Aren't these beautiful? They were a Christmas present to Declan and me from his sister, and I absolutely love them.
They are collages created on original old black and white photos, and are the work of Dublin-based Italian artist Naomi Vona.
Showing posts with label artwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artwork. Show all posts
Spotlight on... Naomi Vona, vintage photo artist
Aren't these beautiful? They were a Christmas present to Declan and me from his sister, and I absolutely love them.
They are collages created on original old black and white photos, and are the work of Dublin-based Italian artist Naomi Vona.
Shopping: Embrace your inner geek...
Today – a guest post from Abi...
I've never been one to fully embrace the total devotion to a 'style'. My natural inclination is towards the mid-century end of things, but I can't help but chuck in a little bit of geek every now and then, which is where this glorious print by new print designer We Love Robots comes in.
I've never been one to fully embrace the total devotion to a 'style'. My natural inclination is towards the mid-century end of things, but I can't help but chuck in a little bit of geek every now and then, which is where this glorious print by new print designer We Love Robots comes in.
Called Tin Men and Iron Giants and printed on A2 Giclee, this is a limited edition run of 100 and features nine fictional trading cards of robots and metal soldiers inspired by modern fiction, TV, movies and comics. A gorgeous piece of geek love to hang on your wall – or the perfect present for a fanboy or girl.
Currently it's only available to buy from Taylor Jones & Son in Deal (details at end of the post) priced at £85 unframed.
We Love Robots also sells open run prints via the new print site EN1. I rather like the Gil Scot Heron 'Lady Day' print (of which there are two versions, see one of them below) and there are two more retro geek appeal prints of a Storm Trooper and (Marvel fans alert) the Sentinel robot. These are all available as either A2 (£50) or A1(£75) prints.
We
Love Robots is a slightly mysterious new artist who is quite hard
to track down. Preferring their work to speak for itself We Love
Robots promise me more prints will be added to EN1 soon. I'm guessing
a few more icons of music might appear but personally I'm hoping for
a Stepford Wives/Omega Man mash up...
Tin
Men and Iron Giants limited edition available from Taylor Jones &Son, 94 Deal High Street, Kent. T: 01304 362671
Object of the Day: Dutch StoryTiles part II
I was excited, last year, to discover StoryTiles, a collection of hand-made tiles, some based on traditional Dutch 16th century designs given a modern twist, others just about the modern twist.
The tiles are designed and made by Marga Van Oers, who has just launched a new collection of tiles in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. As you'll see, she's taken one of the artist's most familiar works and given it her trademark dose of surrealism...
The series is called ‘The Sunflower Expedition’.
On the Swing
On the Lookout
Taking the Lead
The miniature ceramic works of art start at around £18 each for a 10cm x 10cm tile and each comes with a little wall-hanger on the back.
The complete tableau of all the tiles, pictured below, is around £ (all prices are originally in Euros – you can ship them from Holland or try Brixi, owned by the very stylish Emy Gray, if you happen to be in south London).
You can see more Storytiles in this previous post.
The other half of the Van Gogh Museum collaboration is Van Oers' 'Van Gogh’s Garden' series, pictured above and below.
I've recently developed a great warmth for Van Gogh as, most days, I cycle past the house in south London where he lived (see the snap, below).
There's also a very lovely modern street nearby dedicated to him, featuring raised beds with quotes from the great man about flowers and walking and, of course, a good few sunflowers. It's a pedestrianised street and every day this summer, without fail, I've encountered some configuration of loved-up elderly couples taking in the warm evening air, large youths playing basketball, but being careful not to trip over the tiny youth out for a toddling walk with a parent, dog-walkers or just neighbours, hanging about. There's even a miniature free library, where you can leave a book and pick up a new one from a brightly painted glass-fronted box on a wall. It's quite magical – proper street communities in London are few and far between.
Moving on from the great painter, there are also more new season designs outside this range from StoryTiles. Feast your eyes on just a couple, below.
Floating
Happily Ever After
Hide and Seek
Catch me if You Can
It's dark out now as I type, but when it's not I'll share a photo of the StoryTile I bought for my boyfriend's birthday in situ. It's nice.
