Specialists In Lockdown | John Black
Our next chat is with John Black - director and design/decorative arts specialist. Quite the craftsman John has been busy building a tree house for the kids and enjoying learning more about the life of British painter, designer, book illustrator and wood-engraver Eric Ravilious.
How are you keeping busy in lockdown?
Not difficult with three boys running amok at home, but more sedate when home schooling started after Easter. The planning behind the scenes for the next six months has been a great team effort (cripes we’re nearly half way through the year..) and with sales to think about it was good to clear the decks and think about the future.
Do you have a favourite self-isolation recipe you can share with us?
My son Max announced at the beginning of April that he wanted to make nettle soup, we found this recipe and collected nettles from a wood behind the house - one has got to try it!
1 tbsp olive oil , plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 leek,finely sliced
1 large potato, thinly sliced
1l vegetable stock
400g stinging or dead nettles, washed, leaves picked
50g butter, diced
50ml double cream
What is saving your sanity during lockdown?
I’ve destroyed an old tree house and built ‘Hut-19’, bunk beds (for the children) desk (for home working) and a chill out area to get away from it all. I still have ten fingers and ten toes…lockdown with the family has been a steep learning curve and we have all our little projects on the go - and looking after our chickens - Sonic, Trump, Heinz and….Covid
Which online exhibition/gallery viewing room or other Internet offering has caught your eye?
I have to admit that I just love a good book - there’s nothing like reading before you turn out the lights at night - Andy Friend’s ‘Ravilious and Co’ has been great read - getting to know Ravilious and his circle fellow artists and designers with whom he was educated, worked and socialised. The best art documentary that I have seen was Lee Miller ‘A Life on the Front Line’ BBC Two - watch it - an amazing artist, model, lover and photographer.
You can contact John on johnblack@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778
More Recent News
Miniature Painter with a Big Talent
A rare work by the extraordinary Sarah Biffin (1784-1850), an early 19th century artist born without limbs, will go under the hammer in our Fine Interiors auction this December.
26 October 2021
Chinese Export Silver from the Paris of the East
A collection of Chinese silver assembled by a family who lived in Shanghai in the early 20th century comes for sale at Sworders in November. The group of typical ‘export’ wares owned by the vendor’s grandparents who lived in ‘the Paris of the East’ had been stored in a trunk since the end of The Second World War.
19 October 2021
The Life and Work of Carlo Bugatti (1856-1940)
Next week's auction of Design offers two archetypal side chairs from a truly unique Italian designer - Carlo Bugatti - whose life was filled with talent and tragedy.
14 October 2021
