Since surviving Tuberculosis I have done a load more work, and some shows. I'm currently brewing up an art fair showing, a group show at Bearspace and a solo show at Arbeit.


I've got a lot of updating to do! But since getting a full time job I've been a bit busy.....

patience!

Tuberculosis.... no joke!

In March 2011 I was diagnosed with TB! It turned out to be M.Kansasii, a harder to catch cousin of tb. I was in bed for about 3 months and had to move back to my parents!

I was very productive whilst ill:

"Nissunami"

"Nissunami" is in this year's Print and Design Now show hosted by Bearspace with "Wondawoman" "Taranis" (right) was rejected:

I also did the groundwork for 3 big new projects.... but you'll have to wait for them.

Memorial Flower

A new piece
Memorial Flower (see sketch up and final version, yet to be displayed) A 300cmx300cm shape made of rolled printed wallpaper which has a pattern I created made from images of war found online. It's shape is inspired by temporary remembrance symbols like poppies, folded ribbons and crosses.

BLAST2. Solo show. Derby. Walking the Line...

BLAST2. At the New Court Gallery, Repton, Derbyshire

On September 9th 2010 BLAST at the New Court Gallery, Repton opened. One of the blast pictures (below) sold on the opening night and three more pieces sold after the show closed in November. BLAST featured 8 explosion paintings (created in the photo above) and 5 large Warholian prints (see below) it was featured in all the local press and I got interviewed on the radio with my mum. But she was better at it than me.
The exhibition was a huge success for me and a first major solo show. I really kicked ass and yes, most other art is boring by comparison to mine and this proves it; explosives = more exciting than painting on a crappy canvas in a leaky studio.

BLAST 1. Group Show. Newcastle

BLAST 1, Feb 2010, Carliol Square
Group show with Tom Whitty and Claudio Pascale. We took over the upstairs of World Headquarters Night Club. Filled it with art, and people, had a party. Then we left. I exhibited my explosion painting, the sketch up for JU87 and a coffin.

We promoted the show with a series of flyers with really graphic images on them. Passing them around at exhibition openings like illegal porn in the Victorian times. Art porn in the 21st Century.

EASYRIDER. Goup show. Newcastle

EASYRIDER, 29th October, Hangar 51, Newcastle upon Tyne

The first test of a graduate artist is if they are going to carry on with art after uni. Tom and I decided to leap into our next show, EASYRIDER. The original plan was to show with Lindsay Best and get a shop in the city centre. However the circumstances changed so we decided to return to Hangar, one more time...

The result was EASYRIDER a 1 hour performance involving: an 8 piece motorbike gang, a car we smashed up, and a film I made and Tom's Riot Police film.

Neither of us had managed to get the papers or even local culture mags like The Crack. To our dismay it was Front page of the Sunday Sun, nationwide Metro, Auto Trader Magazine, FORUM Magazine, covered through the week in The Chronicle and Journal. All of this publicity had positive sides; sales and attention but these benefits were far outweighed by the downsides!

Press links: Metro, Sunday Sun 1 and 2, AutoTrader

The video of the show is below:

My artwork in the show:

My print artworks in the show were based on a visit I paid to a militaria store with my imac and my scanner, I scanned half his store; guns, belts, helmets, anything. It took me a long time to settle on a final style but the three 200x40cm banners were as meaningless as I could ever have hoped. Guns 1, Guns 2, and God 1 - which was based on scans of notes I'd taken whilst discussing post modernism with a vicar. What I like about them the most is that you don't get any sign of the process from just looking at them, and I doubt people would remember them now.

SEX AND VIOLENCE

E20 E59 is a reference to Duchamp and this photo is inspired by Valerie Solanas shooting Andy Warhol who for a while I was really into. I think there's a big hang up about Warhol that needs to be overcome.