Rumbling round the west end

The main purpose of the expedition was to see Gordon Baldwin's pots at Erskine, Hall & Coe (till 31 July). There's an online catalogue, and we took our sketchbooks, to "get to know the pots better" -

Of course you lose the sense of scale - so here's the real(?) thing -

 What you don't see so well are the sumptuous bumps and bulges, the entire three-dimensionality.

I particularly liked the "big eggshells" with their bold marks inside and out, and the tall shape with its subtle patterning -

The other two shows on our list were Boetti ("Order and Disorder") at Mazzoleni (till 31 July)

Biro on paper on canvas

Embroidered in Afghanistan

A self-relfective system

Downstairs, small pieces in groupings

Biro on paper on (small) canvas

and "Burning Cutting Nailing" (Klein, Fontana, Uecker) at Skarstedt (till 31 July) -

Nail pieces by Guenther Uecker

Pierced metal by Lucio Fontana, with reflections

Along the way...

Open windows at the Royal Institution

This got strangers talking to each other; absolutely every man who passed by
stopped to look and most took photos

Part of a jewellery display on Bond St - the abstract "crystal balls" much preferable to
 those with realistic elements (and to the blingey schmuck)

Printed textile by Mariano Fortuny, based on Italian renaissance designs
(price tag: £12,000)