Recoat Bonus Aisle

Wait, what? It's that time of year again? Get outta here! Damn. Once again, as Christmas approaches, it's time for Recoat in Glasgow to launch its brilliant little discount art show. Bonus Aisle is your chance to get hold of some work on the cheap and it opens this week.

I'm really happy to have been asked again to submit work. I've got about 6 drawings in the show, all at a wildly reduced price. The way Recoat work their Christmas shows is by assigning each wall (there are 4) a price (there are 4) and everything on said walls goes for said price. This means for either £25, £50, £75 or £100, you're gonna get something good. I've tried to keep my prices way down so if you're interested in owning something, I've two drawings going for £25, two for £50 and two for £75. Visit the gallery or their online shop once the show opens to get your mitts on them.

Not keen on my work? I don't blame you. Have no fear, there will be original work, prints and other goodies from the names on the flyer (and more). Amy and Ali at Recoat always completely PACK the walls with stuff so you're sure to find something good. It does sell fast though, so don't hesitate or you might miss out on a real bargain.

Bonus Aisle
Recoat's end-of-year special
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Show runs: November 13th - December 22nd, 2010
Opening party: Friday, 12th November, 7-10pm all welcome
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Recoat
323 North Woodside Road,
Glasgow
G20 6RY

So aye, come along to the opening party this Friday from 7pm. Say hello, drink some free drink and have a look at some work by artists local and not-so-local. I'll be there for a bit and then I'll go to my bed. Please tweet / blog about this if you can, thanks. See you later.

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Turn Up The Colour at Analogue

Analogue Books are having a group show in August and I'm very happy to be involved. Look at all those names! Jeez, that's crazy. I hope I don't mess up.

As you can see, the show is called Turn Up The Colour, so I expect it's gonna look pretty crazy (in a good way). It'll be awesome to see these really great artists going all-out with a title like that. I'm not actually sure what I'm submitting yet (I have until Friday to do something about it) so um, better get a move on. I've done so much black & white work recently that I'm maybe a little daunted by the idea of getting the crayons out.

The prices will be on the good side of £100 and there will be a lot of work up for grabs. So, if you've been thinking about buying some art recently, you'll definitely find something at Analogue. I guarantee it. Be quick though, the festival crowd will be out in full force, snapping things up. Come along to the opening on the 30th to be front of the queue, to meet the artists and to have a drink.

Here are the full details:

Turn Up The Colour
Various Artists
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Show runs: 31st July - 30th August
Private view: Friday 30th July, 7-9pm. All welcome
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Analogue Books
102 West Bow
Edinburgh
EH1 2HH
+44 (0)131 220 0601

I might actually use the chance to make a couple more red & black drawings. I've not done any of those in ages. Ah, who knows. Visit the Analogue blog for easy-to-click links to everyone taking part. Share this info in any way you can. Cheers.

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Christopher Bettig opening

A few posts back I mentioned that the new show All I Heard Was The Echo In The Light by the artist Christopher Bettig was opening in Edinburgh. Well it damn well did. The exhibition can be seen now at the fantastic Analogue in the grassmarket. Go visit.

I managed to get along for the launch and had a really good wee night. Analogue parties are always great. They show really good artists, everyone is always nice and friendly and there's a chance to catch up with lots of folk I don't get to see very often. I also got the chance to have a chat with Christopher Bettig himself - he's a really nice dude.

All I Heard... is one of the best shows they've put on. The first thing that'll knock you out is the ceiling - Bettig has covered the whole thing in bunting and little flags and the effect is really cool. On the night you could see big smiles come over everyone's faces as they walk into the room, staring upwards, all caught up in the colours and patterns. Around the walls are heaps of different prints, collages, sculptures and paintings that, despite being pretty intricate objects in their own right, have a really nice lightness to them that doesn't weigh the show down. Every piece of work invites you to scrutinise it, to inspect the stitching, printing or pattern.

I recorded a few little clips while I was there - my shaky hand and failure to change any of the settings on my camera doesn't really do justice to how stuff really looks (hey, I'd had a drink, give me a break), so visit in real life if you can. You have until the 10th of July. Analogue have screenprinted t-shirts designed by Chris and he has also made a really cool zine that's definitely worth a look.

