Work Update...

So... working away on a few things at the moment. The website has been updated with a few new bits since the new year and there'll be more of that to come.

Currently I'm working on a series of images which will be an opportunity for me to return to my favourite medium, screenprinting. I envision this as an ongoing series of pieces around the themes of childhood, 1980's safety videos and nature.

Also, I am very excited to be starting a pamphlet/book based project, helmed by the lovely Jon Stone and Kirsty Irving. The project will involve a collaboration between myself and poet to create a unique publication reflecting the themes of our work. Jon and Kirsty are hands-down the most dedicated exponents of Poetry, with a real hunger and grass-roots drive to get new and exciting work published. And all whilst being thoroughly lovely people. Check out previous projects here...

Ghost Box

Ghost Box is a fantastic record label run by Julian House and Jim Jupp which releases music by a collective of artists (inculding themselves under the monickers The Focus Group and Belbury Poly respectively) inspired by folklore, vintage electronics, library music and 1970's documentary soundtracks.

Every limited release recalls school music room experimentation, school trips to a local woods to collect insects and the long lost safety videos of childhood (learn to swim!), without ever stepping into homage or pastiche.

The packaging is also a perfect reflection of the label's influences. Created by House, each sleeve is somewhere between the covers of science text-books and library recordings. The kind of beautiful object you wish your house was full of.

This mixture of childhood, nature and instructional material really resonates strongly for me and is becoming a nucleus for my own work. Far from just nostalgic reverie, I think there's a tangible sense of what it was like to feel protected and creatively encouraged as a child in Britain.

El Gato Negro

Hey hey,

Long time (again) since posting. Just wanted to draw your attention to the fantastic work of Eric Bonhomme aka El Gato Negro.

There seems to be a lot of work out there that really picks up on a vintage, inky comic style echoing artists such as Paul Pope and Jean Paul Leon (two favourites off the top of my head), but very few have the balls to carry it off.

Eric/El Gato's work never falls into that category; his illustrations are getting stronger each time (as shown by the warm-up work on his blog) and he has a really unaffected, free style. The link above is to his Society6 page, but you can also check out his blog here...