This little book helped to guide me through my Art College days in Exeter and Wolverhampton and is one of those reference books that follow you and stay with you through out your life. ‘Art Since Pop‘ is a book that I would put as my number 1, published in 1975 (by Dolphin) it simply sets out to do what is written in it’s  title, explaining art movements such as Process Art, Land Art, Conceptual Art and Body Art, in a brief but concise way. None of the movements of fine art covered in this pocket book are dealt with in great depth but it provides an informed introduction to these different concepts and methodologies. The beauty of this book is the fact that it was written closer to ‘as it was happening‘ and gives an optimistic appraisal of art movements that have since been sidelined or dismissed as mere Cul-de-sacs.

John A. Walker (b. 1938) is a British art critic and historian who has written over 15 books on modern and contemporary art with an emphasis on mass media. He has also written on design history methodology. Walker’s books include Art since Pop (1975), Design history and the history of design with Judy Attfield (1990), John Latham: The Incidental Person – His Art and Ideas (1994), Cultural Offensive: America’s Impact on British Art since 1945 (1998),[4] Art & Outrage (1999), Supercollector: A Critique of Charles Saatchi with Rita Hatton (2000),Left Shift: Radical Art in 1970s Britain (2001), Art in the Age of Mass Media (3rd ed.: 2001), Art and Celebrity (2003) and Firefighters in Art and Media: A Pictorial History (2009).

Walker was a Reader in Art and Design History at Middlesex University near London until retiring in 1999. He was trained as a painter at Newcastle upon Tyne.

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John A. Walker. (2010, March 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:39, July 31, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_A._Walker&oldid=348586319

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The Prince of Wales, who later became King George IV, first visited Brighton in 1783. The seaside town had become fashionable through the residence of George’s uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, whose tastes for lavish cuisine, gaming and the theater the young prince shared. Enough of the history lesson – I thought the borders in the little park were inspiring. These flower beds were completely randomly planted and contained a mixture of wild and cultivated  plants. The pastel colors were subtle but incredibly vibrant – maybe I will have a go at recreating it on a smaller scale?

The interior of the Pavilion is extremely over the top, verging on bad taste, with reds, gold and greens on the walls splashed with intertwining snakes and dragons – reminded me of a very bad 1970’s swirly carpet (puke). The lavish dinning room with its cut glass and silver encrusted, huge dinning table had a suspended chandelier above it which had an enormous dragon as a ceiling boss, having a combined weight of about 1 ton.

The kitchen was again on the grand scale. This had been converted during the First World War into an operating theatre where injured Indian troops were care for and had been a place where dozens of front line troops had there limbs amputated. (Worth seeing the little exhibition space dedicated to the Asian Colonial troops upstairs in the Pavilion.)

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The reason we were in Brighton

“I can’t believe I am 46 and I’ve never been to Brighton before. How did I miss this iconic rite of passage? Nary a bank holiday awayday or a dirty weekend in all my days. Well, I’m making up for it now – and in the best possible style – as writer in residence at the Hotel du Vin in Ship Street. It’s an awesome Gothic revival meets mock Tudor building done out with the usual Hdv flair and panache, a stunning two-floor bar and a buzzy bistro – and adjoining it is the unique Pub du Vin, encompassing tradition with a twist (pork scratchings and pickled onions available at the bar). I loved the pewter bar and the trompe l’oieul: peeling wallpaper shwoing exposed brick.”