In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” join Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon as he considers the life of statesman Warren Hastings, who is depicted in a small watercolor from about 1791 by the prominent British artist George Stubbs. Explore the tumultuous career of Hastings, from his tenure as governor-general of India to a decade-long trial in Westminster Hall upon his return to England. This week’s complementary cocktail is a gin and tonic garnished with a slice of lime.
Bringing guests into the kitchen is an ideal way to involve them. Bertie de Rougemont – founder of London’s chicest catering company, Cellar Society – certainly knows a thing or two about hosting. When he’s entertaining for friends, de Rougemont favours the smell of home cooking and perfectly chilled cocktails to get them in the mood. The InstaView™ Door-in-Door® display on the LG SIGNATURE Refrigerator also adds some drama when entertaining in the kitchen – once experienced there is no going back. Find out how to become the consummate host with LG SIGNATURE in our five-part “The art of hosting” series.
In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” Curator Aimee Ng studies Thomas Gainsborough’s scandalous portrait of Grace Dalrymple Elliott. Discover why this painting met with a negative reception when it was shown at the Royal Academy in 1782. Mrs. Elliott later moved to France, where she lived through the Reign of Terror and died in 1823 in the outskirts of Paris. This week’s complementary cocktail is the Pimm’s Cup, a traditional summer drink in Britain.
Thomas Gainsborough RA FRSA was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of the second half of the 18th century.
Vanessa Foley is a professional bird artist based in the North of England. She regularly shows her work in notable galleries in the UK and America, has work in private collections worldwide and is a member of The VACVVM, an international cult of illustration co-founded by Aaron Horkey & Mitch Putnam.
An artist from Newcastle, England she is known for her intensely detailed graphite drawings and emotionally rich oil paintings. She has become a long-standing member of the Antler Gallery roster since we first exhibited her work four years ago.
Vanessa has embraced the stylistic beauty that oil painting offers an artist representing subjects accurately. The density and delicacy of the feathers in her paintings of birds of prey is stunning. In this series she has chosen to focus on the nocturnal, incorporating owls and moths. (Antler Gallery).
Do you love plants and all things to do with gardens? In our #GreatGardens series, we revisit our top eight episodes which feature the planet’s wildest sub-tropical landscapes and quintessential rural retreats.
The England Coast Path will soon allow you to walk along the entire coast of England, including areas previously inaccessible to the public. The trail, due to be completed next year, will stretch 2,800 miles along cliffs and beaches and through seaside towns and major cities, making it the longest marked oceanside path in the world.
Jurassic Coast, England
Hikers will be able to tackle sections at a time, but those attempting to conquer the whole thing should expect to be plodding along for more than five months. Two slightly shorter routes, the iconic Pacific Crest (2,653 miles) and the Appalachian (2,200 miles) Trails, both take between five and seven months to complete.
The route is split into four sections, some portions of which are already open.
The north-eastportion starts at the border with Scotland and continues along the rocky North Sea coastline to Wash Bay, where it meets up with the coastal part of the existing Cleveland Way National Trail and wanders through resort towns, including Skegness and Mablethorpe, and past historic sites, such as Tynemouth Castle and Priory and St. Mary’s Lighthouse.
The south-eastsection connects at Wash Bay then continues west to Southampton, passing long stretches of sandy beach, wildlife reserves, and England’s famous White Cliffs, with their views of France.
Much of the south-westsection follows the existing South West Coast Path, which runs along the English Channel and features the dramatic Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage site.
On the west coast of England, the path jumps the Welsh border and picks up again just south of Liverpool then continues north toward Scotland. This north-west portion of the trail cuts through Lake District National Park. Hikers can also explore one of the largest Roman sites in northern Britain near Maryport as well as sites that show the region’s industrial history.
Since lockdown started in the UK, British artist Jonathan Yeo began a ‘FaceTime Portraits’ series where sittings have been filmed by his household, offering viewers a live glimpse into his portrait painting process.
Here he tells us about the pros and cons of painting faces by digital means and how he sees the future of portraiture as technologies continue to evolve.
Jonathan Yeo is a British artist who rose to international prominence in his early 20s as a contemporary portraitist, having painted Kevin Spacey, Dennis Hopper, Cara Delevingne, Damien Hirst, Prince Philip, Erin O’Connor, Tony Blair, and David Cameron among others.
The Marquess and Marchioness of Lansdowne’s private walled garden is the jewel in this botanical crown. Attached to the back of the main house, the garden is surrounded by a 16-foot-high wall and is made up of four distinct one-acre squares. It includes a 250-metre formal border, a picking garden, working greenhouses, chickens and a kitchen garden full of fruits and vegetables.
There is a feeling of mounting enchantment as you wind along the drive to Bowood House, the Wiltshire home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Lansdowne. It could be meandering through the dense pine forest, thick with wild garlic underfoot, that begins to stir the senses; or the sight of the sculptural tulip trees; and the heady scent of the roses is certainly tantalising.
Jean Cazals was awarded ‘Best Food Photographer 2012’ as well as other numerous awards. A London based food photographer, he gained his BA Hons. in Visual Communication at the LCP. After a successful decade of portraiture for editorial, advertising and design clients, he had a stint for 2 years shooting commercials.
Loving food and travel for years brought him naturally to turn his lens on food and lifestyle which he thoroughly enjoys!
The wisteria at Petworth’s private garden is simply astonishing. Non Morris takes a look at how it’s done, with pictures by Val Corbett.
The beautiful pergolas in the Cloister Garden are trained with Wisteria floribunda Alba, a white Japanese wisteria selected for the tantalising length of its racemes — up to 24in — and the way the flowers open gradually along the stem, which prolongs its flowering period. The wisteria is pruned once only, in September.