Monday 30 November 2009

Cornershop - Free Love

In a thinly veiled attempt to seem slightly more productive this month I'm sneaking the forthcoming Cornershop single into my blog for two reasons - it's great and the video is aces too.

I've always had a soft spot for Cornershop (dodgy big beat remixes aside) and still think 'Born for the Seventh Time' is a [well] good record so it was a nice surprise to hear this on the radio today - they're still more than capable of putting out records that are as catchy as they are unclassifiable. In their own words 'psychedelic extrapolation of Punjabi folk'. The gloriously hand-crafted video is animated by Chris Hemming - have a peek by clicking here.

I'm still knee deep in Special Benny artwork that has had me fretting for what is beginning to seem like forever...

Friday 27 November 2009

Stuart Kolakovic

I chanced upon Stuart Kolakovic earlier this year when I was in Edinburgh and spotted one of his fine prints in Analogue Books all framed and ready to go for a paltry £10. Fast forward a couple of months and Mitch from OMG Posters decided to shine a light on Stuart highlighting some of the delightful ware in his shop including a rad (!) screen-printed slalom skate-board. The only problem now I'm forty notes lighter is whether to hang it on the wall or ring up my old catamaran buddy Damon and find a fuck-off big hill...



Tuesday 24 November 2009

Special Benny's 'Air Filter' out now!

If anyone can tell me a better way to spend 69p I'll send them a free limited edition screen-print of the cover* but I certainly can't think of one. Click here to buy one - all nepotism aside it's my favourite single of 2009.

* when I do it in January.

Friday 20 November 2009

'Watch This Space' Charity Art Auction

Watch This Space’ is putting on a Charity Art auction of young and emerging artists on December the 8th and as I'm desperately young and known to occasionally emerge I have offered one of my 'Epic Octopus Attack' pieces up for auction. I'm told the guest host might be Noel Fielding of The Mighty Boosh. Hopefully fellow young artist Lee 'Scratch' Perry will be in attendance and we can spend the evening together walking backwards and worshipping bananas. Contact Lee or Bakul (email details below) for tickets to the event.

"Over the past 3 years, The Special Yoga centre has hosted charity art auctions of artworks by some of the country’s most celebrated contemporary Artists including; Damien Hirst, Sam Taylor-Wood, Peter Blake, Marc Quinn, Ollly & Suzi and Natasha Law. The last auction, introduced by Samantha Cameron, and hosted by Gabbi Roslin, raised a staggering £100,000, even more amazing since this event took place in the midst of an economic downturn. A Christie’s auctioneer auctioned off some exquisite pieces, including a spot painting and etchings by Hirst.

The success of these auctions was the catalyst for an auction that champions the next generation of YBA’s. On November 26, arts organisation ‘Watch This Space’, who curate exhibitions of talented emerging Artists, will organise the first Special Yoga Centre auction of young artists. This will not only give collectors a chance to discover some hot new artists, and support their practice by purchasing their work, it will also raise much needed funds for the Special Yoga Centre.

Yoga expert and co-author of ‘The Spiritual Teachings of Yoga’ Jo Manuel founded the Special Yoga Centre in 2004 as a charitable organization supporting children with a variety of conditions, which can be aided by the practice of yoga. Children with Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, ADD, ADHD and other physical and developmental difficulties all benefit from the expert teaching offered at the Special Yoga Centre, whose policy is to offer yoga to all without regard to financial or cultural constraints. Children from all walks of life, including the late son of shadow Prime Minister David Cameron, have benefited from the care and teaching of the Special Yoga Centre.

Artists featuring in the auction will include; Andrew Campbell, Ann-Marie James, Arran Gregory, Ben Jenkins, Best One, Cereinyn Ord, Daisy de Villeneuve, Elliott Young, Epoh Beech, Eugene Wood, Graham Hudson, Harry Malt, Ilaria Conte, Izzie Klingels, Jim Cooper, Julie Umerle, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Konrad Wyrebek, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry & Peter Harris, Lee Jones, Louise Richardson, Mat Pringle, Matilda Temperley, Max Parsons, Monkey Punch III, Niall O’Brien, Nick Cunard, Nick Jensen, Peter Edwards, Ricky Adam, Robin Clare, Sam Szulc, Sarah Cooney, Sarah Kate Wilson, Sara le Roy, Sky Sharrock, Sohrab and Suzie Wright.

An Auctioneer from one of the leading Auction Houses will take the auction, with a special celebrity host getting the crowd going. Therefore this event provides an excellent opportunity for collectors to discover exciting young Artists. It will also aid the career of these young Artists (who will receive a percentage of the proceeds), and allow the Special Yoga Centre to continue it’s invaluable practice with the aid of the auction proceeds

Committee members are; Damian Barr – The Times; Jonni Fitzgerald – Fashion Stylist; Lucy Meakin – All Visual Arts; Meritaten Mance – Mance & Rose PR; Tiger Savage – Creative Director, M&C Saatchi; Iram Qurashi – Cultural Consultant; Irshaard Ibrahim – Director of Sleep Clinic; Paddy Barstow – ART MOSH; Rachael Barratt – Kultureflash Art Editor; Sydney Levinson – Rhodes & Rhodes.

The last auction at the Special Yoga Centre was featured in the Evening Standard, London Paper, Daily Express and Daily Mail. Watch This Space will curate the auction and take care of the PR. Watch This Space have already been featured by BBC News, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Evening Standard, Amelia’s Magazine, MySpace, Art Daily and The London Paper.

For further information go to www.watch-this-space.org or contact Lee Johnson on lee@watch-this-space.org or Bakul Patki on bakul@watch-this -space.org."



Friday 13 November 2009

Big Antidote

At this summers Print Club poster show by chance I met up with James of Cure Studios who mentioned an ambitious illustration/comic project he was about to embark on. He's not shy of a little hard work when he gets an idea and that was evident from the 'Power in Numbers' show but his new brain-child 'Big Antidote' is something else again.

The basic premise is one illustrator draws a section of the comic then the baton is passed on to someone else to continue the story. Repeat ten times. Then do ten different stories in the same way. After which all the stories are screen-printed for an exhibition sometime in 2014 if he has to deal with people like me for the remainder of the project...

I obviously jumped at the opportunity as I love comics and I think the concept is brilliant. I didn't count on the amount of work involved in producing one tiny eight panel strip. I sketched everything out separately thinking it'd be easier to layout, colour and add text at the end. It was not easier. Very much not easier. It was fucking painful truth be told.

Anyway here's some taster sketches for now - check out the website to get involved and follow it as it progresses.



Sunday 8 November 2009

Zine C

Fellow Print Club member, illustrator and all round nice fella Jake Blanchard asked me to contribute something for his next zine 'C' released through Tor Press. Past issues have included work by fantastic illustrators like Stuart Kolakovic and Tom Fewings so I was more than happy to submit work for him despite my intense schedule of late. Plus he put outs brilliant compilations of drone and freak folk featuring the likes Voice of the Seven Woods and Hush Arbors. How could I possibly refuse.

I set about doing an epic horror 'C is for...' illustration which featured crucifixes, corpses and crows all piled up on top of each other but it was all a bit much so I ended up focusing on the crow in more detail. So whilst it's not particularly high-concept (anyone spot a trend?) I'm very happy with it although I'll be the first to admit it loses something without colour which is a shame. Hopefully when I get back to Print Club in December (assuming they'll have me again) I'll do a huge colour screen-print of it.

Apologies again for the lack of posting - still juggling Special Benny album artwork and the Big Antidote project (not to mention making my No Face costume from Spirited Away for Halloween) so I haven't had a minute to spare.