Child's Play Exhibition! 10 June - 4 July

Child's Play the exhibition I have assisted the marvelous George Law in organising, is now up and running in The Forum, Division St, Sheffield. Do stop by and see our showcase for some of Sheffield's finest illustrative talent...

Child's Play is a concept dreamt up to allow an eclectic mix of creative Sheffielder's to illustrate a common theme, each in their own way. Either explored in it's literal sense (where things are easy) or ironic sense (where things are complex and ambitious) the setting of Child's Play will prove a playground for ideas.

Amongst the exhibitors are illustrators; Nick Deakin, represented by Unseen Agency, whose multi-disciplinary style and fun imagery is a favourite of many large editorial clients // Jonny Wan, a newly signed illustrator who has worked with Wired Magazine and laser engraving company Grove // Lord Bunn, infamous in Sheffield for his distinctive illustrations and varied style // artist Mute, well recognised from previous Forum and Arcade based showcases of painted works // illustrator Jonny Ford (of the illustrious Sheffield based firm Finger Industries) // Jane Faram, artist and illustrator who produced the 'Do Your Best/Do Your Worst' show at the Forum last September, with....Geo Law, illustrator, one half of The Hantu Collective and a doodler of many a flyer and wall mural. 

Child's Play by Geo Law and Jane Faram 

> George and I have a penchant for a title piece and experimenting with type, our previous show together saw the Do Your Best/Do Your Worst title piece being one of our strongest. For Child's Play we revived a fondness for children's alphabet illustrations and imaginative ways of schooling.

Little Red Riding Hood, Jonny Wan

BOOM! Geo Law

House, Jane Faram and Jonny Ford 

> Jonny and I discussed the make-up of this house at length, we drew great ideas from vintage dollshouse products and the advertisements for them in magazines (Much of this being of German origin, the 'Puppenhaus' was said to be best made in Germany around World War I - house interiors were fashionable, realistic, cutting edge). Jonny's beautiful illustrations to the top right of this piece explore further levels to the house and imagination of the child who may play with it...statements within the work are drawn from guides to 'Building Your Own Home' published in the 90's such as; 'power sockets are a necessary evil', are now outdated and ridiculous, but once sound advice.

 

The work intends to evaluate some of the nightmares arising whilst building a home - what you require and want from it and how fickle planning it can be, and the strain this puts on your childhood ambitions for domestic bliss.

Sol Lewitt; Artists' Books at Site Gallery, Sheffield

I have recently been immersed in the work of Sol LeWitt since I work at Site Gallery in Sheffield which is the only UK stop for the touring exhibition Sol LeWitt; Artist's Books. I often inherit a fresh attitude towards making work or inspiration during and subsequent to each show, interpreting each in light of shows past. My thought processeses and ideas on artistic production continue to change.

Of Sol LeWitt's there are significant points for me; recognising the value of preparation work, such as sketches, plans and designs and how often this carries greater weight in the whole idea than the finished product. "If the artist carried through his idea and makes it into visible form, then all the steps in the process are of importance. The idea itself, even if not made visual, is as much a work of art as any finished product."

From the Word "Art": Blue Lines to Four Corners, Green Lines to Four Sides, and Red Lines Between the Words "Art" on the Printed Page, 1972. Colored ink and pencil on paper. LeWitt Collection.

The Site Gallery exhibition of Sol Lewitt's Artists' Books, shows a way of seeing the artists' book as a vehicle to embody ideas and as a work of art itself, which Sol Lewitt has successfully achieved since the 60s. I love the idea of alternative spaces for art to exist and the challenge of how we imagine art can exist, whether the artist executes the idea personally or if it is performed by another person, or if reprinted as a book for example.

At MACBA this March I saw a film of John Baldessari singing Sol Lewitt's 35 conceptual statements. I adored his bad tuning and believed that Baldessari was performing LeWitt's statements like this in support of his genius - presenting LeWitt's idea in another form by a different voice, but carrying the idea strongly through all the same.

http://www.sfmoma.org/multimedia/videos/92

CollardManson store extension

I was thrilled to hear that the exquisite jewellery, bag and clothes designer and store CollardManson (Division Street, Sheffield) are on the verge of revealing a recent expansion to their second floor!

I have long continued to visit this treasure trove for beautiful items - their selections are constantly refreshed and feel exclusive, inspiring a classic shopping style; wherein items are (perhaps irrationally!) wholly adored and which are afforded in the expectation that it would not be possible to fall out of love with them. So far I can validate this! And I'm so pleased CollardManson have become so well established and able to add another layer to the shop in Sheffield (and that there will be Black Russians served at the opening event)...
> Crystal bird necklace (I don't wear nearly enough jewellery but if I were to dare to wear a necklace, I think it may aswell be at this level of fabulous).

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.