PORTFOLIO: ASSEMBLE!

Assessment deadline is next week, and most of my work is only in digital form on this blog. And so commences the frantic rush to print everything out and stick it in some form of portfolio... I've now been in the library for about 3 or 4 hours wrestling with the university's printers. I swear, they're literally eating my print credit... and the worst part is, if my printer at home hadn't gone on the blink there would be no need for this madness. A pox on all EPSON printers!

Kind of a good thing though, ended up discovering some missing works. For example, this composite I put together during the making of Lost in My Cups...

 Completely forgot that I made this, however since putting it on my Facebook page everyone seems to love it so I definitely want to include it in my portfolio for this year. 

Also found these from a modelling shoot done with the same plastic cup scultpure:

 

The versatility of this thing and the amount of work I've managed to make from it will never fail to surprise me; what started as something I cobbled together out of boredom has ended up being the germ of several of my ideas for the past semester.

Anyways - onwards and upwards. Recently I've been looking at some of Ralph Steadman's "inkblot" illustrations, and I love the messy, rapid style of it. 

Left: The Spirit of Gonzo                Right: Self Portrait

 

For the final couple of weeks and assessment, I'm gonna throw together some of these drawings, and superimpose them over photographs - perhaps making a kind of duality; the subject is smiling in the photo but the illustration shows a twisted, anguished form... a way of showing the id, or "inner evil" that we all possess. This idea was also influenced by Gillian Wearing's work "HELP". 

The subject looks reasonably calm, but the word HELP scrawled on the board he is holding evokes a strong sense of pathos; the feeling of an intense struggle below the surface is hinted at.

I'll update with photos once its all sorted. In the meantime, this sketchbook isn't going to finish itself...

- Padfoot

HE SO MAD

It would appear that someone disagreed with my "U MAD?" stencil.

This someone took a marker pen and scrawled PRICK in massive letters next to the design on the wall; at first I was a bit like "How rude." Then I thought about it, and realised that the original intention of the piece was to provoke a reaction. Which it did... somewhat spectacularly.

I'll try and get a photo of this, but I have a feeling that it will have been covered up already - Profanity doesn't hang around for long in the studios.

In addition to this I have received a surprisingly polite note from some of the older students, opening with "Dear Padfoot: Yes, we mad." Something to do with them needing the space for their degree show, so sadly U MAD shall have to be obliterated.

However - the piece achieved what it set out to do, and in that respect, I feel no remorse in painting over it.


DAVID SHRIGLEY - BRAIN ACTIVITY


I was recommended by several people to go see Shrigley's exhibition at the Hayward Gallery on London's Southbank, and I must admit I'm glad I did. I felt a very strong connection with his work, as he has very similar interests and the same anarchic and sometimes dark sense of humour. He works with a variety of media, including bronze, ceramics, pen and ink illustrations, and animation.


Here's one of his darker animations, entitled New Friends.

This animation, while appearing to be light hearted, speaks volumes about the need to conform to society's norms, and the base human instinct to reject or change things that are different or unknown.


What particularly interested me was his photography, which documented work similar to my "guerilla installation" ideas. Some of these were just small signs, one in the middle of a stream with the words "RIVER FOR SALE", and another urging people to keep an eye out for a lost pigeon. Made me chuckle.


Anyways, still sorting out how to make this installation idea work, gotta think of something soon in order to be ready for the degree show. Thinking maybe a team of three people, including myself - one to place an object / sculpture, one to take a photo, and another to come and remove it again. In essence, this is a kind of passive aggressive vandalism; the offending object is there, photographed - but only for a matter of seconds.


Hopefully all goes well with this and I won't get arrested.

- Padfoot

HOLY SHIT, I'M 20 NOW.

Had my birthday a few days ago... still reeling from shock at the fact that I am no longer a teenager.
I guess I have to grow up and be all responsible now.




Actually... Nah, fuck it.

Ladies and gentlemen - the stencil of my beautiful face.

Also done some pinhole experiments using colour photo paper. This is one of the best ones:

some of the results were quite interesting, but most were completely epic failures. Exposure times are tough to get right when your camera is essentially a Coke can with a hole poked in it.

The others can be seen on my facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/THIS.IS.PATOGRAPHY

Anywho. That's all for now folks, going to see some shows in London next week, so no doubt I shall be compelled to write some reviews in my trademark sarcastic prose.

Until then - keep it metal.

-Padfoot

IT IS DONE

After a few days of making Tommy wear my plastic cup creation, and swearing at iMovie, it is finally complete. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you my latest short film: LOST IN MY CUPS.

Now I can fully concentrate on the stencils and finishing this bastard essay on transgenderism... Have a feeling that meeting these deadlines is going to be tighter than a nun's ladygarden. Wish me luck.

- Padfoot

STICKY NOTE MADNESS AND STENCILS GALORE

The latest chapter in my quest to make people take things less seriously.


The last couple days I've been wandering around with a pad of sticky-notes, writing my thoughts down and leaving them behind... and my head is full of random bullshit. So in a way, this is the ultimate act of sharing. It could also be a kind of passive-aggressive vandalism.

Some other quick updates; my short film Lost in My Cups is almost complete - All that remains is to add some appropriate music, and it shall be ready to view. Will post it up here when its done :)
Also, I've been working on some other stencils that shall be appearing soon...

This one is a reworked version of one I posted before, when I was researching Frank Miller. 

Gonna make this one fucking huge.

I got the idea for this last night whilst re-reading my Banksy book.

Might look quite good as a custom t-shirt. 

Keep your eyes peeled around the studios; don't think I'm quite finished with the sticky notes.

- Padfoot

LOST IN MY CUPS

One thing I've been mucking about with recently is this sphere made of plastic cups, all stapled together. I made it out of sheer boredom, but its surprising how much fun it's been producing work with it. I also didn't expect it to be so multi-purpose.


For example....

It could be used as a pretty awesome room light

It can be used to make serious statues a whole lot less serious...

Also, in talks with one of my fellow art students about making a short film with it, entitled Lost in My Cups.

I'm actually kind of enjoying how usurping an object, and making it something that was never meant to be anything, can be put to several different fine arty uses. 

It's a funny old world, eh?

- Padfoot

BERLIN POLAROIDS

Since these are the only pics I've got around to editing from Berlin, figured I'd post them up.

Still in the process of sorting through the rest of the shots, I have uploaded some unedited ones to my Facebook page however. Will post them up when they're done :)

- Padfoot