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Jim Houser on May 08Jim Houser is an amazing artist from America who really inspires me. I have started doing interviews for Revolution Daily and you can read the interview I did with him right over here.
Thanks to all those that bought artwork and paintings last Friday! The response has been overwhelming! Check out this Friday for some more specials. If You Living For Your Job Then You Dying For Your Dream on Feb 08When I was working a full time job for various agencies and being expected to work for free on weekends and evenings I had a dream to start my own business. My passion is to work on projects that have a positive impact on society and one part of it is to create art with a message. I believe that with the right dedication and commitment one can achieve their dreams! If you got passion for something I say go out and do it – but get a business plan before you do it yo! Here are some photos of people who have brought some of my work recently. Vivika’s painting in a Finland home.
Dan’s room in Ballito.
Sarah’s fridge filled with our stickers in Cape Town!
New Illustration + Andrew on Jan 30Here is a sneak peak into part of a new illustration I did for a magazine cover. The brief was to illustrate the title: Bad salesmen have skinny kids.
The one thing I love about Durban is its beautiful warm sea water that you can swim in anytime during the year. My photography friend Andrew took some photos of us riding our bicycles there recently. Check out his site here.
The Untuned Bell and Radio Fridays on May 20First of all Radio Fridays will be published a little later today..so check back later today if you waiting for it!
Last night I attended the opening exhibition of A K Dolven’s Shining Light and the monument for The Finnish Untuned Bell in memory of Finnish Artist Helene Schjerfbeck. I have not been moved by music or art in a long time but as the opening of the monument was unfolding and a local was explaining to me the reasons for everything I got quite emotional. Helen Schjerfbeck was a painter born in 1862 and at the age of four she injured her hip which healed badly and created a limp which she suffered her whole life. In many ways her life was a struggle but she was a rebel and she lived for her art. She also lived as and evacuee during the period of World War 2 in Tenala and then in Lovisa. She also taught for a period as well as taking on numerous illustration jobs so I guess I have something in common with her. In the beautiful park where the monument is placed was where Helene painted and sketched on several occasions and was an inspiration to her. The Untuned Bell was originally in England and found by Nordic Artist A K Dolven. She had the idea of the bell being placed in this park that would represent her struggles and victories in her life. Part of the ceremony included a series of church bells ringing as a symbol of welcoming and accepting this “untuned” bell into the community. Apparently they were all timed to ring after each other for 100km out into the country! This monument is a symbol of hope and inspiration. Its amazing to see such a project unfold and almost feels that this has been the reason why I came here. Helene shows us that even if you have problems with your health or live through war or even if you not recognized for your talents in this present time you are important. You are alive and don’t let the negative things in life kill your passion. This park means a lot to me too as its beautiful natural surroundings, forest and harbour has been more than inspiring for me to create my work and with this untuned bell I will remember it for the rest of my life. You can read a little more on Helene here Iceland on Mar 18One thing that America is really good at is promoting their culture across the world. I think in many ways its a disease. Most people are more interested in their culture more than anything else. You just got to look at the world we live in and how its being fashioned. There is some incredible stuff that comes out of America don’t me wrong. I just wish there was a balance of all cultures and countries that we get exposed to. This documentary is an amazing look into Iceland and its people and one of the reasons why I thought it would be interesting to check out Finland. Part of our project will be documenting the locals and hopefully I can come back with some thing half as good as this. Push the play button and get yourself a bunny chow and soak in the stokeness of this vid. Enjoy. New Dreams on Jan 07Happy New Year! I hope this year gives you joy!
I have not posted much in the “inspiration station” category lately on my blog posts. So today I introduce you to one of my favourite bands of all time: Snapcase. For me personally they were one of those bands that stood out with something fresh and unique. I discovered the band when tape cassetes where still being used and it was not very easy to get your hands on any of their records in South Africa. Their music was a combination of Hardcore, Punk and Alternative. The singer has a unique scream, intense yet down to earth and his intelligent lyrics gave room for thought. Some of their earlier packaging also used the artistic skills of Lambert Fabian – a great Designer and Artist who has inspired me in so many ways as well. There are very few bands today in my opinion that carry the honesty of what this band was about. Plus they don’t all wear skinny jeans. I hope my favourite song from them inspires you in 2011! Can you… feel your heartbeat, are you living? New Book on Sep 23I got this amazing book from my lovely wife recently! Thanks Meggie Moo! When I was a student we had an ancient letterpress machine in the print room which we had to use for a type project. It really put things into perspective of how type was used in the good old days. Some of these designs are way better than what you see in the current design world.
I like this on Sep 08I came across this comment by Ben Weinman of his bands new album and its something I been thinking about for the past couple years and think it was very thought provoking and thought was good to share. I think its important as a creative person to not always rely on the internet as a source of inspiration. “Back in the early days when I started to discover music, go to shows and find out about new bands, there were ‘filters’ from various circumstances – geography, economic status, etc – which deeply affected how a band sounded and what they stood for. Now, everyone is going through the same filter—namely computers and the internet—and everyone has the same circumstances: Everybody’s seeing the same thing for the first time at the very same time, simultaneously all over the world. That very system is negatively affecting art and has created a situation where everything is influencing itself and art is not based on struggle, personal scarcity or unique and personal inspiration. This cultural revolutions is a big part of what determines our mission. We’re not listening to any of the bands around us for some kind of input as to what we should sound like. At this point, we’re using our own accomplishments as a measurement of what we need to do next.” Barry + Margaret = Inspiring on Sep 01The Inspiration Station Category is where I will be posting things that really inspire and influence me. Barry Mcgee is no doubt one of the most inspiring artists I know and has a really original style. I first discovered him back in about 2002 and is still one of my favourite artists. His wife who has sadly passed away a few years ago also has an amazing style. Walking the streets of Durban as a student I really got into the street signage that was hand painted at local Indian Cafe’s. She was also very much inspired by the hand painted signs in her town of SF too. Here are a few pics from my collection…
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