Thursday 20 August 2009

Wild in town


Wild weather in the town reminds you that the town is part of the wild too.

For Mr Kipperling

Sunsets not my normal fare but the evening that I did this was amazing.

We were on the MV Loch Nevis between Canna and Mallaig after a few days on the Small Isles. The sea was still, silver and viscous-looking. We could see past Skye and Canna to the Outer Hebrideas. To the North were crisp views to the Black Cuillin ridge. Hushed tourists all around. Kipperling was sipping Red Cuillin ale, eating CalMac chips and watching over my shoulder. Unusually, he made approving comments (about the picture - CalMac chips and Skye Brewery beer always of a high standard). Sunsets are obviously his thing. So he's getting this one for his birthday.

I am fairly sure that Kipperling will not see this before I give it to him tomorrow since he will be celebrating tonight in Brontë country. Which conjures a very interesting set of images! He will no doubt be wearing brogues, clutching a copy of the Guardian Weekly and eating shin of beef.

Thursday 13 August 2009

William's Ikaturina



Me plus client went to the museum to draw prehistoric sea creatures. Then I took his drawings and turned them into a pattern, to be printed on heavy Linen Union. The fabric is now at the sewing wizard-ess to be made into curtains and cushions! The first properly printed fabric from the den, exciting.

The print is digital, done at CAT digital, Glasgow. A great service as you can order small quantities to be printed. Handy for sampling and smaller orders of bespoke fabric. Fabric can be printed in pre-specified lengths - very useful for curtain making as any pattern match wastage can be wiped out. Because each panel is exactly the same the horizontal match is perfect, and thus saves the curtain maker a bit of time (helpful when the the drop means long lengths of fabric that would otherwise have to be measured out). The fabric arrived very quickly - about a weeks turnaround. They have a huge range of stock fabrics to print on.

Tuesday 11 August 2009

New things

A large roll of fabric arrived, with a pattern from the den. Pictures to follow. It is called William's Ikaturina.

Monday 3 August 2009

Marble

William Orpen. Embarrassingly didn't know anything about him until very recently, when I heard Miruna Cuzman do an interesting talk on his work. Perhaps more here soon. War paintings and allegory in marble medium.

Left:
The Holy Well. Skellig Michael in the background?

Bedtime reading:
Roy Foster,
‘Old Ireland and Himself: William Orpen and the conflicts of Irish Identity', Estudios Irlandeses Vol 1, 2005.

Pipers

Last week there was the biggest clan gathering ever, in Edinburgh. There hasn't been anything like it here for a long time. Left is a poster advertising the 1951 clan gathering, from the collection of the Museum of London.

A nice accidental find to help me out with ideas for the wedding invitations that I am designing for my cousin. City silhouettes and tartan were ideas already hovering...as usual. The client's brief cites Edinburgh/London/Malaysia/Norfolk and several tartans as possibilities for inclusion.


This is the kind mentalists' brief that is most welcome (nay, desired!) in the den. Thanks S&P!

Also taking place during the Edinburgh Festival of 1951 (Only the 5th Edinburgh Festival and the same year as the Festival of Britain) was 'Living Traditions', an exhibition at the Royal Scottish Museum (now Royal Museum of Scotland and currently closed for refurbishment). Left is the Roger Nicholson (Palladio Wallpapers) designed poster.

Quite different displays of style and content. Not so different from disparity in currently circulating marketing materials. But too tired for teasing out exegetical detail at the moment!