Monday 13 December 2010

Art Auction Art4Space

As some of you may know I have be spending my time volunteering for Art4Space.
I have done a variety of tasks from working in the garden with young offenders, helping run after school clubs and assisting with workshops at community fairs.
The most recent of event I have worked on has been the preparation and running of Art4Space first Art Auction, helping to raise money for a reconditioned pottery Kiln. With this Kiln, A4S can run all ages workshops with the local community as mosaics can only be done with 8+ year olds.
It was a wonderful time creating individual art pieces in ceramic (fired at the local pottery shop North street Potters) and mosaic picture frames, mirrors, baubles and artworks. We spend many days chatting over coffee and dancing round the studio to keep warm, given the freedom to create any thing we chose.
With a total of over one hundred pieces, plus the BBQ and bar we raised £600 towards the kiln. It was very rewarding to see people fighting over our creations. My sister kindly brought one of my favourite mirrors, she hasn't decided to keep it or give it to my brother, I am pleased to know it's staying in the family because I am quite impressed with the final result.
The night of the auction was wonderful, with live music, free range sausage buns, cocktail bar with the ArrrrrrrtinSpace special cocktail, and plenty of mulled wine and hot cider.
There is now talk of planning for a Spring fete to help raise the rest of the money.
Anyone interested in having a go at mosaic themselves will be pleased to know Mosaic workshops will be running on a drop in basis from the 4th January Every Tuesday night from 6:30pm £20 and the last Sunday of every month 10-4:30pm £45. More details can be found through eli@art4space.co.uk

Cartoon Commision

Had the wonderful fortune of being asked to use my cartooning skills to create a portrait of a couple on the wedding day.
Here is the result.

Sunday 3 October 2010

Stockwell Festival 2010

It was a blustery autumnal day in Stockwell. Over the years since I was little I have been to Larkhall Park to run around like a screaming loon or to cloud gaze as a teenager. I’ve always thought of Larkhall Park as small but this particular day the park looked huge and brimming with activity, because today was 
Stockwell Festival.

For 10 years the festival has been building in size and on its tenth birthday the park was full of all sorts of marquees, pop up tents, canopies and bouncy slides all enthusiastically flapping about in the wind. I had specially ventured down to help out with Stockwell Studios and Art4Space stands, promoting their presence in the community and activities in our little pocket of sunshine that is Stockwell. As I was swept in by the breeze, I shared greetings with Art4Space co-ordinators Eli Seath and Jewels Norburn before we knuckled down to building the giant fake cake. They pre-prepared pieces which we fitted together into a giant cake to celebrate Stockwell Festivals 10th birthday. With hand drills, staple guns and a sprinkling of magic we pieced it together, wrestling the wind which wanted a piece of that cake, and threatened to blow out the giant fake candles.We successfully finished as one o’clock struck just as curious kids came flocking. With our Arts Workshop we decorated paper smarties and cardboard candles with glitter and wishes for Stockwell and decorated the cake.

Once the workshop was running smoothly, I went in search of some hot food and some old faces. Being a local to Stockwell I spent much of my childhood in the little church on the park, Courland Grove, where my parents still go, I knew they’d be open with bric-a-brac and hot food and tea, I got myself some chicken and chips and lots of hugs. Then waving farewell continued my wander through the Oasis Nature Gardening stands, the Oasis Go-Karts, the Wellbeing Zone, the stilt walkers, the Punch and Judy man and the awesome Pineapple Car. I stopped off for a fantastic coffee (possibly the best in London) at Morgan’s Coffee Experience (Cart), for an impressive cappuccino, usually situated outside Clapham Common tube 7 days a week, this coffee is the famous Monmouth coffee, and expertly prepared this is probably the best coffee around. Walking around the festival it was fantastic to see the signs created by the Elevate volunteers, such a good job! Finally I jigged along to the Pineapple stage with its impressive collection of performers. I discovered the MC for the pineapple stage was gospel singer Adelaide Mackenzie an old school friend and local, small world Stockwell indeed.
                
Back at Art4space the workshop was teeming with kids creating and getting their faces beautifully painted. The cake was overflowing with candles and wishes. And it was nearly time for the parade. At 4:30 all the children came back for their candles and lined up behind Lady Pineapple and all the pineapple kids, the pineapple car, Oasis go Karts, Cheerleaders; Fyer Flyz, drummers, stilt walkers and all the Art4Space and Stockwell Studios crew and to the beat of the drums the parade began with dancing and singing all the way around the park at which point the sun came out and beamed cheerfully. A big cheer rang out for Stockwell Festivals 10th Birthday celebrations.



Even with the wind a great day was had by all. As things got taken down at the end of the day and sheets were chased and vans loaded. Our faces glowed with wind burn and shone with smiles.

Friday 13 August 2010

Assiting Sculptor: Steve Lawrie


For the last month I've been assisting sculptor Steve Lawrie for his Brockley Open Studio piece. Made with golf tee's, miles of cotton and a hand drill we successfully made over 100 hundred star shaped objects. Inspired by micro-organisms, these individual stars together make one organic inspired shape crawling out of a cupboard. Turn out at the Open Studio was good and the piece, received well. Photographer Timothy Leek came in to document the work.

Tiny Paintings in Gouache

 Currently looking after mum whose has had an operation on her toes so I'm at home helping out with Dad. Decided to jump at the chance to paint. Painted with gouache on small to tiny canvases, one, a portrait of my sisters cat Oscar and the other Old man's building is a painting of a small old building that survived the bulldozers because the owner a little old man refused to sell up. There had been a large building next door Freemans catalogue a factory supplying work for a hell of a lot of people. It has now been destroyed and created into (more) luxury flats, the old man's house remains....when I was a kid we used to deliver food parcels for the elderly, back then he was an old man and we dropped our parcel off, I thought he was odd and mysterious.