The music is from the weird instrumental compilation called John's ABC by Fence. It's proving pretty good for soundtracking little videos. I'm going to keep trying to upload as much stuff to YouTube as I can in an effort to improve my shoddy camerawork. No doubt half of it will end up on the blog, but should you be someone who is inclined to subscribe to a guy's channel, you can find mine here.

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Dr Syntax versus the Paperweights

A quick note to let you know that the new show at the Changing Room in Stirling opens tonight. Dr. Syntax versus The Paperweights by Mick Peter.

I had a little hand in the install for this one, managing to navigate some really unusual sculptures up a gnarly old staircase without mishap. Mick (who I seemed to think was called Joe - weird) was putting the finishing touches on some work the other day and caused some debate about blu-tack once he'd left. You'll need to catch the show to understand what I'm blathering about. Just ask yourself, what is the trombone* made out of?

Anyway, I might not make it along tonight (Friday 4th June) for the opening, which I feel really bad about, but if you're available, go, go go. Even if you've never been to an art opening before. They're not scary and see that big table with all the beer & wine? Yeah, that's free. The amount of people you can get through a door with that little bit of information is ridiculous.

The show will run through June and July so there's no excuse not to catch it, especially all Stirling residents. Support your only contemporary art gallery please. Here are the full details:

Dr Syntax versus the Paperweights
Mick Peter
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Show runs: 5th June - 31st July
Private view: Friday 4th June, 7-9pm. All welcome
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The Changing Room
Tolbooth
Stirling
FK8 1DE
01786 274005

That's that. Have a look at Mick Peter's website for loads of info about his work and examples of his work. I'm away to catch some sunshine for a bit.

EDIT: it's not a trombone, it's a tuba. Thanks Jules.

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Christopher Bettig at Analogue

A new exhibition, All I Heard Was The Echo In The Light, by Christopher Bettig opens this week at Analogue in Edinburgh. It should be a good one.

If you can make it along on Friday 4th June for the reception, do. Analogue openings are always great. I've not been to Edinburgh in ages, man. Hopefully the weather behaves. I hear Russell (the hairy one) is away to fetch Christopher from the airport today.

After that, the show runs until the 10th of July. Analogue's blog mentions that they're printing a t-shirt to go with the exhibition and that Bettig will be one of the next round of Early Griffin poster artists too. Keep your potatoes skinned for those.

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Dundee Jamboree

I'm happy to announce that I'm part of the Big Top Jamboree, a creative fair taking place in Dundee on the 17th of May. The event, a follow up to March's Jumpers & Jamboree, is being put together by 3 Dundee superstars: Jen Collins, Nikki McWilliams and Lauren Gentry. It should be plastic fantastic.

My recent lack of posting is due to a week of running around panicking, trying to get things ready for my stall. I'm not sitting on a mountain of prints or zines so I've had to bust some moves to get things together. As it stands, I think I'm gonna be ok. There's a lot left to do but hey, isn't there always?

Remember that zine I mentioned a while back? This one? Yeah, that thing. Well on Tuesday I scrapped it, started again and worked like billio to get if finished. As of 2 hours ago, all the drawings are done and I'm ready to stick them in the computer and get it sorted for print. It's maybe a little more rushed than I'd like, but as a 4 day project I think it's gonna be alright. Check out the event on the 17th if you'd like a copy (perhaps with a free gift). I expect it'll appear in my shop sometime after that too.

On top of that, I've got drawings, badges, prints and some other odds & ends. So, if you want some silly pictures of like, trees and things - I'm your man. If you don't like my junk, go buy something from Jen or John or Sanna. Those guys are always doing good things.

I must also mention that I'll be sharing my stall with my lady Alex, who will be selling her suitably circus-like (should that be circular?) handmade bunting to you, friend, for a steal. There's much more info to come about what she's up to soon but man, it's looking good.