Meanwhile, check out the StoryTiles website, I'd direct you to the Brixi website too but (as its owner would I'm sure be the first to admit) it's not that useful. You'd do better following the shop on Instagram @brixi7
The tiles are designed and made by Marga Van Oers, who has just launched a new collection of tiles in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. As you'll see, she's taken one of the artist's most familiar works and given it her trademark dose of surrealism...
The series is called ‘The Sunflower Expedition’.
On the Swing
On the Lookout
Taking the Lead
The miniature ceramic works of art start at around £18 each for a 10cm x 10cm tile and each comes with a little wall-hanger on the back.
The complete tableau of all the tiles, pictured below, is around £ (all prices are originally in Euros – you can ship them from Holland or try Brixi, owned by the very stylish Emy Gray, if you happen to be in south London).
Moving on from the great painter, there are also more new season designs outside this range from StoryTiles. Feast your eyes on just a couple, below.
Floating
Happily Ever After
Hide and Seek
Catch me if You Can
It's dark out now as I type, but when it's not I'll share a photo of the StoryTile I bought for my boyfriend's birthday in situ. It's nice.
Meanwhile, check out the StoryTiles website, I'd direct you to the Brixi website too but (as its owner would I'm sure be the first to admit) it's not that useful. You'd do better following the shop on Instagram @brixi7
Spotlight on... Lubna Chowdhary, ceramic tile genius
If you love colour and don't know Lubna Chowdhary's geometric ceramic work, you should...
The artist's gloriously hued tiles have been on my interiors horizon for ages, and when I saw her work up close a couple of years ago at London Design Festival I was even more dazzled.
Above: Chowdhary in her studio at work, left, and some of her colourful geometric designs
Chowdhary describes her work as "architectural ceramics", and she regularly designs pieces specially for large-scale non-residential projects, as well as creating stand-alone artworks. As such, buying a piece of Chowdhary's work is quite an investment... But – ta-da! – if south London is accessible to you (or a kindly friend), take note as this weekend she's throwing a very special studio sale (scroll to end for details). By way of celebration, I asked her a few questions about her work, her inspiration and her home.
Tile design is a pretty niche area – what drew you to tiles?
I studied ceramics at the RCA and initially created sculptural work [that] referenced architecture and the built environment. After some time I realised I wanted to move outside the gallery environment with my work and I transferred my skills from sculptural ceramics to tile or architectural ceramics.
I treat tile as I would a canvas or paper and work on it with rich colour, line or texture and sometimes create relief forms. I describe my work as architectural ceramics as I've worked on so many varied projects, some of which don't involve tile but draw on my design and creative skills in other ways.
Above: a kitchen fill of D-Tiles
Tiles are having quite a moment right now – there were lots at this year's London Design Festival. Any other tiles you particularly like?
My work is hand crafted and bespoke, it's known particularly for the richness of glaze and intense colour qualities. These are the qualities I prefer in tile; the unpredictability and the serendipity associated with glaze to mechanically applied transfers. There are a lot of industrially produced tiles around at the moment because I think tile manufacturers are now really in tune with the relationships of tile to contemporary design, interiors and architecture.
If asked to pick an industrially made tile, I like the functionality of D-Tile but also love the graph paper-like quality of just a plain white tile with grey grout.
What's been a favourite commission in terms of its unusual use of tiles?
I love all the work I'm commissioned to do and always learn so much each time. In terms of residential commissions though, I think Retrouvius is good to mention. It was such a delight to work with them as I just love Retrouvius's use of materials and colour for this project (see below).
Above: Retrouvius redesigned this whole house, a listed building, and Chowdhary created the tiles pictured left for the lavish loo.
It was a small commission for which I did some glaze colour matching with the wallpaper colours. and then made some bespoke tiles to match the Emery & Cie tiles. I love the asymmetric insertion of the tiles.
What are your current favourite colour combinations?
Tumeric and prawn [as seen in these painted windows, in a photo taken by Chowdhary in Kerala, south India].
Grey-green and scarlet [as seen in this Zinnia, also snapped by Lubna].
Find out more at Lubnachowdhary.co.uk and don't miss the studio sale this weekend if you're anywhere near south London (one of her tiles would make a very lovely Christmas present for the design and colour lover in your life). The sale will include individual tiles (prices start at just a fiver!) as well as her stunning tile panels and limited edition walnut wood hotplates with glazed ceramic inserts, both at 30% off.
