LIVERPOOL SNOWFLAKE TRAIL

REALLY HAPPY WITH THE END RESULT OF THIS RECENT COMMISSION, WHICH INVOLVED THE DESIGN AND HAND DECORATION OF A GIANT SNOWFLAKE AS PART OF LIVERPOOL CITY CENTRE'S CHRISTMAS SNOWFLAKE TRAIL EVENT. I'M ALSO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT MY SNOWFLAKE, INSPIRED BY THE '12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS', IS NOW UP OUTSIDE LIME STREET STATION! KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR THE 11 OTHER AMAZING SNOWFLAKES DECORATED BY FELLOW COMMISSIONED ARTISTS WHICH ARE DOTTED ABOUT THE CITY. PICTURES OF MY SNOWFLAKE AND WIP PROGRESS BELOW:

QUICK PIC

SPENT TONIGHT DOING THIS ILLUSTRATION IN HONOR OF MY FRIEND KAREN JUST BECAUSE LOOK HOW COOL SHE IS. FOLLOW KAREN ON TUMBLR AND TWITTER!

= KIM =

THE MONOCHROMATIC RITES OF JACKALOPE

THIS WEEK I WAS ASKED TO DECORATE A TABLE FOR 'THE JACKALOPE ',A NEW BAR OPENING IN CHORLTON. I TOOK THE TASK LITERALLY AND CAME UP WITH THIS:

I'VE NEVER DECORATED FURNITURE BEFORE, BUT IT WAS FUN! I CAME UP WITH THE IMAGE QUITE QUICKLY - IT'S JUST A COMPOSITE DRAWING I DID OF A JACK RABBIT SPLICED WITH AN ANTELOPE TO CREATE MY OWN VERSION OF THE MYTHICAL BEAST, FRAMED BY MY SIGNATURE WINTER TREES WITH A SNEAKY NOD TO PAGANISM THROWN IN. ALHOUGH I'M NOT A FOLLOWER I LOVE THE SYMBOLISM AND IMAGERY OF PAGAN AND OCCULT-THEMED POP CULTURE. THE BELOW PHOTOS SHOW THE TABLE BEFORE AND THE PROCESS I WENT THROUGH TO CREATE IT:

 FIRST OF ALL, OH MY GOD, IT WASN'T EVEN WOOD! JUST SOME MDF TOP WITH A WEIRD VINYL COVERING! I SANDED IT DOWN ANYWAY (SOMETIMES YOU TOTALLY CAN POLISH A TURD) JUST TO GIVE THE PRIMER SOMETHING TO STICK TO.

 AFTER PRIMING I STARTED LAYERING UP A THIN WASH MIXTURE OF BURNT SIENNA AND YELLOW OCHRE GOUACHE TO CREATE A PARCHMENT-COLOURED BASE TO WORK ON, I SORT OF WANTED IT TO LOOK LIKE A PAGE FROM AN OLD BOOK.

LINE WORK MAPPED OUT

FINAL IMAGE. I'M GOING TO DO A COUPLE OF COATS OF PROTECTIVE MAHOGANY WOOD VARNISH OVER THE TOP SO THE FINAL OUTCOME WILL BE SLIGHLTY DARKER. SEE IT IN THE FLESH AT THE GRAND OPENING OF THE JACKALOPE IN CHORLTON THIS FRIDAY! :

http://www.facebook.com/events/327730180664342/

HOLLYOAKS LATER

SOME OF MY PAINTINGS WILL FEATURE IN HIS WEEKS EPISODES OF THE CHANNEL 4 AND E4 SERIES 'HOLLYOAKS LATER'(WHICH IS JUST LIKE REGULAR 'HOLLYOAKS' BUT WITH SEX AND SWEARING...)! HERE'S A SNEAK PEAK OF ONE AND THE PICTURE BELOW SHOWS WHERE IT FEATURES IN THE EPISODE:

'HOLLYOAKS LATER'  STARTS TONIGHT ON E4 @ 10PM

ODD BAR EXHIBITION

A FEW PHOTOS FROM MY EXHIBITION LAUNCH THE OTHER NIGHT.... 

     ZACK ESTERHUIZEN OF PERKY PAIR      DESIGN AND ANIMATION (FAR RIGHT)

THE WORK IN SITU @ ODD BAR NORTHERN QUARTER

MOSS AND TONYA

JACK AND MAX

TONYA AND ME

WAS A REALLY GOOD TURN OUT IN THE END, I THINK BETWEEN 20 - 30 OF MY FRIENDS CAME SO THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE IT DOWN! ALSO I WOULD RECOMMEND ODD BAR TO ANY ARTISTS/ ILLUSTRATORS WHO HAVE WORK THEY'D LIKE TO EXHIBIT THAT'S PERHAPS NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR A GALLERY SPACE-  IT'S USUALLY PRETTY EASY TO SELL THINGS THERE, THEY HELP TO PROMOTE YOUR STUFF AND THROW IN A FEW BOTTLES OF WINE ON THE LAUNCH NIGHT, BONUS!

= KIM =

TONIGHT! : 'RECKONING' EXHIBITION

JUST GOT BACK FROM INSTALLING MY EXHIBITION AT ODD BAR (MANCHESTER NORTHERN QUARTER). TITLED 'R E C K O N I N G,' THE PIECE DEPICTS A WALL OF HAIRLESS CATS DELIVERING DIVINE RETRIBUTION, OCULARLY....

THE WORK WILL BE UP FROM TODAY UNTIL THE 3RD OF OCTOBER - I'LL BE THERE TONIGHT FROM 7PM FOR THE 'LAUNCH', COMPLIMENTARY WINE FOR EARLY BIRDS! 

= KIM =

CULTURECLOUD COMPETITION

FOR SOME REASON I THINK I FORGOT TO MENTION IT ON HERE, BUT BASICALLY I ENTERED MY PAINTING, 'SELF PORTRAIT AS A CHILD' (SEE ABOVE) INTO A NATION WIDE ART COMPETITION LAST MONTH (ORCHESTRATED MAINLY BY THE NOTTINGHAM NEW ART EXCHANGE, ARTFINDER, NESTA AND FACT AMONGST OTHER ARTS ORGANISATIONS), AND I'M REALLY CHUFFED TO ANNOUNCE THAT I MADE IT THROUGH TO THE PENULTIMATE EXHIBITION STAGE! 

THE COMPETITION INVOLVED ARTISTS SUBMITTING A 2D PIECE OF WORK, OUT OF WHICH 100 PIECES WERE SELECTED BY A TEAM OF CURATORS. THESE WORKS THEN WENT ONLINE FOR A PUBLIC VOTE BEFORE BEING WHITTLED DOWN TO THE  'TOP 40' PIECES, WHICH WILL BE EXHIBITED IN THE NEW ART EXCHANGE FROM THE 26TH OF JULY 2012.

COME ALONG TO THE LAUNCH NIGHT IF YOU'RE IN THE AREA - THE NEW ART EXCHANGE ALWAYS PUT ON GREAT, LIVELY LAUNCH EVENTS FULL OF INTERESTING PEOPLE. MORE INFO BELOW:

AND A PHOTO OF MYSELF (BACK ROW 4TH FROM LEFT) AND THE OTHER ARTISTS AT THE LONDON PRESS LAUNCH EVENT TODAY...NOT QUITE SURE WHY WE ALL LOOK SO EMBARRASSED...!

KIM X