Brightening up the waiting room...

Featuring these artists

In the Metabolic Bone Centre of the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, the Stars in Stripes spent a day illustrating the walls of a room with no windows or no particular stimuli.

For those patients spending time (though hopefully not too much of it) in this waiting room there are now seven new hills of Sheffield adorning the walls, and an array of characters and creatures playing parts in an overall surreal narrative, this should keep everyone entertained!

All photographs by Hailey Evenett

Nature Set - band illustration

Nature Set are a lovely band based in Sheffield, who recently asked me to illustrate one of their songs entitled 'Albatross' which you can hear here >

http://www.myspace.com/natureset

Kites, French Plums and Blackberries

Louise launching the rainbow kite, photograph by Jane Faram August 2010

Collecting fruit in St Malo, photograph by Jane Faram August 2010

I often pair my photographs or will create triptych to bring a sense of action and narative to my pictures. I thought this approach suited these photographs beautifully - they should be seen in one instance and as seperate viewpoints of one event.

Live Painting with fellow 'Stars in Stripes' at SOYO, Sheffield

The *new* Stars in Stripes Art Collective - debut at Tramlines festival, Sheffield

The Stars in Stripes, Live Art collective - we made our debut at the Washington in Sheffield on the Saturday of Tramlines. George was the initiator of the group and chose who he'd like to involve - as group dynamics go I think he got it spot on! All based in, or close to Sheffield, it was an inspiring weekend working amongst this vibrant group of artists and illustrators with eclectic ideas. Day two was at SOYO bar and gig venue, where more of the group were able to join us. We intend make more exciting pictures in the midst of events in the future, so keep an eye out. Better still take an immediate look at our website: http://starsinstripes.wordpress.com/


I worked on the same piece on both days, it was a sizeable board! I was thinking about traditional circus posters, pulling together something ridiculous involving unlikely animals, props and events - I thought immediately of performers and crowd pleasers to suit the situation. I hope it was fun to watch.

I made enlargements of some old magazines pictures to collage, another element in the live art which I think is engaging for people. Thankfully I remembered my scissors but I'm afraid I forgot the glue, so cut-outs were haphazardly adhered using paint. 


Music wise I caught the great Echo and the Bunnymen, an event made golden by the appearance of Richard Hawley on guitar, the Dum Dum Girls were sultry and played catchy songs for us, and the Heebie Jeebies were as ever fun fun fun.

The Harley Hotel - wall art

 

A snap of the Live art on the walls of the Harley Hotel venue, Sheffield. Made in the good company of Geo Law, Sarah Abbott and Lee Bamforth. I arrived later than the rest so things were well underway. 

Sarah had already built up her beautiful, retro painted areas of colour and delicate patterns which gracefully seemed to pull our varying styles together. Shown here are George's characters in all their surreal, cute but slightly menacing glory and I penned the hot air balloons because lately I've been thinking alot about early modes of transport, often finished to a beautiful standard. I wanted to paint something a little like the original Montgolfier Brothers balloons in all their vibrant, ornamental brilliance.

Look Mum No Hands! Sign painting

My friend Wilson and I rather liked this signage so I snatched a photograph. It's on Old Street in London > A new place, apparantly channelling the old tradition of cafes for weary, hungry cyclists who need a mid-ride rest in the city.

Cards to like / keep / remember

 

Mother's Flamingo Birthday Card - May 2010

A couple of cards I've made for recent occasions. I'm always inclined to go for a cut-out or unexpected shape in my cards - I simply think greetings cards should always be memorable for the recipient, and I like to think they are keepsakes that surpass their usually brief shelf life. I hark back to many antique greetings cards I've seen, which concertina out, are a plethora of shapes and sizes and deliver something truly different and personal.

 

Katie's New Baby Card May 2010 (teddy cut out of the back is reused on the front.) *One of my favourites

 A mixed bag of antique cards... ranging from the terrifying to the extremely kitsch and tacky. These are cards but not as we know them...thank goodness.

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