Album designs for Rock Dad

My Dad is a rock dad. I grew up telling him to turn down his music, to stop playing his guitar because it's past midnight, trying to rein in his red wine drinking and listening to his latest blues riffs. Now my rock dad is nearing retirement he is putting a band together and has written an album of songs with his friend Steve. Its pretty good too. There are ones that make me cry - the one about my mother who died has wonderful words, ones with great guitar riffs and lovely ones about our hometown of Swansea. Right now he's writing one with funny rhymes about his dating exploits. My dad is loved by the ladies.

He has put a lot of hard work into his album and he has asked me to make him an album cover. His album is called The Happy Shed - rock dad is still a man and men love their sheds. But the band is yet unnamed. These are my first attempts - they aren't in the right size and format yet - I'm going to work that out when he has chosen a design. Then I'll also design the back and the spines. He might not use them but I thought it would be fun to share.

Painting Addiction

Decorating isn't everyone's cup of tea. But I like to get stuck in. I can paint all day - even if its just painting a second coat of white emulsion. But I find that it's like an addiction. Once you start you are itching to paint more, and more, GOD DAMN IT I WANT TO PAINT MY ENTIRE HOUSE RIGHT NOW!!!!

Ok sorry, I'm under control again. Because I can't get on with the painting without pulling up the carpets first (that...not so fun - who knows what I'll find! Insects, dust, uneven floorboards, rotten floorboards - I am scared), I have decided to finish a canvas that I started a while back. It is a painting that I created from different found images - some from rock album posters, some from the beautiful pictures on the Guardian Eyewitness app.

It's a work in progress at the mo. I need to refine the face, I might add patterning in the hair, I'm not sure. I may even add flecks of gold in the leaves. And the blue and white fields need a lot of work too. But hey here it is anyway. I don't know what the picture is trying to say. To my boyfriend it's about spirituality. And maybe that's true. It's got happy colours but it does seem kind of still and almost sad. It seems to be about time stopping at different points. About thought, about nature and religion. When I've finished, maybe it will mean something else. 

Clouds beautiful daydreams

Today's theme send around in the creative department has been clouds. First we have Berndnaut Smilde who uses fog machines and careful controlling of temperature and humidity to create little clouds in empty rooms which he then photographs. Here are the beautiful results:

Creating weather is a bit like playing God. Not in a bad way it's just awe inspiring. If you'd like to see the clouds being created watch the video below. The artist speaks in Dutch so if that means nothing to you (like me) just skip forward to the beautiful cloud bits.

The second of our beautiful cloud artists creates clouds of colour. Brice Bischoff takes pictures of swirling mists of colour in the Bronson Caves in Los Angeles. These caves have been the settings of many movies - they've seen explosions, gun fights and even stone age people. These clouds are just as staged - in fact they could be seen as records of performances. They are made by the artist himself dancing covered with brightly coloured paper and captured in long exposure. Bischoff calls the result a "chaotic specter of fictional realities" against the unchanging landscape.

Personally I find the last one the most haunting. It looks like a man on fire - or an angel falling. If you know of any other artists who work with clouds in some way let me know. 

Thanks to Debs and Thomas for this post.

The Kittens Are Here!!!

Just a quick kitten update. Mummy cat has given birth to 5 brown tabby Siberians. Cuteness!

Kitten News

I am currently in the process of adopting two Siberian kittens. I say adopting not buying because this is a difficult and time consuming process - much like adopting a child. There are only about 50 breeders in the UK. One breeder I have been speaking to has 4 kittens and a waiting list of 16. And since these are hobby breeders - which is nice as they don't put too much pressure on their pets - there aren't often litters up for grabs. Not only that I have had to meet breeders personally to check my suitability, fill in questionnaires about my circumstances and keep in regular contact.

The breeder who I met at the recent pet show in Earls Court and who has promised me two of her kittens has been sending me weekly updates with pictures of mummy cat. I thought I'd share some with you all. Check out her fat kitten belly.

So why a Siberian right? I could just go down the cattery and save a kitten from homelessness. Yes I know. But I like the idea of choosing a temperament and a look and my Fiance wants to get kittens. With kittens from a rescue centre how they turn out as adults is a little up to chance. Plus I've fallen in love with the Siberian breed - they are gentle but fairly energetic, inquisitive, fluffy with gorgeous faces and HUGE. In fact they are three times the size of Enzo our office dog (he is a miniature jack russel). 

When the kittens come along I will be posting some pics - shouldn't be long!!

Comments problems

A number of friends have told me that they tried and failed to comment on my blog. So I have made a couple of changes that might help. One is that I made the comments full page instead of embedded - apparently people need specific cookies to comment when it is embedded. The other is that I have turned word verification off. The next step would be completely resetting my blog which sounds dangerous to me. So I hope that helps. Let me know! 

Sleep in a Piece of Graphic Design

Where can advertising go when its not advertising? Well, how about a...hotel?
For the launch of the rather boring looking Volkswagen Fox 21 (see below)

...international artists from the fields of graphic design, urban art and illustration each took on one or more of the rooms at Hotel Fox in Copenhagen. Here is the result.

Dryads by Rinzen

King's Forest by Birgit Amadori

The Royal Wedding by Container

Two Swans (Fertility Shrine) by Friendswithyou

King's Court by Birgit Amadori

Harmony's Helm by Friendswithyou

Tinkp Eepe by Freaklub

Japanese Garden by Tokidoki

Sleep Seasons by Rinzen

Spring Grove by Anke Vera Zink

Heavenly Palace by Friendswithyou

Promoting the actual car...looks good, but I feel the cool was lent. This isn't a particularly breakthrough design and I wonder how tenuous the actual link between the car and the hotel really was. Were the creatives given a brief that told them the car designers really thought outside the box? Was it meant to be a modern urban environment car? 

For more information on the stories behind these rooms or the artists involved visit the hotel site at : http://www.hotelfox.dk/

And if anyone has stayed there let me know!