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.

I.F: Clumsy

The topic for Illustration Friday this week is 'clumsy'.

I.F. Wilderness

A really quick wee last minute thing for Illustration Friday. The topic is wilderness. I had intended to draw some vast detailed landscape, full of texture and colour but, y'know, time got the better of me. These were a couple of trees I doodled in my sketchbook when thinking up some ideas.

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.

Top 5 places to go in 2009

If there’s one thing I did in 2009 it was go places, probably because my fiancée, Alex, can’t sit on her arse for more than 5 minutes. Last year, I must've been on at least 100 open top buses and 20 merry-go-rounds. The places we went were often small, cold and wet, but boy did we go there anyway. Here are my top travel bits and pieces:

1. Philadelphia
Philly is fun. I’ve been a bunch of times now and I’ve not spent one second it the city that wasn’t completely and utterly brilliant. Everywhere you look, there’s something to see that makes everything back home seem really, really, really soul-crushingly boring. It’s tricky to sum the place up properly, but a few of my favourite things to do in Philadelphia are:

Reading Terminal Market:
A huge and hectic indoor market crammed full with stalls selling wonderful food, from Chinese soups to Amish ice cream. You could eat here every day of the year and never get bored. I got hooked on raspberry lemonade.

North Bowl:
This place has everything you’d ever want from a 10-pin bowling alley. Black and white photobooths, waitresses bringing you beer and chips, high-heeled bowling shoes and a mezzanine with pool tables and vintage arcade games. Fun as hell.

Mutter Museum:
Not really for everyone, the Mutter Museum holds a collection of medical oddities (siamese twins, giant tumours, miscellaneous body parts in jars) that’s fascinating but, at the same time, a bit horribe. Despite it’s ‘freak show’ line-up, it’s all presented fairly straight. It’s kinda like the museum of childhood.

Love Park:
As a bit of a skate-nerd, I knew Love Park pretty well before I even set foot in the city. It was regarded as being one of the most important street spots in the world, until they went and banned skateboarding. On holiday, this meant a whole lot of measuring ledges against my knee.

Get engaged:
If you’re in Philadelphia with someone you love, pop them a question! Have a think about it first because they might say no. I guess that would put a real downer on things. I got lucky though.

We also had a few excursions further afield. We spent a few days in a little place called New York, which was pretty cool (it is very tall). We rode the rollercoasters at Hershey Park and drove to Ocean City in New Jersey for some seaside Americana. Our whole trip would have been completely impossible without our friend Concetta, so big love to her. Going on such an elaborate no-holds-barred adventure did however mean that the rest of our many trips had to err on the side of tiny.

2. Arran
Alex has family on Arran so we were back and forth like crazy. Every time I visit, it’s like stepping into an idyllic childhood world; we hunted eggs in Alex’s grandparent’s magical garden, met the smartest dog in the world, picked shells on the beach, crossed rivers on stepping stones, saw dolphins in the sea and lived in a house with a big painting of Mother Goose on the side.

3. Bristol
I hardly knew a thing about Bristol before we went, I can’t even remember why we decided to go. I kept thinking we were off to Brighton. What a silly man, Bristol is fantastic. It’s a really nice city. There’s lots going on so we spent most of our time just wandering around, discovering things. We managed to catch the big Banksy show and also a little Stanley Donwood show. I visited Here, where I’d had some work up in July 08 and I got to muck about at Lloyds, which Alex loved.

4. Anstruther
Thanks to my longtime love of the Fence Collective, Anstruther and its neighboring East Neuk villages have been a regular destination for years now. In April, a bunch of us headed up to catch Homegame 6. The music was fantastic as always, Alasdair Roberts, Found and the aforementioned Jonnie Common were highlights alongside the collective founders, King Creosote and The Pictish Trail. However, with the Homegame, the gigs are only a part of the trip, wandering around, fish suppers, icecream, pubs and playing Monopoly are just as important.

