"Inherent Vice"

I seemed to have been looking into Joaquin Phoenix's curly dark locks a lot this year.. his face seems warmly familiar.. News of the latest release by director Paul Thomas Anderson's is always exciting.  To then be commissioned by Sight&Sound, magazine for the BFI, to create a cover for his recent masterpiece.. well it must be Christmas, ; ) !  Under the guise of Art Director Chris Brawn I delivered the above for their January issue.

B Ü M S

Silkscreen will always be my operating mode of choice. But now the evenings are dark-er for long-er, I thought it a good opportunity to learn another little chunk of Photoshop.  A couple of bite size mouthfuls in & this popped up on my screen.  'Büms' is a recent discard for my latest collection for Stüssy.  All created on the pooter.. !

'Lunchtime Print Sale' / Wednesday 12th & Thursday 13th November.

Myself & Sophie Smallhorn are holding a lunchtime Print Sale at 'Great Western Studios', London W2.. directions here.  Prices start from just £20.. and then stagger gently upwards, ; )

11am until 3pm (ish) both days / As you enter the studios through the main entrance we will be located in the Atrium.. final stop the cafe!  

Recent Stussy..

                                       

'Ce Parfum.. ?'

Eric Pillault worked his french magic on me once again with this unusual still life commission for 'Le Monde'.  My challenge this time.. abstracted perfume bottles.  I loved every minute of it .. ; )

'Allman Brothers Band'

Art Director, Greg Mollica @ Random House USA.

(Above, alternate silkscreened cover option)

Released by Random House New York this week is Galadrielle Allman's poignant memoir of her father Duane, founder of the legendary 'Allman Brothers Band'.  Further investigations revealed that before their band formed, Duane was 'FAME Studios', (located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama) primary session guitarist.. If you didn't catch the 'Muscle Shoals' documentary aired earlier this year you missed out on a historical musical feast.  Its still available here though.. 

I created a third print, shown above, as a possible idea for the back of the jacket.. it wasn't employed by the end though, ; (

This aside it was a most enjoyable book jacket to work on.

"Ageing disgracefully" .. ( Hell yeah! )

My first editorial commission for long term inspirational publication Elle Decoration.

#sneakypeak

Released October 7th, "Please Be With Me" by Galadrielle Allman, published by Random House..

above is the colour-way that got away.

JC at the 'Morrison Hotel Gallery', September 18th.

The great Josh Cheuse & I have finally gotten round to doin' summat together. A continent apart didn't hinder our creative productivity.. but will stop me making the Preview.. Boooooooo ; ( 

Silkscreen Photographic Collages, Gibb / Cheuse

"Ridicule is nothing to be scared of .. "

"Don't you ever, don't you ever.. Stop being dandy, showing me you're handsome.. "    

                              

     Original photographs by Josh Cheuse / Collage by Kate Gibb, silkscreen print on paper.

Available from "Blisters" from September 12th & also here..

'Marco's Colour Bible.. '

This week I'm in the joyous position of having somebody else do the hard work for me, ; )  And it isn't just anyone.. I've admired the technical & creative prowess of Marco Lawrence from our first introduction at Print Club London last year.  Since then I've been fortunate enough to collaborate with him, through them, on three separate occasions.  Each subsequent time releases in me a higher technical appreciation & daring, ( I'm learning on the job yeah.. ) which I then somewhat phonetically relay to Marco.  Poor guy! Today he is translating my creative whimperings in to a Pop themed poster for their forthcoming 'Blisters' show.  I can't say what it is yet but it involves brassy gold, a magenta red through to deep blue fade & a whole lot of patience.. all will be revealed on September 12th at the 'Blisters Sound Sessions Show'.

'Annie & Butch'

The outdoor screenings at Somerset House are here & I was invited back by Print Club London to contribute artwork for one of my all time favourite films, Annie Hall.  It was almost too perfect an opportunity.. and how to visually compress such epic'ness in just two colours?  Pah.  

Instead of going for the obvious route I dallied with for 'Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid' last summer, I chose a subtler approach.  With a plethora of quotes from which to pick, it was his comment on his childhood home that sealed the deal..

"My analyst says I exaggerate my childhood memories, but I swear I was brought up underneath the roller coaster in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. Maybe that accounts for my personality, which is a little nervous, I think. You know, I have a hyperactive imagination. My mind tends to jump around a little, and uh I I I have some trouble between fantasy and reality. My father ran the bumper car concession. Th-there he is, and there I am. Right. I I used to get my aggression out through those cars all the time. I remember the staff at our public school. You know, we had a saying, uh but.. Those who can't do, teach and those who can't teach, teach gym."

