Townhouse Open 2023 (Part One)

What is this curious architectural excrescence and why is it at the rear of the Bank of England? Join my City of London tour next weekend to find out. There are only two left this summer – Sunday 2nd July and Sunday 6th August at 2pm.

Enjoy a storytelling ramble across the Square Mile, from the steps of St Paul’s through the narrow alleys and lanes to the foot of old London Bridge, in search of the wonders and the wickedness of the City of London.

Click here to book THE GENTLE AUTHOR’S TOURS for June & July

In celebration of Townhouse Open, Part One (Paintings & Drawings) which opens today, I have selected a few favourites to show you.

Gary Arber, Peta Bridle

‘I visited Gary during his last week of trading. Businesses and buildings close and disappear at an alarming rate in London, but Gary’s print works were opened by his grandfather in 1897 and shut in 2014. It was my privilege to meet Gary in person and make this visual record.’

Lewisham Landscape (Snow), Amelia Power

‘Although my work begins with observation, memory and imagination form a crucial part of my process. I am interested in making the familiar seem strange. Many of my paintings explore the relationship between plants and the built environment and the tension between them. This painting is of the view from my window in South East London that I paint regularly throughout the year – I was mesmerised by the pink sky.’

Wild Flowers, Andrea Humphries

‘My still lives often start with botanical drawings made outdoors in a park or garden when a plant or a flower catches my eye, and I take it back to the studio. I made Wild Flowers after a woodland walk where I noticed wild anemones and violets growing in the shade of oak trees, like tender sparks of hope. Flowers are restorative, evoking feelings of happiness and contentment, and I can imagine this jug of woodland stems on my kitchen table.’

Evening Shadows, Caroline Bowder-Ridger

‘My work is a response to the complex patterns, shapes and textures of the city.
 I am fascinated by the way human habitation leaves scars, textures and memories for future generations. 
Our needs and activities are constantly changing, feeding the energy of an ancient city. The act of mark-making, layering and creating texture as I rework the painting reflects my experience of the grain of the urban environment.’

Corner of Page St, Diana Sandetskaya

‘I have been observing North London and reflecting on the emotional responses evoked by locations dependent on the time of day, weather or season, and coloured by moods and experience. This is a favourite corner in my neighbourhood. Walking there one evening, I loved the soft colours of the night with the streetlight and light from the car illuminating the tree … it was calm and peaceful but mysteriously enchanting at the same time.’

Jug with Two Apples, Eleanor Crow

‘This small still life is painted contre jour, against the light on a bright day in April. I was interested in the ochre and raw sienna of the small apples – the last of the year – against the blue and white china, and the light catching the rim of the jug and casting a strong blue shadow across the china plate. 

Simple objects that we handle daily suggest a human presence. I wanted to convey how they had just been placed there for a moment, in that particular position, in that particular light.’

 Whitechapel Market, Elizabeth Nast

‘I love the hustle and bustle of the markets of the East End. Every day they open up, just as thy have always done and the fact that the action of buying and selling continues to this day is a marvel. My personal connection with Whitechapel began in the 1890s with my great-grandfather, a police constable, whose beat consisted of Whitechapel and it was there he met his wife, a milkmaid from Wales. They never imagined that one hundred and thirty years later, one of their descendants would be walking the same streets.’

Little Ruby, Janet Keith

‘My approach is to begin without preconceived ideas. I activate the blank surface with spontaneous, intuitive marks and respond to them with others as the painting evolves – weaving together the spontaneous and the considered. Sometimes I can discern visual parallels to familiar surroundings, colours or contours of landscapes, cadences of birdsong, rhythms of music playing in the studio. But I do not speculate too much about where my paintings come from.’

Church St at Dusk, Jane Young

‘I grew interested in Christ Church, Spitalfields, when it was suggested that my great grandparents were married there. This painting is a result of my research scribblings, an odd hybrid of thirty years of census returns and different editions of Kelly’s directories – a strange, imagined street spanning decades in one moment.’

The Road to Whitechapel, John Bartlett

‘Whilst walking to the Whitechapel Art Gallery as a post-lockdown outing, I came across these buildings. At the time, London was just easing itself out of social distancing restrictions and people were tentatively returning to the streets. In Commercial St, these buildings stood alone as though the remnants of an abandoned film set, a backdrop waiting for life to unfurl again.’

Pause (II), Matt Bannister

‘I am fascinated by urban life. The drama created by natural and artificial light attracts me. Strong shadows and highlights can transform the familiar into something more atmospheric and compelling, and this painting was inspired by the experience of time passing during the recent lockdowns.’

April Trees, Michelle Mason

‘Painting and sketching in Victoria Park, I worked on a series of small paintings to capture the low, spring light through the trees skirting the oldest part of the park. These mature trees are horse chestnut, oak and London planes with new leaves just emerging after winter.’

Mile End Station, Stewart Smith

‘I was born and brought up in Hackney, and am currently engaged in a series of oil paintings about East London. I have also painted the East End and Greenwich, where I live today. 
’

Kensington Palace to Marble Arch, Natalie Newsom

‘This painting captures my memories of a walk through Hyde Park from Kensington Palace to Marble Arch. It was March, and purple and yellow crocuses had broken through, parakeets were chattering, people were out and about enjoying the first signs of spring. All the while, I was taking in the smells, sounds and colours to create a visual representation. With the help of an audio recording, I created this painting from memory as an interpretation of my sensory experience, using marks to represent sounds like the thrum of a car engine or muffled chitter-chatter.’

A Stolen Glimpse, Suzanne McGilloway

‘Well known for its shabby pink facade, this Spitalfields townhouse was built in 1723. Today it is rented for events and as a filming location. I peered through the hole in the door where the shiny brass doorknob had recently been stolen. I crouched and caught my breath. The view on the other side was so atmospheric, it was other-worldly. The light from the window flooded into the stairwell, the panelling and well-worn staircase, revealing evidence of centuries of immigrant families that made it their home.’

Borough Market, Nicholas Borden

This market has never been so busy with a constant flow of newcomers keen to sample what is on offer. After a thousand years of history, it remains a draw for visitors and sustains itself, stronger than ever, despite the setbacks of lockdowns and a terror attack.