I'll post again about the Jamboree nearer the time - go check out the site if you want more info. For me, the best bit is going to be the weird-out of meeting online folk for the first time. Note to those who imagine I'm carved from stone and completely enchanting: get ready for a surprise. I'm like 4' tall and mumble so bad I'm basically unintelligible. I'll be next to the blonde girl.

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A Narrative of Montage

This is a little late notice but it's worth a mention anyway. Over the past couple of days, I've been helping out at the Changing Room preparing the new exhibition A Narrative of Montage by The Fruitbasket Collective and Mike Chavez-Dawson.

The gallery is looking really good. It's a bit of a departure for the Changing Room, much more crazy and colourful than some previous shows. I knew very little about The Fruitbasket Collective before helping out, they've got a pretty neat surrealist / outsider art thing going on. I managed to find a snap of one of the pieces from A Narritive of Montage, check it:
That's a massive oil painting by Fruitbasket's main man, Jean-Pierre Lapeyre, titled Self Portrait as the Imprisioned. He's got a bunch of similar stuff alongside comics, sculptures and prints. His wife, Caroline Mackenzie Lapeyre exhibits some beautiful drawings and Mike Chavez-Dawson has some really cool laser-etched pieces.

The best thing is, Lapeyre also has a whole performance-art thing going on as his alter ego 'Jack The Hard Worker'. You can't beat a guy who'll paint himself blue and do some ironing in front of a crowd:
I'm reliably informed that he's gonna be psyching himself up for an appearance as 'Jack' tonight at the opening. Man, that's what you want from an art show - a dude jumping about in facepaint with a jumper on! I can't wait.

If you can make it to Stirling tonight, drop by, have a little drink and check out the show. Say hello. If not, it'll be up over the next month or so. As far as I know, JP plans to perform nearer the start of the night than the end, so move your bum. Here are the full details:

A Narrative of Montage
The Fruitbasket Collective and Mike Chavez-Dawson
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Show runs: 10th April - 22nd May
Private view: Friday 9th April, 7-9pm. All welcome
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The Changing Room
Tolbooth
Stirling
FK8 1DE
01786 274005

ps. if any of that sounded a bit sarcastic, I don't mean to be. I'm all for people going full-on. The wildest I get is perhaps doing a drawing with a little hat on.

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Wall Work

Another snap of some work from the How Children Learn show. The little shelf has a pile of painted stone 'coco-pops'.

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Painted Twigs

Another snap from How Children Learn at the Changing Room. I painted a bunch of twigs and combined them with RueFive's birdhouse-like sculptures. If you've never drawn patterns on bumpy sticks, let me tell you it's maddening.

Wall

Another snap from How Children Learn. This collab wall (again with RueFive) was across the room from the fireplace structure posted previously. I'm working on editing together a few video clips I took from the show into a little walkthrough so stay tuned for that.

Oh yeah, remember you can subscribe to my site (if you like).

Dogs in School exhibition

Way back in October 2008, I was contacted by Patrick P* about a project he was putting together called 'Dogs In School'. This Saturday it's all finally coming together.

The concept is lovely: When they were kids, Patrick and his brothers and sisters would constantly be asking their parents 'what should I draw?' The responses they'd get would usually be satisfying enough to keep them busy until teatime, or at least until they reached for the next piece of paper. On one particular day, however, Patrick's Mum gave them a topic that would go on to eclipse all others - 'dogs in school'.

The resulting drawings, especially one by Patrick's brother, Mike, captured Mr & Mrs P's imagination so much that, from that day, the only response they would ever give to the question 'what should I draw?' would be 'dogs in school'. Patrick says that they drew hundreds of variations over the years. 'Dogs in school' became a family legend and an in-joke that would keep them laughing for years.

Fast forward to 2008, with both his parents unwell, Patrick decided to start on a secret project to surprise them with. He got in touch with a bunch of artists and asked them to interpret 'dogs in school' in any manner they liked. Over the past couple of years he has collected all of the work and has put together an exhibition set to open this weekend in Portland. The best part is that both his parents are now in good health, are able to attend the opening, and still know nothing about it!