Oscar is 6" by 4" and the house is 3" by 2"

Sunday 8 August 2010

Arts4Space: Volunteer

I been spending some of my time volunteering at Arts4Space, a Community Arts Organisation based at Stockwell Studios in Jeffreys Road, Stockwell. Arts4Space create community arts projects to increase accessibility and empowerment through art to various groups, helping develop communication, promote diversity and social cohesion within my neighbourhood. I'm loving working with them.

Recent project, which is up and now in situ, was the creation of a mosaic mural for Streatham Wells Primary School, most of the work had been done but I stepped in and helped finish the piece. Partly created with the kids of the school this piece is now in proud position on the wall in their front entrance.

Since then we worked on another Streatham Wells mural that I helped restore. I am particularly interested in murals as my sister, Ruth Miller, has set up the London Mural Preservation Society. She is currently in the process of researching who created the original mural we are restoring which was made at least 30 years ago. It was great fun bringing the old mural back to life, and I learnt alot about mural restoration. 
The LMPS have a mural walk coming up soon on the 15th August in North London (All Welcome!) My colleague and fellow filmmaker, Louise Murray, and I will be filming the event for the web.
Onwards and Upwards!

Saturday 10 July 2010

Mini Monsters

Currently numbing my finger by working on a batch of mini monsters. I plan to make a dozen before trying to sell them. Have some nice ideas for packaging but I'll finish these guys first. The red and black little guy has already found a new home, snapped up whilst they were just sitting around my workspace, don't worry it was a good home and the buyer paid nicely. More on the way...
.....two more already assembled over night.

Friday 18 June 2010

Farty Monster



I like making Softies, (soft toys), little textile characters.
This one was specifically designed for my good friend Emi's birthday, who shares my love of the good ol' fashion, historically classical and timeless, fart joke. My only regret is I didn't put a sound maker in it, next time!

Wednesday 16 June 2010

The Nightingale


Last summer my sister commissioned me to paint and design a painting on her barge. It was a fantastic couple of days, camping on the riverside, watching the wildlife, bobbing about on the boat and next month I'm boat sitting, yea!!! also cat-sitting as my sis has a new boat mate, ship's cat Oscar.

Wednesday 9 June 2010

Kid in a Hat

Here's my piece of art exchange. Art Exchange is like a pyramid scheme of art work, you send one and recieve a bunch. Watching my post with anticipation...
This image is something I saw in Brixton, a little boy had wandered off and found a bunch of expensive clothes to dress up in, he looked very pleased with himself in fancy hat and shades, his mum on the other hand...not so much.

Monday 24 May 2010

Where's Hannah?

I been a bit quiet on the blog front but that's because I am working on my first ever comic zine. Three stories are drawn and inked just waiting for colouring, and one story left to draw. I have a lovely assistant helping me with my colouring (shout out to Big Griz) as he doesn't seem to know he's got a very good eye for it. Here is a sneak preview....

The Leeks


On the 4th of May 2010 my good friends Kate and Tim Leek brought into the world a beautiful new addition, Martha Poppy Leek. Congratulations Guys!!!

Sunday 18 April 2010

Traffic Jam

Currently working on some illustrations for my friend Tara Grainger's poem, 'Traffic Jam'. Few more to come, working on colour and layout. Had the idea of making individual drawings then working on comp in Photoshop but it looks quite stiff so having a re-think. I may re-draw some of it on one A3 sheet to make it more fluid and organic or may make it into a Zine...More about Zine's later!!!

Wednesday 7 April 2010


Rosy Posey, is our reasonably new cat addition, she's a great cuddle with a good sense of humour.
She does talk at you a lot, yeowing constantly, "What is it Rosy? Is Jimmy trapped down a well?" still as yet we haven't quite figured out what she is yeowing about....

Tuesday is the day I usually go to Drawing club but it wasn't running today so I joined my father in the garden and we did our own drawing club.
The Chimenia in the back where we burn random things for fun.

I also did lots of gardening, dismantling the Rockery (30years old) and pulled alot of muscles and I'm still only a fifth of the way through. Pulling out a lot of good soil for the vegetable patch. You may call it procrastination, I call it 'finding my roots'.

Monday 5 April 2010

The word Genius derives from the term geni, a muse, a spiritual being that inspires creativity and intellect. Back in the day talent wasn't atributed to the self but to a higher being. I read a quote that when inspiration comes drop everything and listen otherwise it'll pass by you like a breeze.
Today I was looking out the window.
I have a strange love affair with tower blocks, gallions of the urban sky. I was staring at the one across the road 'Wayland House', watching the clothes flapping on the line on their balconies, thinking about them flying off on the wind. I was watching the light bounce off it and thinking how lovely, like a tapestry, it was and wouldn't it be nice to paint it. And then I thought of the geni, QUICK, I lept out of my comfy patch on the couch and grab my paints and the nearest sketchbook. And settled in with the painting, racing the sunset. I think I caught the tail end of the geni cause it don't look as lovely as it does in real life, perhaps this will be sketch one of many...

Wednesday 31 March 2010

Tomato Seedling....

Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses Drawing Club



























Tues from 1-3pm at Brockwell Park, Herne Hill, London.
A free session aimed at beginners but open to all.
Currently we are drawing a tomato seedling as it grows week by week. Particularly as it's raining outside we cosy up in the warm greenhouse hearing the rain rattle on the roof top. We're free to go wander and draw around the gardens, just waiting for the weather to clear up...