Yesterday Jane and I caught the train to London to go to the Private View of the Royal Miniature Society. As I was carrying a heavy case-full of books - my autobiography and the new Portrait Miniatures Oriental – we took a taxi to Rules – one of my favourite restaurants in London. I just love the place. There’s always so much to look at as every wall and every crevice is crammed with paintings, antlers, mirrors, old theatre posters etc. I had fish and chips – it came on a plate but wrapped in a page from the Times newspaper. Very smart.
And on to the Mall Galleries. We walked along the Strand to the Mall with me trundling the case behind (thank you the person who invented wheels for cases). The Exhibition was crowded and was held in four rooms of the North Gallery. Sales were fantastic. (The Miniature Society is at the forefront in saving the British economy.)
I even sold a number of my books in the first few minutes (see this link)
For the past twenty-five years I’ve given ‘The Mundy Portrait Sovereign Award’ for the miniature portrait I consider to be the best in the exhibition. Embedded in the award is a gold sovereign). This year I took great delight in awarding it to Jill Keppens for a most wonderful portrait. Jill is only twenty- five years old and is one of a pair of twin artists.
I also won an award – ‘The Peter Charles Booth Memorial Award’ – it’s a lovely silver plate. It was for a miniature entitled ‘Lisa Leaf’
Jane and I caught the bus to Paddington station, wending our way through the heavy London traffic, to get to the station just in time to catch the through train. I needed to be back in Henley before six-thirty as I had been asked to be Guest of Honour (how posh that sounds) at the private view in a Henley Gallery given by students from the Slade School of Art in London. After quite a tiring day I managed to get home just in time to watch ‘Eastenders’. How sad is that I hear you say!
On Sunday I went up to London to see Katie Boyle. She was looking radiant in pink. Margherita, her sister, was over from Geneva, so the three of us tucked into a delicious smoked salmon lunch and talked about old times in Singapore. After getting back home I wandered over to the lock to have a chat with the lock keeper. So relaxing, just watching the boats going in and out of the lock in such glorious sunshine