5. Oban
We got bored of being a young couple so we tried our hand at being an old one and headed off to Oban. Apart from a brief visit to Balamory, where I managed to drop my cone, we barely did a thing. Well, that’s not quite fair, it was a really nice few days. Mull is beautiful, Oban has some amazing little shops to explore and they’ve still got a Pancake Place for God’s sake! It’s also busier than New York.

Top 5 songs I listened to most in 2009

Listening to lots and lots of spoken word stuff has had a real impact on my exposure to music. I mean, I still play tunes, it's just that I don't seem to have heard that much new stuff recently. Things have got so bad that I think I only own maybe 3 albums released last year, tops. Therefore, the idea I had of putting together a personal top 5 for songs released last year is, if not impossible, then at least pointless.

Instead, I've cobbled together this top 5 list of 'things I've listened to the most' in 2009 using Last.fm and my iTunes playcount. These tracks are possibly not the best reflection of what I've been into this year as, these days, I've shockinly taken to listening to full albums in order, which after years of shuffled playlists, has been quite a nice change. Still, it's been fun to look over my charts. Anyway, in at number 1:


1. Going Up The Country by Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
This is number 1 on the back of the pub quiz I co-host and DJ at. It's a real foot stomper and always goes down pretty well. I first heard this while browsing in the Red Door Gallery in Edinburgh and it drove me mental all day trying to remember who did the original (Canned Heat). Best bit: 0:42, when the drums start you've got yourself a party.



2. The Devil's Crayon by the Wild Beasts
I listened to this track a whole heap in 2008 too. I just dig it. Their newest record, Two Dancers is one of the only things I actually went into a shop to buy this year. Best bit: 0:40, the tap on the drums (also the awesome chicken-necking in the video).



3. The Wagon by Dinosaur Jr.
I knew one, maybe two Dinosaur Jr. songs before the Alien Workshop video came out and now I know a whole heap. The Wagon, the opener on their Green Mind LP, is one I loved right away. Best bit: 0:33 the backing vocals.



4. Infinitea by Down The Tiny Steps
This is a lovely little song. Down The Tiny Steps (now defunct) were part of the Fence Collective and frequently stole the show whenever they performed. The frontman, Jonnie Common, is still doing some brilliant stuff. I couldn't find Infinitea anywhere online, so I quickly put together this little video clip with some scarves that were lying around. Best bit: 0:51, 'and the whole thing looks so very strange to meeeeee'.



5. There's a Ghost In My House by R. Dean Taylor
Another good one for a dance this. Stick it beside Tainted Love and you're the hottest ticket in town. Best bit: 1:32, it's hard to hold back a couple of claps after 'sitting in my easy chair'.

My top 5 things to listen to in 2009

I’ve been listening to more and more spoken-word things. Here are my favourite non-musical noises from 2009:

1. Adam & Joe
Taken from their 6Music radio show, the Adam & Joe Podcast has been the most consistently hilarious, brilliant, and charming treat for your ears over the past few years. Considering it’s not even their proper job, the effort Buxton and Cornish put into their show, from re-editing film dialogue to writing their own jingles, should make other ‘humorous’ presenters hang their heads in shame.

Adam and Joe make me happy. When I was at school, I can remember taping every single episode of their Channel 4 programme religiously. They walk that smart/stupid, rubbish/brilliant divide better than almost anyone and should be up alongside Vic Reeves in some weird chapter in the history book of British comedy. If you don’t like them, there’s a good chance you’re an arsehole. Sorry.

The one bummer is that their show has just gone off-air. I suspect it’s because of Joe’s increasingly amazing Hollywood career (he’s co-wrote Speilberg’s new CG spectacular, Tintin for God’s sake). They have promised to return later in the year though, so keep your eyes out for that.