Annie & Butch are available to purchase here..

The 'Corita' effect..

The art class pictures of Francis Elizabeth Kent, aka Sister Corita & her fellow 'Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary', have always fascinated me.  Part of my pleasure is gleaned from their seemingly laid back attitude to printing in a visually formal environment, impeccably attired in their habits.  Such spirit resonates from these images.  They popped to mind regularly whilst enjoying the meandering nature of creativity & random conversation at last weekends 'photoshop by hand' workshops. They took place in the former board rooms of Yorkshire brewery Tetleys Head Quarters in Hunslet, Leeds, now home of contemporary gallery space, The Tetley.

And as Lydia Burgess commented.. who needs Photoshop...?!

'Photoshop by hand', The Tetley.

This weekend sees me travelling up the road to lurverly Leeds.  Firm faves Nousvous are the current artists in residence at The Tetley.  They've transformed the space in to a 'live' / work exhibition, taking their daily practice with them for you all to observe.  Ever the communicators of interactive, creative play for all, they've written a programme of performances & workshops which can be viewed here.

'Photoshop by Hand' is my sérigraphic contribution to their residence.  I will be exploring a technique called intercutting, where shapes are cut out of layered silkscreened prints, which are then swapped and re-fitted perfectly back into its new print.  Got it?  If not places are still available for Sundays workshop, bookings via here.

'Corner Magazine & Nancy Alsop'

Nancy Alsop, Editor of online publication Corner Magazine popped to the studios a few weeks ago. Before we came up for air, a good few hours had passed.. Click here to read the full article .. Thank you Nancy, ; )   

"From lens cloths to swimming trunks.."

My nephew decided to Google me.. and then proceeded to show me a whole heap of stuff I'd never seen before.  This is not to say that I've never.. er.. (cringe) Googled myself but his input was more than just my short name.  And i'm most grateful! The longterm printed collaborations between myself & Adam Weissman for Stussy have been reappropriated in more guises than just the common or garden tshirt.  So lovely to see, ; )

'Face This'

Jos van der Hoek and his girlfriend Jelka Priem are the innovative force behind 'Face This', a charity set up to raise funds to support education for kids in Indonesia.  In true Indonesian spirit the idea of collaboration is key, leading Jos & Jelka to work directly with local schools & their children.  Artists are invited to create a tshirt from drawings supplied by the kids.  Each artists interpretation is a pictorial union of many of the kids drawings, bound up with their own bit of creative spin.  The resulting collection has an inherent child like charm with the confidence of a contemporary design practice.  With the likes of Billie Jean and Dan Page as contributing Artists you'll be hard pushed to make a choice, ; ) !

'Eight With Em'

I don't seem to stop being impressed by the integrity & passion of our under-graduate generation of late. The students at Westminster University are one month away from their Degree show & producing some fantastic creative statements with which to impress Joe Public on their PV night, June 12th (details to follow).  Meanwhile, Emma Buckley is pursuing a career in creative journalism although currently studying 3D design at Bath School of Art & Design.  'Eight with Em' her snappily titled blog, sees her asking eight questions to creatives working within the design industry.  

Pretty industrious & impressive stuff Em.  Discover more here.

'Brotherly Love'

Studio 4 was buzzing with creativity today, radiating from the production line of drawings etched out by Fin & Milo.  Non-stop scribbling led to non-stop printing and by four o'clock they were sporting their wares.  Pretty impressive no..?  Sterling work boys, ; ) ! 

"Bottoms Up"

Brilliantly curated and executed by SB Studio, ' 100 / 100 ' is a collaborative experiment between the public and a carefully selected group of artists & illustrators, whose work they admire.. (Aw, thanks!)  

The Liverpool Craft Beer Company brewed SB Studio their very own beer, then SB Studio asked the public to name it.  A hundred suggestions were shortlisted, dished out and uniquely illustrated.  My brand suggestion was quite a mouthful.. but how Nicolas Burrows conquered 'Snegs Blooner' I've no idea!  Love it though.  Keep an eye on their site as all the bottles will be up for auction soon, the proceeds going to Artfund, the National fund raising charity for Art.  

Outtake #3

The final un-used portrait from my Le Monde commission..  It's hard to think of Spike Jonze without visions of Christopher Walken dancing in the background.. what a mover!  And what a music video.  

Love it.