joseph scissorhands

Thursday, 9 October 2014

Dragonfly Tattoos

I wanted to do a follow up post to the recent Butterfly Tattoo post I did in June, and inspired by the recent Time: Tattoo Art Today, exhibition at Somerset House, and a dragonfly piece that I have just finished, here are some more tattoos, this time dragonfly inspired. There are some really nice examples here, and some not quite as successful in my humble opinion. If you're going to make as bold a statement as a tattoo I think it really pays to get the best tattoo artist that you can. The piece above really works in terms of placement, scale and simplicity. The clean lines and monochromatic work of Chaim Machlev, (first two images below), is a real winner also. Great attention to detail and beautifully inked.

Orso Major has a show - Cabinet of Curiosities, opening next week which will feature one of my Dragonfly pieces. I have been made aware that one 'artist' not content with emulating my Butterfly Balls, has now also started making Dragonfly pieces only a year after I debuted mine. Coincidence? Accept no substitutes or pale imitations people!

Monday, 6 October 2014

Burberry's Bloomsbury Collection

The world of fashion and its designers have long looked to the art world for inspiration. This Autumn/Winter 2014 collection by Burberry sees them looking to the Bloomsbury Group - a collection of artists, writers and philosophers which included Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, who were active in the early part of the 20th century.

A Duncan Grant textile design

A Vanessa Bell textile design

Part of the Bloomsbury Group philosophy was to break down the distinctions between 'fine' and decorative arts, so it is interesting to see how their distinctive style of art with its painterly brushstrokes has been adapted and used on this new collection of clothing for luxury brand Burberry. As you can see from the examples above, as well as being painters, Grant and Bell were used to designing for other media. The large brushstrokes and patterns on this seasons Burberry clothing done in a Bloomsbury style are particularly striking and makes the collection stand out from others this season.

The accessories are pretty fantastic too.

I like the craftsmanship and technique of this leather bag with blue velvet flocked onto it

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Grayson Perry: A House For Essex

I really like the look of, and want to visit this new building - A House for Essex, which is a collaboration between artist/potter Grayson Perry, and FAT architects for Living Architecture, when it is finished. It will be a holiday home available to rent from summer 2015.

The building is situated in the north Essex countryside at Wrabness. Living Architecture describes the project thus:- "The house is both an artwork in itself and the setting for a number of works by Grayson Perry exploring the special character and unique qualities of Essex. the building has been designed to evoke a tradition of wayside and pilgrimage chapels. It belongs to a history of follies, whilst being deeply of its own time."

It really reminds me of architectural projects (albeit on a smaller scale), such as House for an Art Lover by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and Viennese Secession architect Josef Hoffman's Palais Stoclet. These buildings were designed as total works of art, (Gesamtkunstwerk), where as well as designing the building and furniture to go inside the houses, even the smallest details such as light fittings and door handles were designed by Mackintosh in the House for an Art Lover, and Hoffman and fellow Wiener Werkstatte designers providing the furnishings and fittings and Gustav Klimt providing murals and artwork in the Palais Stoclet.

Mackintosh - House for an Art Lover, (exterior)

Mackintosh - House for an art Lover, (interior)

Hoffman - Palais Stoclet, (exterior)

Hoffman - Palais Stoclet, (interior)

Perry and FAT architects bring much of the Gesamtkunstwerk spirit to A House for Essex. It reminds me of something from a fairy-tale and also those old onion-domed chapels dotted around Russia. The tile-work outside gives it a really decorative quality, and the interiors will be equally decorative, filled with specially commissioned tapestries, pottery, mosaics and woodwork commissioned from Perry. I am really looking forward to seeing what artworks Perry creates for the interior next year.

Perry says of the project:- "The idea behind this project relates to buildings put up as memorials to loved ones, to follies, to eccentric home-built structures, to shrines, lighthouses and fairytales. I have a deep fondness for Essex and I am happy to invest a large chunk of my energy and time into a project that I feel will add greatly to the cultural standing of the area."