How time flies indeed: difficult to believe that three weeks have passed since my last post. Interesting weeks though, with lots of art out and about. Sheep too, but they’re in the next but one post.

These two exhibitions are now over so this is an historical note; a pity for both were  excellent exhibitions. One was about an almost unknown artist whose work is nevertheless immediately recognisable:

 

Older readers in particular will recognise the unmistakable style of the dust-jackets of books published by Faber and Faber around the middle of the 20th century. They were all the work of one man, Berthold Wolpe, ‘master of calligraphy and type design.’ The exhibition paying homage to his life of continual creation, of hand-designed lettering in particular, was at the Lettering Arts Trust gallery at Snape Maltings. The sting in its tail was to compare this personal creativity with ‘soulless’ computer-generated design and lettering today.

The other exhibition, also now over, was part of the Aldeburgh Festival; I should have mentioned it earlier. It was in the Garage gallery in Aldeburgh where artist Tom Hammick had created a temporary print studio and was overseeing the wood-cutting and printing work of his small team of assistants in producing prints. Visitors were able to watch the work in progress and see the products, both there and in the Peter Pears Gallery above. Some prints were also on site at Snape Maltings:

 

The main part of the Hammick exhibition in the Pears Gallery was called ‘Lunar Voyage’. Maybe I did not give it enough time but, despite my long-term interest in astronomy, it left me cold and uncomprehending.

Have to stop there for the moment. Out and about in Northumberland next.