Tuesday, July 31

"all the treasures in the night"

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, these are illustrations based on a couple of lines from U2's 'All I Want is You.' More than that, they where an effective way for me to channel my frustrations about a situation i've found myself in lately. As well as my feelings about someone. I feel grateful for my creativity... It's helped me through many a strange or unhappy situation.

I think that the digital photo, of this image, shows off the colours better than the scan!?

"eyes in a moon of blindness"

The finished album!

...this was my first ever commission. Even though I didn't make a profit (mates rates!?).

Monday, July 30

work in progress....


Friday, July 27

starting the finished piece....



A couple of nights ago I was feeling a bit sad and spontaneously started drawing this eye. It forms part of an illustration that I'm currently working on, and is a work-in-progress drawing. I'm working on two miniture illustrations:

'Eyes in a Moon of Blindness'
'All the Treasures in the Night'


Taken from U2's 'All I want is you.' I've always loved the imagery that music can evoke. In fact, originally, my MA project proposal was to illustrate a series of songs. I eventually adapted it and worked on a tragic love story in opera form.

Recently, I've had an insane approach to my drawing, where I have been drawing on the tube, bus, station platform, in pret etc...I haven't been like this in a while. Which leads me to believe that something subconciously has inspired me to channel my energies into my sketchbook. In my case it's usually misery, love or both!

The last time I was like this, was a year ago when I was missing a then very good friend, that had moved home to America. For me, the only way to channel my feelings was to be artistically productive.

In the last couple of years I've really started to learn a lot about myself as an artist. What I have come to understand is that my work is very emotionally and personally driven. Almost autobiographical, but not always deliberately.

I don't seem to see things like feelings, or falling in love, like most other people. Or maybe most people do have a similar experience of seeing things like this, in picture form.

I think that recently I've had an experience of this. Where my feelings for someone/a situation have started to take expression in illustration form....

Wednesday, July 25

from scrap of paper to sketchbook.....

A couple of developmental sketches I did on the tube this morning, from seven sisters on route to oxford circus....

Tuesday, July 24

A spark of inspiration...



On my way home from work, listening to my ipod, I had a spark of inspiration. For the first time ever, I didn't have a sketchbook on hand...luckily I found a scrap of paper and a biro to jot it down quickly. I love it when that happens... I got home all wired and anxious to make a start. I haven't felt this way in a long time. Hence the impromtu blog entry.

Preparation

Here's a photo of some tea stained pictures on a make-shift washing line under the conservatory (just incase it rains). Hopefully, this momentum lasts and the preparation from tonight starts to take shape in illustration form tomorrow.

Sunday, July 22

A relaxing Sunday....




Today me and Stephanie went to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Accademy and then spent the afternoon in Green Park, listening to a brass band play. A relaxing day was exactly what I needed and seeing such a huge volume of art work made for a very productive proactive day. Stephanie showed me the 'Inn in the Park,' where the afternoon tea looked amazing....I have to try it soon!

Saturday, July 14

Just Because, again!

I love the iconography of this video...clocks, spiders, cobwebs...does it get any better!

Just Because

This song reminds me of when I was young in the 80's

Artistic Update...

I think that it's about time that I gave an artistic update...at the moment I'm biding my time until I leave 'Liberty.' Exactly two weeks today! I have very mixed feelings about my impending unemployment... a combination of pure fear mixed with sheer excitement. I feel that over the last month I have been metaphorically closing lots of open doors....the last one being 'Liberty.' When (if) I come back from Italy I plan to go full steam ahead and start focusing entirely on my art and I will start my intense search for a creative job. I plan to completely de-stress in Italy and comeback with some new ideas in my sketchbook. I think that some time out of London will really help me to put a lot of things into perspective (personally and creativity). At the moment I'm seriously contemplating staying in Italy for a while to generate some new work without the distractions I have in London. This is just an idea.

Apart from that I'm thinking about my leaving party... an excuse to do an illustration. Stay posted for details....

Another Royal Tea...

