The Rochester Castle: The Hieronymous Bosch Casting Agency Pt. 1

There is a public house called The Rochester Castle, in Stoke Newington, London N16. Therein it is my wont to take beers with my friend Nigel Burch (of whom elsewhere).
To try and capture the mix and match of the place, the veering moods and swinging that goes on, I have lately taken to stealing the images of the drinkers that frequent it.
Here - and in other imminent posts - I lodge some of the sketchbook material as record of this.

How others see me - Number 1

Occasionally I receive images that friends and acquaintances have done of me.
While this blog revolves particularly around my autobiographical pictures of myself I thought it might add a strand to the mix to include some of those others, here and there.
This first one was slipped on the back of a letter by my old teaching colleague Ian Hay - a sure hand with pastels but here lowering his standards to walk the ink line with me.
In case you're curious, I've Googled him, and apparently Mister Arthur Helliwell was a Fleet Street reporter with a seedy Soho beat back in the black and white days.
It's not not a compliment. . .

Who drew Who?

A marvellous exhibition at the splendid Cartoon Museum, with flyer illustration by Paul Grist and James Offredi.

For those Whoheads out there there's a chance to see exquisite original artwork from the eleven incarnations of the Time Lord, and learn about this parallel universe through which he's moved – beyond our TV screens – for almost 50 years.

Timey-wimey gorgeousness.
Vworp vworp!

KURT

As BBC 4 comes to the close of the re-run of Krister Henrikkson's second series as detective Kurt Wallander (created by Swedish author Henning Mankell), I can only say that, if you have a taste for this kind of stuff, you should perhaps consider the investment of the series on DVD?
Available in the last few months, beginning with the initial seven 90 - minute episodes of Henrikksen's first series (from production company Yellow Bird), this is - beyond the confines of genre - exemplary drama; intelligent script and direction, subtle tones of performance and theme.
All human life is there, I swear.
So - treat yourself.
Henrikkson's performance is truly captivating.

ENSIXTEEN EDITIONS: RARITIES 1

As a start to a new slew of posts to grace these digital spaces – before the Dog Days of August hit good and proper – here is a page I completed for a book called 'Preoccupations: Things Artists Do Anyway', edited by Cordelia Erdmann and Michael Lee Hong Hwee, published in Hong Kong back in 2008.
It speaks of my fatal weakness for the recreational revolution that have been the DVD boxed set.
As with all images here, if you click upon't it will enlarge for your reading pleasure. . .

What is an Art School?

An image here being my contribution to the new publication being put together by The Collective Mind at my 'day job' - that being the Graphic Design BA (Hons) course at the University for the Creative Arts, down in Epsom, Surrey.
In these times of Governmental antipathy towards the arts, and managerial grail-seeking for the spurious credibility of 'University-status', those of us who were schooled in the mysterious ways of the traditional arts school feel memories need jogging, emotions stirring, questions asking. . .
The brain-child of Course Leader, Luke Pendrell, the publication is being designed by Ben Branagan and shall be launched to industry on Thursday 16th June.
This timely article on the Design Week blog tells you more:

www.designweek.co.uk/home/blog/redesigning-graduate-
shows/3026724.article

BRISTOL 2011 - The 3rd Arnolfini BABE

Here are images (as with every post - click on them and they get bigger) provided by Ensixteen's official photographer, Mette Ambeck, from last weekend's Bristol Artist's Book Event. As well as some reasonable sales from both back-catalogue and of new titles we were able to reconnect with lovely old friends including John Bently of Liver and Lights Scriptorium (see past posts), Sheena Vallelly of Reassemble, Lucy May Schofield, Stephen Fowler and Angie Butler. . . and not forgetting Sarah Bodman and Tom Sowden from The Centre for Fine Print Research at the University of West England.
Mister Bently can be seen, all generous curls and intellect, in the foreground of one of these very images.
Great venue, great pals, great town.