When: 10am – 6pm on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December 2014
Where: 162 Sunnyhill Road, London SW16 2UN (a 10-minute walk from Streatham or Streatham Hill stations, or a short bus ride from Brixton tube)
The artist's gloriously hued tiles have been on my interiors horizon for ages, and when I saw her work up close a couple of years ago at London Design Festival I was even more dazzled.
Chowdhary describes her work as "architectural ceramics", and she regularly designs pieces specially for large-scale non-residential projects, as well as creating stand-alone artworks. As such, buying a piece of Chowdhary's work is quite an investment... But – ta-da! – if south London is accessible to you (or a kindly friend), take note as this weekend she's throwing a very special studio sale (scroll to end for details). By way of celebration, I asked her a few questions about her work, her inspiration and her home.
Tile design is a pretty niche area – what drew you to tiles?
I studied ceramics at the RCA and initially created sculptural work [that] referenced architecture and the built environment. After some time I realised I wanted to move outside the gallery environment with my work and I transferred my skills from sculptural ceramics to tile or architectural ceramics.
I treat tile as I would a canvas or paper and work on it with rich colour, line or texture and sometimes create relief forms. I describe my work as architectural ceramics as I've worked on so many varied projects, some of which don't involve tile but draw on my design and creative skills in other ways.
Tiles are having quite a moment right now – there were lots at this year's London Design Festival. Any other tiles you particularly like?
My work is hand crafted and bespoke, it's known particularly for the richness of glaze and intense colour qualities. These are the qualities I prefer in tile; the unpredictability and the serendipity associated with glaze to mechanically applied transfers. There are a lot of industrially produced tiles around at the moment because I think tile manufacturers are now really in tune with the relationships of tile to contemporary design, interiors and architecture.
If asked to pick an industrially made tile, I like the functionality of D-Tile but also love the graph paper-like quality of just a plain white tile with grey grout.
What's been a favourite commission in terms of its unusual use of tiles?
I love all the work I'm commissioned to do and always learn so much each time. In terms of residential commissions though, I think Retrouvius is good to mention. It was such a delight to work with them as I just love Retrouvius's use of materials and colour for this project (see below).
It was a small commission for which I did some glaze colour matching with the wallpaper colours. and then made some bespoke tiles to match the Emery & Cie tiles. I love the asymmetric insertion of the tiles.
And beetroot and turquoise [also one of Chowdhary's own images].
How tile-y is your house?
My house has tiles in the hearths of three fireplaces [one is pictured above], a fully tiled shower enclosure and a small sink splashback.
We have a large circular tile which we use as a centre piece on our dining table and some small circular tiles which we use as coasters and also some of my hotplates with ceramic inserts, which I use every day [below]. I also have a couple of framed tile panels [above, and below in situ].
When: 10am – 6pm on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December 2014
Where: 162 Sunnyhill Road, London SW16 2UN (a 10-minute walk from Streatham or Streatham Hill stations, or a short bus ride from Brixton tube)
Object of the day: Brighton Beach goes technicolour
Please do bear with the recent break in my usually regular posts. Things will be back to normal within a few weeks – but meanwhile, a quick find I'd like to share.
I've seen this print – or, at least, very similar – in numerous interiors shoots, and I have coveted it HARD.
Tonight, while researching for the Independent Christmas Gift Guide that I'm in the middle of compiling, I stumbled across it on Clippings.com. Hurrah!
I was surprised to discover the photograph was of Brighton Beach, rather than somewhere glossier and hotter. Though when you look closer, it all makes sense. The image is by photographer James French, who has "done a John Hinde" on his final print, giving the colours a technicolour buzz just as the old English postcard master once did.
The limited edition prints start at £75 and are available at Clippings.com
I've seen this print – or, at least, very similar – in numerous interiors shoots, and I have coveted it HARD.
I was surprised to discover the photograph was of Brighton Beach, rather than somewhere glossier and hotter. Though when you look closer, it all makes sense. The image is by photographer James French, who has "done a John Hinde" on his final print, giving the colours a technicolour buzz just as the old English postcard master once did.
The limited edition prints start at £75 and are available at Clippings.com
Object of the day: Jacqueline Talbot tiles
Unusual tiles are a find. And these, by artist Jacqueline Talbot, are just that.
