New Balance

Tonight sees the launch of New Balances latest trainer collection for their Campaign, 'Lets Make Excellent Happen'. Its premise revolves around their continued use of traditional methods of craftsmanship in the production of its shoes, at their factory in Flimby. Up there they focus on function over fashion and follow grass routes initiatives. Hence them commissioning me to design & hand silkscreen the events invites.

My opportunity to bask in the smug glow that signalled the end of four solid days printing was unfortunately short lived on receiving news that I'd manage to omit the first word of their tag line. As described to me, its neglect was comparable to printing '___ Do It' on an advertisement for Nike. Fair play. Always keen to find a positive, its mending proved joyful when overprinting the missing verb in a transparent fluorescent pink. Its presence providing a vibrant lease of life to a previous monotone text. Just one more happy accident.

'Brighton University'

Last year I was invited by Paul Burgess (head of Illustration at Brighton University), to come in and give an informal lecture to his current students, view their work so on and so forth. I'd actually interviewed Paul myself for my 'A Level' Art project years back, after seeing a beautiful Textile hanging of his exhibited in our school library. Most serendipitous. He still works successfully as a commercial Artist and has a knack for collage that keeps him in high demand.

As awkward as it can feel to chat about working life, yesterday I felt relaxed for once enjoying the experience as a whole. The campus facilities were hugely impressive with various print-based studios, letterpress, book binding and even a performance art space. I wanted to give a realistic idea of whats it like to be a free lance illustrator, highs and lows, creative anecdotes and appropriate tips. What I hadn't expected was for it to be documented and re-presented to me afterwards in a cartoon strip format by Harley Ross, a second year student. The second drawing depicts my watery eyed relief on describing the joys of working with Art Directors who actually take the time to fully understand what you do.. small victory's.

My silkscreened Heart..

Half of Blackbough, proprietor Adam Withington has sent me his hand rendered vintage postcards for many auspicious occasions over the past decade and always in time for Christmas. My collection is growing so beautifully I never want it to end. One is hand embroidered.. another has part of its landscape punched clean away. Each is a small, perfect piece of art. Today I received a silkscreened heart.. what ever could be next? Happy Valentines Blackbough Dear, X

'Living In Patterns', Pollyn - test print

The past week has seen me hand printing two hundred & fifty three-colour invites, for a sports brand launch at the Wapping Project in two weeks time. The outcome of which will be viewable here after the event. After days of silkscreen repetition, my brain numbed & I was at a loss for a post this week. But on rummaging through the plan chest to source paper stocks for the aforementioned, I found this.. A work in progress print for Pollyn on the exact stock I'd in mind for the invites. Bingo!

'The Plan'

'The Plan', one-off Silkscreen print, 210X297mm

Having used the same brand of silkscreen ink for ten plus years, I've still yet to come to terms with the fact that their production came to a swift halt two years ago. My denial has felt somewhat appropriate as since their demise became common knowledge, I have never felt so thrifty with its application. The final dregs of a handful of colours are kept for best, set aside for dream jobs & my own printmaking explorations. Meantime, I'm mentally conducting interviews and try-outs for its competitors. Rather frustratingly not much is coming close but a pick and mix of four contenders allowed me to create this new print above. Suddenly excited by its painterly qualities and varying opacities, maybe there's renewed hope after all.

What's pink and stripy..

My fad for experimenting with gouache unintentionally wore thin and before I knew it I was back to being consumed by screens. I guess its all too familiar, yet still exciting so kind of inevitable. Especially when you've a few new fluorescent inks to add to the mix.

'Giuseppe D’Innella'

Detail from 'Casa Cantoniera', Silkscreen on paper.

Serendipity is Peppes favourite word to explain his obsession with the practice of silkscreen in the later stage of his life. His former years saw him professionally as a banker and trade commissioner, living globally from Caracas to Milan, Tokyo to Sydney and finally Wimbledon. Throughout his working life he made time to paint and occasionally held exhibitions. Fast forward to 2008 when he entered my studio at our annual Open event. His eagerness to translate his years as a painter into explorations within Silkscreen was wonderful. I knew nothing of his work but we struck up a creative dialogue that led to a handful of sessions at my studio, honing Peppes skill as a printmaker and sharing a few of my trade secrets along the way. His first transition from paint to print became Uluru. Last week we met again and Peppe presented me with Casa Cantoniera, my favourite of his printed works. By boldly committing loose, gestural brush marks to screen and applying them with varying subtleties of colour and tone he simply makes bloody good prints(!). View more here and keep an open eye for new Screenprints premiering mid-May. Well done Peppe.

Just one more layer?

'Park', one-off Silkscreen print, 210X297mm

It's a constant creative battle to resist screening another layer of ink before it's too late and the magic becomes lost. Keeping going just to see isn't as easily remedied as punching the 'apple+z' keys in Photoshop. My unregimented and somewhat cackhanded approach to silkscreen leaves me with little memory of how a piece began or why and where it ended. I guess in the words of fellow printmaker James Brown, "this is where the Magic happens".