I’m later than usual posting this evening because we’ve been to the theatre. We went to see a show I had not heard of before it came to Bradford….Pepperland. As the title suggests, it is based upon the music and ideas from the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper album (although not all of the music is from that source.) In fact, primarily it is a dance show …. and not a guitar in sight. If you are dance fan (as I am) you will enjoy it, but if you are hoping for a “tribute band” you would be disappointed.
To my surprise I found myself thinking about painting on the way home. A very strong element of the dance routines was pattern. This is something that rarely if ever features in my own painting, although it is an important element in the work of some others …. including my good friend Richard Mort, but more well known, of course would be Bridget Riley, to name an obvious possibility. Pattern is dominant element in Islamic art, of course, and in the art of several other cultures, such as the native population of the northern Pacific coast of the USA and Canada. Perhaps I ought to attend to it more, as there is interesting potential there.
Come to think of it, I ought to pay more attention to my wife, whose knitting often features a strong element of pattern. I always enjoy the theatre when it leaves you thinking.