Amelia’s Magazine | Sir Paul Smith can do no wrong

A couple of weeks back Amelia’s Magazine were thrilled to be invited to the Paul Smith showroom to have a sneak preview of the SS10 collection. Exactly as I’d imagined the new ranges featured Paul Smith’s usual cacophony of bright colour and were peppered with ethnic inspired patterns and florals galore.

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With several projects on the go at the moment Sir Paul is one busy bee, having recently supported the exhibition of British artist Rob Clarke at his store within the departure lounge at Heathrow’s controversial Terminal 5. Presently Paul Smith Jeans are about to launch a limited edition T-shirt to celebrate the release of artist Sam Taylor-Wood’s directorial debut; ‘Nowhere Boy’, with a percentage of the sale price going straight to Maggies Charity Appeal, which hopes to raise £3million to fund a new cancer treatment centre at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.

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Image courtesy of Paul Smith

Continuing the artistic theme he will also be staging a ‘Hockney Christmas’ at his Albemarle Street furniture store exhibiting a selection of David Hockney prints in the run up to Christmas (1-24th December). As if all of the aforementioned projects weren’t enough, the upcoming festive season will see Sir Paul putting his signature stamp (in organic ink) on a limited edition bottle in collaboration with Evian water.

With so many projects in 2009 there seems to be no end to the power of both Paul Smith’s brand and talents. So you may be wondering what Sir Paul could possibly have left in store for us in 2010? In short, quite a lot. With numerous new stores to open, collections and diffusion lines to design for and a wealth of creatives to collaborate with there will always be something new to look forward to.

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Highlights from next summer’s collections included a beautiful series of ladies bowler hats made in collaboration with renowned hat makers Christys’ London. Made from 100% wool these beauties are available in blue, pink, black, red and fawn, and are inspired by the dapper dressing style of the men documented in the photographic book ‘Gentlemen of Bacongo’.

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Bright tribal inspired show necklaces were also present having featured heavily on the London Fashion Week catwalk back in September. Vibrant wooden beads in red, orange, blue and yellow take their inspiration from Africa and are designed to be worn in a dramatic layered effect ensuring they’re the centre piece of any outfit.

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The main theme running throughout Sir Paul’s SS10 collection was menswear for women reflected through checked suits, flat mannish brogues and bowler hats. Expect a multitude of beautiful African inspired tribal and animal prints designed and styled to be layered and worn with intent to clash!

Categories ,Christys’ London, ,David Hockney, ,Evian, ,Freeman Hospital, ,Gentlemen of Bacongo, ,Heathrow Airport, ,Maggies Charity, ,Nowhere Boy, ,Paul Smith, ,Rob Clarke, ,Sam Taylor-Wood, ,Terminal 5

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Amelia’s Magazine | Rapha and Paul Smith Collaborative Cycling Collection

Timothy Hunt
Illustration by Timothy Hunt.

In my second round up of fabulous ideas from twitter friends for late Christmas gift shoppers I bring you the best of art, more about for sale jewellery and homewares.

Firebird Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes Firebird horse

We love Lesley Barnes, decease oh yes we do! The Firebird concertina epitomises the way that Lesley has embraced colour since I *forced* her to design my Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration end pages in full colour only a year ago. This is a stunning narrative piece that is designed to be interacted with, but if you’re not feeling quite so adventurous there are also some simpler Lesley prints available at a cheaper price available from the ace Soma Gallery (as well as work from some other great artists).

Alice Potter polar bear

There are loads of fabulous illustrators and artists producing screenprints that are available via their shopping sites, but I’ve tried to steer clear of them here as we’ve talked about them a lot on the blog recently… and there’s only so much room on your average wall. But I do like Alice Potter‘s polar bear.

Platform License to Spill postcards

For someone who cares about the world and prefers a gift with meaning, why not buy a collection of postcards from Platform, supporting art activism? The Liberate Tate: Collected Works postcard book contains lovingly reproduced images from some great direct actions against oil sponsorship of the arts (read more about the ongoing campaign in our blog here) All proceeds will go towards Platform’s new crowd funding initiative, Licence to Spill – a five day participatory exhibition to explore how we kick oil out of the arts.

Ana Montiel wallpaper

I’m really impressed by Ana Montiel‘s designs. She’s got that continuing to be trendy despite the years passing scrawled biro thing down a treat, and I like the fact that she’s not just rehashing florals. Printed on high quality sustainably sourced paper from Finland, this wallpaper would be one for that stylish someone with plans to redecorate their space.

Simon Wild-Fantastical Flying Machines
Simon Wild-Fantastical Flying Machines inside

Illustrator Simon Wild has just published his first book, and it’s a veritable feast for the eyes and senses. Fantastical Flying Machines features a pop up race between the likes of a hot air balloon, a flying tea cup and a bubblegum rocket, and in this age of pop up shops and exhibitions it’s a welcome reminder of the simple brilliance of pop up books. Definitely one for the child in your life!

handmadebyemily

Or Handmade by Emily does a great range of recycled floral fabric owl cushions and mice. Ideal for a child’s bedroom.

Ella necklace Georgia Coote

Onto the jewellery: always a winner for Christmas… just be sure you know the recipient’s tastes. Georgia Coote makes adorable necklaces out of vintage buttons that she has scoured from charity shops. I like the way they become entire statements themselves as in this Ella necklace.

Stark at Beads headband

For those retro stylistically inclined there are also Stark at Beads vintage plastic flower head bands, based in Lisbon.

Summer Garden earrings chain of daisies

I have an unhealthy love of sparkly earrings – I hardly wear them but that doesn’t stop me hankering after the nicest pairs I see. From Chain of Daisies, Neptune Earrings are made out of gorgeous vintage gems as are the lovely Amelia Earrings – I had to mention them didn’t I?! And Summer Garden are made of vintage German plastic cabochons.

eve tv screen necklace

For something that makes a bit more of a statement how about this necklace from Eve at Howkapow, featuring recycled TV screen beads of all things. How fantastic! This is where all TVs should go to die. The Howkapow website features some great up and coming designers and is definitely worth checking out in detail.

Tatty Devine gin bottle cufflinks

Or you could try the newly reworked miniature bestselling Pegasus Necklace from Tatty Devine, or for a boy, these utterly charming Gin bottle cufflinks created in collaboration with cult Shoreditch artists Gilbert and George. You can find them on their newly revamped men’s section For Chaps – why not take a gander.

handcrafted black ninja

Boys, I find, are always a bugger. If the man in your life is a fan of small collectible toys these little hand crafted ninjas from Lilley might just be the thing for you to give him, attached to a keyring, or not – especially since they eschew the usual factory production for Etsy handmade status.

Emma loves Retro cushions

Homewares: Emma Loves Retro does a great job of recycling bold vintage fabrics into scatter cushions, and she has a wide colour and design range to choose from.

london kills me placemats

London Kills Me do all their own screenprinting in London, producing everything from ties and cushions to Christmas decorations. I really like the reclaimed slate planters and some of the printed dresses are very very cute.

meera lee sushi sets

Illustrator Meera Lee creates decorated sushi tea sets from upcycled crockery, which are very pretty but delicate – only for those who are happy to handwash! However the maker is stateside so only for those the other side of the pond at this late stage in the day.

Carlotta Morandini rug

Carlotta Morandini makes amazing sea creature inspired rugs. When I see stuff like this how I wish I had a bit of money! But maybe you do, and if so this would be the making of a room.

Carrie Reichardt plate
Carrie Reichardt

Carrie Reichardt sells at new eco fashion store 123 Bethnal Green Road: I just love her reworked crockery – what a find for the anarchist in your life. Unfortunately these are not online at the 123 Bethnal Green Road website, but I highly recommend a visit to their shop, choc-a-bloc with upcycled goodies at just the right price point for Christmas shopping.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration

And of course, how could I finish this blog without mention of my own book? Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration – perfect for the book/illustration/fashion lover in your life. Having had confirmation that the wondrous Royal Mail has already delivered the first copies of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, sent out on Friday, I now feel a bit more confident that you will still be able to take delivery of any of the mentioned gifts above should you decide to order them very soon for Christmas. You can order my book here.

Timothy Hunt
Illustration by Timothy Hunt.

In my second round up of fabulous ideas from twitter friends for late Christmas gift shoppers I bring you the best of art, viagra dosage jewellery and homewares.

Firebird Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes Firebird horse

We love Lesley Barnes, approved oh yes we do! The Firebird concertina epitomises the way that Lesley has embraced colour since I *forced* her to design my Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration end pages in full colour only a year ago. This is a stunning narrative piece that is designed to be interacted with, information pills but if you’re not feeling quite so adventurous there are also some simpler Lesley prints available at a cheaper price available from the ace Soma Gallery (as well as work from some other great artists).

Alice Potter polar bear

There are loads of fabulous illustrators and artists producing screenprints that are available via their shopping sites, but I’ve tried to steer clear of them here as we’ve talked about them a lot on the blog recently… and there’s only so much room on your average wall. But I do like Alice Potter‘s polar bear.

Platform License to Spill postcards

For someone who cares about the world and prefers a gift with meaning, why not buy a collection of postcards from Platform, supporting art activism? The Liberate Tate: Collected Works postcard book contains lovingly reproduced images from some great direct actions against oil sponsorship of the arts (read more about the ongoing campaign in our blog here) All proceeds will go towards Platform’s new crowd funding initiative, Licence to Spill – a five day participatory exhibition to explore how we kick oil out of the arts.

Ana Montiel wallpaper

I’m really impressed by Ana Montiel‘s designs. She’s got that continuing to be trendy despite the years passing scrawled biro thing down a treat, and I like the fact that she’s not just rehashing florals. Printed on high quality sustainably sourced paper from Finland, this wallpaper would be one for that stylish someone with plans to redecorate their space.

Simon Wild-Fantastical Flying Machines
Simon Wild-Fantastical Flying Machines inside

Illustrator Simon Wild has just published his first book, and it’s a veritable feast for the eyes and senses. Fantastical Flying Machines features a pop up race between the likes of a hot air balloon, a flying tea cup and a bubblegum rocket, and in this age of pop up shops and exhibitions it’s a welcome reminder of the simple brilliance of pop up books. Definitely one for the child in your life!

handmadebyemily

Or Handmade by Emily does a great range of recycled floral fabric owl cushions and mice. Ideal for a child’s bedroom.

Ella necklace Georgia Coote

Onto the jewellery: always a winner for Christmas… just be sure you know the recipient’s tastes. Georgia Coote makes adorable necklaces out of vintage buttons that she has scoured from charity shops. I like the way they become entire statements themselves as in this Ella necklace.

Stark at Beads headband

For those retro stylistically inclined there are also Stark at Beads vintage plastic flower head bands, based in Lisbon.

Summer Garden earrings chain of daisies

I have an unhealthy love of sparkly earrings – I hardly wear them but that doesn’t stop me hankering after the nicest pairs I see. From Chain of Daisies, Neptune Earrings are made out of gorgeous vintage gems as are the lovely Amelia Earrings – I had to mention them didn’t I?! And Summer Garden are made of vintage German plastic cabochons.

eve tv screen necklace

For something that makes a bit more of a statement how about this necklace from Eve at Howkapow, featuring recycled TV screen beads of all things. How fantastic! This is where all TVs should go to die. The Howkapow website features some great up and coming designers and is definitely worth checking out in detail.

Tatty Devine gin bottle cufflinks

Or you could try the newly reworked miniature bestselling Pegasus Necklace from Tatty Devine, or for a boy, these utterly charming Gin bottle cufflinks created in collaboration with cult Shoreditch artists Gilbert and George. You can find them on their newly revamped men’s section For Chaps – why not take a gander.

handcrafted black ninja

Boys, I find, are always a bugger. If the man in your life is a fan of small collectible toys these little hand crafted ninjas from Lilley might just be the thing for you to give him, attached to a keyring, or not – especially since they eschew the usual factory production for Etsy handmade status.

Emma loves Retro cushions

Homewares: Emma Loves Retro does a great job of recycling bold vintage fabrics into scatter cushions, and she has a wide colour and design range to choose from.

london kills me placemats

London Kills Me do all their own screenprinting in London, producing everything from ties and cushions to Christmas decorations. I really like the reclaimed slate planters and some of the printed dresses are very very cute.

meera lee sushi sets

Illustrator Meera Lee creates decorated sushi tea sets from upcycled crockery, which are very pretty but delicate – only for those who are happy to handwash! However the maker is stateside so only for those the other side of the pond at this late stage in the day.

Carlotta Morandini rug

Carlotta Morandini makes amazing sea creature inspired rugs. When I see stuff like this how I wish I had a bit of money! But maybe you do, and if so this would be the making of a room.

Carrie Reichardt plate
Carrie Reichardt

Carrie Reichardt sells at new eco fashion store 123 Bethnal Green Road: I just love her reworked crockery – what a find for the anarchist in your life. Unfortunately these are not online at the 123 Bethnal Green Road website, but I highly recommend a visit to their shop, choc-a-bloc with upcycled goodies at just the right price point for Christmas shopping.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration

And of course, how could I finish this blog without mention of my own book? Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration – perfect for the book/illustration/fashion lover in your life. Having had confirmation that the wondrous Royal Mail has already delivered the first copies of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, sent out on Friday, I now feel a bit more confident that you will still be able to take delivery of any of the mentioned gifts above should you decide to order them very soon for Christmas. You can order my book here.

Illustration by Timothy Hunt
Illustration by Timothy Hunt.

A couple of days ago *ahem, viagra more like a week* I put a callout on twitter for people to send me their fabulous ideas for Christmas presents – here, medications finally is a round up of the best clothing and skincare gifts alongside some of my own recommendations. My second post will cover art, homewares and jewellery.

Bonbi Forest equus scarf

Lee May Foster of Bonbi Forest never fails to produce delightful stuff, my current favourite of which is this stunning Equus scarf, new just in time for Crimbo. It comes in either a pink or blue colour way and will certainly catch people’s attention with it’s lovely sustainably handprinted pattern of horses and zebras.

Natasha Rae Richardson hankie

At the upper end of the market check out this rabbit skeleton organic cotton hankie from Natalie Rae Richardson at Tout Nouveau, a website which offers the work of some fantastic emerging designers – perfect for a super stylish man to flourish when out and about.

Natasha Wood cardigan

I wish I had discovered ethical clothing designer Natasha Wood in time to include her in my book… but alas it is too late. These upcycled leather trousers are made from old leather jackets and above is her special two cardigans coatigan. Just fab.

Bradley Beanie Hat and Bow Brook Top by Maria del Carmen Smith
Bradley Beanie Hat and Bow Brook Top by Maria del Carmen Smith.

Continuing on an ethical clothing bent I really do love the simple good designs of Liv. I’ve been wearing her delightful Bow Brook top non stop this winter, and her Bradley knitted beanie is oh so cute. Liv works exclusively in fairtrade and organic materials. Better still she is running a wee Christmas competition – just join her on Facebook for the chance to win a lovely Shell Ford Cardi in her Berrrry Christmas competition. (but make sure you do it this morning as the offer ends at noon today)

Dr Hauschka bath care kit interior
Dr Hauschka bath care kit

Over on the beauty gift set side of life I recommend the Dr. Hauschka bath oils set – I am a real sucker for a hot steaming sweetly smelling bath and these smell just divine. A Bath Care Kit contains small starter versions of the oils and costs just £12.50. What a blooming’ bargain for the bath lover in your life. Dr. Hauschka is running a similar chance for a Facebook fan to win a beautiful make up set. Just join their Facebook page before noon.

Dr Hauschka rose tea

Many of Dr. Hauschka’s lotions make use of the wondrous properties of rose, and I particularly like the Rose Body Hamper Body Moisturiser Gift Set, which includes Organic Loose Tea with Rose Petals – since I started drinking black tea on it’s own I’ve discovered that rose tea is absolutely my favourite, yet it is still relatively hard to come by in your average supermarket, making this gift all the more special.

Pai serenity kit

As you can probably tell I am a big fan of a long luxurious bath, especially in this cold weather. Pai Skincare is another fabulous organic brand that has produced a bath care kit – and the Serenity Bath and Body Collection will go down a treat with anyone like me.

Savonnerie-Naughty Weekend Kit

For the lover in your life, there’s always the Savonnerie Ever So Slightly Naughty Weekend Kit. Why wait for the wedding anniversary or Valentine’s Day when you can drop a ginormous hint at Christmas? This boxed kit includes yummy Love Soak bath bits, Vetiver massage oil, a tender kissing glaze… and a blindfold and feather for a truly erotic experience. All this pleasure for both you and the recipient comes at a very reasonable price.

Savonnerie-soaps

Savonnerie specialises in high end hand made soaps encrusted with all sorts of delicious goodies, and their beautifully packaged luxury handmade soap box makes the perfect gift. They are based over in Brushfield Street near Spitalfields Market so if you live in London there is still plenty of time to go and visit them. Yum yum yum.

For fans of yummy skincare products there are plenty more Christmas gift suggestions in some of my previous blog posts about ethical beauty brands, so do go check them out.

Timothy Hunt
Illustration by Timothy Hunt.

In my second round up of fabulous ideas from twitter friends for late Christmas gift shoppers I bring you the best of art, health jewellery and homewares.