2. Jon Ronson On...
A while back, journalist, author, broadcaster and conspiracy theory debunker, Jon Ronson made 4 series’ worth of weird and wonderful radio programmes for the BBC. At the end of last year I stumbled on an online archive someone had put together of said material, plus a few extras. I quickly bundled it all onto my iPod and worked my way through it.

What a find! Fascinating, strange and funny little shows about the peculiar ways the human mind goes haywire. If you decide to give these a listen; take your time! You’ll work your way through the lot quicker than you’d like.


3. Mark Kermode’s Film Reviews
Kermode and his co-host, Simon Mayo, are in a particularly weird category of people who I don’t like much on the telly, but really like on the radio. This extract from Mayo’s BBC Radio 5 Live show is a weekly round up of new cinema releases, both multiplex blockbuster and arthouse chinscratcher.

It’s become a bit of running joke that I can’t have an opinion on a film until I’ve heard what 'my friend' Mark Kermode thinks about it. While that’s not entirely true, I do really trust his judgment and, more importantly, think he’s the most honest critic out there. Dr K will frequently go against his curmudgeonly reputation and admit happily weeping his way through High School Musical 3 or yawning his way through Burn After Reading, and I believe him.

It’s worth a listen for anyone with even a passing interest in cinema, whether you agree with Kermode’s opinions or not. He’s a big horror nerd too, which is always a winner in my book.


4. SModcast
This one divides people, but I’ll admit I’m a fan. Presented by director Kevin Smith and his friend, the producer Scott Mosier, this is a sweary, dirty and silly podcast about nothing in particular.

Kevin Smith’s films I can take or leave, but man, I’ll listen to him spout drivel for hours. SModcast sounds like 2 grown friends meeting up and talking like they’re 16 again, all fart jokes and touching boobs. I can get behind that. For me, Mosier is the real star; a quiet, likeable dude who’ll occasionally send Smith into crying fits with a deadpan comment. Hunt out the Harry Potter one (episode 29) for some good giggling.


5. BBC Radio 4
Considering 3 of the previous 4 entries on my list have been from the BBC, it’s only right I include the big daddy on the list. Radio 4 has more engaging content in a single day than most other stations can muster up in a month. It’s the best.

Personal favourites are: Thinking Allowed (debate and discussion), Digital Planet (technology news), Desert Island Discs ( interviews), More or Less (a show about numbers!) and Medical Matters (medical/healthcare discussion).

The briney deep

Playing around with a little 'water' pattern I'd drawn in my sketchbook. Made a few little mock-ups with it in Photoshop. I quite like this simple one. Will I ever draw it properly? Who knows?

The Eggscape

The Illustration Friday topic this week is hatch. So, a quick little drawing of a hatched plan. Didn't have much time on this one, unfortunately. I've still got a ton of Christmas Shopping to do.

Wall drawings at Analogue

Along with the tree print, the other odds and ends I've been working on at Analogue Books are these wall drawings. Russell and Julie were looking for some artwork in the back of the shop over December / January and they asked me if I'd like to put something together. I settled in with my sandwiches and painted a big tree.

I also braved the cold (freezing, freezing cold) Edinburgh air to draw in the doorway. The fading light didn't really agree with my little digital camera, but hopefully you can get an idea of how it looks. I'll try to get through when the sun is out for some better photos.

So, thanks again to Russell and Julie for inviting me to work in the shop. If you can, stop by West Bow in Edinburgh for a look. As always, they've a ton of weird and wonderful things to fill anyone's stocking. For a couple of work in progress snaps, have a look at their Flickr too.

Tree giclée print

With the help of Russell at Analogue and Jez Burrows, I've turned my 'Tree' drawing into a limited run of 50 signed and numbered giclée prints on some very nice heavy paper. It is available through my new shop and at Analogue Books in Edinburgh.

I have to say, I'm really happy with how it turned out. Over the past few weeks I've been doing a few odds and ends with Analogue (which I'll post about later) and getting to produce this little print with them has been a real treat. It has also given me the incentive to finally sort out an online store, which I intend to fill with all sorts of weird and wonderful things over time.

