Alexander Calder

This artist is very dear to me. With no previous knowledge of arts i started studying sculpture at Leeds Art college at the age of sixteen. I remember trolling through the sculpture section of the library just trying to find something that I could vaguely relate to or find inspiring when I came across a very special book titled Calder's World. And so Alexander Calder became my favourite artist. The work of his I loved the best was The Circus. It was enchanting, resourceful, dedicated, beautifully crafted and just wonderfully silly.

Watch this video, it's lovely. He would do little performances like this every now and then for his friends and family.



Now it's five years later and I've left sculpture way behind, gained a wealth of knowledge about the art world and firmly found my place within design. Yet still, I am as completely charmed and disarmed by Calder as i was that first afternoon that i did stumble across him in the library.. I would like one day to do a project that pays tribute to Calder's ingenious Circus.

Johnny Flynn - Brown Trout Blues

Such a lovely song, i listened to it a lot this week.

show!

Went to the Leeds Art College foundation show a couple of weeks ago, partly to revel in nostalgia but mainly to see what this years graphics student had to bring to the proverbial table! There was a lot of rubbish but here are a few things that caught my eye for an interesting or funny concept, they've sure got potential!

My personal ~best of show~ would have to be these next two. First a pamphlet on contemporary duelling and how to 'demand satisfaction!' to settling everyday disputes. Love this cause every time i see duelling on an old movie i'm like yeahhh awesome people should still do that! (Click on picture to make it bigger)

Finally i picked up two very clever, inspiring and hilarious zines by student Emi Dixon I think this girl is actually amazing, definitely got her head in the right place! The zines are all lo-fi and scribbly writing but the message and the heart is there, and that's what matters most!

On another note I've recently discovered the music of Billy Childish and wonder how I ever lived without it!

found this little buddy at the allotment!

so this is what became of my scarecrow..

summer in the changing rooms.

My Best Friend's Birthday

Quentin Tarantino.. fuck yeah!! This is 36 minutes of the first film he made, the rest got mythically destroyed in a fire. It really is fantastic. Young Tarantino is the main character too.. siiiigh!

Such a great image.

Did this today! Painting on found wood inspired by decadent poet Alfred Jarry who called the bicycle he rode everyhwere "that which rolls" and super great street artist Zosen who reminds me of the stuff i wanted to do when i was just starting out doing graphics and hadn't been all insitutionalized, so it's fun and nostalgic. Also did some tie dye and then watched Charade. AWESOME SUNDAY.

This is my goldfish, it's name escapes me. I've had it for really so long, eight years now i think. Over the last few months it's started losing orange from the bottom upwards and there's hardly any left now i just thought i had to record it somehow. Like when people get really old they lose their hair colour. One eye still orange though. Weird. Haha.

Started painting on my garage walls but it took longer than i imagined, will get it finished when i get a chance! Looking goooood though.

Wamba!

My brother really wants a dog but i rehehheally hate dogs, so i made him this for his birthday last week. It's a happy compromise i think.

Hay buddies long time no blog! Exciting stuff i have just started an internship with Dirt Cheap magazine in Huddersfield, you can check out the online blog HERE to which i am now a contributor! They also run live art nights called Fresh Kids so im super psyched to be involved, we've got some plans to do an installation which would be rad so now it's just work work work.. yeyyy!