Firebird Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes Firebird horse

We love Lesley Barnes, oh yes we do! The Firebird concertina epitomises the way that Lesley has embraced colour since I *forced* her to design my Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration end pages in full colour only a year ago. This is a stunning narrative piece that is designed to be interacted with, but if you’re not feeling quite so adventurous there are also some simpler Lesley prints available at a cheaper price available from the ace Soma Gallery (as well as work from some other great artists).

Alice Potter polar bear

There are loads of fabulous illustrators and artists producing screenprints that are available via their shopping sites, but I’ve tried to steer clear of them here as we’ve talked about them a lot on the blog recently… and there’s only so much room on your average wall. But I do like Alice Potter‘s polar bear.

Platform License to Spill postcards

For someone who cares about the world and prefers a gift with meaning, why not buy a collection of postcards from Platform, supporting art activism? The Liberate Tate: Collected Works postcard book contains lovingly reproduced images from some great direct actions against oil sponsorship of the arts (read more about the ongoing campaign in our blog here) All proceeds will go towards Platform’s new crowd funding initiative, Licence to Spill – a five day participatory exhibition to explore how we kick oil out of the arts.

Ana Montiel wallpaper

I’m really impressed by Ana Montiel‘s designs. She’s got that continuing to be trendy despite the years passing scrawled biro thing down a treat, and I like the fact that she’s not just rehashing florals. Printed on high quality sustainably sourced paper from Finland, this wallpaper would be one for that stylish someone with plans to redecorate their space.

Simon Wild-Fantastical Flying Machines
Simon Wild-Fantastical Flying Machines inside

Illustrator Simon Wild has just published his first book, and it’s a veritable feast for the eyes and senses. Fantastical Flying Machines features a pop up race between the likes of a hot air balloon, a flying tea cup and a bubblegum rocket, and in this age of pop up shops and exhibitions it’s a welcome reminder of the simple brilliance of pop up books. Definitely one for the child in your life!

handmadebyemily

Or Handmade by Emily does a great range of recycled floral fabric owl cushions and mice. Ideal for a child’s bedroom.

Ella necklace Georgia Coote

Onto the jewellery: always a winner for Christmas… just be sure you know the recipient’s tastes. Georgia Coote makes adorable necklaces out of vintage buttons that she has scoured from charity shops. I like the way they become entire statements themselves as in this Ella necklace.

Stark at Beads headband

For those retro stylistically inclined there are also Stark at Beads vintage plastic flower head bands, based in Lisbon.

Summer Garden earrings chain of daisies

I have an unhealthy love of sparkly earrings – I hardly wear them but that doesn’t stop me hankering after the nicest pairs I see. From Chain of Daisies, Neptune Earrings are made out of gorgeous vintage gems as are the lovely Amelia Earrings – I had to mention them didn’t I?! And Summer Garden are made of vintage German plastic cabochons.

eve tv screen necklace

For something that makes a bit more of a statement how about this necklace from Eve at Howkapow, featuring recycled TV screen beads of all things. How fantastic! This is where all TVs should go to die. The Howkapow website features some great up and coming designers and is definitely worth checking out in detail.

Tatty Devine gin bottle cufflinks

Or you could try the newly reworked miniature bestselling Pegasus Necklace from Tatty Devine, or for a boy, these utterly charming Gin bottle cufflinks created in collaboration with cult Shoreditch artists Gilbert and George. You can find them on their newly revamped men’s section For Chaps – why not take a gander.

handcrafted black ninja

Boys, I find, are always a bugger. If the man in your life is a fan of small collectible toys these little hand crafted ninjas from Lilley might just be the thing for you to give him, attached to a keyring, or not – especially since they eschew the usual factory production for Etsy handmade status.

Emma loves Retro cushions

Homewares: Emma Loves Retro does a great job of recycling bold vintage fabrics into scatter cushions, and she has a wide colour and design range to choose from.

london kills me placemats

London Kills Me do all their own screenprinting in London, producing everything from ties and cushions to Christmas decorations. I really like the reclaimed slate planters and some of the printed dresses are very very cute.

meera lee sushi sets

Illustrator Meera Lee creates decorated sushi tea sets from upcycled crockery, which are very pretty but delicate – only for those who are happy to handwash! However the maker is stateside so only for those the other side of the pond at this late stage in the day.

Carlotta Morandini rug

Carlotta Morandini makes amazing sea creature inspired rugs. When I see stuff like this how I wish I had a bit of money! But maybe you do, and if so this would be the making of a room.

Carrie Reichardt plate
Carrie Reichardt

Carrie Reichardt sells at new eco fashion store 123 Bethnal Green Road: I just love her reworked crockery – what a find for the anarchist in your life. Unfortunately these are not online at the 123 Bethnal Green Road website, but I highly recommend a visit to their shop, choc-a-bloc with upcycled goodies at just the right price point for Christmas shopping.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration

And of course, how could I finish this blog without mention of my own book? Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration – perfect for the book/illustration/fashion lover in your life. Having had confirmation that the wondrous Royal Mail has already delivered the first copies of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, sent out on Friday, I now feel a bit more confident that you will still be able to take delivery of any of the mentioned gifts above should you decide to order them very soon for Christmas. You can order my book here.

You can check out my ethical fashion and skincare suggestions on this blog here.
Paul Smith scarf and cap by Sandra Contreras
Rapha/Paul Smith scarf and cap by Sandra Contreras.

In need of a last minute man gift? Is he a stylish cyclist? If so help could be here in the form of the new Rapha and Paul Smith cycling collection. Rapha are purveyors of high performance roadwear (which means they know what they are doing) and Paul Smith is of course the doyen of all things stylish. As well as the simple good design of the main collection – which includes a highly technical jacket, page knitted winter hat, more about leather town gloves and a jaunty polka dot scarf – I am particularly enamoured of their collaborative wash bag which comes in two fun Paul Smith colourful cycling inspired prints, complete with sturdy leather details.

Paul Smith Rapha wash bag
Paul Smith wash bag

Years ago Paul Smith gave me a wash bag as a gift – and not only is it by far the best quality wash bag I have ever owned (don’t you find that cheap ones fall apart ridiculously quickly?) but my boyfriend has had his eagle eye on it ever since we met, even with the remnants of girl make up scattered across its insides. The collection also features a shoulder bag and a courier bag for those more inclined to show off their stylish wares in public.

Paul Smith by Sandra Contreras
Paul Smith by Sandra Contreras.

So, if you’re still really stuck on what to get the man in your life check out the Rapha and Paul Smith range for something stylish and eminently practical (plus, shhh, he doesn’t even need to be a fully technical cyclist to enjoy the bags). The collection will be added to next year, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed it might include something for the lady cyclist.

Categories ,cycling, ,Knitted Winter Hat, ,Leather Town Gloves, ,menswear, ,Paul Smith, ,Polka Dot Gentlemen’s Hat, ,Rapha, ,Sandra Contreras, ,Silk Scarf, ,Technical, ,Wash bag

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Amelia’s Magazine | Hayley Crompton- fashion’s newest graduate

Come and help out on the art, buy more about earth or music sections, starting next week (November 16th) until the end of February, with a 2 week break over Christmas. You must be a fabulous writer, interested in the section you are working on, and own your own laptop. We work Mon-Thurs every week from my house in Brick Lane, East London. Please note that if you are not in London you are welcome to contribute but we work as a team and all editors need to come into my office.

If you are interested please email Satu on hello@ameliasmagazine.com – with
a) your CV
b) and a piece of writing that would suit the section you wish to work for (please state)
c) when you can start and when you are available for interview this week if possible

We also need a shorter term publishing intern to help out with the launch of my Anthology of Illustration – this again will be starting the week of November 16th for a period of one month before Christmas. This is not a writing position, instead you need to be well organised, interested in learning how a small publishing house works, and motivated. You will be helping to get the book into shops all over the world, helping with the organisation of the launch party in early December, and liaising with journalists to get the book reviewed in newspapers and on blogs.

I can’t pay you – the website doesn’t exactly earn an income, but it is fun working as part of a friendly team, you will gain invaluable experience and it looks great on your CV, especially since we were recently rated one of the top 10 art blogs in the UK!

We look forward to hearing from you.
5Images throughout courtesy of Hayley Crompton

When did you graduate?
I graduated just this summer from Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication. I studied Fashion with Textiles BA (hons) for three years.

What have you been up to since graduating?
Since graduating I have been developing my portfolio and online presence. I’m working freelance and am continuously creating new Womenswear and Menswear Designs. I’ve even begun branching out into Accessories. I am also about to launch a small scarf range which should be available from early next year, web as should my new website.

If that wasn’t enough to be getting on with I’m also currently on an internship with Robert Fenton Enterprises at the Business Design Centre. I’m using my prints and graphics as a promotional tool for his businesses. I am presently helping with marketing his Talent Expo event by designing logos, price and media packs. This opportunity has given me a real incite into new creative ways I can use my skills outside of the fashion industry.

2Your illustrations are very graphical and have a distinctive style, website have you always drawn like this or is it a style you developed through practice and time at university?
My style has always been quite graphical and stylised, I have always used bold and dark structured lines in my work, but it was my time at university that helped to enhance this. I now incorporate my freehand style with image manipulation through Photoshop; giving my imagery a clean and professional edge.

What inspires you to be creative?
So many things inspire me to be creative, music has a strong influence and this often reflects in my prints. The people who are around me can inspire me to be creative; I like being surrounded by like minded people where fresh creative ideas are always flowing.

The media can inspire me, I love reflecting the problems in society in my prints to create imagery that appears beautiful on the surface and at first glance, but which ultimately has a more sinister underlying meaning within.
Often going to a gallery or exhibition can initiate new ideas; anything from an unusual object to intense works of art can inspire new print designs and approaches.

3If you had to choose between the two disciplines, do you prefer designing prints or illustrating?
I enjoy both and I brand myself as an Illustrative print designer, so I find it difficult to separate the two, but ultimately my passion is for print design for fashion because it is so rewarding to actually see your print on a garment that someone is going to wear.

Are you influenced by anyone? Do you study the work of your contemporaries?
My prints and illustrations are very much influenced by the work of Pop Artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. I admire the physical impact of their work. I am passionate about any designer that has a love for colour and print, so I am always studying the work of past and present designers. There are a lot of current artists that inspire me in the Saatchi Gallery like Kristin Baker and Francesca DiMattio, the sheer scale of their work and the use of colour, varying media and detail is amazing.

hc1Is there any one person, designer/brand that you admire/ would like to see wearing your prints/ or would feel that working with them is a goal?
I would love to see someone like Lady Gaga or Katy Perry wear one of my outfits; I feel my work would really suit their personalities. I admire fashion brands like Basso and Brooke, Paul Smith and Eley Kishimoto for the simple reason that they are not afraid to experiment with bold colour and print, it is one of my goals to work with one of these brands.

What are you looking forward to/ hoping to achieve in the next decade?
In the first five years I would like to really establish myself as a print designer and illustrator. I’d like to work for some top fashion brands as well as other companies that I admire and believe I could bring new ideas to. Towards the end of the decade I would like to create my own product line using my prints and illustrations as the main selling point and initially get my range into respected department stores just as print designer Orla Kiely has recently done. Ultimately I would like to run a successful business and own my own store selling my print designs on fashion, accessories, stationary etc, similar to that of Cath Kidston.

Picture1

Categories ,Andy Warhol, ,Basso and Brooke, ,Business Design Centre, ,Cath Kidston, ,Eley Kishimoto, ,Francesca DiMattio, ,Hayley Crompton, ,Katy Perry, ,Kristin Baker, ,Lady Gaga, ,Orla Kiely, ,Paul Smith, ,Pop Art, ,Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, ,Robert Fenton Enterprises, ,Roy Lichtenstein, ,Saatchi Gallery

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Amelia’s Magazine | Charlotte Simpson: London Fashion Week S/S 2013 Catwalk Review

Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS13 by Deborah Moon
Charlotte Simpson S/S 2013 by Deborah Moon.

For sleek understated summer glamour look no further than Ones to Watch designer Charlotte Simpson (a graduate of the London College of Fashion), who produced a beautiful minimalist collection fit for the finest of lunching ladies.

Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS 2013 Sept 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS 2013 Sept 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS 2013 Sept 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS 2013 Sept 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS 2013 Sept 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory
Fusing a colour palette that included lemon yellow, pale mint green, duck egg blue, copper and buttermilk, the models stepped out in fluid garments that included key shapes: wide flowing trousers, relaxed double breast detailing and once again those layers and flaps. Tactile satin and the finest of beading ensured a touch of glamour, at it’s best on a gorgeous copper column. It’s a shame the low v-necks would suit only the slimmest of women: no boobs here.

Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS 2013 Sept 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS 2013 Sept 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS 2013 Sept 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Charlotte Simpson SS 2013 Sept 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory
Charlotte Simpson S/S 2013. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Categories ,Charlotte Simpson, ,Deborah Moon, ,London College of Fashion, ,Ones To Watch

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Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Editor’s Christmas Gift Guide

2London Undercover
If you’re looking for a quirky present this Christmas why not opt for an umbrella with a twist? London undercover is a new brand which specialises in quintessentially British umbrellas. With designs ranging from Full English breakfast and Café tablecloth, page Fish & Chips wrapped in newspaper, unconventional Union Jacks, Hounds Tooth and Plaid designs there is something for everyone. Prices start at £40.

EJF_luellaEthical Justice Foundation
Giles Deacon, Zandra Rhodes, Allegra Hicks, John Rocha, Luella, Christian Lacroix, Betty Jackson and Katharine Hamnett have all designed exclusive prints for a collection of t-shirts in aid of The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) produced on organic and fairly traded cotton and printed with organic certified inks. This great capsule collection of T-shirts are designed to help raise awareness and funds for EJF’s Cotton Campaign to end child labour and the use of dangerous pesticides in cotton production while promoting the benefits of organic, fairly traded fashion. Prices start at £30.

xmaslife72Mr P.S
If you’re looking to pick up something festive for the Christmas table in the coming weeks why not opt for this Cranberry themed 100% cotton tea towel, also available in Lime. Priced at £8.50.

mini-case-4-35373Paul Smith
As one of the UK’s forefront fashion designers it comes as no surprise that Sir Paul Smith has teamed up with computer software giants Apple to create a range of limited edition accessories just in time for Christmas. Pick up one of these Mac book 15” Mini Cooper sleeves bearing Sir Paul’s signature multistripe. Several products are available offered in a choice of sizes, fabrics and prints. Case pictured priced at £89.

JTA02-AW09-1

Equa
If you’re on the hunt for a more meaningful gift to give this festive season why not opt for the Just Trade 5 a Day Brooch, a quirky vegetable brooch, handmade from organic Peruvian cotton. All brooches are hand made by the Zoe Project which provides training and fairly paid work for women living in some of the poorest shanty towns in Lima, Peru. Designs also available are corn-on-the-cob, beetroot, peas-in-a-pod, red pepper, cauliflower and broccoli. Priced at £9.

pleatedskirtcover

DIY Couture
DIYcouture is a fantastic website which publishes books that allow people to make personally tailored clothing without couture price-tags, and affordable clothing that has not been made using sweatshop labour. Each book teaches the reader to make one piece of clothing from the DIYcouture collection. The books are an evolution of and a step away from traditional sewing patterns. They use colourful computer designed diagrams and photography to guide novice sewers through the making process. Priced at £9.

file_2_6Matt and Nat
It’s not often that I write about the same brand twice in one week however, so impressed were we with their wares it felt right to include them in the gift guide too. After all which eco contentious fashion savvy woman wouldn’t want one of these on her arm? Pick up this vegan ‘Chi’ leather wallet with grey lining, tone on tone stitching, antique brass and copper hardware, and embossed MATT & NAT logo on front. Priced at £50.

pants2p-f-big

Pants to poverty
Pants to Poverty is a new kind of underwear on a mission to rid the world of bad pants! These organic, safe sex pants are made from 97% organic and fair-trade cotton and 3% lycra and even come with a fairly traded French Letter condom made from natural latex – impressed yet? With £1 per pair of pants sold going to the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa (TAC), the money raised will support essential work empowering people to access lifesaving treatment in some of the worst affected regions in the world. Priced at £11.99.

All images courtesy of the brands written about, all there is left to say is Merry Christmas x

Categories ,Allegra Hicks, ,Apple, ,Betty Jackson, ,Christian Lacroix, ,DIY Couture, ,Equa, ,Giles Deacon, ,John Rocha, ,Katharine Hamnett, ,London Undercover, ,Luella, ,Matt and Nat, ,Mini Cooper, ,Mr P.S, ,Pants to Poverty, ,Paul Smith, ,Treatment Action Campaign, ,Zandra Rhodes

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Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Listings 16-22 November

 

 

 ghost forest

Angela Palmer’s Ghost Forest

Mediumly-interesting fact: Nelson’s Column stands at 169 feet. The relevance of this morsel? Angela Palmer’s new installation of rainforest tree stumps in Trafalgar Square, purchase pharmacy which would once have stood as tall as the Column but now are rather lower to the ground, unhealthy buy more about more roots than trunks. Palmer’s work is intended to highlight the destruction of the rainforest. Much better than the 4th plinth people. That didn’t quite work did it?

 braun record player dieter rams

Dieter Rams @ The Design Museum

The Design Museum is excellent because it gets down to business: if you can’t sit on it or reasonably hang it on the wall, use it to build bridges or fill a teacup, you won’t find it there. This ethos of substance as well as style echoes the title of the current Dieter Rams exhibition, “Less and More”. He was Head of Design at Braun and every time you see something ergonomic and pleasing to look at on an appliance, like an iPhone for instance, you can see his influence. His ten design principles:

Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design makes a product understandable.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is long-lasting.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Good design is environmentally friendly.
Good design is as little design as possible.

polar-bears-climate-change

C Words: carbon, climate, capital, culture @ Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol

How can I persuade you polar bears are relevant to this event?  Well, polar bears reflect our confused feelings about climate change: yes, they’re cute but they’d also happily rip off your head and eat your brain. Only through constructive debate can we resolve our feelings.

