The second piece in a slowly growing montage of meals and food fell off the artistic conveyor belt recently. I call it 'Coffee and Cake' and it does what it says on the barista-style tin, really. Next stop? Lunchtime!
I got the British Museum blues
Earlier this year (or was it last year?) I took a stroll around the outside of the British Museum. I know there are amazing artefacts to be found inside (one day I'd like to do some sketching there), but the pseudo Greco-Roman architecture outside was what I was concerned with. The building is surrounded by a large amount of space: something that would never happen now. This space almost feels like a European piazza in France or Hungary, and on the day I went it was a cold, windswept slab to negotiate on your way to the mummies.
This is piece is deliberately distorted and seemed to work well with a cold blue palette. All the carvings above are a lot less looming in real life, but I figured that this way you can't ignore them. Much more dramatic.
After tweeting the image a week or so go, I am now followed by the British Museum herself. Hopefully they're not expecting me to post future items written in cuneiform or Norse, though.
Lunchtime in SE1
One of my regular haunts has inspired me again. The London Bridge / Borough area produced some more characters and architecture to help me create 'Lunchtime SE1'. It was quite a lengthy process: trip out with a camera + photoshopped composition + pencil drawing + two colour transfer using oil paint and pencils. I'm pleased with it though, as it is suitably manic and bustling for a weekday lunchtime in that part of town. I've also entered it into the John Ruskin Drawing Prize, so fingers crossed. I'll know by the beginning of May if I've made it through to the shortlist. Here's the pencil drawing that I also did (from the photoshop montage) if you're interested:
All Day Breakfast
Here's my latest dish, inspired by the backs of playing cards and the great British institution: The Caff. In the typical way that these islands adopt foods and cultures from all over the world, the classic breakfast includes:
1: bananas from the West Indies
2: oranges from Spain
3: croissants from France
4: the word 'Café' from France
5: hash browns from USA
6: brown sauce containing spices from India
Close, But No Cigar - Age of Reason
I entered a competition, a little while ago, to design a limited edition 7" single cover for an organisation called Secret 7". You can read all about it here. Their goal is to combine music and art for a good cause.
Taking my inspiration from one of their chosen tracks - "Age of Reason" by Black Sabbath, I did this classic slice of heavy metal fun. Unfortunately I wasn't selected for the exhibition but I think it's still worth supporting their cause, and sharing this on my blog, too.