A Bigger Picture...


Every tree is different.  Every single one. The branches, the forces in it; they are marvellously different. You are thrilled. This is the infinity of nature.
- Hockney



Down to London on Thursday last week for a family day.
The main plan was to visit the David Hockney exhibition - we had tickets booked several months ago. The exhibition gathers together some superb watercolours, alongside vibrant and exciting iPad images made with the app Brushes. I have the app on my iPad but not really made a lot of use of it yet.




On the way we had some other family adventures.
We saw the Easter eggs that had been collected together in Covent Garden. Quite a few GeoEggs - why not design your own...
We wandered through Trafalgar Square to see the Olympics 2012 Countdown Clock (naff) 
We had a cheeky look in Fortnum and Masons to see how the other half lives... nine quid for a tin of biscuits is how...
We went to the wonderful Tin Tin shop where my son spent the money that he had been saving for months on a range of merchandise and books - one happy boy, and great customer service !
We had a great lunch in Belgo Centraal. If you've never been it is highly recommended.... continued the Belgian theme started with Tin Tin.


The Royal Academy was heaving, and for me there should have been far fewer people in the exhibition at any one time - I thought that was the point of timed tickets. The shop was overstocked and it was impossible to see things. Inside the exhibition, and every room was packed so that it was a struggle to see any paintings. The room with the video was so full we couldn't even get in, so missed a chance to see the videos and other multimedia that was in there. I've been going to major art exhibitions for about 40 years, and have never been in one so crowded...
If people wanted a chance to get in without a timed ticket, perhaps they should have been early in morning, or later in the evening.


We then had to push our way through to get out of the building.


The FAQ on the RA website says:



Will the galleries be crowded?
  • We are limiting admission to the galleries in order to ensure the best possible viewing experience. The layout of the exhibition and the size of the works will also help in this respect.
My viewing experience was disappointing....

Also enjoyed the new Kings X station roof, although there was a power cut due to a large fire in East London so it wasn't lit up on the way back....

Comments