So, if you're anywhere near Portland, visit the Screaming Sky Gallery between the 30th January and the 25th February to catch the Dogs In School show! Also, on this coming Saturday (30th Jan), there will be a party at the space featuring a charity auction for Project Grow and live acoustic performances by Jim Fairchild of Grandaddy / Modest Mouse, Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse & The Shins and Nate Lacy of Mimicking Birds. Holy Moly!

I have a little drawing in the exhibition. I'm really excited to see and hear how it all goes down. For more info visit www.dogsinschool.com

* I've not given Patrick's full name as he has let it be known that both his parents are active online. I sure as hell don't want to be the one letting the cat out the bag.

Untitled Structure

This was part of the How Children Learn show I did with RueFive last May. Working in the Changing Room was a great opportunity to try out some new things. The space allowed us to put together some larger scale / sculptural stuff that was a nice departure from our smaller drawings and the like. This structure emerging from the fireplace was one of the first ideas we developed.

Recession Session at Recoat

The now traditional Christmas bargain bonanza at Recoat opens this week. Recession Session features a heap of work from a dynamite list of artists at extremely reasonable prices.

The twist this year is that instead of the £40 and under pricing system of previous shows, Recession Session will be divide the gallery into price zones of £25 / £50 / £75 / £100. This should mean that there will be a much broader selection of work up for grabs, from stocking filling prints to original pieces. I've put in a few drawings at a special festive price myself.

The opening party is always packed and work tends to sell fast, so if you're really looking to buy some artwork this Christmas, I'd recommend you make it along on Friday 20th November from 7-10pm for maximum choice. The show will then run until the 23rd of December. Here are the full details:

Recession Session
Recoat's annual bargain blowout

Show runs: November 21st - December 23rd, 2009
Opening party: Friday, 20th November, 7-10pm

Recoat
323 North Woodside Road,
Glasgow
G20 6RY

A lot of the work should also be available at Recoat's online store. Big thanks to Amy and Ali for putting everything together.

Creature Double Feature

If you happen to be on the streets of Philadelphia first-Fridaying tomorrow night, please make a stop at Brave New Worlds to catch Creature Double Feature, a show curated by my friend Concetta.

A bunch of artists (myself included) have been asked to give their interpretation of the word 'creature' for the show. The results are being nailed to the wall as I type, and as far as I can imagine, look awesome. If you can make it along, I'd strongly recommend it because I've heard there are some amazing artists involved.

The show will run through November with the opening party on Friday 6th November from 6-9pm at Brave New Worlds, 45 N. 2nd Street.

Wall Clock

A work-n-progress shot from the second room of How Children Learn, my joint show at The Changing Room with RueFive. I'm slowly putting together a little walkthrough video of the whole exhibition.

Gregor Louden Book Launch at Recoat

Old Gopherhead has been busy. If you can, head to Glasgow tomorrow night for the launch of his new book, Lost and Found at Recoat near Kelvinbridge. For a while now, Gregor has been posting little sneak peeks from the project on his blog and, now he's done, I'm totally hyped about seeing the finished article. Alongside shiny new copies of the book, there will be a little exhibition of selected drawings and prints as well as a raffle to win yourself a signed copy.

The show runs until November 15th but I'd really recommend stopping by the party on Friday night. Amy and Ali at Recoat always put on a good shindig and afterwards, once the launch has launched, I'm sure everyone will head round to the Lansdowne for a drink. Here are the details:

Lost and Found
A book of illustrations by Gregor Louden

Show runs: October 24th - November 15th 2009
Opening party: Friday, 23rd October 7-10pm

Recoat
323 North Woodside Road,
Glasgow
G20 6RY

Make sure to say hello to Gregor too, he's a good dude. Being one of the OG Telltale Collaborative, we've been involved in many a thing together over the past few years and I always try to catch whatever he's up to.

Pied Piper

Pied Piper
ink and acrylic on card
from "Skinny Malinky" at Che Camille, 2009


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Twig

Twig
ink on paper
from "Skinny Malinky" at Che Camille, 2009
show on now


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Triangle

Triangle
ink on paper
from "Skinny Malinky" at Che Camille, 2009
show on now


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Rockets

Rockets
ink on paper
from "Skinny Malinky" at Che Camille, 2009
show on now


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