I've just been to the J W Waterhouse exhibition at the Royal Academy. [link] Truly awesome, and a must-see for anyone who likes beautiful, mystical and inspiring art, and who will be anywhere near London before 13 September. The exhibition has the title The Modern Pre-Raphaelite, which is a bit misleading. He's not modern, and I doubt if he were alive and painting like that today that he could get into the RA, infested with abstractionists and conceptualists as it has deplorably become. He wasn't really a preraphaelite either. More a romantic classicist.

Anyway it was a thrill to see Waterhouses's work in the flesh. I will most certainly be going again at least once before the show closes. the exhibition featured a number of my favourite artworks ever, including 'St Eulalia' (1885), 'Mariamne' (1887), 'Hylas and the Nymphs' (1896) and 'A Mermaid' (1900).

Speaking of mermaids, for the next couple of weeks a few of my own Mermaid paintings (showing some Waterhousian influence) will he on show in Risborough Art Gallery, Buckinghamshire (HP27 0AT). Princes Risborough couldn't be further from the sea in any direction if it tried, a fact which has not prevented the leading burghers from picking 'Splash' as the theme of its town festival this year. (There is a very good fish and chip shop, which may have contributed to the equation).

In other news, my 'Alien and Skull' painting earned a Daily Deviation, which was cosmic. (My second DD ever- DD and Bar). Thanks to for the selection and to all who faved and commented thereon.