Last week we went to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery to catch the exhibition Alfred Buckham, Daredevil Photographer. It’s fantastic. The images are breathtaking.

You’ll need to be quick to see it, though. It’s only on till 19th April.

Buckham’s career started in the RFC (later the RAF) in the Great War. He took his photographs from an open cockpit, leaning out of the aircraft with his leg strapped to the seat as his only safety concession. After the war he began taking photographs of British scenes, images which lent a new perspective to otherwise familar places. He later made a trip to South America.

One of his most famous pictures is of Edinburgh. Unfortunately my photo is marred by the reflection of a blue light:-

This is not simply photography. It’s Art. His final images were carefully created by layering of negatives. Hre are the three he combined for that Edinburgh shot. Again, sorry for the blue lines:-

This is the original Edinburgh photo unenhanced. Not anything like as dramatic:-

I’m a sucker for airships so these photos of R101 and R100 delighted me:-

In adition to in the Hall and White Room, Blackwell Arts & Crafts House has some other fine fireplaces.

Tree House design by Blackwell’s architect Baillie Scott:-

Blackwell‘s Arts & Crafts designs extend all over the house.

A bedroom:-

Close-up on bedroom light ftting:-

Another of the beds:-

Bedroom chair:-

Chest of Drawers and bookcase:-

Chest:-

Blackwell‘s dining room is off the hall and has similar dark colours:-

Dining table:-

Sideboard. Typical Arts & Crafts styling:-

Dresser:-

Tapestry. Much faded now:-

Chair:-

The entrance corridor at Blackwell is fairly dark. Looking back to shop area:-

The corridor was designed to lead from darkness to light – onto a bright white painted room with a view to Lake Windermere:-

View to Windermere:-

This room immediately reminded us of the designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Fireplace in white room:-

This chair especially. We were told it’s not original to the house but was brought in as being in keeping with the original furnishings:-

This corner cupboard  is flanked by two stylised trees, natural motifs are all around the house in the decor, particularly rowan berries, and apparently when the house was taken over after a long period of neglect there was a rowan sapling growing inside this cupboard:-

View from side window:-

This dark piece of furniture is out of keeping with the room but is contemporaneous:-

The entrance to Blackwell is now from the side where the shop and ticket office is and leads along a fairly dark corridor which passes the original entrance into which you can go and see these two stained glass windows:-

Across from this is another set of stained glass windows and a door which gives onto the hall:-

The same window from the other side – nice clock too:-

The hall itself is impressive:-

Reverse view showing bench, fireplace and minstrel’s gallery above:-

Side view of the bench:-

Hall ceiling:-

Settle on corridor wall:-

Peacock wallpaper:-

Hall from minstrel’s gallery:-

Three modern paintings which caught my eye at the Hunterian Art Gallery (posts passim.)

John Byrne self-portrait:-

A landscape by Margot Sandeman:-

Grasses by Joan Eardley:-

Long time readers of this blog will know of my interest in the International Exhibitions held in Glasgow (1888, 1901,) the Scottish National Exhibition of 1911 and the Empire Exhibition of 1938.

Hence I was delighted to see this painting of the main building by William J Kennedy of the 1901 Exhibition on display at the Hunterian Art Gallery when we visited:-

Charles Rennie Mackintosh submitted designs for some of that Exhibition’s buildings (as well as for the 1911 one) as noted in this :-

And of course this picture of Dumbarton Rock and the River Clyde was irresistible:-

Then there was this one by my favourite impressionist painter, Alfred Sisley, one of a series he painted of the church at Moret:-

Portrait of a child by Henry Rayburn:-

Not to mention a couple of Old Masters, The Entombment by Rembrandt:-

and the one that stood out from across the room, Head of an Old Man by Rubens. It’s absolutely stunning:-

In the room above the Mackintosh house at the Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow (posts passim) are designs by Mackintosh which were intended for other people’s homes.

Furniture:-

Bedroom furniture. This was commissioned by a couple for a house in England:-

Stool + storage:-

An unusual table designed for William Douglas:-

Desk and cupboards:-

Desk:-

Desk inlay detail:-

Bookcases, fireplace with Margaret Mcdonald Frieze above:-

Wall cupboards:-

Wallpaper & stand (Margaret Mcdonald picture?):-

Interior staircase (somewhat marred by modern fire extinguisher):-