A Bathing Beauty at Harrod's, A Hunk Worth 530,000 Pounds

While playing tourist in London this August, we had to make a run thru the famous Harrod's department store. Of course, our American dollars couldn't afford a thing in there but it was fun to look. The historical building with it's art deco features all intact and in tip-top shape, didn't let us down. In one of the street windows was a huge bathtub, carved from a single block of white rock crystal from the Amazon in Brazil. It was so friggin' beautiful I had to share. Just wondering how much environmental damage they did to the Amazon to get this opulent tub for some pampered person to eventually take a bath in. Not to mention the shipping, wonder how much this puppy weighs...
The natural light shone thru the marble veins casting different hues, from jade greens to whites to peachy golds. Crafted by Italians (who else?) with diamond cuts, portions of the crystal were left unfinished to highlight its natural jagged state. The tub is 7ft long and 2ft deep and costs a mere £530,000!

Tried to get you fashionistas some photos of the glittering, decadent evening wear on display there, but I was chased away by a salesperson after only this one shot of a Valentino dress. Guess they thought I might steal the pattern and go home and whip one up. As if...

A Visit to the Saatchi Gallery in London

The Saatchi Gallery has built quite a name for itself and has a formidable online presence. I have heard about it for years and was looking forward to a visit. It was a very nice space, tons of room and a few floors in a very modern building. However, the current exhibit "Newspeak: Bristish Art Now" left me hungry for better art, a let down. Once again, that mantra runs thru my head- 'what a great show this could have been!' There were many artworks by different artists in various media, mostly soul-less images leaving me dry and cold. The ones that weren't extremely contrived and pretentious were downright amateur.

On to the plus side - the "Cher Che" by Scott King (above) was a welcome and humorous relief. Just loved it! The funky bird painted screen (below) was just wonderful. After digging around the Saatchi site I gave up on finding the artist's name. Could have, should have written it down.

I also really enjoyed Phoebe Unwin's "Girl" (below)

and Edward Kay's "The Losers" (below)

The shining star of the show (for me) was William Daniel's "William Blake II", (below). This is a fantastic oil portrait with elements of cubism and collage, an eclectic, strong and emotional image. For a good blurb on this piece, go here.