Bridget and Matisse

I had a lovely time this weekend, heading down to London in the glorious sunshine, walking along the Southbank to the Tate Modern.

image via tate.org.uk

I have been looking forward to Matisse's Cut-Outs exhibition since I first heard about it, and this weekend all that patience paid off. I waited to go for longer than I might have once I found out that the amazing Bridget Riley was scheduled to be sharing her views on Matisse and her own work this past weekend.

image via tate.org.uk

The Codomas by Matisse

Bridge Riley makes her point

The exhibition was beautiful. Such bold colours and shapes it's impossible not to be inspired. Bridget Riley also inspired, discussing the links between Matisse, Cezanne and her own work. She showed pictures of her studio surrounded by her work, "living with it" until happy enough to call it finished, and she shared her thoughts on when work is not going as planned. She urged us to always go back to the original purpose or object of our designs and start again there...and if it's not right, do as Matisse did when "he couldn't perhaps find the right thing, so he left it...very wise".

So the wait was worth it, the day was grand, and although Bridget won't be there next time, if you haven't seen it yet, and its possible for you to do so, I would really make the effort.