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Stuck in Traffic from Matt Bannister on Vimeo.
It was quite a long process, but I've created a little clip to show how my 'Stuck in Traffic' piece developed.
It's not a routine I will be implementing for every bit of work I do, mainly because you have to stop and scan in all the drawing at regular intervals. S l o w. Still, I'm quite pleased with the result. It shares another dimension to my work, and is my first foray into using Vimeo.
Ideas in Rotherhithe
On a rare but recent sunny day, I headed over to Rotherhithe for some space. I'm working on something for a music/art/inspiration website Forage Press (more details to come in due course) and needed to generate some ideas.
A walk and a think by the river Thames is something free, that is available to all Londoners. The portion of river down from Tower Bridge is just where it starts to feel a bit more windswept. On a cold day, with misty views, it might feel bleak, but the day I was there it felt sleepy and definitely promised a slow, sunny summer to come (fingers crossed).
Ideas gathered, I headed back along Tooley Street. I've just got to create the things, now.
Screen Print 1
I thought I'd learn something new, and broaden my creative knowledge, so I signed up for a one day introduction to screen printing, last week. I did a little bit of etching at uni but no printmaking since then. Hugh at Peckham Print Studio showed me everything from start to finish. As I happened to be the only one learning on that day, it ended up being one-to-one tuition, which was nice.
http://instagram.com/peckhamprintstudio
I'd never done it before, so I think my first efforts are pretty good. It was lovely to get back into an atmospheric environment (and away from the mac keyboard). Inks, tinny mp3 speakers, mugs of tea, grubby overalls: you get the picture. I really enjoyed it and would to have another go soon (before my 'skills' wear off!). Here are 2 prints I did, plus a detail from an experiment I did that was deliberately off-register (just to see). The picture of me comes from the studio's Instagram feed: peckhamprintstudio.
Screen Print 2
Screen Print Experiment (detail)
Stuck in Traffic
I've finished a new piece, called 'Stuck in Traffic'. It's in a similar vein to the 'Crystal Palace Monsters' image I produced earlier in the year, and carries on my idea of London statues coming to life.
This time, however, poor old Boadicea/Boudica/Boudicca is getting a bit of road rage on the way to work. You've got to love those pedestrians near the Houses of Parliament, haven't you?
Statue of Queen Boudica, Victoria Embankment.
People on Victoria Embankment.
I've added some 'work in progress' shots here, too, to show 'her' evolution.
"Stuck in Traffic" (work in progress) 1
"Stuck in Traffic" (work in progress) 2
To continue the theme of earlier work again, the piece has just been featured by Londonist.com. Their latest appeal for London art is asking for imagery where the capital's past and present clash, in 'Time Travel London'. Fingers crossed I'll be selected for the exhibition at the end, like last time.
Subway preview
Thought I'd share a sneak preview of one of my new pictures. There is a lot more to do with this (e.g. some colour and I still need to add the stars of the show) but it gives you a flavour. It's inspired by my recent trip to Crystal Palace Park to see the Sphinxes and to explore the subway tunnels. I'm hoping to produce 3 different pieces with the same theme. Watch this space.