C Words is a two-month build-up to Copenhagen, using a multitude of free events, installations and discussions to generate interest and action on the topics of carbon emissions, our changing climate, capitalist structures and the culture wars. More about active engagement than simply mulling over points, PLATFORM, a group of artist-activists, aims to question how culture will grow up in the context of a low-carbon future.

bob and roberta smith

Bob & Robert Smith @ Beaconsfield

Bob and Roberta Smith, who is actually one person, will be showing their/his works to celebrate and commiserate the end of their/his residency at the roomy “Factory Outlet” space at Beaconsfield in Vauxhall. Smith is known for painting signs and there are references to the previous usage of the space, as a “ragged school” for poor little boys and girls to learn to read, in the use of text.

 cornelia parker

Passing Thoughts and Making Plans @ Jerwood Space

This exhibition at the Jerwood Space takes the tack that seeing the process behind an artwork is interesting in itself. This isn’t always the case – looking at the sketches for a work do sometimes make you grateful for the myriad choices the artist had to make to get it to the end result but it can also be a bit boring. This exhibition focuses (ha!) on artists who use photography as part of their process and escapes boredom by including interesting artists such as Cornelia Parker and Rachel Whiteread, whose work you can imagine hinges on perfect recollection of spaces. I am persuaded about this exhibition, but I will never be persuaded about “alternative versions” of songs at the end of special edition albums.
EJF

Image courtesy of Environmental Justice Foundation

ENVIRONMNENTAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION POP-UP STORE
13-27 NOVEMBER (MON-SAT: 10-7PM, viagra 100mg SUN: 12-6PM)
WHITE GOLD, 1ST FLOOR, KINGLY COURT, W1
FREE ENTRY
Over the coming fortnight the Environmental Justice Foundation charity will be setting up shop in the heart of London’s Carnaby Street to help raise awareness of forced child labour and environmental abuses in cotton production. The EJF pop-up store will be selling a limited edition range of T-shirts designed in collaboration with fashion heavyweights such as Luella, Giles Deacon, Zandra Rhodes, John Rocha, Betty Jackson, Christian Lacroix, Allegra Hicks, Katharine Hamnett, Jenny Packham, Alice Temperley, Richard Nicoll and Ciel. EJF will also be stocking 100 shopper bags designed by Eley Kishimoto which will retail at the bargain price of £10 or come free when you spend over £50 in store. As they sold out like hot potatoes at LFW last month make sure you get there while stock lasts.

ASSEMBLY THRIFT STORE OPENING
19 NOVEMBER
THE WATERMAN’S BUILDING, ASSEMBLY PASSAGE, E1
FREE ENTRY
This week sees the lovely chaps behind the East End Thrift Store open a new shop called Assembly just off Brick Lane. As an expansion of the existing space in Whitechapel, Assembly aims to bring together the most eclectic and unique vintage finds in clothing, accessories, jewellery, quilts, fabrics and even rare books. Situated within a disused factory the shop space has been created to resemble a New York loft which will also be used to host exhibitions and installations and installations by young contemporary artists.

1110-Paul-Smith-banner-1Image courtesy of Paul Smith

PAUL SMITH SAMPLE SALE
19-21 NOVEMBER (THURS/FRI: 9-7PM, SAT: 10-5PM)
PRINCES HOUSE, 37 KINGSWAY, WC2
FREE ENTRY
World renowned for his offbeat and unique designs British fashion legend Sir Paul Smith is holding a three day sample sale later this week. Look out for his trademark striped suits and floral dresses at heavily discounted prices.

article_7

Image courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum

CELEBRATE OUR FASCINATION WITH HAIR
FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER (6:30-10PM)
V&A MUSEUM: SACKLER CENTRE, CROMWELL ROAD, SW7
FREE ENTRY
If you’re looking to change your image or simply want a new hairdo for the festive season than treat yourself to a makeover courtesy of London College of Fashion students. Head down to the V&A to take part in a fashion illustration workshop and watch an A-list make up demonstration led by LCF’s partner institution the Hong Kong Design Institute. For those who are less keen on having a student get to grips with your locks you can always experiment and try new hairstyles digitally.

sourcing_marketplace5

Image courtesy of Ethical Fashion Forum

GLOBAL SOURCING MARKETPLACE
20-21 NOVEMBER (FRI: 10-7PM, SAT: 10:30-5PM)
CHELSEA COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN, 16 JOHN ISLIP STREET, SW1
£20 FOR UNLIMITED ACCESS OVER BOTH DAYS
Later this week the Ethical Fashion Forum will be hosting a two-day ethical sourcing marketplace which will bring together an array of brands, retailers, manufacturers and cooperatives working to high ethical standards. This yearly event aims to create opportunities for suppliers with the overall goal being to reduce the environmental impact of the industry, support fair and equitable trade, and reduce poverty. The event gives industry professionals and consumers an opportunity to network with suppliers and gain information about ways to get involved through a series of seminars and talks.

DESIGNER SALES UK SAMPLE SALE
20-22 NOVEMBER (FRI: 11-9PM, SAT: 11-8PM, SUN: 11-5:30PM)
85 BRICKLANE, E1
£2 ENTRY, £1 CONCESSIONS
Brainchild of Elaine Foster-Gandey, the DSUK website was founded 20 years ago and is the first in its kind to sell samples and stock directly from the biggest fashion houses to customers at seriously discounted prices. Currently gearing up for their fourth sample sale of the year later this week, expect to find great value womenswear, menswear, kidswear and accessories. With over 100 different labels to choose from during this three day shopping extravaganza you’re sure to find a bargain.

Categories ,Alice Temperley, ,Allegra Hicks, ,Assembly, ,Betty Jackson, ,Christian Lacroix, ,ciel, ,Designer Sales UK, ,East End Thrift Store, ,Eley Kishimoto, ,Environmental Justice Foundation, ,Ethical Fashion Forum, ,Giles Deacon, ,Global Sourcing Marketplace, ,Hong Kong Design Institute, ,Jenny Packham, ,John Rocha, ,Katharine Hamnett, ,Kingly Court, ,London College of Fashion, ,Luella, ,Paul Smith, ,Richard Nicoll, ,va, ,Zandra Rhodes

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Marion Foale of Foale and Tuffin, legendary Sixties knitwear label

Matthew Rose is an American artist living in Paris known for his 1, tadalafil 000 piece wall-to-wall collages. On viewing his work, see you can’t help but feel as if you are peering into the wrong end of a telescope; the objects look familiar yet distorted, occasionally sordid yet beautiful.

His abstract, artistic style presents a surreal and parallel world infused with vibrant colours where he often plays with an unusual fusion of subjects (and by this I mean a man with carrots for his head or a woman who is part-human, part-camera – pretty crazy stuff but in the most fantastic sense!).

For almost three decades, Matthew has been producing installations, which reinforce the connection between imagery and literature in art. His works – many of which are a composite of collage and text, presented in a poetic and abstract form – evoke the genres of 20th century surrealist artists, and several critics have cited his work as demonstrating a ‘dadaist exploration of sense and nonsense.’

Matthew’s installations have featured in galleries and museums across Europe, Asia and the United States, and his work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including MASTERS: COLLAGE (Sterling Publishing/Lark Books, 2010), which was recently published.

His most notable art project to date, A Book About Death, showcased in New York’s Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in September 2009. The show was a logistical feat in that it involved thousands of artists from across the globe mailing 500 artworks in the form of postcards to construct the exhibition. The beauty of the exhibition was that the end result was offered to one lucky visitor in the form of a book… for free. More than 18 exhibitions of A Book About Death have been staged worldwide, including The Queens Museum in New York, MuBE in São Paulo and MoMA Wales.

Matthew’s latest project, Scared But Fresh, a dislocated love story, recently showed at the Orange Dot Gallery, a lovely new exhibition space in the heart of Bloomsbury, which I was lucky enough to catch. By his own admission, Matthew is interested in ‘creating works to see them for himself’ but as a by-product of his imagination, his mesmerising creations elicit in the viewer thoughts and revelations of their own.

After gate-crashing a Brown University reunion held at the gallery, where Matthew studied Semiotics in 1981, I managed to grab a quiet moment with the calm and composed artist before swathes of his fellow country men arrived, to gain a glimpse into the annals of the mind of a truly fascinating individual…

How old were you when you realised you wanted to be an artist?

I couldn’t have been more than six years old when my mother and aunt dragged me to The Brooklyn Museum to see Van Gogh. The lines went around the block and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about; I was hungry, my feet hurt and being small, I was suffocating in this cloud of wool coats. Once inside the galleries, however, I caught my first glimpse of what has proven to be a very nourishing world… I stayed close to my mother and aunt for about 10 minutes but soon enough got lost (purposely) and quietly pushed my way through the crowds to get up close to Van Gogh’s brilliant colors, these vibrating landscapes – in particular, the painting he produced in the Arlesian sun, Almond Branches in Bloom (1890). It turned out to be one of the pieces he produced the year he died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. I never forgot the color and intelligence behind this painting, and I slowly began to look for this “art experience” in my own.

What artists did you look up to when you were developing your artistic style?
Most artists I know were influenced by the early 20th century modernists – Picasso, Matisse, Malevich…then Duchamp and the Dadaists, the Surrealists, Pollock, de Kooning and then those who flavored the world we arrived in: Warhol, Johns, Rauschenberg. For me, probably folks like Hopper for his era and compositions and silence; and Cornell for his expansive internal universe, and mostly Ray Johnson, because he was a friend and teacher (as he was to thousands) and the way he worked. Since I mostly work in collage, I’m more prone to think in disparate images and texts, an old-fashioned multi-media stream of consciousness. I don’t have problems with dislocated images and lexical puzzles. Of course I don’t pretend that these artists are producing works of philosophy, but rather reflecting the cataclysm that stems from consciousness.

Your work often involves the use of collage – what led to this fascination and why do you like working in this particular abstract context?
Collage is just one of several mediums I work in. Over the years I’ve produced works/object in wax or wood, painting and drawing, and text pieces either as rubber stamp works (printing) or drawing the words. One of my interests is word as image, and collage permits me to combine words and images in a fairly rapid fashion. I tend to work super fast and produce series in a matter of days or weeks. I’m pretty obsessed once I get going and very little interferes with my process. I did a show some years ago called ‘Spelling With Scissors’, and this is my approach – combining literature (texts) with images. I have always discussed my aesthetic view as a form of reading.

What does working in collage allow you to express in ways that other forms of artistic expression cannot?
Speed. Strangeness. The wide array of material allows me to cover many ideas and compositional concepts in a short period of time. Painting plays a part in what I do, as does drawing and often these mediums come into play in a work. But collage is an approach to consciousness, and that, I think is the flux endpoint in my work. Most of the elements I use are found, and that, too, is an important part of my process. Seeing what the world washes up at my feet, the skidmarks of my time and place.

What was the inspiration behind Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh is a love story. The works in the exhibition come together (in my mind, at least) to lay out a dislocated love story, a song about love with its insistent cacophony. I think if you look at the pieces in this exhibition, including the 12-piece collage on paper series, America, you’ll see sex, love and death (the staples of art making), you’ll discover heartache, lust, dread and all those angst-laden things that produce so much of the content of our lives. Or at least that’s the way I see it. Again, I produce these works to see them myself, to see what these odd elements produce in combination, and to perhaps understand what sort of stuff is moving around inside of me; that said, it’s not therapy, but rather an inquiry.

Why is the exhibition called Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh was a phrase sent to me in 2002 by a friend; she signed an e mail that way. I immediately seized upon it, made a tonne of text works with it, cutting stencils and painting them, or adding it to other works, but also meditating upon its possible meanings. The “but” is critical. My thinking in using it for the title of this exhibition at The Orange Dot Gallery in London was that it was so aggressive, sure but still loaded with innocence and dread. Like love.

Critics have previously cited your work as a dadaist exploration of sense and nonsense. What would your response be to this?
I would agree with them. Dada is many things, and has been the point of departure for nearly 100 years of art production. The combination of sense and non-sense, broken grammar, chopped up meaning, and the flux of everyday life is, in my view, what my consciousness is like. What is the sense of finding a dollar bill stuck in a pile of dog shit? Or posters torn and weathered revealing a history of pasting and perhaps, a history of beauty (the models featured in years of posters, bits of their faces and clothing revealed)? I grab onto these things and consider them. Other people think about interest rates and widget production, and so do I, but I do something quite different with the information, the images and the meaning of these things. A large piece I produced, Les Affaires (prints are on Keep Calm Gallery’s site), surveys all sorts of exchanges; it is about commerce in many ways. Another work, Immaculate Perception (also available as a print on Keep Calm Gallery), is a very simple surreal piece showing a girl blossoming from a lemon tree. It’s not very interesting to be logical all day long, plus logic is overrated.

How would you describe your own style of work?
I’m a cut and paste artist. But I try to be clear in my chaos. The style can be dada, neo-pop, surreal, but I think after all these years, it’s simply mine.
When you create art, do you do it in the frame of mind that it will be viewed by others or it is created as a visual form of a personal diary? I create these things to see them for myself, to discover what this 1/2 face would look like with this 1/2 refrigerator. Or what would happen if this nice girl in her party dress would be like if she were wearing a steak for a head, or a pair of mechanical gears for breasts? I produce these works the way I play chess, carefully, but totally willing to take risks, totally willing to exchange queens, sacrifice pawns…not afraid to lose. As for a diary, I’m not sure about that, but I do work in books very often. Some of my series come in the form of 110-page visual novels like A Perfect Friend and Days Like These, People (drawings), Machines (drawings) and a dozen others. I feel not so much as if I’m making things for other people – again – but more for myself, and not to cure myself of anything other than the nightmare that is our world.

You are now based in France. Do you find that where you live has any influence on the themes that run through your work?
Living in France probably hasn’t altered in any significant way the themes that run through my work. Love, sex, death, anxiety, money will find you out no matter where you live. The material though is different. As I’m extremely interested in language, the plethora of printed materials in French, German, Spanish, Italian, English and other languages abounds here. I often find old beat up books tossed out on the street, or objects on the sidewalk. I can also play with a ton of languages and I very much enjoy that. It’s the world. My studio is small and quiet and as I also live in the space I’m always up at 3 am working. Or I sleep then wake and work… something is always going on here, and should I need to go out, a walk proves a real fascination for me after a period of intense activity. “Holy smokes,” I’ll say to myself. “I live in France.” I sometimes forget that I actually live in this country.

What thoughts/feelings would you like viewers to go away with after they have been to your exhibition?
Well they tell me that they enjoy the work, they like that craziness of the work, but that it all makes sense. During the exhibition the head of a large international advertising company spent quite a while looking at my work. His focus is message communication, and in particularly creating iPhone apps, so he’s very attuned to visuals and text, and he said to me: “This is brilliant.” At the moment he was looking at a work from the America series of a girl on a swing with the word “HOME” pasted on top of her. She was pasted, in turn, on top of a photograph of a ship in a raging storm. That to me was very rewarding. Because something that was interesting to me was interesting to someone else, it was strong enough to click somewhere else.

How would you best like to be remembered?
You mean when I die? I launched an enormous project about this (in a way), A Book About Death. So I’ve thought long and hard about what its like to not have consciousness, to be left alone, to struggle with the impermanence of life, and the often sad and painful lives we lead when the folks we love are no longer with us. I’ve tried not to turn away from death and acknowledge it. Maybe as someone who wasn’t afraid to confront his demons, loved his friends and collaborated with the world in a way that made a little bit more sense out of the nonsense.


My situation (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

Matthew Rose is an American artist living in Paris known for his 1, thumb 000 piece wall-to-wall collages. On viewing his work, no rx you can’t help but feel as if you are peering into the wrong end of a telescope; the objects look familiar yet distorted, occasionally sordid yet beautiful.

His abstract, artistic style presents a surreal and parallel world infused with vibrant colours and where he often plays with an unusual fusion of subjects (and by this I mean a man with carrots for his head or a woman who is part-human, part-camera – pretty crazy stuff but in the most fantastic sense!).

For almost three decades, Matthew has been producing installations, which reinforce the connection between imagery and literature in art. His works – many of which are a composite of collage and text, presented in a poetic and abstract form – evoke the genres of 20th century surrealist artists, and several critics have cited his work as demonstrating a ‘dadaist exploration of sense and nonsense.’

Matthew’s installations have featured in galleries and museums across Europe, Asia and the United States, and his work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including MASTERS: COLLAGE (Sterling Publishing/Lark Books, 2010), which was recently published.

