Break Down

I feel like I might give myself one soon!

Since my last post I've been extremely busy. I've finally managed to finish my book 'Vacation', which will be getting released on Yoke Books soon. www.yokebooks.com.

Here's a couple of previews:

Curatorial work:

I've been working hard on curating LOOP arts Fair - in Leeds along with Neil Owen (TestSpace) & Laura Wellington (Vamp Designs). www.looparts.co.uk. Website and information will be released shortly but for now follow twitter for updates: https://twitter.com/#!/LoopArtsFair. Includes a really exciting line-up of participants and events. Toy - illustration agency & artsists, Jez Burrows, Lizzy Stewart, Yoke Books, Catalogue, Qubik, Nous Vous, Analogue Books & Matthew The Horse. The Fair will feature 3 main facets - Talk, Work & Play. Venue and booking will be availble through website next week.

Alongside this another curatorial project TOP-UP for which i've set-up a tumblr: http://topup.tumblr.com/. TOP-UP will be a concept store featuring exhibited artists products, it will also function as my studio for a month. It'll be host to a number of events including Yoke Books Launch. Specific details regarding this will be released soon on tumblr.

I'm working with the Met University Graphic Art course to curate 'Broadcasting from the Brudenell' - an end of year celebration of the students achievements throughout the year. Bit of a art bash! Taking place at Brudenell Social Club Tuesday 24th May from 5pm.

Shows I'm in:

I've produced a series of new work for Nous Vous's first European solo show at Dama Aflita in Portugal. Check Nous Vous website for details. www.nousvous.eu / http://www.damaaflita.com/

Have a series of my Oscar Wilde prints exhibited alongside good friend of mine Jon Owen - in Armley Library Leeds.

I have a small set of images about Typographers going into a group show at TestSpace - called HUMBOLA - lots of great artists. From 27th May.

 _

Currently working on:

• A personal commission - making a mobile
• Getting Nous Vous website ready to launch.
• LOOP LOOP LOOP!


Personal life:

What's that? How does that happen? What Happens?

- Cripes
J x

 

Picking Up

I've had a really great, but on same note exhausting time last couple of weeks. I went to London to participate in Pick Me Up with the other chaps from Nous Vous. We worked on a project called Fresh Ones, where we created a set of objects - hand crafted in the space. 

We also had a shelf of items we commissioned and curated featuring work from some tight buds. Nathaniel Russell (Ukulele), Matt Hodson aka Matthew The Horse (Vase), Qubik, printed by Workshop (Throw / Fabric Piece), Espen Friberg & Jessica Williams (Pumps), Tom Hudson (Cap). A real pleasure working with these chaps and being able to offer to show their creations off.

 

 

We handmade some blocks you can play with

 

Hung out with some buds. Briuce Usher (Yoke Books) & Jack Hudson

 

 

  

I designed some postcards for NV, which were snapped up sharpish.

  

Made some new dolls in the space, which are now available to purchase at NoBrow's Great East Street store.

  

 

 

I witnessed a united front in form of a protest, from the sidelines. Very inspiring.  

 

And knocked out some t-shirts, of which I still have few left. An extra small girls, small mens & kids 5-6year old version. E-mail me if you're interested in purchasing (jay@nousvous.eu) £25ea.

  

am also featured in a couple of vids made during show 

Pick Me Up from HUH. on Vimeo.

Taking a short short break & back to work...  

Right

Much must have happened since my last entry here - what 'much' is a foggy haze.

Looking over my last post I was just mid-way to finishing my Mural. Well here's a couple of photo's of the finished piece if you haven't already spotted my website or flickr. The Mural took me 4 days in total - I asked my friend Matt Hodson to write a poem to lead you up the stairs which reads:

Opposite to what?
Well
What have you got
I've got mistakes
The opposite of which is cakes
We also have delicious brews
Smile Grows
That is good news

Which I totally didn't do justice in terms of rendering. But yeah nice thing to do anyway, would like to collaborate again doing something similar it a more appropriate format.



