I regret to say that I have been somewhat remiss in my coverage of the annual stand alone UWE Break a Lead illustration show, despite this course turning out some top illustrators, including quite a few who have contributed to Amelia’s Magazine (although not in recent years, sadly). This year the graduating students chose to show at the Truman Brewery as part of Free Range, in a cavernous room adjacent to the UpMarket – a smart move it turned out, as this part of the exhibitions was much busier than elsewhere due to intrigued passing traffic. Here’s my pick of the talent:
I liked large scale illustrations of quirky domestic and religious inspired narrative situations, by Jodie McNeil (see also the top of this post).
Elizabeth Loveday Birchley created curious ladies and texts using old fabrics and embroidery instead of traditional paint.
George McCallum took a jovial approach to his show, building this striking man cabinet in yellow which he featured alongside a pastel patterned wooden gun held aloft by a man in a short sleeved shirt with a distinct 80s vibe. Miami Vice eat your heart out. His most recent tweet describes an intriguing next project: ‘started work on my bird house squats. based on abandoned millionaire mansions and counsel flats’...
Jack Bailey used a minimal colour palette to produce a series of bold narrative illustrations with a humorous edge. I particularly liked Dancehall in a Foodhall – his image of ladies eating oversized fastfood.
An atmospheric ages old safari landscape pattern by Madison Shackell-York would not look out of place in a Nobrow publication.
Adeel Khan addressed a host of First World Problems in a poster: ‘Laptop makes my legs hot‘ was certainly one I can relate to!
I liked these characters by Jessica Warby, who specialises in complex decorative narrative illustrations created in a variety of media.
These lighthouses by Brittany Molyneux are part of a picture book that won her a commendation for the Macmillan children’s book award. She enjoys exploring surreal narratives.
A minimalist approach to illustration was practiced by Amy Mattingley, who created this lovely fox.
These Scottish and Native American characters by Joyce Lee make use of juicily simple saturated colour palettes. She is also a qualified web designer and developer, so hopes to integrate both disciplines in the future.
I adored strange collages by Alison Beecham, featuring odd mixes of body parts and these ace decorative eyeballs.
Lastly, Jayde Perkin uses a painterly approach to tell narrative tales such as this story of beach life.
I’ve got many more show reviews to catch up on, so keep an eye on the website to discover future graduate talent!
Categories ,2013, ,Adeel Khan, ,Alison Beecham, ,Amy Mattingley, ,Break a Lead, ,Brittany Molyneux, ,Dancehall in a Foodhall, ,Elizabeth Loveday Birchley, ,First World Problems, ,Free Range Art and Design Show, ,George McCallum, ,Jack Bailey, ,Jayde Perkin, ,Jessica Warby, ,Jodie McNeil, ,Joyce Lee, ,Laptop makes my legs hot, ,Macmillan, ,Madison Shackell-York, ,Nobrow, ,review, ,Truman Brewery, ,UpMarket
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