January was cold and felt mean and clean
I'm looking forward to feeling serene
From Kensal to Bethnal
Thinking environmental
Now we're settling in all kinds of Green
…and a house cooling period as I changed my diary (and my abode), experimenting with different formats this year and thinking about time, day and night and 1001 Nights, always...
…and a reset at the British Museum seeing how artist Hew Locke curated his own show there also using objects from the museum's collection...
...I liked this ghost ship...
... and the questions he asked around the objects, like this famous Nigerian mask that depicts the first Queen Mother of the Benin Empire...
... Locke painted on old government bonds too: painting on money, basically...
...Here is one of his 'watchers' watching the show, one of his sculptures that he is more known for. In his own video intro to the show he announces: 'This is one show. I have 15 more shows going on in my head', which I loved, as this is how artists think and it is certainly how I think...
...Who does the Koh-i-Noor diamond belong to? My husband might say - a Czech pencil company of which he has fond memories. How about throwing it into the ocean and letting it settle back into Earth where it belongs, or chucking it into space and allowing it to wander the galaxies until it is reunited with a whole planet made of diamonds... Hew Locke asks important and direct questions, much like kids do. I think we should ask kids his 'here and now' questions at the end as they probably have the answer...
Book Classes
...More creative classes for the rest of the year. February sees the famous Iskander horoscope and a continuation of the Weaving series, weaving a moon and a river in order to learn about crucial curves. Also the Elements cycle runs backwards this year and we have Ether in February (they do not need to be taken in order; you can work on existing paintings or start new ones from scratch; learning and practice is an upward spiral staircase). The Book of Mirrors is Indian sheesh mahal or halls of mirrors in Rajasthan meets Golestan Palace in Iran which has a fantastic mirrored muqarnas. We'll paint using ordinary paints, metallic paints and even deboss into foil to make our mirrored creations. This is Versailles in a book. A glittering look at the magic to come later this year. You will ideally need a foil embossing kit for this class - alternatively just some ordinary kitchen foil and an Ether-brush style instrument with which to deboss/emboss.
The 1001 Nights reading group is open to all wherever you are in the book. We will be discussing from Night 217 and it's one of the most interesting story cycles yet (Qamar and Budur). We also discuss general Nights-related questions; watch out for the pink camel. The Scroll Apprentice class starts ups again; email me if you have never taken this class before but are interested.
All the rest of my 2025 classes are here: https://www.vaishaliprazmariteaching.com/book-online
Book February classes
...Below: some fun infographics from Phaidon's Art-i-facts book. When you see these graphics it really hits home. This is a selection of US museum permanent collections. The 'female' and 'other ethnicities' or especially the 'all other groups' which is less than 1% makes me feel that what I do is so niche, so exclusive, so special that it really ought to be represented, actually, as it must be the most unique. I am a tiny dot less than 1% but have 1001 things to share... good things come to those who wait, in temporary obscurity lies freedom and the more diverse the genes the healthier the baby...
Page control: Pause and download free Geometry of the Page here
...Pollocks toy theatres in a Shoreditch shop window (Townhouse Spitalfields). Hello east London again! It's lovely to be able to walk everywhere as I used to.
While we are transitioning our in-person classes are on pause, but online classes are available.
If you'd like to own a print of a miniature: A Recreation of the Court of Gayumars here. Discount code is GAYUMARS10 since you're getting this email. Go to: https://www.vaishaliprazmari.com/product-page/a-recreation-of-the-court-of-gayumars and add it at checkout...
Buy the PRINT
More brushes and beautiful tools here
...Miniature painting brushes are small and portable. I look forward how my new space will influence the way I think, paint and work. My brushes are coming with me!
And if you want to paint your own Carpet Page, download my Make a Carpet Page e-course. Once downloaded it's yours to keep forever.
Watch painting films
Easy-watching, relaxing painting films.
You can get your own ALADDIN toy theatre here: https://www.theperfectbrush.co.uk/product-page/aladdin-paper-toy-theatre...
Book classes
...The monthly meeting is back on for February (I had to cancel January's as I was moving house and it was so hectic). The monthly meeting link is also over at the Forum, which now is a real hub of information and you just need to scroll around or use the Search tool to find information. It's sorted into broad categories too.
