The ‘Points of View: Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs’ exhibition is one solely about photography. It is amazing that photography is a required function of different occasions today. You take photographs of the events because you want to because you want to retain those moments in your memory forever.

You can now see a photo catching device in everyone’s hand but photography was not so common centuries back. The invention of photography took place 170 years ago. At that time photography was very expensive and was limited only to rich families who could afford the expenses. Nowadays you could take photographs in thousands of colors but in earlier days producing a photo in so many colors was not possible.

The exhibition at the British Library takes us back to a time long past when photography was a matter of skill and bulky equipment. Visitors will be able to see 250 or more rarely seen images that were captured mainly in the 19^th century. These images show how technology has advanced to make photography a better art. This is the library’s first photographic exhibition of this magnitude.

Some of the highlights of the exhibition includes William Henry Fox Talbot’s piece ‘An oak tree in winter’ from 1942-43 and Eduard Valenta and Josef Maria Eder piece ‘X-ray Photograph of Frogs’ from 1896. Each photograph presented is done in terms of subject matter and also the cultural context. Thus the viewer can’t help but wonder the reason behind the taking each picture. Some of the century’s key themes are explored in the exhibition which makes it interesting to see.

The programme also includes family events, talks, and a few performances. Visitors will be able to participate in an event where the immediate areas of the library itself will be photographed.

This exhibition is one everyone should see and go back again and again.

By the way, I have finally been paid for that last photography job that I did, you all know what that implies, it’s about time to hit the mall and pick up that new outfit of gore running wear that I have been waiting to get. Carvell, are you up for a trip to the high streets this week?

Still life painting: one of the staples of art. It doesn’t matter what level you are at, anyone can find hours of enjoyment and satisfaction from this simple pleasure. But some artists get put off from doing still life work, and there is certainly a perception in the public eye that sitting down and painting a load of oranges is nowhere near as exciting as painting a landscape masterpiece. In truth, still life is as exciting as you can make it. Here are some tips to make sure that you make the most of this fantastic subject:

1) Always paint objects which have features; if your painting has a lot of colour in it or something unique, it’ll be much more fun to paint. A dull, brown themed piece of work might look elegant in real life, made from shining wood, but in paint may just look muddy.

2) Lighting: don’t confuse your painting with lots of shadows all over the place. Use one source of light—usually from the side is best.

3) Don’t concentrate on the fine details to begin with: paint in the major parts of the picture. Still life often looks better when the small details are left out anyway.

4) The internet: many sites have video tutorials on how to paint still life and other such things.

5) Make sure you step away from your work; sitting there all day, things which are obvious to other people won’t seem obvious to you. Often, coming back the next day can reveal what needs to be done or changed.

6) Fed up with painting oranges? Well, why not go up in the loft and have a look at all the stuff from the 80s which has been completely ignored. Old telephones and designer bathroom accessories (don’t laugh) make great still life subject matter, as do a number of other things like old toys, artifacts etc.

Art can be an expensive thing to do, or maybe that just depends on your outlook? After all, you can make pretty much anything yourself, and if you can’t then you can find it for a reasonable price, providing you know the right places to look. From paper to paint, equipment to framing, you have to get pretty savvy if you actually want to make any profit on your work—what with most galleries today taking as much as 40%.

Below are a number of ways to cut the cost of making art; but remember, be careful not to pass them around too much!

1) Mount-board: if you’re doing oils, fine, you probably won’t need much of this, but if you’re a waterolourist then watch out; mount board can be very expensive, especially when one simple mistake means you have to buy a brand new sheet.

Get around this buy asking people who have plenty of it if they have any spare. Most galleries which do picture framing chuck out tons of the stuff every week, simply because it is too small to use. But if you are doing lots of small paintings then it’s perfect. The best part? Most of them won’t even charge you.

2) You’ve done your painting and now you want to put it in an exhibition, but how to price it? This is a tricky subject. But remember this: most people will be happy to spend between one and two hundred pounds for a painting, anything more and they will need to think about it, which could mean that they’ll be put off.

3) Frame it well for a good cost: so many artists pay a gallery crazy money for something that you can do just as well yourself; why not ask the gallery to make the frame and then wax it / paint it / stain it yourself? It’ll cut many pounds off the bill and you’ll also learn some valuable experience for future endeavors.

Right before I go there are some amazing new things on the enigin design website that you should all check out. Especially if any of you are interested in internet design!

Whenever you hear about Vincent van Gogh, the infamous sluicing of his own ear is always remarked upon, as is his syphilis and fragile mental health. Oh, and what a wonderfully original painter he was. Having visited the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, I was disappointed by the uninspiring nature of his artwork and slightly bemused what all the fuss was about. It seemed to me that the deadened still life and holiday snap portraits he slapped on to a canvas in thick, vile and outlandish colours had been misrepresented.

My first formal introduction to van Gogh however was almost a decade ago now, before I was schooled in the quintessential aspects of fine art - and indeed van Gogh himself. I don’t imagine many people would share my initial views of one of the world’s most famous artist’s and the van Gogh exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts would suggest they’d be right not to.

A lesser known fact about van Gogh is he had an overwhelming appetite for writing letters in which he liked nothing more than to express his opinions about art and literature for which he had an undying interest and utmost respect for anybody to master their craft. As we know, he was particularly taken by the French post-impressionist painter, Paul Gauguin, whom he became infatuated with. Indeed it was his lover for whom he painted one of his most famous paintings. ’Sunflowers’ was given to Gauguin to brighten up his room.

It is clear from reading van Gogh’s thoughts on the page that he was nothing short of a genius, though as proven time and again, a genius can be flawed. For the Dutchman it was his flagging mental health. In another of his most famous pieces, ’The Starry Night,’ the venomous swirling skies reflect van Gogh’s delusions and deepening distress. That it was painted a year before planting a bullet in his chest with handheld shot gun in a French field demonstrates just how deeply depressed the painter was. His letters in the latter phase of his life also underline his worsening frenzy.

That van Gogh’s two most famous paintings are absent from the exhibition is perhaps a poignant gesture by the Royal Academy, allowing visitors to understand the man behind the paintings rather than the artwork itself.

As a complete sidebar I have finally applied for a couple of Secondary education jobs in the arts sector. Wish me luck, I will keep you up to date when the interview date grews nearer!