 
 

I've been preparing for a show in Cambridge with Nous Vous, which at this point is happening if you get a chance to go visit. Cambridge is very lovely for a day out too. Our show ' Dark Energy is at the frontroom gallery details here http://www.frontroomcambridge.com/ - photo's soon. The chaps that run the space are super nice too - good dudes!

I'm currently working on few few things:
• Pick Me Up - where me and the chaps are setting about creating handmade limited editioned - crafted goods. Such as book ends, dolls, pots, paperweights, tshirts etc - a no print zone. We'll also be participtaing in itsnicethat's illustration event.

• Little Bits Promo - my sisters new company selling party bags and wedding favours as well as some nice fancy dress.

• Another personal commission - creating a sketchbook a week for near 2 months.

• Top-Up - a personal curatorial project
• Loop - a collaborative curatorial project.

- So yeah lots on!

About Doubt:

Doubt Stinks
It's milky, it's hard to see through
Don't leave it or it'll get stinkier

add a lump of sugar
hold fast and swallow back
Gag and get on with it


that's all for now.
J x



 

Leeds / Leads Tote & Other

First of all I'd like to issue my New Years wishes to you! I haven't updated in a while - so there may be alot to cover - I'm not going to attempt to do that - rather I shall, in the new years spirit just keep with current news.

I'm placing the 'Leeds / Leads' Tote Bags, exclusively for sale on my blog for the time being. The set I created a short while before Christmas.

There's currently a limited run of 10
£10 each - screenprinted by me, Lovingly modeled by one of my Gentle-Man dolls

Pretty much as soon as I'd returned from my festive break I embarked on a wall mural - that took 4 days to complete. It was a simple task of embellishing the corridor / toilet in my favourite coffee shop - Opposite.

here's some terrible snaps, that give no sense of scale or dynamic of the piece, but serve as a nice taster - will be some better ones - taken by a real photographer - on a real camera - soon...

Winter warmer

Finished = Constellations Festival & Personal Commission

 

 

Safe to say we (Nous Vous) were all very pleased with the outcome of Constellations festival, we created what is effectively a giant hanging mobile over the top of the crowd, a set of large scale banners based on mobile shapes & the stage set for many amazing bands including Broken social scene - very much enjoyed the day too. We had some assistance installing as we only had one afternoon (crazy) from friends of ours Bruce Usher, Jack Scales & Alfie Strong - good and talented chaps. Lots of people there enjoying the festivities. Good jive!

Post Constellations I locked myself away in my studio internetless and free to produce - I set about working on a personal commission, from a very lovely and inspiring lady to produce a set of book covers illustrating a set of books she'd assembled and named 'The New Nature Writing' (Wicked title!) as well as a set of paintings to accompany. I ended up creating a set of book shaped woodblocks, which I intended to use as a printing tool for larger pieces - this didn't work out - so I ended up producing some watercolour paintings to accompany instead. I was also later asked to respond to 'Lady into Fox' by David Garnett, which looks like a really great book, but I only managed to get through a small portion and respond to that amount.

Present = Web update, Christmas Craft Fairs

Finally managed to update my website - as I was struggling to find time to put my new prints online, which I have now, I was thinking about the way I was presenting myself online - basically concluding that I needed to represent works individually to give them full impact and space - so that's what I've done. The old set-up was good for showcasing work cumulatively, but I felt some of my newer works needed a bit more breathing space.

Christmas Craft Fairs - where I'll be selling Nous Vous items - some subject to winter / festive discounts. Prints, zines, plush men, bags, books & stuff.

Sunday DEC 5th / 1 - 4pm - 'Handmade' at The Brudenell Social Club - this one is always great organised by craftasnista Amy. There's Cake and plenty to look at, even just a nice place to hang out on a Sunday, even if you're being frugal.

