oh wow

Today is John Keats’ birthday! Happy birthday to Keats!!! This post is particularly appropriate given today.

In the garden

Keats' house!

:)

Almost there!!!

Yesterday was a fantastic day for me. Matt and I woke up early to explore this very cool market called Camden. It used to be horse stables apparently. Anything you wanted, you could probably get at Camden…from vintage clothes to good cheap Indian food (which I had and YUM!) to touristy crap to Buddha statues (or Ganesha, or Shiva…you get the picture). There is also a wide array of interestingly dressed and manicured people at Camden. I saw some of the craziest hair of my life there. It was a very fun place to walk about.

After Camden, I dragged Matt to Keats’ house. This is the house he lived in (in Hampstead) during his “living year”, where he wrote pretty much all of his most famous and most awesome poetry-“Ode to a Nightingale” for example. While he was living there with his friend Brown, Fanny Brawne and her family inhabited the other half of the house. Keats and Fanny were in love, he wrote a bunch of poems to her, it was lovely and ended tragically. I suggest if you want to learn more about their relationship, or just want to learn more about Keats, or just want to watch a badass film, to watch Jane Campion’s Bright Star.

Anyway, being at his house was awesome, in the exact sense of the word. It was so weird to walk around where he actually walked, see out the windows he looked out, and stroll around in the gardens where he wrote and talked and fell in love. Honestly, the whole time I was there I was speechless. I had my “parade face” on, for those of you who know about that. I was just so excited that I couldn’t show any emotion. It was so beautiful! The trees were a wide array of fall colors, and it was cloudy and windy out (which is my favorite kind of weather), and I was just so happy. Matt was a real trouper the whole time. I kind of owe him hardcore. I hope there are all sorts of design museums in London that I can go to with him when I come back in December.

Oh yes, all of that being said, I leave London tomorrow for Florence. So the journey continues!

Cool signage in Camden

made it

Matt checking out a Turner.

The awesome exterior of the Tate Britain.

ACTUAL PIGMENTS FROM TURNER'S STUDIO-HE TOUCHED THESE PROBABLY!!!

Ahh look at the way he applies the paint, look at that texture and all of those colors!

AN ACTUAL SKETCHBOOK OF TURNER'S!

Here we are outside of Westminster!

So here I am!! I made it to London with really no problems, and spend the first day sleeping, eating and exploring the area where Matt lives. Also, of course, hanging out with him. And meeting all of his very kind friends. I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better.

Today (my second day here), was probably a peak life experiences. One of those days you never forget. Oh I know how ridiculous and portentous I sound, but I'm being serious. As soon as I explain, you'll all understand. Matt and I went to the Tate to see the Turner's ("oh my god Emily is so weird with her love of Turner" I'm sure you're all thinking). AHHHH!!! You all know how I feel about Turner. And to have Matt there with me!?! Oh my goodness if there had been a painting of Keats or something of his there I would have exploded because of joy. I was just about to anyway.

There were so many of them, I had forgotten how many there were at the Tate. Oh my god I just love how Turner handles paint, color and texture! And to make the situation even more fantastic for me, the Turner wing of the museum had an exhibit up called "The Romantics". How applicable to my journey is that? It was so cool to see Turner's stuff up next to his contemporaries (most importantly, Blake), get a really rounded out view of English Romanticism in painting. Clearly I was born in the wrong time and place.

Another favorite part of today: While lounging on a bench in the "Art and Sublime" room, I watched a little boy (probably 9 or 10), pretend to shoot a bunch of museum-goers (myself and matt included). He was being very stealthy about it, clearly there was some sort of war going on, because right after he "shot" me, he pretended to get shot in the arm, keeled over, then picked himself up and limped away. It was hysterical.

After the time in the Tate we headed along the Thames to see Parliament and Westminster. The sun came out as we were walking and the sky turned a brilliant shade of blue. Perfect weather for a stroll. We also hit up Primark (and I got a much needed pair of shoes for 6 pounds! lets just say I should have done a better job breaking in my boots before I left) on Oxford street, it was a zoo!

Thats all for now my dears. I'm off to have dinner with Matt and his friends. I love you all!

oh crap

I leave tomorrow and I may or may not be totally freaking out.

sketches and such

Oh hello all!

Just some sketches and works in progress for all of you. I've been working on a bunch of stuff all at once here of late (no surprise of course). I think being so excited to leave is making it difficult for me to finish anything, to tell the truth. I feel as though I'm in limbo, waiting for it to all come together, while I just push and push at everything.

I'm starting to get so excited to leave. I have everything I need all laid out; tomorrow is fitting it into an appropriate suitcase. This time around, I'm not bringing too much stuff. One medium sized suitcase and one carry on. I just don't want to deal with a heavy, big suitcase. Plus it costs money to check a second (don't get me started on airline fees)! And lets face it, I'm going to be bringing home tons of paintings/drawings/etc. And Christmas gifts. And new clothes. And maybe a scarf or two (or seven). I need the extra room. Last time I learned the hard way about packing too much stuff. Not this time, no way.

ONE WEEK UNTIL JKP

What JKP stands for is "John Keats Pilgrimage". Thats what I'm going to call my upcoming trip to London/Florence. Because lets face it. I'm going to go hang out with matt. And I'm going to go cry in front of the Turners, and the Duomo, and all the Italian food....but the most important stuff that I'm going to be crying in front of (and thus making art related to and inspired by) is the Keats stuff. Like his house in Hamstead. And the Heath. And how I'm going to Rome to see the house he died in, and his grave (this is the part where all of you should start feeling very badly for matt).

I think its going to be pretty great. I'm excited to the point where I'm just agitated all the time. I've been to these cities before, but never at this time of year, and never with serious intentions. I want to explore the places, certainly, enjoy them and have fun. But what is going to be so exciting, so fun for me is to explore the person, the people, and the ideas that have influenced me over the past half year. All summer I could see what I was creating unraveling and coming together and unravelling again. There are all these pieces missing, like little clues I still have to find, to put everything together. I have all of these images, drawings mostly, but also photos, that are all connected, are all together but not quite. And they have something to do with Keats but I don't quite know what. I need to take them farther. And I think two months in Europe can help me do that. I have to do a lot of exploring. I have no idea what sort of images are going to come out of me, but I feel ready. I feel as though a bunch of stuff is just going to come screaming out of me, and I don't know what, but with some prodding and exploration, it will.

So anyway, keep reading this blog for travel stories, pictures of amusing stuff, general tid bits about Florence, etc. To see the work I'm making, check out my other blog: Emily Jay Painting

Ciao ciao ciao!