Just Pottering: Ray 'steels' the show at The Sage

I've been very disinclined to write my blog this month. There are various reasons for this, but mainly it's just because I've been spending so much time on the computer for work-related tasks, and then just haven't been able to face sitting down again at the computer to write the blog. I'm not going to write much now either, but here are a few images from the current NewcastleGateshead Art Fair(I hate that joining together of two distinctly different towns!) at The Sage. I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the preview evening for this exhibition courtesy of my friend, Jan. It was a beautiful, unseasonably warm night and particularly pleasant down on the Quayside. The Art Fair exibition is made up mainly of paintings and there are some fabulous ones, including some work from one of my favourites, Kevin Day: http://www.artistkevday.co.uk/ . I was disappointed, though, that there weren't more sculptural and ceramic works, but I guess it isn't that kind of an exhibition. Anyway, that said, for me, it was worth a visit solely to see Ray Lonsdale's amazing steel figures. These are just stunning - almost like android beings I thought, incredibly technical in their detail and, no doubt, in their making - beautifully constructed, each with its own story and secrets... I was really impressed by them; a couple of them made me feel quite overcome with emotion (and I'm not meaning to be overly arty-farty here).

This great big guy is situated outside of the exhibition just by the doorway into The Sage. I wasn't the only girl to sit by his knee...