Plaça dels Angels

George at Plaça dels Angels

Dalmation at Plaça dels Angels

Tea Shop Illustrations

One of a few illustrations from my Tea Shop series which I printed to postcards, and this was my favourite because the caravan seems just as iconic as the girl. I also favor it for evidencing how a wash of colour like this suggests something of years past - rendering something new somehow classic and appropriate to be nostalgic about.

Caravanning

I have a mild obsession with caravan's - not so much being in them...but the wondrous scaling down of necessities and the idea of being completely content in one white box with windows which can show you a view of anywhere.
This particularly small caravan I saw for the first time on Brick Lane, and I got my own as a gift last Christmas. It ticks all the boxes for a keen caravanner who loves everything about the caravan, except for committing to it long term. I find that a caravan this size (and as stunningly kitsch as this) does not have a shelf life at all.
The shops website is rather nice and they are I believe the only retailer for said caravan;http://www.caravanstyle.com.

News on Child's Play Project

The body of work for the group exhibition 'Child's Play' in May is underway and I'm working on something typographic with George Law and for the first time with illustrator Jonny Ford also based in Sheffield - we're working together on a large scale drawing/collage of a dolls house. The house will be intentionally beautiful with all the ideal elements present, invaded with more mature concerns for what can deteriorate and be lacking.

I'm keen to look into a child's way of working and making art, and how this cannot succeed for an adult with a plethora of adult preoccupations, which mean a house must have a survey, an extension must be approved and a roof must be blocked to keep the squirrels out.
Will post some recent work soon but for now here's a fabulous 1948 advertisement from Woolworth's, for a doll's house "so exciting you'll want to play with it yourself". That is, until you have to get on with the ironing...

Bird Seed curtains

My bedroom is a radiant yellow and is now finished nicely with my handmade Bird Seed curtains (check previous post r.e. Alexander Bird seed fabrics).

I have been told that yellow is not a sensible choice of colour for the bedroom owing to its distracting vibrancy. Apparantly you don't really settle properly. However, whilst these beautiful birds are the first thing I see in the morning illuminated by the morning sunshine, my light-box of a bedroom is in fact a joy to wake up to (even if I'm little sleep deprived).

"SOYO live" poster challenge

Promotional poster for SOYO's of Sheffield: Monday night of live artistic events. Not guaranteed they'll be using this (it might not be quite what they need) but I revelled in deliberately putting it all together by hand. As a scanned image, the material collage has a sense of the experimental and original, which I think compliments SOYO's promotion of fresh artistic pursuits in the city.

New Work

Sometime in June...I'll be participating in an exhibition based loosely around the notion of "Child's Play". The idea has been spun by the lovely Geo Law with whom I happily worked on the "Do Your Best / Do Your Worst" project, and the show will see contributions from a variety of illustrators in Sheffield.

Ladybird book illustrations, such as this of a child on homemade stilts are a pretty perfect inspiration.

Since I think so highly of making things by hand I can tell you already that I'm keen to describe the significance of child's play in art; when the ideas generally idea lack grandeur, and are instead experimental, investigative, and honest. The youngest and more inexperienced hands can produce something crude in terms of ability and skill; disastrous. This work can also be beautifully catastrophic, made without the hindrance of impending deadlines and self indulgance because of greater narratives.

Keep an eye out, I'll post dates and info about this exhibition soon!

Squirrel

Apparently even fake - red squirrels are reaching extinction, sometimes you just have to settle for a grey squirrel over no squirrel at all.

I saw a red one in the window display of Collard Manson, Sheffield  http://www.collardmanson.com and it outshone all their glorious jewellery, so I hunted down this similar model (originally made by Hobbycraft) and I think you'll agree it looks ridiculous. And really lovely.

 
Do Your Best / Do Your Worst

- my work in collaboration with Sheffield based illustrator George Law.
We completed this project in September 2009 and showed the 11 works for a while in the Forum, Sheffield. Initially compelled by a desire to share and challenge each others' approach to working, we started simply by outlining a set form of a shield for every piece, with two corners to work on each.

Having a skeletal form meant we really flourished artistically...if Geo had already finished his corners on a piece, in my quarters I inherently responded. The whole process came to form a visual conversation. I was so pleased with the result and how well we worked together.
Nothing more motivating than needing to do you best for someone else!