cardboard robot ninja pirate monkey

memories of my youth, part something

welcome to the work of simon bisley.

when i was younger, 2000AD was a regular purchase of mine. while the subject matter of the stories is not to everyones taste, the quality of the illustration and artwork that could be seen in some of these works was simply breathtaking. one artist that really stood out out to me was the work of one simon bisley.

his technique was more fine art than illustration...

virtual pitch strike

I reckon we should all sign up to this - starts at http://www.saatchi.be/

worth repeating

"you are in the stream of life whether you like it or not, and if youre going to be in the stream of life then you have to accept the responsibilities. i would like a few more of the pleasures, but there doesnt seem to be time... you've got to be who you are, no matter how dangerous it is"

- lawrence weiner

http://www.hillmancurtis.com/hc_web/film_video/source/fof/lawrence_weiner.php

beauty comes from the most unexpected places

a friday night, having a nice quiet time at home, sitting on the tv knitting and watching episodes from series 3 of northern exposure when i found myself literally welling up with tears of joy at the sight of chris in the morning (watched by the majority of the town of cicily, alaska) flinging a scorched upright piano (given to him by maggie from her newly burnt down house) through the air in glorious slow motion using a giant catapult that he had built to use to hurl a cow - until ed had told him that monty python had done it already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppShcRlJeZI

muji bathroom radio

look out world

according to the observer magazine:

PISCES
20 DEB - 20 MAR
Pull out your best tricks and remind the world you're still in business. Birthdays aside, March is your month. Cherished schemes can be pressed into service, recalcitrant partners cajoled into line, and health regimes embraced. Self-doubt and conservatism are enemies; so be cutting edge. Push your luck on Friday.

and in the words of salt 'n' pepper:

Yo, yo, yo, yo, baby-pop
Yeah, you come here, gimme a kiss
Better make it fast or else I'm gonna get pissed
Can't you hear the music's pumpin' hard like I wish you would?
Now push it

lets get it on.

unexpected wonderful days

woke up early in a warm patch of sun coming through under the blind that i didnt realise i hadnt pulled all the way down properly last night. lay there for a while soaking up the warmth, carefully watching nothing go past in the bright blue sky above. got up earlier than usual to ready myself for the day ahead but happily found myself procrastinating by more sunbathing, planting seeds on the balcony and generally lazing around for a bit. eventually i felt the motion towards the studio, so i thought id stop by the boundary/albion caff to investigate the new place that conran has taken on to be wonderfully greeted by one of the most warm friendly charming new eateries that ive seen in quite a while. bustling inside with happy go lucky looking folks and fellows, eating their bacon sandwiches and generally taking their weekends in a lazy fashion. stood outside in what can only be described even in february as a warm summer breeze i felt happy to look upon its simple elegant facade, the white name awnings fluttering gently to themselves. and now sat in work i really dont mind. outside the impending dark is turning the white of the walls in the courtyard a lovely shade of pinky purply grey. rather pretty indeed. and after a can of coca cola and a bag of walkers crisps, i dont think theres a thing about today that i would have changed for the world.

why i love van der rohe

this year i want to

go for a nice long walk in the himalayas

knit a big scarf for myself and one for clare

learn how to tailor jackets

make a perfect cake

run a cake stall, at least once, with tea sold in odd china cups

take photos of trees and people

dance for hours (and hours)

ask swedish

be braver

go on holiday on my own again

finish knitting the stuff ive started

make a model of the house i am going to build

watch more john cusack films

drink more water

go to bed earlier

make brioche from scratch

go to paris for a weekend

listen to mogwai more

before i die

im going to build a house. my house. my dream house. its going to be surrounded by woodland. its going to have reclaimed oak parquet flooring. its going to have a view of water, preferably in sweden. itll be big enough to swing a cat, but not so large that it loses character. it wont have round windows. it will have a beautiful big wooden door, flat and modern, in a warm amber gold timber, and a long steel handle to open it. itll always smell like baked bread and cakes because itll have the most wonderful kitchen - simple and functional, bordering on modernist, but allowed to be lived in and used and loved. between the kitchen and the living space will be a wooden table. the centre of my world. sturdy and made of oak, no frills and no fuss. benches instead of chairs. big enough to fit 8 people round with elbow room to spare. a table so happy that it wont care what you do to it. itll live aslong as i do and will see cake making, pattern cutting, laptop working, crayon drawing, seedling planting, cardboard robot building and much much more. but itll always have a bowl of fruit, a delicate glass jug of water and a board with homemade bread ready for all to snack on and come weekends it will fill with dishes of hearty good food and plain white crockery. nothing for show, everything to be used and enjoyed. there will be an eames lounger in one end of the living space, placed where the afternoon sun falls and with the best view of the sunset behind the trees. itll always have a warm grey cashmere blanket on it and a stack of well thumbed books to choose from in those nighttime moments of peace and quiet. therell be a peaceful bedroom. with grass green fine curtains that stretch seamlessly from floor to ceiling covering every inch of window - the walls being mostly glass - like in that helmut newton photo. itll be nestled in the trees on one side of the building, so that when the curtains are open, its like you are sleeping in the dark forest with all the creatures that live there. itll have a big, but very low bed. big enough to fit two grown adults and two small children comfortably on a lazy sunday morning and apart from a nice comfortable armchair, thisll be it. itll be my ultimate extravagance. a bedroom which is just a bedroom. no clutter, no stuff, just space and carpet, but itll have a balcony. a wooden terrace with elegant wooden sunloungers and plentiful green plants in big earthenware pots. acid green leaves of bamboo hugging the exterior. like my own little nest. ill have a darkroom. my own studio. small and compact, bijous even, but functional. one wall just a giant bookcase, covered with all the books ive collected over the years. enough space that i wont ever have to get rid of a book again. above all it will be honest. it will not be a gallery or exhibit. it will not shout at you but rather put its solid arms around you and gently whisper in your ear that you are home.