More details here: Christmas Handmade

Saturday 11th Dec / 12 - 5pm - Enjoy Christmas Fair - Enjoy art space - There'll be lots going on at this one. It's in the event space at my studio. Enjoy is located at the bottom end of town - so may be a nice place to come sit - hang out - get some mulled wine or hot soup - warm the cockles and check out the new gallery - which is rad! I'll be doing a Christmas wrapping paper workshop with anyone who wants to get involved. Participants will receive some free wrapping paper if they come pick up from Factory 4 the following week.

More details here: Enjoy Christmas Fair

Merry Winter!
J x

Part 1: 'I wish I was better - Again'

Boat at 14.35

Woke up laboring. The notion of returning 'home' after a long day of travel didn't feel like motivation enough to crawl out of bed after the night before. There was little he had in common with his immediate family.

Upon leaving his accommodation, the familiar feeling of being completely  unprepared for the actions ahead came. To the cash machine - into a shop - spend sixty pence to break ten pounds - board the bus to the train station.

The book he grabbed on the way out by Naomi Klein, makes him wish he hadn't bought that can of coke to break a note earlier, he wasn't really in the mood for that kind of literature at the moment, he had enough to deal with without being reminded of the moral values he feels he should abide by.

Drinks half a can, then starts to fantasize about offering the remaining half can to the girl sat adjacent to him, explaining about the book situation and not agreeing with all brand marketing and rhetorical life choice jargon. It might also be worth mentioning that he pours drink into his mouth rather than putting the can right up to and touching his mouth - so she wasn't worried about the potential backwash left in the drink. Hindsight came all too quick, as it usually does when he's alone and speculative, realising the conversation he may have just initiated could have insulted her, by his calculation - in 5 different ways. He downs the rest of the can and thumbs an empty sandwich packet into it. He wouldn't even be thinking about approaching her if recent advice wasn't about 'getting out and meeting people' - he wasn't even interested, not really, just responding. The fear of getting bored of someone in a unfamiliar environment was too much to deal with on-top of thinking about what to discuss when he arrived home later.

Hands clamped tight around a hot paper cup, book spread open on the table, head arched over to the right. He reads on, thinking intermittently about the weather, 'the winds not strong so the crossing should be calm'. There's a Starbucks on the ferry now, even on the ferry - brands infect everything. Enjoying the smell, he wonders whether they've got a Starbucks at home and pulls up to shore at 6pm.

My Weak...

Me & The Chaps have been busy busy preparing for Constellations festival in Leeds up until end of last week, Waiting for our proposal to be health & safety checked at moment.

We've been discussing making a radical change to Nous Vous online status fairly soon. The chaps have settled in London - it's time to start going full throttle again.

I've had a busy week this week, which is making me feel weak, I've been asked by Factory4 and TestSpaceLeeds to contribute to a cross City event / showcase between Leeds & Manchester part of Noise festival. I'm the designated screen-printer so have been working hard to produce a new set of prints - Some based on Leeds some based on how I think you should approach a City in general - an attempt to make a connection between Cities.

Prices / Editions will be based on the amount of usable images I produce. I'm printing this Friday in an open day event at Factory 4 (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167380236622171) where I'll producing the prints in an open workshop / exhibition - in preparation for formal exhibition of results at Birds Yard.

1: 'A Great Day'
An image based on a what I consider to be a most excellent day out in Leeds / A2 2 colour on Fabriano.
2: 'Leeds / Leads'
A gesture towards practicality, a tote bag intended for guitar leads. Inspired by the healthy & thriving music scene here in Leeds / Deep Navy blue on Surf Blue bag.
3: 'LOOK FOR HIDDEN GEMS'
An image regarding your approach to the City, based on my experiences and dialogue with other folk, not finding it easy to find nice places to go to & needing some sort of guide / Contrary to the preview image this will be - A1 1 colour Black on heavyweight brilliant white stock.

I was asked to come along and contribute a workshop / participatory event at Leeds Met University for The Big Draw event they hold there each year. This year they titled their particular event 'Drawing Connections' so I devised participatory wall drawing exercise, simply illustrating 2 people doing things together - you wouldn't normally see people doing together. I made a start and got people to joining in throughout the day. Fun Time!