This is the first weekend I've had off in a month, so I decided to take my mum to 'Royal Teas' and the market in Greenwich. I was going to take her in May for her birthday, but the weather was so bad and since then I've been too busy to forefill my promise. Tell me, is this becoming an obsession? I would be very happy to live in Greenwich and make art all day and go grocery shopping in around Greenwich Village. I've been working all week and so it was nice to take a break...My brunch was so nice:



Also, I found my very own little piece of happiness in the 'antique' pocket watch I bought in the market.... I think it's absloutely beautiful:

Wednesday, July 11

The Private View

After 8 months of preparation and hard work it all come to an end at the gallery@OXO on Wednesday 11th July....I had a great night and it was so nice that Sarah and Mini came to the private view. The fun included being stalked by a strange man who wouldn't leave me alone, asking me about the strange giant fruit, appologising for his bad english. I also had to tell a woman off for man handling the giant fruit.... Sarah and Charlene got their portraits drawn, there was wine, brownies, cupcakes (a leathal combination)...After we went to the Founders Arms for dinner. If you can go and see the exhibition it's on until the 22nd July!





The Exhibition Set up!

Me and Charlene got to the OXO Tower early, to help set up the exhibition. On display was the work of london children, taught by up and coming artists like me and Charlene. The set up went quite smoothly, after I got my much needed sugar rush. I went on a mini adventure to find a sweet shop to buy sweets...I didn't know where I was walking, but I stumbled upon the GMTV studio and eventually found a sweet shop where I bought a big box of smarties. I happily strolled back to carry on with the 'hard' work, as you can see from the photo's.





Sunday, July 8

The Best of British....

A spectacular day out in Greenwich!

Today me, Charlene and Stephanie went to Greenwich for the day. We started off in Royal Teas (recommended by my friend Sarah...think its becoming an obsession though). Where we had the amazing cream tea. From there we went to the 'Viewfinder Photographic Gallery,' that we happened to be walking past. There was a very quirky exhibition by artist Laura H Trevail. We then went to the market, where I bought some unusual 'rhubarb and cream' black tea. There was the Greenwich Fete happening today (which we didn't know about). It was very bizarre, as you can see from the photos. We then stumbled across an open artist studio day. It was interesting talking to illustrator Rod Hunt (and we strangely have a lot of mutual friends in Illustration). It really is a small world in Illustration.

I think I'm in love with Greenwich. Thinking about going back next Sunday for another Royal Tea....






A Quirky Present

I couldn't resist posting up a picture of the present we bought for a friend in Greenwich Market. They are toy hand painted animals made from pistachio nuts!

Wednesday, July 4

Revisiting the past...

Today me and Charlene went to drop off the giant fruit ready to be transported to the exhibition location (the oxo tower). We'll be helping to install the show next wednesday, just before the private view, which is that evening. If you've got one of the lucky 'golden tickets,' please make use...if not (we didn't get many to distribute) than please go and see the show, it open's to the public from the 12th July. Me and Charlene worked so hard to put all the work together and turn a bad situation good!

Today, I also collected the pictures I had up at the Castle pub in Camberwell. They must have been there for 4 months because I completely forgot about them! Is that bad!?

I went back to the MA exhibition at Camberwell, with Charlene to take a better look at all the work. It was exactly what I needed to make me realise that leaving Liberty is hopefully a step in the right direction.
Here are some links:

Sarah McIntyre
Alex Buxton
Sandrine Dubois
Camberwell Printmakers

I can't believe a year has gone by since I was graduating from my MA and it was the private view. I've been feeling very nostalgic this week, thinking about where I was a year ago. I feel like a totally different person. Here's a nostalgic look back at my exhibit a year ago:

Tuesday, July 3

One Year On.....

....Tonight, after work, I went to the private view of this years graduates from the MA Illustration course at Camberwell College. (The course I was on last year.) Here are some photo's. Take note of Sarah's work (pictured with me below)... one of my favourite exhibits in the show. I loved her little book bindings and especially the beautiful comments book that she made.