A Bright day in Manchester..

I like to think I view all art with an open mind. It hasn't always been so. I'd stick to the safe options like; Van Gogh, Picasso and Andy Warhol. It's not that I am not influenced by these artists, but I feel there is a lot more out there to discover and I'm ready to look for it and the journey has begun.

I must admit though, I recently went to the Lowry in Manchester to see the exhibition of Andy Warhol works which is traveling around the country.

I've seen his trademark screen prints in books on a smaller scale and the odd ones in galleries but it was finally great to see a show solely of his work. Walking through the gallery dedicated to the work of L S Lowry who spent his life to painting the street and scenes of Manchester. Warhol was a different character all together. He was obsessed with celebrity culture in America and was a far cry from the North of England that Lowry painted.

There was a room in the Warhol exhibition that reflected his personality and that of his subject Marilyn Monroe. It was painted a bright pink and one wall was covered in animal print paper. I was quite disappointed it wasn't actually 'furry" when I touched it! In the centre of the room was a huge black velvet sofa and from the ceiling hung a huge chandelier. All very brash and maybe even tasteless, but i liked it.

I am a big fan of Warhol. because I think he sums up the 1960s. I like the bold colours and simplicity of his screen prints. the highlight of this exhibition for me though was the 1960s design chair that was part of the gallery space. It looks like an oversized cue ball its inside black the outside white. i sat there and relaxed looking at a book about Warhol's portraits. I think passers by thought I was part of the exhibition as I was wearing one of my vintage outfits.

I came away with a book of Andy postcards (which I intend to put in frames, eventually) and a book called 'Andy Warhol and Pat Hackett POPism' .

"This is my personal view of the Pop phenomenon in New York in the 1960s.." Andy Warhol