Remember, it's getting very close to Christmas, so watch your dates for shipping if you're ordering festive-style. I promise to send work out as soon as I possibly can. Feel free to contact me for specific info. If you're near Edinburgh, you can always stop by Analogue to pick up in person. They've plenty of other awesome stuff for under the Christmas tree too.

The print itself is super detailed, the paper is lovely and it's the perfect size for framing. Thanks to Russell, Julie and Jez for helping out. Here are the details:

Tree
by David Galletly

£20.00

24cm x 18cm

Giclée print on paper
Edition of 50
Signed and numbered

Available here

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
ink and acrylic on card
from "Skinny Malinky" at Che Camille, 2009


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Crunchy

The Illustration Friday topic this week is 'crunchy'. Well, there's not much crunchier than a bowl of leaves and twigs. Drawn in pen and coloured in Photoshop.

Smoking Monkey

Smoking Monkey

ink on paper
from "Creature Double Feature" at BNW, 2009


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Another Twig

Another Twig

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


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Our Party Invitations

Last Saturday we threw a party to celebrate our engagement. Now that the date has past, I can post the invitations I made without the (very slim) risk of gatecrashers eating our sausage rolls. Time was tight, but as the first piece of graphics work I've done in a while I think they turned out pretty good. We sent them off to Moo.com for printing:

It was the first time I'd used Moo and, man, they're pretty good. I've no complaints whatsoever. The quality of the printing and materials is fly and their small batches were just what we were looking for.

As for the party, the night went brilliantly. It flew by in a flash but we both had a blast. From Alex and myself, thanks to all our friends and family for coming along and for bombarding us with amazing presents. Thanks especially to Fiona & Ian and Mary & Malcolm (our folks) for all their help.

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.

Ba-Ba-Baby Steps

Here's a little attempt at a comic. It's a rough for the first four frames of the Redcap thing I talked about previously. It's not great, but it's a start.

I definitely have some kind of 'comic block' that I'd like to overcome. I'm rarely happy with my attempts and I find the whole process quite stressful. Not that I have any particular ambition to be a comic dude, but there's a few ideas in my pockets that it might be nice to get down on paper without wanting to blow my brains out.

Redcaps and Comics

Recently I've been toying with the idea of drawing some comics. I've found myself doodling little characters, trying to find something that might work. Man, it's tricky!

Getting my head around even a simple strip completely blows my mind. There are so many things to consider regarding composition, detail and consistency that it can start feeling like a chore before you've even started. How should characters and backgrounds overlap? Does it matter if a chair looks different from one frame to the next? How do you handle different 'camera' angles? - look at Shultz; he kept Peanuts side-on for 50 years, he barely even zoomed in. Visually, there are so many decisions to make, without even considering little things like stories, titles, names and dialogue.

Of course, that's getting ahead of things considering I've only doodled a few wee men on some scrap paper. The guys above are inspired by the mythical 'Red Cap', a dangerous spirit creature that haunts the Scottish borders and dyes his hat in the blood of his victims. Not quite Garfield, but fun to draw.

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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Pattern

A late little doodle in my sketchbook for the Illustration Friday theme 'pattern'.

I tried drawing the pattern from my shirt for this one. Instead of the more straightforward criss-crossing lines method, I treated each little box separately and drew them one at a time. As you can see, it went all wonky pretty quickly. I think I'm going to have another go at this, perhaps with a different shirt.

On a related note, I just checked wikipedia and discovered something I didn't know. Technically 'tartan' is just a name for a pattern made up of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands. Wow. I always thought it was something more specific related to the fabric. I guess this means with the current boom in checked shirts (plaid to our American friends) you can legitimately say things like 'I'm going to Topman for a tartan shirt' and be correct. You'll sound insane, but you'll be correct.