Join our monthly meeting on Zoom
Monthly Miniature Meeting on 18 February 2025 from 5pm - 6pm London time. It's FREE and all welcome!
Meeting ID: 882 8001 1245
Passcode: 136689
...Here are some 'classroom constellations' related to The Slade, where I am doing my practice-led research in the 1001 Nights and where I spent my undergraduate years. It was Phyllida Barlow who said to me, right at the end of my BA, that I would go back to miniature painting again and look what happened...
Join 1001 Night reading group at any time
...Here is a fun questionnaire which I invite you to complete:
...My answers:
Artist
Female
British (but less than 1% as has been established for me, above!)
Yellow circle (the sun), red square (Russia, China), blue triangle (a mountain). It could also be a red circle (a stop sign), or a red triangle (another stop sign). But for me it wouldn't be a yellow triangle nor a yellow square, although it could be a blue square (but why...)
What are your answers?
Barnett Newman's question reflects the bias of modern primaries towards the warm spectrum. Actually red, green and blue are more correctly balanced primaries since green is neutral and spans both the cool and warm colours, and RGB are also the primaries of light. CMYK is also a nicer mix in my opinion. Traditional primary colours in east Asia include yellow, blue, green, red, black and white, so more encompassing. Yellow is also Selfridges.
Below: artists' collections! I'm very interested in what other people collect. I went to an auction and nearly bought a miniature from Hodgkin's collection. Then chickened out because I was with a young baby and the miniature wasn't that nice. The Matisse, Picasso and Monet collections were famous. I didn't know about Tony Oursler's interest in the occult and paranormal. I didn't know Rembrandt collected corals (although this could have been part of cabinets of curiosities). Hiroshi Sugimoto collects glass eyes!! I suppose there is a link with his glassy, eerily beautiful photos. And I didn't know about Martin Parr's collection of Soviet space dog memorabilia - I am so jealous as this is something that I collect too, but only ever in my paintings!! I might start with Czechoslovak space memorabilia and mine my husband's past too. Andy Warhol is one of my all-time favourite artists (coincidentally also from Slovakia originally, but more American than American in the end). I'd like to see his collections. He and Peter Blake both like shop signs; I like vintage shop signs too, especially in Chinese and other languages - but again, only so far in artwork. Marbles are cool to collect and play with kids. My dad is a marble master. For me the weirdest collection is fake food, as I can't understand the rationale behind collecting it (although there is a great exhibition on Japanese food replicas on at Japan House at the moment).
What do you collect?
Get your Aladdin toy theatre here
...Speaking of collections, I had to put many things in storage as we downsized. Here is our empty storage unit, and then we put our mirrors in (Patrik's collection, his gilded mirrors are wonderful). You don't want to see how it filled up - it was a 3D puzzle but we got everything in there and still managed to keep my peacock and flamingo in our tiny studio flat (oh yes. From an old Slade chess game artwork). You'll see them featuring someday. And tons of other choice juicy items from our collections, combined. The trick is to have loads of mirrors, everywhere (Patrik-style). We now live in a Hall of Mirrors or Sheesh Mahal. Happy New Year! 恭喜發財 Below is the pink lantern I had as a kid...
...We saw the Forsaken at the Now building. Kashi was scared of the giant jellyfish!
I've been thinking a lot about our move and downsizing and how it is more sustainable to live in a smaller space, cheaper to heat and maintain, less to clean, with the whole city as our playground. You have to be more precise with everything. It forces you to prioritise and think about what's important in your life.
We are entering the 6th mass extinction event and a million species are at risk of being lost forever. We have our beautiful, considered objects from the past. I wear pretty much the same clothes (you only need 74 items in a wardrobe in total according to Vogue and I have listened to that). I will try my best with plastic as well (although Lego is plastic) especially single-use plastic - Patrik and I had an agreement. I need all my books. Kindle isn't that sustainable nor memorable. But I can sort other things out I think. I hope to do better with food. I can walk more (and will enjoy that). We have to teach our kids. All their toys fit in one giant toy box. The problem is they are so creative that they keep on creating... what's the answer to that?
Also, now I love Celia Paul.
Determinedly downsizedly yours,
Vaishali Prazmari