In 2009, Jacqueline experimented with photographing her paintings, intending to use them to create digitally printed wallpaper. But then discovered she could digitally reproduce her work onto tiles... one kiln later, and a business was born.
I think they're beautiful, and beautifully different. They aren't intended for use on floors, but are safe around fireplaces and as oven splashbacks, or just as a decorative wall feature.
They're reasonable too: prices start at £4.50 per tile for the smallest size, 9.8cm x 9.8cm, and go up to £14 apiece for the largest size, 19.8cm x 19.8cm. Jacqueline also creates bespoke designs on request.
Had I not gone for all-black for the downstairs loo, a totally tiled power room in the style of the above arrangement would have worked a treat. Too startling? Be inspired by this incredible tiled house in Mali. Tiles were also all over London Design Festival this year, including beautiful displays by Bert & May and some cool collaborations, notably the British Tile Collection series with Workhouse and guests (see a couple of teasers from my Instagram feed below).
One of Jacqueline's original paintings.
I don't think the gallery on Jacqueline's website does her beautiful ceramic artworks justice, but I do like the featured splashback, above.
Check out the extensive range at www.jacquelinetalbot.co.uk
In 2009, Jacqueline experimented with photographing her paintings, intending to use them to create digitally printed wallpaper. But then discovered she could digitally reproduce her work onto tiles... one kiln later, and a business was born.
LoadingMore from yesterday's #designjunction plunder: hot tiles from @workhousecoll & Roy Pegram in the #BritishTileCollection collaboration series - also featuring Custhom & Gemma Fabbri #design #tiles #pattern @_designjunction #LDF14 #London #L_D_F_official
Check out the extensive range at www.jacquelinetalbot.co.uk
Exhibition: Clip Cut Gel, or masculinity explored through 80s barbershop photos
If you've ever gazed at those faded barbershop model shots, of men you can't imagine ever meeting, sporting hairstyles that never age beyond the 80s, then you'll love this new exhibition by artist, Julia Riddiough.
The angle of Clip Cut Gel is modern masculinity: male grooming, gender politics and the gaze and what it means to be a man today.
The photographs above, titled (from left to right), Playboy, Toyboy and Rough Trade, are part of the exhibition, which takes place online, at the website of innovative east London gallery, A Brooks Art, which Riddiough also owns.
The show will also pop up in local high street barber shops and at regional UK art festivals along with live performances by a barber shop quartet. And you can watch an intriguing accompanying film, focusing on the three throwbacks above...
The models featured were picked by Riddiough from male hairdressing magazines she's collected since the 1980s. As she explains: "The portraits reveal amplified masculine characteristics; drawn from male stereotypes that we see in the visual language that surrounds us everyday...[and] Clip Cut Gel plays with the way the male is looked at and builds it into a spectacle itself. Here the image of the man is seen as passive and raw material for the active gaze of the spectator."
The photographs are also for sale, in limited editions of 50.
I've written about A Brooks Art gallery before (so-titled as it was the name of the long-standing florist who had previously owned the site) when it was exhibiting a wonderful selection of photographs of abandoned cinemas.
To find out more about the artist and the gallery, check out Julia Riddiough's website and A Brooks Art. See more about the exhibition, including live dates, at the Clip Cut Gel page.
Images © Julia Riddiough
The angle of Clip Cut Gel is modern masculinity: male grooming, gender politics and the gaze and what it means to be a man today.
The show will also pop up in local high street barber shops and at regional UK art festivals along with live performances by a barber shop quartet. And you can watch an intriguing accompanying film, focusing on the three throwbacks above...
The models featured were picked by Riddiough from male hairdressing magazines she's collected since the 1980s. As she explains: "The portraits reveal amplified masculine characteristics; drawn from male stereotypes that we see in the visual language that surrounds us everyday...[and] Clip Cut Gel plays with the way the male is looked at and builds it into a spectacle itself. Here the image of the man is seen as passive and raw material for the active gaze of the spectator."
The photographs are also for sale, in limited editions of 50.
I've written about A Brooks Art gallery before (so-titled as it was the name of the long-standing florist who had previously owned the site) when it was exhibiting a wonderful selection of photographs of abandoned cinemas.
To find out more about the artist and the gallery, check out Julia Riddiough's website and A Brooks Art. See more about the exhibition, including live dates, at the Clip Cut Gel page.