His most notable art project to date, A Book About Death, showcased in New York’s Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in September 2009. The show was a logistical feat in that it involved thousands of artists from across the globe mailing 500 artworks in the form of postcards to construct the exhibition. The beauty of the exhibition was that the end result was offered to one lucky visitor in the form of a book… for free. More than 18 exhibitions of A Book About Death have been staged worldwide, including The Queens Museum in New York, MuBE in São Paulo and MoMA Wales.


Private view invite (image courtesy of Matthew Rose and Orange Dot Gallery)

Matthew’s latest project, Scared But Fresh, a dislocated love story, recently showed at the Orange Dot Gallery, a lovely new exhibition space in the heart of Bloomsbury, which I was lucky enough to catch. By his own admission, Matthew is interested in ‘creating works to see them for himself’ but as a by-product of his imagination, his mesmerising creations elicit in the viewer thoughts and revelations of their own.

After gate-crashing a Brown University reunion held at the gallery, where Matthew studied Semiotics in 1981, I managed to grab a quiet moment with the calm and composed artist before swathes of his fellow country men arrived, to gain a glimpse into the annals of the mind of a truly fascinating individual…

How old were you when you realised you wanted to be an artist?

I couldn’t have been more than six years old when my mother and aunt dragged me to The Brooklyn Museum to see Van Gogh. The lines went around the block and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about; I was hungry, my feet hurt and being small, I was suffocating in this cloud of wool coats. Once inside the galleries, however, I caught my first glimpse of what has proven to be a very nourishing world… I stayed close to my mother and aunt for about 10 minutes but soon enough got lost (purposely) and quietly pushed my way through the crowds to get up close to Van Gogh’s brilliant colors, these vibrating landscapes – in particular, the painting he produced in the Arlesian sun, Almond Branches in Bloom (1890). It turned out to be one of the pieces he produced the year he died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. I never forgot the color and intelligence behind this painting, and I slowly began to look for this “art experience” in my own.


Anglais (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

What artists did you look up to when you were developing your artistic style?
Most artists I know were influenced by the early 20th century modernists – Picasso, Matisse, Malevich…then Duchamp and the Dadaists, the Surrealists, Pollock, de Kooning and then those who flavored the world we arrived in: Warhol, Johns, Rauschenberg. For me, probably folks like Hopper for his era and compositions and silence; and Cornell for his expansive internal universe, and mostly Ray Johnson, because he was a friend and teacher (as he was to thousands) and the way he worked. Since I mostly work in collage, I’m more prone to think in disparate images and texts, an old-fashioned multi-media stream of consciousness. I don’t have problems with dislocated images and lexical puzzles. Of course I don’t pretend that these artists are producing works of philosophy, but rather reflecting the cataclysm that stems from consciousness.

Your work often involves the use of collage – what led to this fascination and why do you like working in this particular abstract context?
Collage is just one of several mediums I work in. Over the years I’ve produced works/object in wax or wood, painting and drawing, and text pieces either as rubber stamp works (printing) or drawing the words. One of my interests is word as image, and collage permits me to combine words and images in a fairly rapid fashion. I tend to work super fast and produce series in a matter of days or weeks. I’m pretty obsessed once I get going and very little interferes with my process. I did a show some years ago called ‘Spelling With Scissors’, and this is my approach – combining literature (texts) with images. I have always discussed my aesthetic view as a form of reading.

What does working in collage allow you to express in ways that other forms of artistic expression cannot?
Speed. Strangeness. The wide array of material allows me to cover many ideas and compositional concepts in a short period of time. Painting plays a part in what I do, as does drawing and often these mediums come into play in a work. But collage is an approach to consciousness, and that, I think is the flux endpoint in my work. Most of the elements I use are found, and that, too, is an important part of my process. Seeing what the world washes up at my feet, the skidmarks of my time and place.


Scared But Fresh at Orange Dot Gallery (image courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

What was the inspiration behind Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh is a love story. The works in the exhibition come together (in my mind, at least) to lay out a dislocated love story, a song about love with its insistent cacophony. I think if you look at the pieces in this exhibition, including the 12-piece collage on paper series, America, you’ll see sex, love and death (the staples of art making), you’ll discover heartache, lust, dread and all those angst-laden things that produce so much of the content of our lives. Or at least that’s the way I see it. Again, I produce these works to see them myself, to see what these odd elements produce in combination, and to perhaps understand what sort of stuff is moving around inside of me; that said, it’s not therapy, but rather an inquiry.

Why is the exhibition called Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh was a phrase sent to me in 2002 by a friend; she signed an e mail that way. I immediately seized upon it, made a tonne of text works with it, cutting stencils and painting them, or adding it to other works, but also meditating upon its possible meanings. The “but” is critical. My thinking in using it for the title of this exhibition at The Orange Dot Gallery in London was that it was so aggressive, sure but still loaded with innocence and dread. Like love.

Critics have previously cited your work as a dadaist exploration of sense and nonsense. What would your response be to this?
I would agree with them. Dada is many things, and has been the point of departure for nearly 100 years of art production. The combination of sense and non-sense, broken grammar, chopped up meaning, and the flux of everyday life is, in my view, what my consciousness is like. What is the sense of finding a dollar bill stuck in a pile of dog shit? Or posters torn and weathered revealing a history of pasting and perhaps, a history of beauty (the models featured in years of posters, bits of their faces and clothing revealed)? I grab onto these things and consider them. Other people think about interest rates and widget production, and so do I, but I do something quite different with the information, the images and the meaning of these things. A large piece I produced, Les Affaires (prints are on Keep Calm Gallery’s site), surveys all sorts of exchanges; it is about commerce in many ways. Another work, Immaculate Perception (also available as a print on Keep Calm Gallery), is a very simple surreal piece showing a girl blossoming from a lemon tree. It’s not very interesting to be logical all day long, plus logic is overrated.


Cornell Bottle (photography courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

How would you describe your own style of work?
I’m a cut and paste artist. But I try to be clear in my chaos. The style can be dada, neo-pop, surreal, but I think after all these years, it’s simply mine.
When you create art, do you do it in the frame of mind that it will be viewed by others or it is created as a visual form of a personal diary? I create these things to see them for myself, to discover what this 1/2 face would look like with this 1/2 refrigerator. Or what would happen if this nice girl in her party dress would be like if she were wearing a steak for a head, or a pair of mechanical gears for breasts? I produce these works the way I play chess, carefully, but totally willing to take risks, totally willing to exchange queens, sacrifice pawns…not afraid to lose. As for a diary, I’m not sure about that, but I do work in books very often. Some of my series come in the form of 110-page visual novels like A Perfect Friend and Days Like These, People (drawings), Machines (drawings) and a dozen others. I feel not so much as if I’m making things for other people – again – but more for myself, and not to cure myself of anything other than the nightmare that is our world.

You are now based in France. Do you find that where you live has any influence on the themes that run through your work?
Living in France probably hasn’t altered in any significant way the themes that run through my work. Love, sex, death, anxiety, money will find you out no matter where you live. The material though is different. As I’m extremely interested in language, the plethora of printed materials in French, German, Spanish, Italian, English and other languages abounds here. I often find old beat up books tossed out on the street, or objects on the sidewalk. I can also play with a tonne of languages and I very much enjoy that. It’s the world. My studio is small and quiet and as I also live in the space I’m always up at 3 am working. Or I sleep then wake and work… something is always going on here, and should I need to go out, a walk proves a real fascination for me after a period of intense activity. “Holy smokes,” I’ll say to myself. “I live in France.” I sometimes forget that I actually live in this country.

What thoughts/feelings would you like viewers to go away with after they have been to your exhibition?
Well they tell me that they enjoy the work, they like that craziness of the work, but that it all makes sense. During the exhibition the head of a large international advertising company spent quite a while looking at my work. His focus is message communication, and in particularly creating iPhone apps, so he’s very attuned to visuals and text, and he said to me: “This is brilliant.” At the moment he was looking at a work from the America series of a girl on a swing with the word “HOME” pasted on top of her. She was pasted, in turn, on top of a photograph of a ship in a raging storm. That to me was very rewarding. Because something that was interesting to me was interesting to someone else, it was strong enough to click somewhere else.

How would you best like to be remembered?
You mean when I die? I launched an enormous project about this (in a way), A Book About Death. So I’ve thought long and hard about what its like to not have consciousness, to be left alone, to struggle with the impermanence of life, and the often sad and painful lives we lead when the folks we love are no longer with us. I’ve tried not to turn away from death and acknowledge it. Maybe as someone who wasn’t afraid to confront his demons, loved his friends and collaborated with the world in a way that made a little bit more sense out of the nonsense.


My situation (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

Matthew Rose is an American artist living in Paris known for his 1, buy information pills 000 piece wall-to-wall collages. On viewing his work, shop you can’t help but feel as if you are peering into the wrong end of a telescope; the objects look familiar yet distorted, occasionally sordid yet beautiful.

His abstract, artistic style presents a surreal and parallel world infused with vibrant colours and where he often plays with an unusual fusion of subjects (and by this I mean a man with carrots for his head or a woman who is part-human, part-camera – pretty crazy stuff but in the most fantastic sense!).

For almost three decades, Matthew has been producing installations, which reinforce the connection between imagery and literature in art. His works – many of which are a composite of collage and text, presented in a poetic and abstract form – evoke the genres of 20th century surrealist artists, and several critics have cited his work as demonstrating a ‘dadaist exploration of sense and nonsense.’

Matthew’s installations have featured in galleries and museums across Europe, Asia and the United States, and his work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including MASTERS: COLLAGE (Sterling Publishing/Lark Books, 2010), which was recently published.

His most notable art project to date, A Book About Death, showcased in New York’s Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in September 2009. The show was a logistical feat in that it involved thousands of artists from across the globe mailing 500 artworks in the form of postcards to construct the exhibition. The beauty of the exhibition was that the end result was offered to one lucky visitor in the form of a book… for free. More than 18 exhibitions of A Book About Death have been staged worldwide, including The Queens Museum in New York, MuBE in São Paulo and MoMA Wales.


Private view invite (image courtesy of Matthew Rose and Orange Dot Gallery)

Matthew’s latest project, Scared But Fresh, a dislocated love story, recently showed at the Orange Dot Gallery, a lovely new exhibition space in the heart of Bloomsbury, which I was lucky enough to catch. By his own admission, Matthew is interested in ‘creating works to see them for himself’ but as a by-product of his imagination, his mesmerising creations elicit in the viewer thoughts and revelations of their own.

After gate-crashing a Brown University reunion held at the gallery, where Matthew studied Semiotics in 1981, I managed to grab a quiet moment with the calm and composed artist before swathes of his fellow country men arrived, to gain a glimpse into the annals of the mind of a truly fascinating individual…

How old were you when you realised you wanted to be an artist?

I couldn’t have been more than six years old when my mother and aunt dragged me to The Brooklyn Museum to see Van Gogh. The lines went around the block and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about; I was hungry, my feet hurt and being small, I was suffocating in this cloud of wool coats. Once inside the galleries, however, I caught my first glimpse of what has proven to be a very nourishing world… I stayed close to my mother and aunt for about 10 minutes but soon enough got lost (purposely) and quietly pushed my way through the crowds to get up close to Van Gogh’s brilliant colors, these vibrating landscapes – in particular, the painting he produced in the Arlesian sun, Almond Branches in Bloom (1890). It turned out to be one of the pieces he produced the year he died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. I never forgot the color and intelligence behind this painting, and I slowly began to look for this “art experience” in my own.


Anglais (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

What artists did you look up to when you were developing your artistic style?
Most artists I know were influenced by the early 20th century modernists – Picasso, Matisse, Malevich…then Duchamp and the Dadaists, the Surrealists, Pollock, de Kooning and then those who flavored the world we arrived in: Warhol, Johns, Rauschenberg. For me, probably folks like Hopper for his era and compositions and silence; and Cornell for his expansive internal universe, and mostly Ray Johnson, because he was a friend and teacher (as he was to thousands) and the way he worked. Since I mostly work in collage, I’m more prone to think in disparate images and texts, an old-fashioned multi-media stream of consciousness. I don’t have problems with dislocated images and lexical puzzles. Of course I don’t pretend that these artists are producing works of philosophy, but rather reflecting the cataclysm that stems from consciousness.

Your work often involves the use of collage – what led to this fascination and why do you like working in this particular abstract context?
Collage is just one of several mediums I work in. Over the years I’ve produced works/object in wax or wood, painting and drawing, and text pieces either as rubber stamp works (printing) or drawing the words. One of my interests is word as image, and collage permits me to combine words and images in a fairly rapid fashion. I tend to work super fast and produce series in a matter of days or weeks. I’m pretty obsessed once I get going and very little interferes with my process. I did a show some years ago called ‘Spelling With Scissors’, and this is my approach – combining literature (texts) with images. I have always discussed my aesthetic view as a form of reading.

What does working in collage allow you to express in ways that other forms of artistic expression cannot?
Speed. Strangeness. The wide array of material allows me to cover many ideas and compositional concepts in a short period of time. Painting plays a part in what I do, as does drawing and often these mediums come into play in a work. But collage is an approach to consciousness, and that, I think is the flux endpoint in my work. Most of the elements I use are found, and that, too, is an important part of my process. Seeing what the world washes up at my feet, the skidmarks of my time and place.


Scared But Fresh at Orange Dot Gallery (image courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

What was the inspiration behind Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh is a love story. The works in the exhibition come together (in my mind, at least) to lay out a dislocated love story, a song about love with its insistent cacophony. I think if you look at the pieces in this exhibition, including the 12-piece collage on paper series, America, you’ll see sex, love and death (the staples of art making), you’ll discover heartache, lust, dread and all those angst-laden things that produce so much of the content of our lives. Or at least that’s the way I see it. Again, I produce these works to see them myself, to see what these odd elements produce in combination, and to perhaps understand what sort of stuff is moving around inside of me; that said, it’s not therapy, but rather an inquiry.

Why is the exhibition called Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh was a phrase sent to me in 2002 by a friend; she signed an e mail that way. I immediately seized upon it, made a tonne of text works with it, cutting stencils and painting them, or adding it to other works, but also meditating upon its possible meanings. The “but” is critical. My thinking in using it for the title of this exhibition at The Orange Dot Gallery in London was that it was so aggressive, sure but still loaded with innocence and dread. Like love.

Critics have previously cited your work as a dadaist exploration of sense and nonsense. What would your response be to this?
I would agree with them. Dada is many things, and has been the point of departure for nearly 100 years of art production. The combination of sense and non-sense, broken grammar, chopped up meaning, and the flux of everyday life is, in my view, what my consciousness is like. What is the sense of finding a dollar bill stuck in a pile of dog shit? Or posters torn and weathered revealing a history of pasting and perhaps, a history of beauty (the models featured in years of posters, bits of their faces and clothing revealed)? I grab onto these things and consider them. Other people think about interest rates and widget production, and so do I, but I do something quite different with the information, the images and the meaning of these things. A large piece I produced, Les Affaires (prints are on Keep Calm Gallery’s site), surveys all sorts of exchanges; it is about commerce in many ways. Another work, Immaculate Perception (also available as a print on Keep Calm Gallery), is a very simple surreal piece showing a girl blossoming from a lemon tree. It’s not very interesting to be logical all day long, plus logic is overrated.


Cornell Bottle (photography courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

How would you describe your own style of work?
I’m a cut and paste artist. But I try to be clear in my chaos. The style can be dada, neo-pop, surreal, but I think after all these years, it’s simply mine.
When you create art, do you do it in the frame of mind that it will be viewed by others or it is created as a visual form of a personal diary? I create these things to see them for myself, to discover what this 1/2 face would look like with this 1/2 refrigerator. Or what would happen if this nice girl in her party dress would be like if she were wearing a steak for a head, or a pair of mechanical gears for breasts? I produce these works the way I play chess, carefully, but totally willing to take risks, totally willing to exchange queens, sacrifice pawns…not afraid to lose. As for a diary, I’m not sure about that, but I do work in books very often. Some of my series come in the form of 110-page visual novels like A Perfect Friend and Days Like These, People (drawings), Machines (drawings) and a dozen others. I feel not so much as if I’m making things for other people – again – but more for myself, and not to cure myself of anything other than the nightmare that is our world.

You are now based in France. Do you find that where you live has any influence on the themes that run through your work?
Living in France probably hasn’t altered in any significant way the themes that run through my work. Love, sex, death, anxiety, money will find you out no matter where you live. The material though is different. As I’m extremely interested in language, the plethora of printed materials in French, German, Spanish, Italian, English and other languages abounds here. I often find old beat up books tossed out on the street, or objects on the sidewalk. I can also play with a tonne of languages and I very much enjoy that. It’s the world. My studio is small and quiet and as I also live in the space I’m always up at 3 am working. Or I sleep then wake and work… something is always going on here, and should I need to go out, a walk proves a real fascination for me after a period of intense activity. “Holy smokes,” I’ll say to myself. “I live in France.” I sometimes forget that I actually live in this country.

