Thornbridge of Sheffield opening Dada bar - Exhibition opening - Jane Faram & Geo Law 'Do your best / Do your worst'

Thornbridge Brewery are just about to offer Sheffield a new (and much needed) social destination, rethinking what has become somewhat standard form in city centre bars/pubs. A new venue for enjoying their much loved ales but this time from the keg - a bar rather than a pub. This grants them more license to experiment, attracting an audience who are inclined to be creative, meet and plan ideas, enjoy a live performance/music and take in artwork, which will on the whole celebrate what Sheffield has constantly brewing under the surface.

Another place for the actively creative and ambitious is definitely a goer. In the attractive corner building that was once Trippets on Trippet Lane, Dada will open next Tuesday and I'm pleased to say the dedicated art space inside Dada will house a body of work I made in collaboration with George Law 2 years ago. A shared process of collage, drawing and painting. It will be so nice to start things off for Thornbridge in their first dedicated exhibition space, Dada will accumulate more input from Sheffield artists and musicians over the coming year including projects in association with Martyn Ware of the Human League. A programme of events and shows which are (loosely!) dada in the sense of providing a catalyst for making, doing and speaking about it- just close to the city centre, but off the beaten track enough to feel like an alternative to the norm. 


Locate Dada !

Plating something up for Archipelago Works screen print show!

 

A brand new piece for the upcoming exhibition at Archipelago Works (APG), Sheffield. After producing my first screen print on a t-shirt this summer this is another first for me to have work as a limited edition screen print. The show is 3 C's Creatures, Characters and Communication - 3 Cs in Graphic art - A Group Exhibition of Original Screen Prints.

The idea for the work stemmed from the appeal of displays in the home, an extension of personality through arrangements like this, visual enjoyment over practicality, eclectic design paired with mismatched characters. Some of these characters have a tendency to reappear in my work such as the caravan and flamingo - absolutely personal and ridiculous favourites which I cannot always justify. I would now like to make these plates happen. Especially caravan plate to match my caravan t-shirt.

3 C's group exhibition opening this Friday 23 September at APG! Preview evening 6 - 9pm, all welcome! Also see work by:

Ian Stevenson // Russell Maurice // James Nash // Sarah Abbott // Matt Sewell // David Litchfield // Jane Faram // Bob Milner // Steve White // Malarky // Holly Wales // AustinVonNew // Neasden Control Centre // 45 RPM

DIY Making in the summertime

I had the pleasure of planning a series of workshops and events at Site Gallery, Sheffield during this summer simply named 'DIY Summer at Site', and I squeezed in some cheeky moments to join in the making and diy-ing. It definitely quenched my thirst for learning some new tricks, DIY Summer exposed me to new techniques which I'd love to employ later. I had the joy of working with Crow and Dunnage screenprinters to make my (shameful to say first ever) screenprint, on a tshirt, of a caravan!

Secondly I joined in with a crockery workshop run by Lianne Mellor of Mellorware, namely 'Crocolage' a lovely combination of collage with transfer decals and glazes, onto a 'pop' mug, cereal bowl and plate. I once had a chintsy ship cup so very similar to this and it mysteriously disappeared. After a few years of pining it was a great day receving this ship mug back from the Mellorware kiln, so similar to the first that I can rest easy. Plus I have a trout in the bottom of my cereal bowl which I defy anyone to say isn't ace.

 Earlier this year Bloc Projects in Sheffield ran a Collage Party with artist Elizabeth Rowe, and I had such a great time that I asked Elizabeth to return to Sheffield to run a larger scale Collage Party in Site. I was full of a bad cold but still absolutely loved it. We collaged the gallery walls and even the gallery exterior - and this time around some of the cuttings and collages were amazingly intricate, some disturbing and others almost accidentally beautiful.

Collage Party at Bloc Projects

Just discovered; Amazing Future

Amazing Future - a blog of wondrous proportions. Purely image and video, which I just reviewed on the Article Magazine site. Amazing Future needn't caption their plethora of discoveries as they speak loudly and clearly for themselves, so I shan't say anything further.  Tada! :

A new home for a bird box

I made a series of bird boxes in winter for the Stars in Stripes exhibition in Rotherham, which were installed in the fantastically [intimidatingly] huge space, on the concrete columns to bring an extra dimension. They were so discreet that not many people clocked they were there - each had a light inside with a bird menagerie, illustrated by Nick Deakin.

I have moved house and dressed a lovely new bedroom, unfortunately the bird boxes had to be recycled although I have saved one. The good news is, after a quick trip to tescos for a more icecream boxes and a cut, stick and sketch, I could knock up more in no time! I saved only one of the originals. Hummingbird it is...

Leipzig in July; photographic footnotes

Hundreds of hanging shoes, makes for a pretty eerie sight.

 Casually walking into hotels with his axe.

Post office built in the 60's, a classic GDR communist type.

 Good working clothes.

 A vintage Leipzig bus with lace curtains

Inside the Stasi Museum some attractive curtains.

Music in Sheffield Sex City and others

I haven't struggled for entertainment recently, after some particularly spectacular trips to Glastonbury, Leipzig for Melt Festival, via the Champagne fields of France, Belgium for Dour Festival, and Tramlines in Sheffield (not so spectacular but nice to be close to home).

Some photographs will follow. Mostly they are of Pulp.

Ice Cube, baby

Plenty of chairs

Sign writing for Site Canteen

Site Canteen at Site Gallery, Sheffield has gone into summer with a new tact. New lovely food. Longley Farm yoghurts always win me over. I did the frieze map months ago and just made some amendments. So if you're in the vicinity, check it out - find out where your bread was made or even where they sourced your tea cup.

Hackney farm

Largest pig I've ever clapped eyes on

Hackney Faram chicken no.19

Louise - Columbia Road roses

Photographs taken in Winter '10, Pentax Spotmatic II.

Time to break the creative hiatus

Awful break in blog maintenance not for lack of things to say (promise) but a great deal of excitement at Site Gallery and Article Magazine, from radioactive merry-go-rounds, book clubs, shows to write about and general planning. Surely not enough making.

Yesterday I met with the delightful Sarah Abbott (Sheffield illustrator) and stressed my concerns over this hiatus in my art making, having gained so much in the last few months supporting artists such as Eva & Franco Mattes, and writing about the latest young artists at degree shows. Mark my words, by the end of this summer I'll have prepared towards an exhibition (no matter how small) as I'll have revived my paints and pens!

Collage Party at Bloc Projects, Sheffield

Tonight I remembered the joys of collage, joining artist Elizabeth Rowe and a group of fellow cutters & stickers at a Collage Party - definitely as fun as anticipated. Printed material and tools provided, great vinyl djing by the artist herself and lovely conversation whilst we all selected between a photo of a tropical fish, and a photograph of Prince Charles when he was remotely handsome. Pieced together on the gallery walls, our pictures built into narratives as we utilised the matter that artist Rowe sourced in charity shops but made individual choices about them. 

These collaged works certainly say a great deal about our disparate visual interpretations and decision making processes. Here are my results, mostly ridiculous! :

 

 I've been really inspired by Rowe, who will take her collage approach to the Bloc Billboard on the building exterior. Thanks to Bloc Projects for providing such a fun place to cut & chat! Collage night should come weekly...