Met with the children's book illustrator, Angela Barrett in her apartment on Old Grey Street. Angela Barrett lives in a kind of eccentric generous one bedroom apartment with violet velvet draperies trimmed in gold, butter yellow wall,needlepoint carpets on top of other carpets, raw wood woodwork in some places and all sorts of photographs of people, family and paintings. Very reminiscent of the old MacKenzie Childs look with more gravity. Lots of books. She is a wonderfully sweet and very English person. Graduate of the Royal College, 1980. Only does book work--detailed, very english palette. Her sketches are very miniscule and Edward Goreyesque. She was very generous and funny telling us tales of her phobias, likes and dislikes, her travels and education. The best was her telling us about this old boys club for artists she is part of called the Artwork Guild. Each member is referred to as bretheren--and they all come from different walks from violin making, gilding, bookbinding, illustration, architecture. They are led by the Master who wears gold chains "its all very old boy, very old fashioned". You get the gist. Angela loves history particularly british history and was filled with all sort of little details she weaves into her discussion. Loved it. Felt very much part of my old history of calligraphy and guilds and structure--and the right way and the wrong way to do things. I feel like I have moved on from that thinking.

Showed the work to John. Merge the birds with the burkas and talk about style. Need to think about it...he acknowledges that its my deal...so we might do both. He was very positive about getting the work "out there".

Off to the Sir John Sloane house this p.m. Dinner at John Thompson's apartment at Earles Court. Need to open the map to figure that one out.

Did I tell you about this pictures Hogarth did that parodied the Masonry? Wow.

More later, hopefully.>>

Detail of illustration by Angela Barrett