First stages...

So! This is an example of how I go about beginning a new design, its not how I do it every time, but how I'm working at the moment. So i start composing work by clipping photographs, photocopies etc up into collages to get the bare bones in place, then elaborate from there. It's all about putting images and shapes together until a narrative begins to form. The work for me, has to feel like its a deliberate collage, but that it has its own life also. The marks of cutting and pasting I want seen in a way, this is likely to do with the fact that I want the processes and ultimately proof of my work evident so everyone knows I did it! that I didn't rob it of someone else and a computer didn't do it either. The work for me needs to feel natural also, I'm not really interested in stylised illustration, I want it to feel real and raw!

Can't think of title

Aubrey Beardsley

The strange unsettling sexual elegance of his work attracts me. I like thats its ambiguous and maybe offensive in some instances. I'm not interested in work thats about trying to shock for the sake of it, in my opinion you have to earn the right to challenge and extort certain subjects. If you have something to explore and deliver to people because its important to you and drives you like hunger, then it matters. Annoying its become trendy and acceptable now to put out provocative imagery within every creative outlet, from Theatre to stand up comedy, to Design and Film, boundaries are pushed all over, but all too often the glory is soaked up by Trend followers, people who want the respect and praise for making controversial statements, but lacked the balls to make the stand in the first place because being the first to raise an issue, pull it apart and not give a shit who you bother in the process, that is the hardest part, its a lonely journey until you start reaping the benefits and by that time, you've been fleeced by the wannabe creative free loaders. I cannot abide being copied or producing derivative work, sometimes is happens by chance, accident or what ever, but if I find my work starts sitting into trends, it really gets my back up! It means your work will have more chance of selling, but its a completely pointless exercise if its just about churning out material to making a quid or two.

Aubrey Beardsley though, how good is that name?!

Apples

My mum is in the process of moving house just now, as I was home recently I had a little nose around the new place. I spotted this lovely old apple tree in the back garden, so had a little climb about in it and took a few pictures. We had apple trees in our old old house, where I grew up, so I've always been very fond of them.

The Thing

As long as I can remember I have had a fascination with Horror, I don't know where it comes from, but its there. I was watching horror films from the age of 10, and before that I just found myself always interested in anything strange and unusual. I once recall finding a dead bird in the back garden and wanting to keep it, strange yes, but its all part of nature which I was interested in at all levels and I guess there began my interest in taxidermy!

So, back to Horror. The post below of Goya's 'Saturn devouring his children' ties in with this interest, its so horrific and so nightmarish. Images like this (below) helped to instill fear and therefore devotion within the Catholic faith. Say your prayers or you'll burn in hell! all that rubbish. I want to elaborate on this, but I'll save it for future posts...

Goyas Black paintings

Taxidermy at Tring

These images were taken about a year ago in one of my favorite museums, which is in a village called Tring in Hertfordshire. Its an amazing natural history museum which my sisters and I were taken to many times when we were little, so as well as being inspirational for my work, its also a very nostalgic place for me to be.

I went back early this year as well as last, but havn't managed to get the photos I took then off of my sister, as I used her camera.

I am becoming more and more fascinated with taxidermy. That these once living things are now objects, gathering dust and shelved with other collectable objects. They're often pretty sinister looking, and when stuffed badly and given dodgy squint eyes, they become ridiculous. Its this strange unsettling feeling these things evoke that interests me.

Hieronymus Bosch