Friday 30 April 2010

Bikes & Cycling in London Competition

Bikes are great aren't they, as long as you don't fall off which I always seem to do- I have a lot of stories where I fall into a heap and there's a lot of swearing involved, but other than that they're a fab way to get around! I recently watched Mark Beaumont's amazing journey where he Cycled the Americas from Alaska down to Argentina, climbing Mt Mckinley and Aconcagua along the way, a-m-a-z-i-n-g, so inspiring! So anyways here's my entry into the Cycling in London Competition which is organised by the London Transport Museum & the Association of Illustrators, there's still time to enter with the deadline for entries being 17th May.

Monday 26 April 2010

Hello leaves, you've been away too long!




The leaves are just starting to appear again and I'm so glad to see them. Just a month or so ago in the depths of snow it felt like we'd never see them again. It's been a tough old winter so seeing that tinge of green and those little globules of buds at the ends of bare branches is such an inspiring and heart-warming sight.

Friday 23 April 2010

What Picture Works?


Here's my entry into the What Picture Works Competition run by The Picture Works. I edited an outdoor art installation photo down to a few wisps of cloud, a corner of a tree and a mound of earth, realising that a picture is all about composition and if that's right then it'll work. It made me think of this quote:
'Great artists have no country' by Alfred de Musset.
So I called my entry 'All sky, no country'. I came across the quote years ago, in artwork for the Manic Street Preachers single 'If you tolerate this your children will be next' and it's one quote I'll always remember.

Tuesday 20 April 2010

Inspiration: Idlewild! Sushi! Roots!



Here's my latest inspiration that I'm going to feed off: Saw Idlewild at Moho Live in Manchester on Sunday, there were amazing as usual and Roddy really is a legend! Made sushi the other week, I love it, fresh, delicious, yummy and looks so cool! & found these cool exposed tree roots by the side of the road. Time to get drawing!

Tuesday 13 April 2010

Outline maps of my life

I just found out about the Hand Drawn Map Association, how cool! You can send in maps you find or create. So here's mine, its the outlines of all the countries I've ever been to all on top of one another, how many can you spot?

Monday 12 April 2010

People & Creatures

These were done as ink drawings, but I think the scanned in versions look a bit like they could be wood cuts. I should really do some real ones, I love the tugboat printshop and their deep blue sea wood cuts are amazing, the blocks are works of art in themselves.

Thursday 8 April 2010

Follow the Leader

Here are my drawings for the Follow the Leader project where you take your lead from your pick of 6 mini images and see where it goes, I choose the jar which I filled with carrots and then more veg and the mirror which became a fishing net. The people behind it also run the Working Proof which bring out limited edition prints with a percentage of the profits going to different charities, there's some fab work my faves are The Jewel of the Mind by Justin Richel and Forest Lady by Karolin Schnoor. Go check it out.

Tuesday 6 April 2010

Missed & Future Exhibition to see


A lithograph by Francisco Dosamantes http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/Mexican_print_1.jpg

I'm gutted that I missed 'Revolution on Paper: Mexican Prints 1920-1960' at the British Museum. These two are by Francisco Dosamantes and Alfredo Zalce. But no way am I going to miss the Agnes Martin artist rooms exhibition at Kettle's Yard Cambridge, seen her work in books and had them in my head for years now I can see them!

Monday 5 April 2010

Featured on Art Milk!

Hey just found out that my mail art envelopes were featured on Art Milk. Nice one! :)

Sunday 4 April 2010

Repeat-x Repeat-y & I AM V

Here's a couple of recent submissions I've done. The grey flower pattern is for the awesome repeat-x repeat-y pattern project, where anyone and everyone can submit a pattern and then download other patterns to use as wallpaper. My faves are the cable car and the multicoloured grids. Another recent submission that I just managed to find and complete on the deadline date was an album cover for Loud and Quiet Magazine's fifth anniversary which has the shadows of whales/dolphins lined up and repeated, I like that people will see it differently, an abstract pattern, shadows of whales, something yet not something at the same time.

Thursday 1 April 2010

Maps for the FGAP



These are some recent and not so recent large map drawings, this is the first time that I've seen them all together and they have organically become a series all on their own. I've entered them into the Future Generation Art Prize. It's really interesting to see them together and see how or if they work next to each other. Working towards a competition entry gives me extra motivation, extra oomph to go for and complete something different, something larger than I've ever completed before. Knowing that 'someone' is going to see your work and it's a part of something worldwide, no matter how big your part in it is exciting.