What thoughts/feelings would you like viewers to go away with after they have been to your exhibition?
Well they tell me that they enjoy the work, they like that craziness of the work, but that it all makes sense. During the exhibition the head of a large international advertising company spent quite a while looking at my work. His focus is message communication, and in particularly creating iPhone apps, so he’s very attuned to visuals and text, and he said to me: “This is brilliant.” At the moment he was looking at a work from the America series of a girl on a swing with the word “HOME” pasted on top of her. She was pasted, in turn, on top of a photograph of a ship in a raging storm. That to me was very rewarding. Because something that was interesting to me was interesting to someone else, it was strong enough to click somewhere else.

How would you best like to be remembered?
You mean when I die? I launched an enormous project about this (in a way), A Book About Death. So I’ve thought long and hard about what its like to not have consciousness, to be left alone, to struggle with the impermanence of life, and the often sad and painful lives we lead when the folks we love are no longer with us. I’ve tried not to turn away from death and acknowledge it. Maybe as someone who wasn’t afraid to confront his demons, loved his friends and collaborated with the world in a way that made a little bit more sense out of the nonsense.


My situation (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

Matthew Rose is an American artist living in Paris known for his 1, dosage 000 piece wall-to-wall collages. On viewing his work, you can’t help but feel as if you are peering into the wrong end of a telescope; the objects look familiar yet distorted, eerie yet beautiful.

His abstract, artistic style presents a surreal and parallel world infused with vibrant colours where he often plays with an unusual fusion of subjects (and by this I mean a man with carrots for his head or a woman who is part-human, part-camera – pretty crazy stuff but in the most fantastic sense!).

For almost three decades, Matthew has been producing installations, which reinforce the connection between imagery and literature in art. His works – many of which are a composite of collage and text, presented in a poetic and abstract form – evoke the genres of 20th century surrealist artists, and several critics have cited his work as demonstrating a ‘dadaist exploration of sense and non-sense’.

Matthew’s installations have featured in galleries and museums across Europe, Asia and the United States, and his work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including MASTERS: COLLAGE (Sterling Publishing/Lark Books, 2010) published recently.

His most notable art project to date, A Book About Death, showcased in New York’s Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in September 2009. The show was a logistical feat involving thousands of artists from across the globe sending 500 artworks in the form of postcards to construct the exhibition. The beauty of the exhibition was that the end result was offered to one lucky visitor in the form of a book… for free. More than 18 exhibitions of A Book About Death have been staged worldwide, including The Queens Museum in New York, MuBE in São Paulo and MoMA Wales.


Private view invite (image courtesy of Matthew Rose and Orange Dot Gallery)

Matthew’s latest project, Scared But Fresh, a dislocated love story, recently showed at the Orange Dot Gallery, a lovely new exhibition space in the heart of Bloomsbury, which I was lucky enough to catch. By his own admission, Matthew is interested in ‘creating works to see them for himself’ but as a by-product of his imagination, his mesmerising creations prompt the viewer to garner thoughts of their own.

After gate-crashing a Brown University reunion held at the gallery, where Matthew studied Semiotics in 1981, I managed to grab a quiet moment with the calm and composed artist before his alumni chums arrived, to gain a glimpse into the annals of the mind of a truly fascinating individual…

How old were you when you realised you wanted to be an artist? I couldn’t have been more than six years old when my mother and aunt dragged me to The Brooklyn Museum to see Van Gogh. The lines went around the block and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about; I was hungry, my feet hurt and being small, I was suffocating in this cloud of wool coats. Once inside the galleries, however, I caught my first glimpse of what has proven to be a very nourishing world… I stayed close to my mother and aunt for about 10 minutes but soon enough got lost (purposely) and quietly pushed my way through the crowds to get up close to Van Gogh’s brilliant colors, these vibrating landscapes – in particular, the painting he produced in the Arlesian sun, Almond Branches in Bloom (1890). It turned out to be one of the pieces he produced the year he died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. I never forgot the color and intelligence behind this painting, and I slowly began to look for this “art experience” in my own.


Anglais (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

What artists did you look up to when you were developing your artistic style?
Most artists I know were influenced by the early 20th century modernists – Picasso, Matisse, Malevich…then Duchamp and the Dadaists, the Surrealists, Pollock, de Kooning and then those who flavored the world we arrived in: Warhol, Johns, Rauschenberg. For me, probably folks like Hopper for his era and compositions and silence; and Cornell for his expansive internal universe, and mostly Ray Johnson, because he was a friend and teacher (as he was to thousands) and the way he worked. Since I mostly work in collage, I’m more prone to think in disparate images and texts, an old-fashioned multi-media stream of consciousness. I don’t have problems with dislocated images and lexical puzzles. Of course I don’t pretend that these artists are producing works of philosophy, but rather reflecting the cataclysm that stems from consciousness.

Your work often involves the use of collage – what led to this fascination and why do you like working in this particular abstract context? Collage is just one of several mediums I work in. Over the years I’ve produced works/object in wax or wood, painting and drawing, and text pieces either as rubber stamp works (printing) or drawing the words. One of my interests is word as image, and collage permits me to combine words and images in a fairly rapid fashion. I tend to work super fast and produce series in a matter of days or weeks. I’m pretty obsessed once I get going and very little interferes with my process. I did a show some years ago called ‘Spelling With Scissors’, and this is my approach – combining literature (texts) with images. I have always discussed my aesthetic view as a form of reading.

What does working in collage allow you to express in ways that other forms of artistic expression cannot?
Speed. Strangeness. The wide array of material allows me to cover many ideas and compositional concepts in a short period of time. Painting plays a part in what I do, as does drawing and often these mediums come into play in a work. But collage is an approach to consciousness, and that, I think is the flux endpoint in my work. Most of the elements I use are found, and that, too, is an important part of my process. Seeing what the world washes up at my feet, the skidmarks of my time and place.


Scared But Fresh at Orange Dot Gallery (image courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

What was the inspiration behind Scared But Fresh?Scared But Fresh is a love story. The works in the exhibition come together (in my mind, at least) to lay out a dislocated love story, a song about love with its insistent cacophony. I think if you look at the pieces in this exhibition, including the 12-piece collage on paper series, America, you’ll see sex, love and death (the staples of art making), you’ll discover heartache, lust, dread and all those angst-laden things that produce so much of the content of our lives. Or at least that’s the way I see it. Again, I produce these works to see them myself, to see what these odd elements produce in combination, and to perhaps understand what sort of stuff is moving around inside of me; that said, it’s not therapy, but rather an inquiry.

Why is the exhibition called Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh was a phrase sent to me in 2002 by a friend; she signed an e mail that way. I immediately seized upon it, made a tonne of text works with it, cutting stencils and painting them, or adding it to other works, but also meditating upon its possible meanings. The “but” is critical. My thinking in using it for the title of this exhibition at The Orange Dot Gallery in London was that it was so aggressive, sure but still loaded with innocence and dread. Like love.

Critics have previously cited your work as a dadaist exploration of sense and nonsense. What would your response be to this?
I would agree with them. Dada is many things, and has been the point of departure for nearly 100 years of art production. The combination of sense and non-sense, broken grammar, chopped up meaning, and the flux of everyday life is, in my view, what my consciousness is like. What is the sense of finding a dollar bill stuck in a pile of dog shit? Or posters torn and weathered revealing a history of pasting and perhaps, a history of beauty (the models featured in years of posters, bits of their faces and clothing revealed)? I grab onto these things and consider them. Other people think about interest rates and widget production, and so do I, but I do something quite different with the information, the images and the meaning of these things. A large piece I produced, Les Affaires (prints are on Keep Calm Gallery’s site), surveys all sorts of exchanges; it is about commerce in many ways. Another work, Immaculate Perception (also available as a print on Keep Calm Gallery), is a very simple surreal piece showing a girl blossoming from a lemon tree. It’s not very interesting to be logical all day long, plus logic is overrated.


Cornell Bottle (photography courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

How would you describe your own style of work?
I’m a cut and paste artist. But I try to be clear in my chaos. The style can be dada, neo-pop, surreal, but I think after all these years, it’s simply mine.
When you create art, do you do it in the frame of mind that it will be viewed by others or it is created as a visual form of a personal diary? I create these things to see them for myself, to discover what this 1/2 face would look like with this 1/2 refrigerator. Or what would happen if this nice girl in her party dress would be like if she were wearing a steak for a head, or a pair of mechanical gears for breasts? I produce these works the way I play chess, carefully, but totally willing to take risks, totally willing to exchange queens, sacrifice pawns…not afraid to lose. As for a diary, I’m not sure about that, but I do work in books very often. Some of my series come in the form of 110-page visual novels like A Perfect Friend and Days Like These, People (drawings), Machines (drawings) and a dozen others. I feel not so much as if I’m making things for other people – again – but more for myself, and not to cure myself of anything other than the nightmare that is our world.

You are now based in France. Do you find that where you live has any influence on the themes that run through your work?
Living in France probably hasn’t altered in any significant way the themes that run through my work. Love, sex, death, anxiety, money will find you out no matter where you live. The material though is different. As I’m extremely interested in language, the plethora of printed materials in French, German, Spanish, Italian, English and other languages abounds here. I often find old beat up books tossed out on the street, or objects on the sidewalk. I can also play with a tonne of languages and I very much enjoy that. It’s the world. My studio is small and quiet and as I also live in the space I’m always up at 3 am working. Or I sleep then wake and work… something is always going on here, and should I need to go out, a walk proves a real fascination for me after a period of intense activity. “Holy smokes,” I’ll say to myself. “I live in France.” I sometimes forget that I actually live in this country.

What thoughts/feelings would you like viewers to go away with after they have been to your exhibition?
Well they tell me that they enjoy the work, they like that craziness of the work, but that it all makes sense. During the exhibition the head of a large international advertising company spent quite a while looking at my work. His focus is message communication, and in particularly creating iPhone apps, so he’s very attuned to visuals and text, and he said to me: “This is brilliant.” At the moment he was looking at a work from the America series of a girl on a swing with the word “HOME” pasted on top of her. She was pasted, in turn, on top of a photograph of a ship in a raging storm. That to me was very rewarding. Because something that was interesting to me was interesting to someone else, it was strong enough to click somewhere else.

How would you best like to be remembered?
You mean when I die? I launched an enormous project about this (in a way), A Book About Death. So I’ve thought long and hard about what its like to not have consciousness, to be left alone, to struggle with the impermanence of life, and the often sad and painful lives we lead when the folks we love are no longer with us. I’ve tried not to turn away from death and acknowledge it. Maybe as someone who wasn’t afraid to confront his demons, loved his friends and collaborated with the world in a way that made a little bit more sense out of the nonsense.


My situation (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

Matthew Rose is an American artist living in Paris known for his 1, check 000 piece wall-to-wall collages. On viewing his work, you can’t help but feel as if you are peering into the wrong end of a telescope; the objects look familiar yet distorted, eerie yet beautiful.

His abstract, artistic style presents a surreal and parallel world infused with vibrant colours where he often plays with an unusual fusion of subjects (and by this I mean a man with carrots for his head or a woman who is part-human, part-camera – pretty crazy stuff but in the most fantastic sense!).

For almost three decades, Matthew has been producing installations, which reinforce the connection between imagery and literature in art. His works – many of which are a composite of beautiful colours, visuals and text melting into one another – evoke the genres of 20th century surrealist artists, and several critics have cited his work as demonstrating a ‘dadaist exploration of sense and non-sense’.

Matthew’s installations have featured in galleries and museums across Europe, Asia and the United States, and his work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including MASTERS: COLLAGE (Sterling Publishing/Lark Books, 2010) published recently.

His most notable art project to date, A Book About Death, showcased in New York’s Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in September 2009. The show was a logistical feat involving thousands of artists from across the globe sending 500 artworks in the form of postcards to construct the exhibition. The beauty of the exhibition was that the end result was offered to one lucky visitor in the form of a book… for free. More than 18 exhibitions of A Book About Death have been staged worldwide, including The Queens Museum in New York, MuBE in São Paulo and MoMA Wales.


Private view invite (image courtesy of Matthew Rose and Orange Dot Gallery)

Matthew’s latest project, Scared But Fresh, a dislocated love story, recently showed at the Orange Dot Gallery, a lovely new exhibition space in the heart of Bloomsbury, which I was lucky enough to catch. By his own admission, Matthew is interested in ‘creating works to see them for himself’ but as a by-product of his imagination, his mesmerising creations prompt the viewer to garner thoughts of their own.

After gate-crashing a Brown University reunion held at the gallery, where Matthew studied Semiotics in 1981, I managed to grab a quiet moment with the calm and composed artist before his alumni chums arrived, to gain a glimpse into the annals of the mind of a truly fascinating individual…

How old were you when you realised you wanted to be an artist? I couldn’t have been more than six years old when my mother and aunt dragged me to The Brooklyn Museum to see Van Gogh.
The lines went around the block and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about; I was hungry, my feet hurt and being small, I was suffocating in this cloud of wool coats. Once inside the galleries, however, I caught my first glimpse of what has proven to be a very nourishing world… I stayed close to my mother and aunt for about 10 minutes but soon enough got lost (purposely) and quietly pushed my way through the crowds to get up close to Van Gogh’s brilliant colors, these vibrating landscapes – in particular, the painting he produced in the Arlesian sun, Almond Branches in Bloom (1890). It turned out to be one of the pieces he produced the year he died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. I never forgot the color and intelligence behind this painting, and I slowly began to look for this “art experience” in my own.


Anglais (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

What artists did you look up to when you were developing your artistic style?
Most artists I know were influenced by the early 20th century modernists – Picasso, Matisse, Malevich…then Duchamp and the Dadaists, the Surrealists, Pollock, de Kooning and then those who flavored the world we arrived in: Warhol, Johns, Rauschenberg. For me, probably folks like Hopper for his era and compositions and silence; and Cornell for his expansive internal universe, and mostly Ray Johnson, because he was a friend and teacher (as he was to thousands) and the way he worked. Since I mostly work in collage, I’m more prone to think in disparate images and texts, an old-fashioned multi-media stream of consciousness. I don’t have problems with dislocated images and lexical puzzles. Of course I don’t pretend that these artists are producing works of philosophy, but rather reflecting the cataclysm that stems from consciousness.

Your work often involves the use of collage – what led to this fascination and why do you like working in this particular abstract context?
Collage is just one of several mediums I work in. Over the years I’ve produced works/object in wax or wood, painting and drawing, and text pieces either as rubber stamp works (printing) or drawing the words. One of my interests is word as image, and collage permits me to combine words and images in a fairly rapid fashion. I tend to work super fast and produce series in a matter of days or weeks. I’m pretty obsessed once I get going and very little interferes with my process. I did a show some years ago called ‘Spelling With Scissors’, and this is my approach – combining literature (texts) with images. I have always discussed my aesthetic view as a form of reading.

What does working in collage allow you to express in ways that other forms of artistic expression cannot?
Speed. Strangeness. The wide array of material allows me to cover many ideas and compositional concepts in a short period of time. Painting plays a part in what I do, as does drawing and often these mediums come into play in a work. But collage is an approach to consciousness, and that, I think is the flux endpoint in my work. Most of the elements I use are found, and that, too, is an important part of my process. Seeing what the world washes up at my feet, the skidmarks of my time and place.


Scared But Fresh at Orange Dot Gallery (image courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

What was the inspiration behind Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh
is a love story. The works in the exhibition come together (in my mind, at least) to lay out a dislocated love story, a song about love with its insistent cacophony. I think if you look at the pieces in this exhibition, including the 12-piece collage on paper series, America, you’ll see sex, love and death (the staples of art making), you’ll discover heartache, lust, dread and all those angst-laden things that produce so much of the content of our lives. Or at least that’s the way I see it. Again, I produce these works to see them myself, to see what these odd elements produce in combination, and to perhaps understand what sort of stuff is moving around inside of me; that said, it’s not therapy, but rather an inquiry.

Why is the exhibition called Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh was a phrase sent to me in 2002 by a friend; she signed an e mail that way. I immediately seized upon it, made a tonne of text works with it, cutting stencils and painting them, or adding it to other works, but also meditating upon its possible meanings. The “but” is critical. My thinking in using it for the title of this exhibition at The Orange Dot Gallery in London was that it was so aggressive, sure but still loaded with innocence and dread. Like love.

Critics have previously cited your work as a dadaist exploration of sense and non-sense. What would your response be to this?
I would agree with them. Dada is many things, and has been the point of departure for nearly 100 years of art production. The combination of sense and non-sense, broken grammar, chopped up meaning, and the flux of everyday life is, in my view, what my consciousness is like. What is the sense of finding a dollar bill stuck in a pile of dog shit? Or posters torn and weathered revealing a history of pasting and perhaps, a history of beauty (the models featured in years of posters, bits of their faces and clothing revealed)? I grab onto these things and consider them. Other people think about interest rates and widget production, and so do I, but I do something quite different with the information, the images and the meaning of these things. A large piece I produced, Les Affaires (prints are on Keep Calm Gallery’s site), surveys all sorts of exchanges; it is about commerce in many ways. Another work, Immaculate Perception (also available as a print on Keep Calm Gallery), is a very simple surreal piece showing a girl blossoming from a lemon tree. It’s not very interesting to be logical all day long, plus logic is overrated.


Cornell Bottle (photography courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

How would you describe your own style of work?
I’m a cut and paste artist. But I try to be clear in my chaos. The style can be dada, neo-pop, surreal, but I think after all these years, it’s simply mine.
When you create art, do you do it in the frame of mind that it will be viewed by others or it is created as a visual form of a personal diary? I create these things to see them for myself, to discover what this 1/2 face would look like with this 1/2 refrigerator. Or what would happen if this nice girl in her party dress would be like if she were wearing a steak for a head, or a pair of mechanical gears for breasts? I produce these works the way I play chess, carefully, but totally willing to take risks, totally willing to exchange queens, sacrifice pawns…not afraid to lose. As for a diary, I’m not sure about that, but I do work in books very often. Some of my series come in the form of 110-page visual novels like A Perfect Friend and Days Like These, People (drawings), Machines (drawings) and a dozen others. I feel not so much as if I’m making things for other people – again – but more for myself, and not to cure myself of anything other than the nightmare that is our world.

You are now based in France. Do you find that where you live has any influence on the themes that run through your work?
Living in France probably hasn’t altered in any significant way the themes that run through my work. Love, sex, death, anxiety, money will find you out no matter where you live. The material though is different. As I’m extremely interested in language, the plethora of printed materials in French, German, Spanish, Italian, English and other languages abounds here. I often find old beat up books tossed out on the street, or objects on the sidewalk. I can also play with a tonne of languages and I very much enjoy that. It’s the world. My studio is small and quiet and as I also live in the space I’m always up at 3 am working. Or I sleep then wake and work… something is always going on here, and should I need to go out, a walk proves a real fascination for me after a period of intense activity. “Holy smokes,” I’ll say to myself. “I live in France.” I sometimes forget that I actually live in this country.

What thoughts/feelings would you like viewers to go away with after they have been to your exhibition?
Well they tell me that they enjoy the work, they like that craziness of the work, but that it all makes sense. During the exhibition the head of a large international advertising company spent quite a while looking at my work. His focus is message communication, and in particularly creating iPhone apps, so he’s very attuned to visuals and text, and he said to me: “This is brilliant.” At the moment he was looking at a work from the America series of a girl on a swing with the word “HOME” pasted on top of her. She was pasted, in turn, on top of a photograph of a ship in a raging storm. That to me was very rewarding. Because something that was interesting to me was interesting to someone else, it was strong enough to click somewhere else.

How would you best like to be remembered?
You mean when I die? I launched an enormous project about this (in a way), A Book About Death. So I’ve thought long and hard about what its like to not have consciousness, to be left alone, to struggle with the impermanence of life, and the often sad and painful lives we lead when the folks we love are no longer with us. I’ve tried not to turn away from death and acknowledge it. Maybe as someone who wasn’t afraid to confront his demons, loved his friends and collaborated with the world in a way that made a little bit more sense out of the nonsense.


My situation (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

Matthew Rose is an American artist living in Paris known for his 1, medicine 000 piece wall-to-wall collages. On viewing his work, illness you can’t help but feel as if you are peering into the wrong end of a telescope; the objects look familiar yet distorted, here eerie yet beautiful.

His abstract, artistic style presents a surreal and parallel world infused with vibrant colours where he often plays with an unusual fusion of subjects (and by this I mean a man with carrots for his head or a woman who is part-human, part-camera – pretty crazy stuff but in the most fantastic sense!).

For almost three decades, Matthew has been producing installations, which reinforce the connection between imagery and literature in art. His works – many of which are a composite of beautiful colours, visuals and text melting into one another – evoke the genres of 20th century surrealist artists, and several critics have cited his work as demonstrating a ‘dadaist exploration of sense and non-sense’.

Matthew’s installations have featured in galleries and museums across Europe, Asia and the United States, and his work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including MASTERS: COLLAGE (Sterling Publishing/Lark Books, 2010) published recently.

His most notable art project to date, A Book About Death, showcased in New York’s Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in September 2009. The show was a logistical feat involving thousands of artists from across the globe sending 500 artworks in the form of postcards to construct the exhibition. The beauty of the exhibition was that the end result was offered to one lucky visitor in the form of a book… for free. More than 18 exhibitions of A Book About Death have been staged worldwide, including The Queens Museum in New York, MuBE in São Paulo and MoMA Wales.


Private view invite (image courtesy of Matthew Rose and Orange Dot Gallery)

Matthew’s most recent project, Scared But Fresh, is a dislocated love story exploring the sense and non-sense, which I was lucky enough to catch at Orange Dot Gallery, a lovely new exhibition space in the heart of Bloomsbury. By his own admission, Matthew is interested in ‘creating works to see them for himself’ but as a by-product of his imagination, his mesmerising creations prompt the viewer to garner thoughts of their own.

After gate-crashing a Brown University reunion held at the gallery, where Matthew studied Semiotics in 1981, I managed to grab a quiet moment with the calm and composed artist before his alumni chums arrived, gaining a glimpse into the annals of the mind of a truly fascinating individual…

How old were you when you realised you wanted to be an artist? I couldn’t have been more than six years old when my mother and aunt dragged me to The Brooklyn Museum to see Van Gogh.
The lines went around the block and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about; I was hungry, my feet hurt and being small, I was suffocating in this cloud of wool coats. Once inside the galleries, however, I caught my first glimpse of what has proven to be a very nourishing world… I stayed close to my mother and aunt for about 10 minutes but soon enough got lost (purposely) and quietly pushed my way through the crowds to get up close to Van Gogh’s brilliant colors, these vibrating landscapes – in particular, the painting he produced in the Arlesian sun, Almond Branches in Bloom (1890). It turned out to be one of the pieces he produced the year he died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. I never forgot the color and intelligence behind this painting, and I slowly began to look for this “art experience” in my own.


Anglais (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

What artists did you look up to when you were developing your artistic style?
Most artists I know were influenced by the early 20th century modernists – Picasso, Matisse, Malevich…then Duchamp and the Dadaists, the Surrealists, Pollock, de Kooning and then those who flavored the world we arrived in: Warhol, Johns, Rauschenberg. For me, probably folks like Hopper for his era and compositions and silence; and Cornell for his expansive internal universe, and mostly Ray Johnson, because he was a friend and teacher (as he was to thousands) and the way he worked. Since I mostly work in collage, I’m more prone to think in disparate images and texts, an old-fashioned multi-media stream of consciousness. I don’t have problems with dislocated images and lexical puzzles. Of course I don’t pretend that these artists are producing works of philosophy, but rather reflecting the cataclysm that stems from consciousness.

Your work often involves the use of collage – what led to this fascination and why do you like working in this particular abstract context?
Collage is just one of several mediums I work in. Over the years I’ve produced works/object in wax or wood, painting and drawing, and text pieces either as rubber stamp works (printing) or drawing the words. One of my interests is word as image, and collage permits me to combine words and images in a fairly rapid fashion. I tend to work super fast and produce series in a matter of days or weeks. I’m pretty obsessed once I get going and very little interferes with my process. I did a show some years ago called ‘Spelling With Scissors’, and this is my approach – combining literature (texts) with images. I have always discussed my aesthetic view as a form of reading.

What does working in collage allow you to express in ways that other forms of artistic expression cannot?
Speed. Strangeness. The wide array of material allows me to cover many ideas and compositional concepts in a short period of time. Painting plays a part in what I do, as does drawing and often these mediums come into play in a work. But collage is an approach to consciousness, and that, I think is the flux endpoint in my work. Most of the elements I use are found, and that, too, is an important part of my process. Seeing what the world washes up at my feet, the skidmarks of my time and place.


Scared But Fresh at Orange Dot Gallery (image courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

What was the inspiration behind Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh
is a love story. The works in the exhibition come together (in my mind, at least) to lay out a dislocated love story, a song about love with its insistent cacophony. I think if you look at the pieces in this exhibition, including the 12-piece collage on paper series, America, you’ll see sex, love and death (the staples of art making), you’ll discover heartache, lust, dread and all those angst-laden things that produce so much of the content of our lives. Or at least that’s the way I see it. Again, I produce these works to see them myself, to see what these odd elements produce in combination, and to perhaps understand what sort of stuff is moving around inside of me; that said, it’s not therapy, but rather an inquiry.

Why is the exhibition called Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh was a phrase sent to me in 2002 by a friend; she signed an e mail that way. I immediately seized upon it, made a tonne of text works with it, cutting stencils and painting them, or adding it to other works, but also meditating upon its possible meanings. The “but” is critical. My thinking in using it for the title of this exhibition at The Orange Dot Gallery in London was that it was so aggressive, sure but still loaded with innocence and dread. Like love.

Critics have previously cited your work as a dadaist exploration of sense and non-sense. What would your response be to this?
I would agree with them. Dada is many things, and has been the point of departure for nearly 100 years of art production. The combination of sense and non-sense, broken grammar, chopped up meaning, and the flux of everyday life is, in my view, what my consciousness is like. What is the sense of finding a dollar bill stuck in a pile of dog shit? Or posters torn and weathered revealing a history of pasting and perhaps, a history of beauty (the models featured in years of posters, bits of their faces and clothing revealed)? I grab onto these things and consider them. Other people think about interest rates and widget production, and so do I, but I do something quite different with the information, the images and the meaning of these things. A large piece I produced, Les Affaires (prints are on Keep Calm Gallery’s site), surveys all sorts of exchanges; it is about commerce in many ways. Another work, Immaculate Perception (also available as a print on Keep Calm Gallery), is a very simple surreal piece showing a girl blossoming from a lemon tree. It’s not very interesting to be logical all day long, plus logic is overrated.


Cornell Bottle (photography courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

How would you describe your own style of work?
I’m a cut and paste artist. But I try to be clear in my chaos. The style can be dada, neo-pop, surreal, but I think after all these years, it’s simply mine.
When you create art, do you do it in the frame of mind that it will be viewed by others or it is created as a visual form of a personal diary? I create these things to see them for myself, to discover what this 1/2 face would look like with this 1/2 refrigerator. Or what would happen if this nice girl in her party dress would be like if she were wearing a steak for a head, or a pair of mechanical gears for breasts? I produce these works the way I play chess, carefully, but totally willing to take risks, totally willing to exchange queens, sacrifice pawns…not afraid to lose. As for a diary, I’m not sure about that, but I do work in books very often. Some of my series come in the form of 110-page visual novels like A Perfect Friend and Days Like These, People (drawings), Machines (drawings) and a dozen others. I feel not so much as if I’m making things for other people – again – but more for myself, and not to cure myself of anything other than the nightmare that is our world.

You are now based in France. Do you find that where you live has any influence on the themes that run through your work?
Living in France probably hasn’t altered in any significant way the themes that run through my work. Love, sex, death, anxiety, money will find you out no matter where you live. The material though is different. As I’m extremely interested in language, the plethora of printed materials in French, German, Spanish, Italian, English and other languages abounds here. I often find old beat up books tossed out on the street, or objects on the sidewalk. I can also play with a tonne of languages and I very much enjoy that. It’s the world. My studio is small and quiet and as I also live in the space I’m always up at 3 am working. Or I sleep then wake and work… something is always going on here, and should I need to go out, a walk proves a real fascination for me after a period of intense activity. “Holy smokes,” I’ll say to myself. “I live in France.” I sometimes forget that I actually live in this country.

What thoughts/feelings would you like viewers to go away with after they have been to your exhibition?
Well they tell me that they enjoy the work, they like that craziness of the work, but that it all makes sense. During the exhibition the head of a large international advertising company spent quite a while looking at my work. His focus is message communication, and in particularly creating iPhone apps, so he’s very attuned to visuals and text, and he said to me: “This is brilliant.” At the moment he was looking at a work from the America series of a girl on a swing with the word “HOME” pasted on top of her. She was pasted, in turn, on top of a photograph of a ship in a raging storm. That to me was very rewarding. Because something that was interesting to me was interesting to someone else, it was strong enough to click somewhere else.

How would you best like to be remembered?
You mean when I die? I launched an enormous project about this (in a way), A Book About Death. So I’ve thought long and hard about what its like to not have consciousness, to be left alone, to struggle with the impermanence of life, and the often sad and painful lives we lead when the folks we love are no longer with us. I’ve tried not to turn away from death and acknowledge it. Maybe as someone who wasn’t afraid to confront his demons, loved his friends and collaborated with the world in a way that made a little bit more sense out of the nonsense.


My situation (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

Matthew Rose is an American artist living in Paris known for his 1, remedy 000 piece wall-to-wall collages. On viewing his work, medical you can’t help but feel as if you are peering into the wrong end of a telescope; the objects look familiar yet distorted, eerie yet beautiful.

His abstract, artistic style presents a surreal and parallel world infused with vibrant colours where he often plays with an unusual fusion of subjects (and by this I mean a man with carrots for his head or a woman who is part-human, part-camera – pretty crazy stuff but in the most fantastic sense!).

For almost three decades, Matthew has been producing installations, which reinforce the connection between imagery and literature in art. His works – many of which are a composite of beautiful colours, visuals and text melting into one another – evoke the genres of 20th century surrealist artists, and several critics have cited his work as demonstrating a ‘dadaist exploration of sense and non-sense’.

Matthew’s installations have featured in galleries and museums across Europe, Asia and the United States, and his work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including MASTERS: COLLAGE (Sterling Publishing/Lark Books, 2010) published recently.

His most notable art project to date, A Book About Death, showcased in New York’s Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in September 2009. The show was a logistical feat involving thousands of artists from across the globe sending 500 artworks in the form of postcards to construct the exhibition. The beauty of the exhibition was that the end result was offered to one lucky visitor in the form of a book… for free. More than 18 exhibitions of A Book About Death have been staged worldwide, including The Queens Museum in New York, MuBE in São Paulo and MoMA Wales.


Private view invite (image courtesy of Matthew Rose and Orange Dot Gallery)

Matthew’s most recent project, Scared But Fresh, is a dislocated love story exploring the sense and non-sense, which I was lucky enough to catch at Orange Dot Gallery, a lovely new exhibition space in the heart of Bloomsbury. By his own admission, Matthew is interested in ‘creating works to see them for himself’ but as a by-product of his imagination, his mesmerising creations prompt the viewer to garner thoughts of their own.

After gate-crashing a Brown University reunion held at the gallery, where Matthew studied Semiotics in 1981, I managed to grab a quiet moment with the calm and composed artist before his alumni chums arrived, gaining a glimpse into the annals of the mind of a truly fascinating individual…

How old were you when you realised you wanted to be an artist? I couldn’t have been more than six years old when my mother and aunt dragged me to The Brooklyn Museum to see Van Gogh. The lines went around the block and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about; I was hungry, my feet hurt and being small, I was suffocating in this cloud of wool coats. Once inside the galleries, however, I caught my first glimpse of what has proven to be a very nourishing world… I stayed close to my mother and aunt for about 10 minutes but soon enough got lost (purposely) and quietly pushed my way through the crowds to get up close to Van Gogh’s brilliant colors, these vibrating landscapes – in particular, the painting he produced in the Arlesian sun, Almond Branches in Bloom (1890). It turned out to be one of the pieces he produced the year he died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. I never forgot the color and intelligence behind this painting, and I slowly began to look for this “art experience” in my own.


Anglais (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

What artists did you look up to when you were developing your artistic style?
Most artists I know were influenced by the early 20th century modernists – Picasso, Matisse, Malevich…then Duchamp and the Dadaists, the Surrealists, Pollock, de Kooning and then those who flavored the world we arrived in: Warhol, Johns, Rauschenberg. For me, probably folks like Hopper for his era and compositions and silence; and Cornell for his expansive internal universe, and mostly Ray Johnson, because he was a friend and teacher (as he was to thousands) and the way he worked. Since I mostly work in collage, I’m more prone to think in disparate images and texts, an old-fashioned multi-media stream of consciousness. I don’t have problems with dislocated images and lexical puzzles. Of course I don’t pretend that these artists are producing works of philosophy, but rather reflecting the cataclysm that stems from consciousness.

Your work often involves the use of collage – what led to this fascination and why do you like working in this particular abstract context?
Collage is just one of several mediums I work in. Over the years I’ve produced works/object in wax or wood, painting and drawing, and text pieces either as rubber stamp works (printing) or drawing the words. One of my interests is word as image, and collage permits me to combine words and images in a fairly rapid fashion. I tend to work super fast and produce series in a matter of days or weeks. I’m pretty obsessed once I get going and very little interferes with my process. I did a show some years ago called ‘Spelling With Scissors’, and this is my approach – combining literature (texts) with images. I have always discussed my aesthetic view as a form of reading.

What does working in collage allow you to express in ways that other forms of artistic expression cannot?
Speed. Strangeness. The wide array of material allows me to cover many ideas and compositional concepts in a short period of time. Painting plays a part in what I do, as does drawing and often these mediums come into play in a work. But collage is an approach to consciousness, and that, I think is the flux endpoint in my work. Most of the elements I use are found, and that, too, is an important part of my process. Seeing what the world washes up at my feet, the skidmarks of my time and place.


Scared But Fresh at Orange Dot Gallery (image courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

What was the inspiration behind Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh
is a love story. The works in the exhibition come together (in my mind, at least) to lay out a dislocated love story, a song about love with its insistent cacophony. I think if you look at the pieces in this exhibition, including the 12-piece collage on paper series, America, you’ll see sex, love and death (the staples of art making), you’ll discover heartache, lust, dread and all those angst-laden things that produce so much of the content of our lives. Or at least that’s the way I see it. Again, I produce these works to see them myself, to see what these odd elements produce in combination, and to perhaps understand what sort of stuff is moving around inside of me; that said, it’s not therapy, but rather an inquiry.

Why is the exhibition called Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh was a phrase sent to me in 2002 by a friend; she signed an e mail that way. I immediately seized upon it, made a tonne of text works with it, cutting stencils and painting them, or adding it to other works, but also meditating upon its possible meanings. The “but” is critical. My thinking in using it for the title of this exhibition at Orange Dot Gallery in London was that it was so aggressive, sure but still loaded with innocence and dread. Like love.

Critics have previously cited your work as a dadaist exploration of sense and non-sense. What would your response be to this?
I would agree with them. Dada is many things, and has been the point of departure for nearly 100 years of art production. The combination of sense and non-sense, broken grammar, chopped up meaning, and the flux of everyday life is, in my view, what my consciousness is like. What is the sense of finding a dollar bill stuck in a pile of dog shit? Or posters torn and weathered revealing a history of pasting and perhaps, a history of beauty (the models featured in years of posters, bits of their faces and clothing revealed)? I grab onto these things and consider them. Other people think about interest rates and widget production, and so do I, but I do something quite different with the information, the images and the meaning of these things. A large piece I produced, Les Affaires (prints are on Keep Calm Gallery’s site), surveys all sorts of exchanges; it is about commerce in many ways. Another work, Immaculate Perception (also available as a print on Keep Calm Gallery), is a very simple surreal piece showing a girl blossoming from a lemon tree. It’s not very interesting to be logical all day long, plus logic is overrated.


Cornell Bottle (photography courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

How would you describe your own style of work?
I’m a cut and paste artist. But I try to be clear in my chaos. The style can be dada, neo-pop, surreal, but I think after all these years, it’s simply mine.

When you create art, do you do it in the frame of mind that it will be viewed by others or it is created as a visual form of a personal diary?
I create these things to see them for myself, to discover what this 1/2 face would look like with this 1/2 refrigerator. Or what would happen if this nice girl in her party dress would be like if she were wearing a steak for a head, or a pair of mechanical gears for breasts? I produce these works the way I play chess, carefully, but totally willing to take risks, totally willing to exchange queens, sacrifice pawns…not afraid to lose. As for a diary, I’m not sure about that, but I do work in books very often. Some of my series come in the form of 110-page visual novels like A Perfect Friend and Days Like These, People (drawings), Machines (drawings) and a dozen others. I feel not so much as if I’m making things for other people – again – but more for myself, and not to cure myself of anything other than the nightmare that is our world.

You are now based in France. Do you find that where you live has any influence on the themes that run through your work?
Living in France probably hasn’t altered in any significant way the themes that run through my work. Love, sex, death, anxiety, money will find you out no matter where you live. The material though is different. As I’m extremely interested in language, the plethora of printed materials in French, German, Spanish, Italian, English and other languages abounds here. I often find old beat up books tossed out on the street, or objects on the sidewalk. I can also play with a tonne of languages and I very much enjoy that. It’s the world. My studio is small and quiet and as I also live in the space I’m always up at 3 am working. Or I sleep then wake and work… something is always going on here, and should I need to go out, a walk proves a real fascination for me after a period of intense activity. “Holy smokes,” I’ll say to myself. “I live in France.” I sometimes forget that I actually live in this country.

What thoughts/feelings would you like viewers to go away with after they have been to your exhibition?
Well they tell me that they enjoy the work, they like that craziness of the work, but that it all makes sense. During the exhibition the head of a large international advertising company spent quite a while looking at my work. His focus is message communication, and in particularly creating iPhone apps, so he’s very attuned to visuals and text, and he said to me: “This is brilliant.” At the moment he was looking at a work from the America series of a girl on a swing with the word “HOME” pasted on top of her. She was pasted, in turn, on top of a photograph of a ship in a raging storm. That to me was very rewarding. Because something that was interesting to me was interesting to someone else, it was strong enough to click somewhere else.

How would you best like to be remembered?
You mean when I die? I launched an enormous project about this (in a way), A Book About Death. So I’ve thought long and hard about what its like to not have consciousness, to be left alone, to struggle with the impermanence of life, and the often sad and painful lives we lead when the folks we love are no longer with us. I’ve tried not to turn away from death and acknowledge it. Maybe as someone who wasn’t afraid to confront his demons, loved his friends and collaborated with the world in a way that made a little bit more sense out of the nonsense.


My situation (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

Matthew Rose is an American artist living in Paris known for his 1, clinic 000 piece wall-to-wall collages. On viewing his work, see you can’t help but feel as if you are peering into the wrong end of a telescope; the objects look familiar yet distorted, eerie yet beautiful.

His abstract, artistic style presents a surreal and parallel world infused with vibrant colours where he often plays with an unusual fusion of subjects (and by this I mean a man with carrots for his head or a woman who is part-human, part-camera – pretty crazy stuff but in the most fantastic sense!).

For almost three decades, Matthew has been producing installations, which reinforce the connection between imagery and literature in art. His works – many of which are a composite of beautiful colours, visuals and text melting into one another – evoke the genres of 20th century surrealist artists, and several critics have cited his work as demonstrating a ‘dadaist exploration of sense and non-sense’.

Matthew’s installations have featured in galleries and museums across Europe, Asia and the United States, and his work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including MASTERS: COLLAGE (Sterling Publishing/Lark Books, 2010) published recently.

His most notable art project to date, A Book About Death, showcased in New York’s Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in September 2009. The show was a logistical feat involving thousands of artists from across the globe sending 500 artworks in the form of postcards to construct the exhibition. The beauty of the exhibition was that the end result was offered to one lucky visitor in the form of a book… for free. More than 18 exhibitions of A Book About Death have been staged worldwide, including The Queens Museum in New York, MuBE in São Paulo and MoMA Wales.


Private view invite (image courtesy of Matthew Rose and Orange Dot Gallery)

Matthew’s most recent project, Scared But Fresh, is a dislocated love story exploring the sense and non-sense, which I was lucky enough to catch at Orange Dot Gallery, a lovely new exhibition space in the heart of Bloomsbury. By his own admission, Matthew is interested in ‘creating works to see them for himself’ but as a by-product of his imagination, his mesmerising creations prompt the viewer to garner thoughts of their own.

After gate-crashing a Brown University reunion held at the gallery, where Matthew studied Semiotics in 1981, I managed to grab a quiet moment with the calm and composed artist before his alumni chums arrived, gaining a glimpse into the annals of the mind of a truly fascinating individual…

How old were you when you realised you wanted to be an artist?
I couldn’t have been more than six years old when my mother and aunt dragged me to The Brooklyn Museum to see Van Gogh. The lines went around the block and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about; I was hungry, my feet hurt and being small, I was suffocating in this cloud of wool coats. Once inside the galleries, however, I caught my first glimpse of what has proven to be a very nourishing world… I stayed close to my mother and aunt for about 10 minutes but soon enough got lost (purposely) and quietly pushed my way through the crowds to get up close to Van Gogh’s brilliant colors, these vibrating landscapes – in particular, the painting he produced in the Arlesian sun, Almond Branches in Bloom (1890). It turned out to be one of the pieces he produced the year he died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. I never forgot the color and intelligence behind this painting, and I slowly began to look for this “art experience” in my own.


Anglais (image courtesy of Matthew Rose)

What artists did you look up to when you were developing your artistic style?
Most artists I know were influenced by the early 20th century modernists – Picasso, Matisse, Malevich…then Duchamp and the Dadaists, the Surrealists, Pollock, de Kooning and then those who flavored the world we arrived in: Warhol, Johns, Rauschenberg. For me, probably folks like Hopper for his era and compositions and silence; and Cornell for his expansive internal universe, and mostly Ray Johnson, because he was a friend and teacher (as he was to thousands) and the way he worked. Since I mostly work in collage, I’m more prone to think in disparate images and texts, an old-fashioned multi-media stream of consciousness. I don’t have problems with dislocated images and lexical puzzles. Of course I don’t pretend that these artists are producing works of philosophy, but rather reflecting the cataclysm that stems from consciousness.

Your work often involves the use of collage – what led to this fascination and why do you like working in this particular abstract context?
Collage is just one of several mediums I work in. Over the years I’ve produced works/object in wax or wood, painting and drawing, and text pieces either as rubber stamp works (printing) or drawing the words. One of my interests is word as image, and collage permits me to combine words and images in a fairly rapid fashion. I tend to work super fast and produce series in a matter of days or weeks. I’m pretty obsessed once I get going and very little interferes with my process. I did a show some years ago called ‘Spelling With Scissors’, and this is my approach – combining literature (texts) with images. I have always discussed my aesthetic view as a form of reading.

What does working in collage allow you to express in ways that other forms of artistic expression cannot?
Speed. Strangeness. The wide array of material allows me to cover many ideas and compositional concepts in a short period of time. Painting plays a part in what I do, as does drawing and often these mediums come into play in a work. But collage is an approach to consciousness, and that, I think is the flux endpoint in my work. Most of the elements I use are found, and that, too, is an important part of my process. Seeing what the world washes up at my feet, the skidmarks of my time and place.


Scared But Fresh at Orange Dot Gallery (photography courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

What was the inspiration behind Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh
is a love story. The works in the exhibition come together (in my mind, at least) to lay out a dislocated love story, a song about love with its insistent cacophony. I think if you look at the pieces in this exhibition, including the 12-piece collage on paper series, America, you’ll see sex, love and death (the staples of art making), you’ll discover heartache, lust, dread and all those angst-laden things that produce so much of the content of our lives. Or at least that’s the way I see it. Again, I produce these works to see them myself, to see what these odd elements produce in combination, and to perhaps understand what sort of stuff is moving around inside of me; that said, it’s not therapy, but rather an inquiry.

Why is the exhibition called Scared But Fresh?
Scared But Fresh was a phrase sent to me in 2002 by a friend; she signed an e mail that way. I immediately seized upon it, made a tonne of text works with it, cutting stencils and painting them, or adding it to other works, but also meditating upon its possible meanings. The “but” is critical. My thinking in using it for the title of this exhibition at Orange Dot Gallery in London was that it was so aggressive, sure but still loaded with innocence and dread. Like love.

Critics have previously cited your work as a dadaist exploration of sense and non-sense. What would your response be to this?
I would agree with them. Dada is many things, and has been the point of departure for nearly 100 years of art production. The combination of sense and non-sense, broken grammar, chopped up meaning, and the flux of everyday life is, in my view, what my consciousness is like. What is the sense of finding a dollar bill stuck in a pile of dog shit? Or posters torn and weathered revealing a history of pasting and perhaps, a history of beauty (the models featured in years of posters, bits of their faces and clothing revealed)? I grab onto these things and consider them. Other people think about interest rates and widget production, and so do I, but I do something quite different with the information, the images and the meaning of these things. A large piece I produced, Les Affaires (prints are on Keep Calm Gallery’s site), surveys all sorts of exchanges; it is about commerce in many ways. Another work, Immaculate Perception (also available as a print on Keep Calm Gallery), is a very simple surreal piece showing a girl blossoming from a lemon tree. It’s not very interesting to be logical all day long, plus logic is overrated.


Cornell Bottle (photography courtesy of Orange Dot Gallery)

How would you describe your own style of work?
I’m a cut and paste artist. But I try to be clear in my chaos. The style can be dada, neo-pop, surreal, but I think after all these years, it’s simply mine.

When you create art, do you do it in the frame of mind that it will be viewed by others or it is created as a visual form of a personal diary?
I create these things to see them for myself, to discover what this 1/2 face would look like with this 1/2 refrigerator. Or what would happen if this nice girl in her party dress would be like if she were wearing a steak for a head, or a pair of mechanical gears for breasts? I produce these works the way I play chess, carefully, but totally willing to take risks, totally willing to exchange queens, sacrifice pawns…not afraid to lose. As for a diary, I’m not sure about that, but I do work in books very often. Some of my series come in the form of 110-page visual novels like A Perfect Friend and Days Like These, People (drawings), Machines (drawings) and a dozen others. I feel not so much as if I’m making things for other people – again – but more for myself, and not to cure myself of anything other than the nightmare that is our world.

You are now based in France. Do you find that where you live has any influence on the themes that run through your work?
Living in France probably hasn’t altered in any significant way the themes that run through my work. Love, sex, death, anxiety, money will find you out no matter where you live. The material though is different. As I’m extremely interested in language, the plethora of printed materials in French, German, Spanish, Italian, English and other languages abounds here. I often find old beat up books tossed out on the street, or objects on the sidewalk. I can also play with a tonne of languages and I very much enjoy that. It’s the world. My studio is small and quiet and as I also live in the space I’m always up at 3 am working. Or I sleep then wake and work… something is always going on here, and should I need to go out, a walk proves a real fascination for me after a period of intense activity. “Holy smokes,” I’ll say to myself. “I live in France.” I sometimes forget that I actually live in this country.

What thoughts/feelings would you like viewers to go away with after they have been to your exhibition?
Well they tell me that they enjoy the work, they like that craziness of the work, but that it all makes sense. During the exhibition the head of a large international advertising company spent quite a while looking at my work. His focus is message communication, and in particularly creating iPhone apps, so he’s very attuned to visuals and text, and he said to me: “This is brilliant.” At the moment he was looking at a work from the America series of a girl on a swing with the word “HOME” pasted on top of her. She was pasted, in turn, on top of a photograph of a ship in a raging storm. That to me was very rewarding. Because something that was interesting to me was interesting to someone else, it was strong enough to click somewhere else.

How would you best like to be remembered?
You mean when I die? I launched an enormous project about this (in a way), A Book About Death. So I’ve thought long and hard about what its like to not have consciousness, to be left alone, to struggle with the impermanence of life, and the often sad and painful lives we lead when the folks we love are no longer with us. I’ve tried not to turn away from death and acknowledge it. Maybe as someone who wasn’t afraid to confront his demons, loved his friends and collaborated with the world in a way that made a little bit more sense out of the nonsense.


Illustration by Abigail Wright

You may have noticed that Britain’s fashion scene has been ‘yarnbombed’ of late. Knitwear is everywhere. The term itself refers to covering street furniture, prostate including stop signs and phone boxes with knitted garments, such as long scarves and soft tea cosies. People generally festoon the knitwear to make a point and highlight an issue, such as a charity’s appeal.

The wool adorning act follows from the last two years of the enormous and triumphant return of knitwear to fashion. Its rise coincides with the soaring popularity of vintage and collectable clothing.

That’s why style pioneer of the sixties and knitwear legend Marion Foale’s informal talk at Image Boutique in Bath’s Milsom Place on Monday was quite the fashion event. For over thirty years Marion Foale has hand-knitted the finest wool and cotton jackets available in the world. Her designs are inspired by the glamour of the forties. They are exquisite in their fit and form, always with emphasis on femininity. Each jacket takes over 300 hours to make using only the finest cotton and wool yarns.

Min Stevenson, owner of Image, said: “We sell Marion Foale jackets every season, people love them. We were very excited to give our Foale fans a chance to meet the maker of such a superb collection.”

Wearing one of her own red, swing cardigans, Foale chatted in a relaxed manner to her avid fans. She spoke of her background in the fashion business during the swinging sixties, and her successful knitwear collection from the seventies onwards.

I felt a little out of place, standing there with the PR lady and photographer, discussing the miniature quiches on offer. Most of the women there could afford the £400 prices of a Foale piece, and looking at their fabrics and immaculate complexions, most were certainly members of Bath’s elite.

However, when I fought through the ladies, and eventually cornered Marion for an interview, I found she was incredibly friendly and talked of her sixties past with delight and relish. She was equally lighthearted when discussing starting a business in knitwear with no idea how to actually knit. Gutsy.


Illustration by Cat Palairet

Of course Foale started her fashion career with a fabulous collection of tailored fabric designs in the sixties. She did this with her business partner, Sally Tuffin, who herself favoured the floatier designs.  After studying together at the Royal College of Art and attaining their degrees in 1961, they formed Foale and Tuffin. Situated in London, on the cusp of the sixties style revolution, their designs pushed boundaries and gave young women an avenue of self expression they had never previously experienced.

They began by working from their South Kensington flat, spending their days working at their sewing machines on their dining room table. Patterns would have to be cut on the floor. Foale said, “I started by making bridesmaid dresses and things like that for cash. We worked in our flat using domestic machines, sewing them up ourselves and taking them on the bus.” Their talent was soon realised and by the mid sixties they had moved onto the famous King’s Road.

“Fortunately Woodlands 21 opened, and they were desperate for a new, young look. There was only Mary Quant back then and so of course they snatched at it and put them in the window.”

“Then Vogue comes along and photographs it, then David Bailey photographs it. Then you have got to make 36 more by hand and cut them out. You get somebody to help you machining, then a factory. Then of course the American market started opening up. They wanted a bit of the Swinging Sixties and that’s how it all happened.”

From 1965 to 1970, Foale and Tuffin signed for Youthquake with Mary Quant and Betsey Johnson doing whistle stop tours around the USA with Go Go girls to model and the Skunks boy band creating the accompanying musical sounds. Foale and her business partner Sally Tuffin found themselves in a world of stylish rebellion. The 1960s were the first time that young people embraced their own style. Previously girls were always dressed to look like their mothers.  Foale said:  “We’d had it rammed down our throats – I had to go to Sunday School with white gloves, a hat and a handbag, just like a miniature mum in a dress made by her, exactly the same as hers! I mean who wanted to do that? We just wanted to kick against it all.”


Illustration by Faye West

Their trouser suits, mixed tartans, kaftans and shockingly thick woolly tights, to be worn with mini skirts, broke boundaries. However, although she saw the departure from the strict formal wear of the 1950s as indeed risque, she also saw it as an inevitable move for fashion in the1960s. “We thought it was very daring but it was just so comfortable wearing trousers. There weren’t many trousers for women that you could buy at the time.

“And there was this whole problem with mini skirts and what you put on your legs. Stockings in those days were flesh coloured, fine denier and worn with suspender belts. Well, we wanted fun colours, and thicker as well. We found these wonderful Swedish stockings, which we sold in our shop. And I think the trouser suit revolution was just a feeling in the air, that had to happen.”

The sixties were undeniably an electrifying decade for fashion and liberation, but Foale believes they were merely designing what they, as young women, wanted to be wearing. She said: “It was just good fun. Nothing was serious. We just did what we wanted to do, we didn’t want to go and work for anybody and we just did it because we wanted to do it.
“We were breaking boundaries without realising, we just did what we wanted to wear and what we liked and we wouldn’t go and work for people in factories.”

Ms Stevenson, who has enjoyed a business relationship with Foale for decades, remembers Foale and Tuffin with fondness. She said: “It was different to what other people were doing and that was the exciting thing.”


Illustration by Nina Hunter

After their children were born, Foale and Tuffin ceased in 1972. Sally Tuffin started a ceramic business and Marion Foale started her own knitwear collection in 1981. Ms Stevenson said: “It was an awful thing when they stopped because they’d been doing such a wonderful business. It was a great shame, it had such a terrific following. There were some Japanese inspired pieces, oh fabulous. I cut mine up for my daughter. I regret it, regret it, regret it!”

However Foale had moved to a 16th century thatched farmhouse on the Warwickshire borders and wanted to explore new avenues of knitwear design, steering away from what she already knew. Ms Stevenson believes that this was hand knitting’s time. She said: “There was a big thing for knitwear, there was Patricia Roberts and Edina Ronay. It had a special place.”

However, initially Foale could not knit. “I couldn’t knit and I couldn’t write a pattern, so I taught myself. When the babies were little I started knitting because that was the only thing to do.

“I started with children’s and put a little book together, because I wanted to do a knitting pattern book. I was told to do wholesale, so I rang up Paul Smith, an old friend of mine – his wife used to work for us –  and I went to see Paul and said what do you think? He said: “No, no good. Far too understated, far too simple, no I wouldn’t bother.” I went away and I thought, I’ll bother. We all laugh about it now.”

Foale has since enjoyed fantastic success with Foale Ltd. Her hand knitted garments are sold around the world. Still based in the Midlands, she and has a team of knitters within a 25 mile radius of her offices. Many of the knitters are retired and find that it is an outlet for their knitting skills. The selection process is tough and only one in five will make it onto the team. Foale, a lover of maths, draws the patterns on graph paper and uses her tailoring skills to create the fitted, feminine style of her garments. The knitters never sew their pieces together themselves however, they will only knit the separate pieces, as Foale believes that knitters do not necessarily make sewers.

She had some words of advice for young, budding designers and acknowledged the different obstacles in their way. “Oh, it’s much harder now, I feel so sorry for young designers. But if you want to do something, do it. Whatever you want to do, do it. Go for it. “


Illustration by Holly Giblin

Since Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin’s designs hit London’s Kings Road, female fashion designers have of course flourished. Stylish knitwear has prospered since Foale started her knitwear business in 1981. Fashion Editor of The Daily Telegraph Hilary Alexander calls it, “London’s heritage of knit wizardry”. And looking at the last three seasons, catwalks have been thoroughly wrapped up in scarves and cardigans, as well as Mad Men-styled chic 1950s separates. A new wave of knitwear designers such as Louise Goldin and Craig Lawrence have thrived.

This has transcended to the high street, giving rise to the knitting club, and of course, the art of ‘yarnbombing’.  The huge revival love of knitwear could be partly attributed to nostalgia – the metaphorical knitted hug, together with the recession’s ‘make do and mend’ principles. It certainly seems that everyone is in the midst of knitting a scarf these days.

To own one of Marion Foale’s sweaters, though, is to own a collectable. Many women dearly cherish her pieces.  Her designs are beautiful, distinctive, imaginative and utterly English. Marion Foale was the arguably one of the original ‘yarnbombers’ –  terribly dignified but with a glint in the eye…

Foale and Tuffin: The Sixties. A Decade in Fashion by Iain R. Webb is out now, published by Antique Collectors Club Publishing Group

Marion Foale’s Classic Knitwear: A Beautiful Collection of 30 Original Patterns, first released in 1985, is out now, published by Rodale Press

Categories ,1960s, ,Abigail Wright, ,Bath, ,Betsy Johnson, ,Cat Palairet, ,Craig Lawrence, ,Edna Ronay, ,Faye West, ,Foale and Tuffin, ,Hilary Alexander, ,Holly Giblin, ,Image Boutique, ,Kings Road, ,knitwear, ,london, ,Louise Goldin, ,Marion Foale, ,Mary Quant, ,Min Stevenson, ,Nina Hunter, ,Patricia Roberts, ,Paul Smith, ,rca, ,Sally Tuffin, ,South Kensington, ,Swinging Sixties, ,Woodlands 21, ,Yarnbombing, ,Youth Quake

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Amelia’s Magazine | Scruffy does it: Suzie Winsor presents ‘Beard and Wonderful’

London by Avril kelly2
Bright city lights of London and 123 Bethnal Green Road by Avril Kelly

Vrooosh and we’re in. After a National Express journey from Bristol at 4.10pm we arrived immersed in the mighty traffic of London. From twit updates, information pills I was aware that the Amelia’s Magazine London team had spent the morning working hard whilst I’d been sat at my rectangular Apple.

 Gareth A Hopkins Mattt Bramford

The lovely Matt Bramford, viagra approved Amelia’s Fashion Editor working hard with a smile. Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Getting off the beloved bus, we tubed to Bethnal Green Road, missing our bikes with all our hearts after we discovered we had got off at the wrong tube stop and had to walk the length of the road. When we got to 110 -ish I put on my heels and immediately inflicted a new set speed of slow on us. Then after apparently vacantly walking past the venue, we about turned and eventually arrived at 123 Bethnal Green Road at 8pm. And there we are- in.

6dayriot-ACOFI-by-Mina-Bach
Illustration of 6 Day Riot by Mina Bach

It’s buzzing and I can see the feathered headdress and hear the sound of glorious music coming from the stage. 6 Day Riot are on stage and everyone is loving it. “Drink!” Vodka O flowing, blue bottled Adnams beers in hand – mutter to Charlie, he can’t hear me, the walls are bright and the buzz is loud. But we are smirking at each other, as the swirl of this internal world is clearly alleviating our hours of bus lethargy. There are beautiful outfits from where I want to find out, and make up perfection. I’m loving the wedges, flowing skirts, vintage fabrics and beautiful piled up and flowing hair. Breathing art of their own kind, everyone I want to know and only until midnight to do it. Um, let’s CHAT. Ze atmosphere is perfect for le chat… Bonjoir…

helboyf3

Charlie and I by Abby Wright – This illustration was a present for our families (I know) – but now you can see us both. In art form!

I meet Jess Furseth because we are looking at each other like we know each other, but don’t. It’s like online friend dating. How could this all go minus the screen? It’s fine of course. We natter about the world then pop downstairs with my curly haired man. There we meet Hannah Bullivant and her husband. Chat, chat, banter, banter – her husband is from Jersey too. Cue lots of Jersey yabbering then Jess, Hannah and I discuss the power of the word etc. There are tea cups about the place from earlier’s tea, cake and illustration session, and a comfy Chesterfield sofa for a second of sitting. This is when I briefly meet Amelia’s Dad. It’s all in the eyes! Lovely man.

Akeela pic of me

Picture of moi by Akeela

Boosh and we’re chatting outside. Banter, banter. Then downstairs and the Lily Vanilli cake is being cut. I have a bite of Charlie’s and the white chocolate and sweet cake melts like pink heaven in my mouth. He swipes it away from my chops. Chat, chat. “Hello Amelia!” She’s wearing an amazing cape and gorgeous shoes. So nice to see her. “Fabulous PARTYY!”

ACOFI cake illustration by Danielle Shepherd

CAKE! by Danielle Shepherd. Made by Lily Vanilli.

Abby_Wright_Amelia_Gregory_ACOFI
Illustration of Amelia, lady of the night, by Abby Wright

Chat to a couple of bloggers and see some of the splendid illustrators I speak to everyday. Everywhere I turn is enthusiasm and love for ART! Whilst Charlie is talking about his hair (apparently) to a table of chaps, I had a peek inside a goodie bag. With the purchase of ACOFI, one could have a fabulous tote bag with a Tatty Devine necklace, Dr Hauschka products, Pukka tea, a Moleskine notebook and other goodies inside. I bestowed on the goodies the necessary “ooohs” and “ahhhs” as I pulled out product after postcard after teabag. It was literally a combination of all my favourite things. Splendid!

Gareth A Hopkins Sallly Mumby Croft copy

Contributor Sally Mumby- Croft snapping away. Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Squeal at Matt Bramford before spending the rest of the evening throwing shapes with Chazaroo, Hannah, her husband and the lovely Jess. C.L.A.S.S.I.C. tunes are spun out from The Pipettes and the Mystery Jets DJ. We take breaks outside and before long it all becomes a spinny blur of joy.

MattBramford_ACOFI_280111_430
Stylish people dancing, picture by Matt Bramford

The Pipettes by Avril Kelly

The Pipettes by Avril Kelly

dancing

Hannah Bullivant in the thrust of a move.

It would have been super to have chatted to EVERYONE, but to be honest I adored spending the evening with three fantastic new (now real-life – that’s right writers and Jersey 2) friends. That’s what it was about for me, relaxed fun and an appreciation for the creative and beautiful. I’m proud to be a part of Amelia’s Magazine and all who sail in her.

tube
Photo by Annie Mole, flickr

Excitable, energised, excellently enjoyable. Ends.


Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin, case Alec Guinness, case Byker Grove’s Geoff Keegan and Rolf Harris are among the great and bearded in Suzie Winsor’s collection. Even Edmund Blackadder has a spot in the lineup now hanging in Shoreditch’s KK Outlet gallery. This all seems right, I’m thinking as I admire the quirky ink drawings; I will be the first to admit to having something of a soft spot for a good beard. But what’s the attraction for Suzie?

‘Oh it’s hard to say, but beards seem to add a lot of character to a face,’ Suzie says, as I manage to steal five minutes of her time during the packed opening night last Thursday. ‘It can make a guy seem friendlier, or sometimes more intellectual.’ It started when Suzie was listing people she wanted to draw, and realised lots of them had beards. ‘So I thought, why not make that a theme for an exhibition.’ Proper beards though, none of those sculptured ones, she adds: ‘Bushy and manly, you know!’


Geoff Keegan

While a great beard became a requisite to be part in her show, Suzie points out that all the candidates are also inspirational. ‘I’m a huge Pulp fan’, she says, pointing to the picture of Jarvis Cocker, then to Charles Dickens: ‘I love Oliver Twist.’ As we’re talking, one of Suzie’s other beardy heroes, Rob Ryan, shows up to congratulate his former colleague. Suzie has also worked alongside Tatty Devine and Paul Smith, but has now embarked on the freelance route.


Bearded Suzie

So now, which inspirational characters do you think should seriously consider having a beard, I ask Suzie? She thinks about it for a moment. ‘Well, maybe Larry David, Stuart Murdoch and David Suchet…’ I suggest Robert Downey Jr, to which Suzie nods, and Cate Blanchett, to which she laughs, but I do think it’s a good idea, you know. Then the next day, she emails me: ‘I’ve just realised I haven’t drawn Mick Fleetwood! I’m genuinely gutted! Aaah. I’m going to have to continue the series!’


Beards

Running alongside Suzie Winsor’s art at KK Outlet is a second show, entitled ‘In almost every picture #9’ by Erik Kessels. It’s a series of old, faded Polaroid photos of one family’s very black dog – the animal is clearly loved as it’s present in so many of their pictures, but because of the inadequate camera the dog is practically invisible.

The result is fascinating. Part of Erik Kessels’ found photography series, the dog-shape appears in photo after photo after photo. It’s sort of like the pet isn’t really there, giving it a ghost-like feel. But still, the family has persevered in the hope that one day, their furry friend will be accurately captured on film.



In almost every picture #9

‘Beard and Wonderful’ runs until 28th February at KK Outlet, 24 Hoxton Square, London N1 6PB. For more information see our listing.

Categories ,Alec Guinness, ,Beard and Wonderful, ,Byker Grove, ,Cate Blanchett, ,Charles Darwin, ,Charles Dickens, ,David Suchet, ,Edmund Blackadder, ,Erik Kessels, ,Geoff Keegan, ,illustration, ,In almost every picture #9, ,Jarvis Cocker, ,KK Outlet, ,Larry David, ,london, ,Mick Fleetwood, ,Paul Smith, ,photography, ,rob ryan, ,Robert Downey Jr, ,Rolf Harris, ,shoreditch, ,Stuart Murdoch, ,Suzie Winsor, ,Tatty Devine

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Furniture Designer and Maker Anthony Hartley

Anthony Hartley
I discovered the colourfully unique work of furniture designer and ‘jumped-up joinerAnthony Hartley at Tent London back in September 2011. In this catch up interview I discover how the Yorkshire based artisan has developed his style over the years, from early training on the job to a university degree in design in the year 2000.

Anthony Hartley Edna drawer unit
Anthony Hartley Edna drawer unit.

You launched your latest colourful range at Tent London in 2011, what was the response and what have you been up to since then?
The response I got at tent was slightly overwhelming to be honest, the reactions and comments were all very positive. The thing I liked the most about Tent London was the different crowds over the four days, but the best was the students’ day; the genuine reaction of the enthusiastic and relatively non-cynical youth just can’t be matched.

Anthony Hartley edna close up
Anthony Hartley Edna close up.

You describe yourself as a ‘jumped-up joiner‘ which is a pretty fabulous term. Where did you grow up and how did you learn to design furniture? Was it something that fascinated you from a young age and if so why?
The ‘jumped-up joiner’ thing comes from the mixed feelings of pride and yet utter frustration at being a joiner fitting kitchens and laying floors while yearning to have my own workshop and make the furniture that I had been creating in my head for years. After mentioning this in a conversation to a group of site workmen one particularly sarcastic sparky turned round and said ‘Who does he think he is, the bloody jumped-up joiner?‘ I think it was very soon after that when I started my three years at Leeds College of Art and Design where I had the time a resources to explore my ideas.

Anthony Hartley Frank and Mrs Frank
Anthony Hartley Frank and Mrs Frank.

You only went to art college in 2000, many years after starting to design furniture, how has this influenced your design process since and what did you do in the intervening years before launching your own range in 2010?
From leaving college to getting the workshop took almost another 7 years joinery work to achieve and is still an ongoing thing as I am currently on the the move again to the third (and hopefully final) workshop in 4 years. The choice of machinery (traditional salvaged machines from the mills of the Pennines) comes from the need for reliable, robust yet affordable and easy maintenance pieces of kit that will go on and on for years.

Anthony Hartley Mr Smith the Second chair
Anthony Hartley Mr Smith the Second chair.

Your signature piece is Mr Smith the Second. which I understand is inspired by the iconic stripes so beloved of Paul Smith. Are you a Paul Smith fan when it comes to dressing? And have you had any response from Paul Smith himself?
Mr Smith was a development of the original Frank chair (inspired by the architect Frank Gehry), the response I got was mainly ‘Is that a Paul Smith chair?‘ so I decided to go with it, you never know, it may get noticed by the man himself and generate a sale at least! As to buying his tailoring?? If only!! I’d need a few more orders for Mr Smith to be able to afford it.

Anthony Hartley closeup
What is the design and making process that goes into your furniture and what inspires your bright and beautiful colour palette?
The design and making process is one of trial and error: models, drawings and full size mock ups. The use of colour is a personal thing and no matter how I try it always comes creeping back in the end. Used in the right way, colour can do wonderful things to a piece of furniture and transform and lift something very mundane into something pretty spectacular, whether it be a single colour or a combination.

Anthony Hartley Sidney shelf
Anthony Hartley Sidney shelf.

What can your fans expect in 2012? any exciting new pieces you’d like to unveil?
2012 brings a range of furniture that is very simplistic and more geared towards CNC manufacture than anything I have designed before, prototypes are in place and ready to go as we speak!! So watch this space!!

Categories ,2011, ,Anthony Hartley, ,CNC, ,colour, ,designer, ,Frank Gehry, ,Furniture, ,interview, ,Jumped-up Joiner, ,Leeds College of Art and Design, ,Mr Smith, ,Mr Smith the Second, ,Paul Smith, ,Tent London

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