ACOMSDave

Community Journalist

Mali Morris RA – On Paper

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During my London visit last year I visited the Royal Academy

for a number of exhibitions, one of which was “Mali Morris RA, ‘On Paper’”.  I love visiting museums and galleries and usually come away feeling refreshed and invigorated.  So, before I discuss the exhibition I thought I would jot down some thoughts on why you may go to exhibitions and art shows:

  • Escaping from life and in particular your office routine
  • A possible chance to network, depending on the exhibition – you often have an opportunity to start talking with someone about the exhibition/piece of art/ prices and this can lead anywhere (or nowhere).
  • The opportunity to expand you’re your horizons and knowledge
  • Maybe you will start (re-start) sketching and painting due to being inspired by pieces in the show, or people you see
  • Ulterior motive – sometimes you can get freebies or a reduction in the price of a piece you like

I could go on analysing and summarising forever, but if nothing else it should be to an opportunity to relax and recharge your batteries.

Now back to the exhibition “Mali Morris RA ‘On Paper’” – the exhibition was located in the Tennant Gallery and a little difficult to locate and get to, but it was worth it!  It contained the artist’s selection of some of her earlier works on paper and highlighted her growing preoccupation with the expressive possibilities of abstraction.

Mali Morris RA

Her piece Saskatchewan [1990] is deceptively simple, almost childlike in construction, and it made me review my own limited pieces in a new light.

Showing alongside her own pieces, are those chosen by her from the RA Collection.  She herself acknowledges that the themes that developed were those of artists doodles and immediacy of first pencil/pen/brush strokes.

Some of her chose items were:

Sir David Wilkie – Study of dancing figures for the ‘The Penny Wedding’

Study of dancing figures for the ‘The Penny Wedding’

Philip Reinagle – A bright pink and white shell’

Reinagle, Philip; A bright pink and white shell; https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/work-of-art/O956 Credit line: (c) Royal Academy of Arts

John Constable – ‘Rainstorm over the Sea’

Constable, John; Rainstorm over the Sea; https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/work-of-art/O1841 Credit line: (c) (c) Royal Academy of Arts / Photographer credit: John Hammond /

As a lover of pen and ink drawings, which can be as simplistic or as intricate as you can image, this is a wonder exhibition to get the juices (and your drawing fingers) working.

L0027998 A skeleton and its shadow. Pen and ink drawing by Joyce Cutl Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org A skeleton and its shadow. Pen and ink drawing by Joyce Cutler Shaw, 1992. Pen and Ink 1992 By: Joyce Cutler ShawPublished: 1992 Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

If it is still around then please do make an effort to go and see it – and also enjoy everything else on offer.