Julia Pott for The Working Proof

Last week the lovely people at The Working Proof contacted me to tell me all about themselves and a new print, illustration/animation goddess Julia Pott, has produced for them. The print is titled Whale Hill and below you will find some more information about it and The Working Proof: “an online print gallery and shop with the mission of promoting both art and social responsibility through a series of limited-edition prints.”

“Julia was influenced by English beach towns. Julia says that while she was creating the piece, it was brought to her attention by a few people that she’s not very good at sharing things (whether it be her dessert or lending someone a book), so she created the fox as a version of herself, keeping the houses and ponies to himself. As always, Julia’s print is full of great details: an intricate landscape, the night sky, the fox’s awesome knit pants…15% of each print sold will be donated to Transportation Alternatives, a NYC non-profit that advocates for bicycling, walking and public transportation as the best transportation alternatives. “

“Prints [from The Working Title] are affordable (always under $100), and each print is paired by the artist with a charity to which we will donate 15% of each sale – creating what we believe to be a product with not just aesthetic, but social value. Our charities support a wide range of causes including humanitarian outreach, animal rights, environment, and research. A new print is released once a week, on Tuesdays at 1:30 pm, EST. “

The Working Proof

Posted in Visual Art, design, illustration | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sins & Omissions

Being a rather tardy fellow, things that should be written up sometimes get overlooked, I am catching up with a couple of things today.

I was so happy to be asked to contribute to Issue 2 of Spoonful zine: a happiness companion. If you haven’t grabbed yourself an issue yet, get on it! My contribution appears in the Objects of Affection section:

Each issue, we choose a random object that makes us smile. Here Creatives have interpreted…the Mountain Goat…

How wonderful to be featured alongside some of my favourite artists and makers: Abby Glassenberg, Luci Everett, Jackie Bos, oh and so many more (go buy a copy!). Thanks so much for asking me to tag along Thea, I can’t wait for issue three.

I adore the fabric covered dining chairs above.

Next up, can you guess? Wherever there is bunting you will usually find a craft market, this particular event being The Morningside Makers Market here in Edinburgh. As I am setting up shop here on the 4th September I thought I would pop along to have a nose around and pick up some goodies (I confess this trip occurred in May!). Three stalls in particular grabbed my attention, really lovely work on each and super nice makers too.

Cherith Harrison is an illustrator and designer, I fell in love with her sweet birds and rabbits, they pop up everywhere, screen printed onto cushions, tea towels, bags and exercise books, oh and prints too. I bagged a yellow bunny tea towel, love, love, love!

The Night Owl aka Ellen Munro designs and makes accessories & home wares that are oh so folksy. Pop over and check out her Etsy shop, the egg cups get my vote for sure! Ellen’s stall was beautifully arranged with some inventive touches, a clothes airer used as a display for textiles, very cool.

Nicky Orr heads up Frugal Cool, a sustainable design business which promotes work that is ethically produced, re-used, green, vintage or fair trade. There was such an array of wonderful things on the Remade stall, check out the little felted hare in the image above, just so lovely. Frugal Cool are running an Eco Market during the Edinburgh Festival, go here for details.

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A Stevedore, A Shaman & A Decapitation

My creatures for Plush You LA at Munky King have flown off to California. The show opens on 26th August at Munky King, 7308 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046. As usual I find myself wishing I could attend, if you make it, take some pictures for me! I can’t wait to see all the plush excellence on display, I think it is going to be an amazing show. Above and below: Fish Boy-The Shaman, The Sad Fate of Mau of the Octopod Clan and Theodore the Stevedore.

Mau looked very different originally. Upright, with a little helmet, claw socks and gloves-she didn’t look right to me when she was finished. I think I made my pattern much too thin, tried to replicate the slightly wonky aspect of my initial drawing. I was so upset by my perceived ‘failure’ that I almost cried with frustration (it *was* gone 3am!) & then I decided to chop her head off & change her story. Gory, perhaps a little Grand Guignol, but she works much better for me now. In fact I feel very protective of her, I hope she goes to a caring home.

Isn’t ‘stevedore’ the most magical word, euphonious, easy on the ear? I’m pretty sure I first came across it in a song by The Small Faces, the tale of Rene, the docker’s delight! Theodore really couldn’t have had any other job, it fits him like a pair of claw gloves.

I came across this image of a Stevedore on the New York Waterfront over at the MoMA website. I like the look of this gentleman, he reminds me a little of my Great Grandad, whose name was Percival Varnum, a fine Victorian name, always shortened to Perce, never Percy! Perce had the prickliest mustache, like porcupine quills and the twinkliest eyes I have ever seen, roguish and full of life. As I mentioned in a previous post I have been tossing the idea of producing a winter collection around, thoughts of Perce are proving to be an inspiration. Think Alec Scudder in Maurice (below).

Probably the most famous Stevedore in popular culture, Terry Malloy (played by Marlon Brando) in On The Waterfront.

I haven’t written a thing about the Fish Boy, I guess he is self explanatory and I wanted to use those feathers so badly! Wish them all a happy voyage if you please.

Posted in Exhibitions/Shows, Plush News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments