Its May! So must be time for Shindig Festival. Its a festival close to my heart, with a lot of friends involved and in attendance. I’ve been involved for a few years now, and i am slowly wallpapering over the site (theres lots of Dotmasters patterns over numerous sculptures)
This is a new DJ booth for Mojos bar. It was actually Mojos home for many a year as he travelled around Europe causing mayhem. The cab was cut and rebuilt for its new purpose by James Kearney James has numerous sculptures around the site along with old friends Wrekon.
A few things i’ve painted over the years needed re doing, stored outside for a few years will do that to us all. So it was time to re-blandalise some love and peace missiles (old fuel tanks from war planes). The red ones the newly painted one.
Mojo, gets some odd bits and pieces, and this years new additions were particularly odd. Giant wellington boots, about 3.5m tall. The weather for Shindig is often super nice but like we all know, a festival isn’t a festival without some wellies.
Its a cracking weekend, if you haven’t been GO! Family friendly and a bloody good party to boot (excuse the pun). A mix of music and art, food and frolics. I always have a cracking good time.
Visited Kristiansand a couple of weeks ago for the Kål Festival by good friend and the curator of the thing Vlek. Its a cool festival as they state on their website “The Art of Living is a festival that focuses on the connection between visual art and public health. The festival addresses themes such as: freedom of expression, equality, inclusion and user participation. The festival produces street art, organizes workshops and contributes to debates”
I was honoured to be asked as they have had some of my friends an heroes paint around the town in previous years the likes of Roa, Issac Cordel, Cbloxx, Dot Dot Dot,Martin Whatson and Mark Jenkins and many more. So it was nice to make a mark in the same town as them. This year i was joined by Ben Eine, Espen Henningsen and Stay one as part of the festival.
First up before Ben landed was a piece i’d been working on for a while. Dritt is a less offensive Norwegian word for shit (the type of word a naughty kid would use). The wall was a makeshift hodge podge of re bar and ply in a tumble down plot behind the theatre. We chopped down the undergrowth with a chainsaw and dodged our way around the rubble and the holes. The new rude kids had posed for each letter back in London, their names are from left to right Rudi, Jaigo, Boudica Wren and Sadhbh. Thanks as ever for the kids patience while i took their photographs for the studies for the works.
It took a while but i even managed to pop a Rude kid up high, his name is Laser Ray.
Then Ben arrived and we set about a large wall in town, by Smash burger (which we lived out of (great burgers)). We were blessed with great weather! Working quickly we knocked it out in a day.
Onto the power station that was trackside for another days painting. Rose and Lilly with their Father Ted phrases seemed to fit perfectly on a set of stairs by a power station (careful now!).
Finally we headed out of town to paint in a place that reminded me of Tou Scene in Stavanger but instead of beer this factory produced paper, the company was Hunsfos Fabrikker on Hunsøya island in Vennesla since re purposed as hive of cultural production. I Adapted my new Rude Kids Wren, Rudi, Sadhbh and Rudi to write a more acceptable word for the small creative community thats grown within the factorys grounds.
It was a great week in a lovely town with good friends. We came we saw we painted. Thanks to Arne for all his hard work and super slick production. We left our marks and hoped the locals liked them.
Got all the rude kids together for a 10th birthday party in Penge, London. Thankfully London calling blog Steve was there to help me keep this unruly mob in check. It’s located in the Blenheim shopping centre car park, which the top two floors have been set aside for people to paint. Check out London calling blog with details of the rooftop gallery open days (where you can see what we’ve been up to) Rooftop gallery here
Its been 10 years since the first rude kid was cut, it was my daughter, at the age of 9. It’s a age before the teenage angst starts, a time of innocence and i thought getting her and her friends ( a lovely bunch) strike some poses that would perhaps be more associated with the age group above them, then these simple stencils could rude little invaders on a urban street corner. Not a threat, just rude!
Over the years the kids have grown up, so friends and families kids have joined the original core Hackney group of kids with some of the kids now come from as far away as Osaka, Stavanger and the Wirral. a full list of names of the kids involved can be found on my instagram. Thanks to everyone whos been involved and Happy Birthday!
Spent a week up north on the Borders, in Carlisle and Newcastle, I love this part of the world and visit regularly. On this trip i Painted a Tattoo Parlour Eclipse Ink for Eden arts and Blank wall Assasins.
Took a few days even managed to off set the mural with a couple of more traditional street hits at West walls Brewery Nice place! They supplied a wall, pizzia and a beer! Film By ARJ visuals.
Had a super nice few days in the town, met some great people and painted some walls, even made local TV. Film by Stuart Walker
Seeing i was so far north, i decided to pop over to Newcastle to see some friends, so popped a few things up around Ouse Burn. By chance Seven Stories the National Centre for Childrens Books was on the route, so Popped a #Rudekid on the front of the building and it seemed to be received very well and may stay. film by Jamie Dobson @jamiesgotacamera
Proud to present my lockdown labours in this multi channel broadcast show, event, web thingy. So first was there was Lockdown Magazine, Dot2Dot portraits and a release of the wino boxes now finally some work you can see in the flesh in this site specific Christmas light shop front installation.
In collaboration with Kensington and Chelsea art week as part of their lockdown HIGH STREET WINDOWS. A series of site-specific window installations across Kensington, activating local high streets through imaginative interventions by contemporary artists.
The small boxes displayed in the windows are experiments in materials and light that were made during lockdown. Boxed-in, we have all tried to see the bright side, and these naughty rude kids lights have been my way of bringing some light with these humorous candid acts of indoor disobedience. The entire building is transformed into a giant, glowing light box, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside.
A full explanation of the show as well as a shop to buy it, can be found here Lockdown show.
Thankfully a couple of years ago we built a studio in the back garden, so when the news came of the Lockdown my work suffered less than many in the UK. i could still make stuff, but the thought of making a show that would probably not be seen, left me having to reevaluate what to make in these uncertain times. I settled on a series of experimental works using the motif of a kid painting smiles on well loved works of art. It kind of made sense to have these three rude kid characters , Astrid, Indigo and Edgar painting, stuck indoors like the rest of us.
I am sure i was not alone in taking to the bottle during lockdown. The news and social media streams confirmed it. During the drunken haze that was the first few weeks that included my wedding anniversary we were sent a two bottle box of wine to help us celebrate. The box was just too cute to throw away.
I didn’t want to do something 2d or canvas based, and with my only 3d gig Glastonbury cancelled (i am the art director Unfairground) i thought i’d try and make these little boxes into stage sets where i could pop these three naughty children and up cycle this little wooden box.
Each box has its own RGB remote control so that the lights can change to whatever colour you require, there are preset programs with fading , jumping and flashing between different colours. The back panel is laser cut wallpaper out of birch ply, The frames are 24k gold leaf. I will be making a small edition of each light. Video of them working to follow.
Excited by these cute little lamp works I’ve also made some larger scale wall based works, at the time of writing this only one is finished and i will be posting some more updates as they are finished. The below version has interchangeable works that you can swap out depending on your mood.
These will be one off works, still no idea how to show them, where they will be available. hopefully work that out when they are all finished. To get your name on a waiting list for the Lockdown wine boxes email seesix at gmail with the subject Lockdown wine box
Our Types have curated a great show at Jealous Gallery in Shoreditch for the benefit of the Big Issue. In conjunction with the show there are a series of live silk screened works that are going to be released over the next few days. I was asked to contribute and thought that an “Indigo gets up” print would be a perfect drop for the magazine.
Edition of 40 2 Colour Screenprint with Hand Finished Smile on Southbank Smooth 250gsm Paper Edition of 40 available here for £50 + P&P
Edition of 40 2 Colour Screenprint with Hand Finished Smile on Southbank Smooth 250gsm Paper Edition of 40 available here for £50 + P&P
2 Colour Screenprint with Hand Finished Smile and silver Spray paint Overlay for the frame on Southbank Smooth 250gsm Paper edition of 6 available here £100 + P&P
2 Colour Screenprint with Hand Finished Smile and Spraypaint Overlay on Southbank Smooth 250gsm Paper which is sold out….sorry.
Happy to announce that we have launched a clothing line for kids and adults. High quality tees and sweatshirts emblazoned with your favourite rude kids. In a large range of colours and sizes. Available here
What a cracking night! A great turn out on Friday the 13th at Graffik gallery for a show, Christmas shop window display, the launch of Rude Kids Clobber and a silk screened skateboard release. It really was a who’s who of people I’ve worked with over the last 15 odd years. Thanks to https://www.bigdogsvodka.com made a cracking dirty martini. Thanks to all of you who came !
It was also the launch of Rude kids Clobber, a range of high quality tee’s and sweatshirts for kids and adults. You can check them out here. As well as the release of an Indigo gets up skateboard, 4 colours edition of 50 on Maple wood deck, available here
Tongue in cheek window display is a bit of a Dotmasters/Graffik traditionGood to see so many faces from years gone byBen Eine, Tizer, stella dore
The title of the show dictated the look and feel of the works, with gold, silver and glitter making it a christmas bauble of a show. Spray paint was mixed with Verre Eglomise and traditional gilding techniques in a modern day/1750’s mash up of gold leaf and spray paint.
shiny things for a Christmas feelverre eglomise using red gold on glass and spray paintIndigo Gets up Skateboards
An edition of 50 silk screened skateboard decks that come in a hand stenciled presentation box with a sticker pack and C.O.A. Available here
Gold, silver, glitter and mother of pearl works for the festive season. A mix of old techniques and street savvy images in an irreverent show of luxury and detritus. Verre églomise, gilding, gold glass and spray paint combine to provide a Christmas bauble of a show.
The show coincides with the launch of the Rude Kids Clobber a range of clothes for the discerning rude kid. We will also be launching a silk screened edition of Skateboards (details to follow…)
It’s become a bit of a tradition at Graffik Gallery that i dress the Christmas window. I love it! I’m not sure how they feel about it… but its that time of year again! And it is traditional… I loved last years window, so the pressure is on! Pop in and see, i’ve been working on it for a while… open to the public 14th -31st of December
