struck by how photographic many of the paintings appeared to be in this compelling exhibition, Ben Ashton's Lindsay Lohan (pictured) a case in point. I found myself checking each plaque and painting to be sure I was looking at oil on canvas and not ink on paper. It's fair to say that the relationship between painting and photography hasn't always been rosy, and I pondered this as I strolled about. I thought about where photography was now and came up with nothing. Only a few years ago it was almost a crime to take a photo, yet now what is wrong with you if you're not — everyone is a photographer. Landscape mode has become the standard for portraits, and Photoshop keeps ageing pop stars with both feet in 1984. Apps and algorithms are the automated norm a la Instagram, Flickr and Facebook, and phones with cameras are just as good as dedicated ones. Digital photography is fast, furious and ubiquitous, yet slow burn alchemic processes are growing in popularity just as 3D printing becomes more accessible. A year on and I'm still thinking about the 2012 BP Portrait Award, testament to its understated cleverness. I wish I could go to this year's one.

Roaming. Naughty Gnomes.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Gnomes. Netherlands. Window Shop.

Roaming. Wise Words.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Graffiti. Netherlands. Statements.

Glossy. Going Up, Going Down.

If I were a businessman I'd probably buy Bloomberg Businessweek more often. Their covers never miss a beat. On topic, smart, clever and often funny. Sharp stuff. They deserve cover of the year for this one.

Roaming. Peer In.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Curtains. Netherlands. White.

Good Art #29. Portrait Of Journalist Sylvia Von Harden.

Otto Dix's depiction of German journalist and poet Sylvia von Harden is among my favourite paintings. It displays the ideals of Die Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity), a movement which set out to capture the reality, decadence and social inequality in post-war German society. I get lost in this painting, its beauty exudes from every point. It calls to mind August Sander's potent photographs.

Roaming. Bucky Beaver.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Faces. Murals. Netherlands.

Roaming. So Do Pigs.

Shootin' Gallery: Dordrecht. Graffiti. Netherlands.

Roaming. Letter Posting.

Shootin' Gallery: Dordrecht. Envelopes. Graffiti. Netherlands.

Roaming. Big Bag For A Big Cat.

Shootin' Gallery: Big Cats. Dordrecht. Netherlands.

Glossy. Max Joseph.

German magazine Max Joseph pushes boundaries with their covers, this one being no expception.

Roaming. Cool Cat.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Cats. Drawn On. Netherlands.

Roaming. Soccer Moves.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Netherlands. Sculptures. Sport.

Roaming. Showing Out.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Mannequins. Netherlands.

Roaming. Piggy In The Window.

Shootin' Gallery. Amsterdam. Netherlands. Pigs. Window Shop.

Roaming. Big Cat.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Cats. Netherlands. Orange.

Roaming. Bathing Beauty.

Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Birds. Netherlands. Pigeons.

Roaming. Martian Mona Lisa.

Shootin' Gallery: Green. Mona Lisa. Newcastle. Paintings. Women.

Glossy. Woman Has Baby.

Cover of the month goes to Private Eye for this one about the birth of a royal baby. Hilarious.

Roaming. Hair Wars.

 Shootin' Gallery: Amsterdam. Mannequins. Netherlands. Window Shop.

Pie Report. Leek & Fennel.

According to recent reports in the Newcastle Herald, Maitland is aiming to be the Melbourne of the north. It seems like council is pulling a long bow right now, but a trip to Maitland is always interesting. On the last trip I dined in the rather good café at the Maitland Regional Art Gallery devouring a leek and fennel pie in record time. It was a taste sensation from start to finish hidden under a slightly eccentric, but blinding salad, of rocket, bean sprouts and pomegranate pips. On the art front, Jaspers Knight's exhibition was an unexpected treat while across the road at Twig & Moss, a rather eclectic collection of hand-crafted goods were available in an eccentric display.

Leek & Fennel
4.50 Pastry
4.75 Filling
4.75 Tastiness
4.00 Structure
3.75 Value

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED | 4.35 

Roaming. Dear Good.

Shootin' Gallery: Graffiti. Narvik. Norway.