Triangle

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


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Love

After 2 weeks in Philadelphia, with a little stay in New York (Philly's better), that's me home and jet-lag free. How are you?

Me? I'm feeling pretty good. On top of an unbelievable holiday, I asked Alex, my beautiful girlfriend, to marry me and she said yes! She wasn't even drunk!

Being a tough guy, I won't get all sappy on here. I'd just like to say thanks on behalf of Alex (my beautiful fiancée) and myself to everyone for their messages of congratulations, their cards and their gifts. We're planning a party sometime soon and we're having a lot of fun talking about 'What Happens Next...'.

I must also give some extra special thanks to Concetta for being an unbelievable host and friend while we were away.

We are very happy :)

On Holiday

back soon.

Rockets

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


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Skinny Malinky Opens Tonight

Here's an exciting behind the scenes photo from the Skinny Malinky install last night. It's a glamorous life for sure.

Just a reminder that the show opens tonight (Sat 5th of September) at 7pm. It's a little tricky to find the entrance so aim for the Argyll Arcade in Glasgow and head down the little lane at Zara on Buchanan St. Down somewhere near Sloans is a little passage into the arcade itself. There's a lot of building work going on just now so you might feel you're going the wrong way - you're not! Once inside the arcade, head to the end and you'll find the lift and stairs, head up to the sixth floor to Che Camille.

That's maybe less helpful than saying nothing, have a go though. If you can't find it, head to the pub - it's Saturday night after all.

Skinny Malinky at Che Camille

I'm happy to announce a wee exhibition of new & old drawings at Che Camille in Glasgow. Skinny Malinky opens next Saturday and will run through September. Here are the details:

Skinny Malinky
An exhibition by David Galletly
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Show runs: 5th - 30th September 2009
Opening Party: Saturday 5th September 7-9pm
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Che Camille
Floor 6, Argyle Arcade,
Buchanan Street,
Glasgow, G2 8BD
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Tel: 07862 720215
Email: paint@checamille.com

Come along and say hello next Saturday if you can. I'll post more information about getting up into the space after hours soon. Feel free to use the above image anywhere you like.

Twig

A twig.

Urban Utopias Photos

I've been sent a few images from the Paper City: Urban Utopias show which I mentioned here. They show off the unique tearable / keepable hanging system for the prints quite well. If you look just past the glasses of the lovely man on the left you can just about pick out my long legged houses.

The show runs until the 27th of October in the Architecture Space at Royal Academy of Arts, London.

A Wooden File

Daily Drawing 4: A wooden file from Ikea

Not much to say about this one.

Self Portrait

Daily drawing 3: Self portrait (smiling)

Another daily drawing challenge. I'm working on something else so it's another quick doodle I'm afraid. This is the first picture I've drawn of myself in years.

S-S-Super-8

Daily drawing 2: Super 8 camera

A second quick doodle for my wee draw every day challenge. This Super-8 was a birthday present from my friend Fergi a few years ago. Still waiting for the perfect sunny day to use it.

Baby Steps

Daily drawing 1: Hair Man

I'm setting myself a tiny challenge. I will try to draw something new (big or small) every day this week and put it up here. Maybe not the most ambitious undertaking, but an undertaking nonetheless.

A Bowl of Corn Flakes

A Bowl of Corn Flakes
painted stones, bowl, spoon, doiley, stool
from "How Children Learn" at The Changing Room, 2009


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Draw Serge!

A few weeks ago, the good Mr Culprit pointed me in the direction of the brilliant Draw Serge, a blog for drawings of Serge Gainsbourg. Today, I finally got round to doodling a little version of the great man to submit. It feels like the first face I've drawn in a long while.

Coincidentally, Serge has been on my iPod a lot recently. I'm particularly fond of his mad stuff with Brigitte Bardot. If you don't know it, have a poke around on YouTube. It's dynamite.

Lamp Post

Lamp Post

ink & acrylic on card
from "Jaggy Nettles" at Amble, 2008


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