Images © Julia Riddiough
Object of the day: Kimmy Hogan's sleeping Dachshunds
This is pretty much the cutest illustration of a dog you will ever have seen. Right?
The print is titled The Dachshund. Appendix 4: Sleep Study and it was drawn by (no surprises) a Dachshund-owning artist named Kimmy Hogan.
Sleeping dogs, especially little ones, are particularly endearing and Kimmy has captured that aspect beautifully, in this very simple series of line drawings.
Kimmy, who is based in Australia, based the sketches on her own miniature dachshund, Rio.
And the good news? It may only be for sale in Australia, but Kimmy's stockist Elk in the Wood offers FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING. Woo! The print costs $40AUD (£22) for an A4 sized version and $75AUD (£41) for the A3 version.
Kimmy also has an Etsy shop, but she's on maternity leave at the moment. But you can still catch her at her beautiful blog, Whitewiththree.blogspot.co.uk. As I'm on a bit of a houseplants tip right now, I particularly enjoyed her inspiring latest post, on that very topic.
Post by Kate
The print is titled The Dachshund. Appendix 4: Sleep Study and it was drawn by (no surprises) a Dachshund-owning artist named Kimmy Hogan.
Kimmy, who is based in Australia, based the sketches on her own miniature dachshund, Rio.
Kimmy also has an Etsy shop, but she's on maternity leave at the moment. But you can still catch her at her beautiful blog, Whitewiththree.blogspot.co.uk. As I'm on a bit of a houseplants tip right now, I particularly enjoyed her inspiring latest post, on that very topic.
Post by Kate
Spotlight on... Vernon Ward
Here is my bargain of the month. A beautiful Vernon Ward framed print... for just a quid!
I found it in Suffolk countryside, for sale in the on-site shop at an amazing converted barn we stayed in (more of which another time). It's my second print by the same artist.
Vernon Ward lived from 1905-1985 and was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists. Though he was born in London, many of his paintings depict Cornish seaside scenes. Vases of flowers were another of his recurring subjects.
But it's his Cornish works that most appeal to me, as it's a part of the country I have close links to. And you've got to love the feeling you get from looking at seagulls flying about somewhere you might rather be than at your desk.
Pictured above is the first print I bought. I had it displayed among the chaos that is my home office wall. But once I got it together with its friend, I realised the print had been rather lost where it was, and that the two ought really to be together. But where?
I'm not sure this will be their permanent home, but this is where they've landed up for now. I never intended to have a themed beach wall. But somehow it happened.
The new print, with its old friend, are on the same wall as another few cherished things.
The postcards are a set of paintings of St Ives. They ought to go in more substantial frames really.
Above is a painting my grandma did of a Cornish beach scene. It is painted onto tiles and framed. She had it hanging in her bathroom in her house in St Ives for many years. Apparently the blond boy in the foreground was my dad as a little boy.
The lovely ceramic seagulls were a present from my brother and his wife.
You can browse some of Vernon Ward's originals, all sold at auction, on Artnet.com Originals can go for £300 up to around £1000. The cheaper and easier to pick up prints, part of Ward's vast body of commercial output, were popular decoration for greetings cards, jigsaws, trays and more, as well as in frames.
And if you like Vernon Ward's work, a good source of quite a few of his prints is the always inspiring and ever affordable OK Corral, which gets them in frequently and currently has a VW trivet on sale for just a fiver. Love that shop.
Post by Kate
I found it in Suffolk countryside, for sale in the on-site shop at an amazing converted barn we stayed in (more of which another time). It's my second print by the same artist.
But it's his Cornish works that most appeal to me, as it's a part of the country I have close links to. And you've got to love the feeling you get from looking at seagulls flying about somewhere you might rather be than at your desk.
The postcards are a set of paintings of St Ives. They ought to go in more substantial frames really.
You can browse some of Vernon Ward's originals, all sold at auction, on Artnet.com Originals can go for £300 up to around £1000. The cheaper and easier to pick up prints, part of Ward's vast body of commercial output, were popular decoration for greetings cards, jigsaws, trays and more, as well as in frames.
And if you like Vernon Ward's work, a good source of quite a few of his prints is the always inspiring and ever affordable OK Corral, which gets them in frequently and currently has a VW trivet on sale for just a fiver. Love that shop.
Post by Kate
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