All Things Considered

Friendly Fires
Posted by Kate Sullivan

I'm a sucker for cowbells and (some) boy bands and last night I enjoyed a little bit of both.

Friendly Fires - four lads from St Albans - played at Norwich's UEA following sets from two American bands tipped for great success, Boy Crisis and Hockey (yes, more boy bands).

Friendly Fires make a cool mix of pop and rave (nu-rave?), lots of percussion and heavy drums. Their music reminds me of the excellent LCD Soundsystem - both are full of energy and attitude but Friendly Fires win the dance accolade with some damn fine uninhibited shape shifting from the talented lead singer, Ed McFarlane.

Posted by Kate Sullivan on April 30th, 2009

The Magpie Eye
Posted by Simon Lewin

UPDATE Mark Hearld will be exhibiting a range of prints and unique collages at our North Norfolk gallery in Spring 2010. For details nearer the time, please sign up for our e-mail newsletter. We will also be launching the second of Mark's textile designs for our St. Jude's range in Autumn 2010.

Took a trip up to Scarborough on Sunday to visit the art gallery there for the current 'East Coasting - Art & Design By Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious' exhibition that includes Mark Hearld's inspirational collection of objects old & new - all in a room under the title of 'The Magpie Eye' (which we featured previously). The exhibition closes on Monday 4th May - if you're anywhere near do try and make it. In the photo below Mark explains some of the room's contents to Angie and Marie. For gallery details visit their website.

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 28th, 2009

Market Place – with Sid James
Posted by Simon Lewin

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 27th, 2009

Itteringham Mayday Fayre
Posted by Kate Sullivan

Itteringham is hosting its annual Mayday Fayre on May 4th from 11am.

As always at the Mayday Fayre, there will be the eclectic and often very good car boot sale. Cakes, tea, and lunches will served in the community centre next to the car boot field.

There will also be children's entertainment, ice-creams and a fairground organ (but don't let that put you off). All proceeds go to the Church Funds.

St Jude's will be open for most of the day, as will the Village Shop next door. 

Posted by Kate Sullivan on April 26th, 2009

Letterpress Printing
Posted by Kate Sullivan

Yesterday, Simon gave me my first introduction to letterpress printing and I loved it. There is something so pleasing about the process and of course the results. I had this inane grin once the first print was inked and pressed using an Adana, but then I noticed Simon had that grin too. I think letter pressing just has that effect.

My first project was to set the gallery’s new address in 12 pt type ready to print out compliment slips. Having completed a batch of these, we then went on to print out some belly bands to wrap around a set of four  different postcard designs by Angie, which will be available from the gallery in May.

Posted by Kate Sullivan on April 25th, 2009

The Art of Necessity
Posted by Simon Lewin

Great blog over at Creative Review about Spanish printers' response to the avant-garde in the 1930s...

"When the European avant-garde reached Spain in the 1930s, local printers found themselves ill-equipped to respond. Small printshops were mostly reliant on turn-of-the century typefaces: hardly fitting for expressing this bold new world. But, in a remarkable show of ingenuity, they found their own means of respond­ing to art deco, futurism et al: ‘type case art’." Read in full

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 24th, 2009

How to run a café
Posted by Simon Lewin

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 23rd, 2009

John Burningham
Posted by Simon Lewin

One of the downsides of running a gallery is saying goodbye to items that you've become fairly attached to.

This was the case with this John Burningham poster which I picked up in a job lot at an auction - it hadn't been listed with the main lot so it was a great surprise coming across it. It sat happily in our print browser for a few months, and eventually it was purchased and taken away. I regretted the sale the minute I'd swiped the credit card. I'd thought I was over it, now I'm not entirely sure.

In last weekend's Independent, Deborah Orr talks to Burningham and finds out how the children's book illustrator fears life is getting harder, and more restrictive, for young people today...

"John Burningham, in his calm, measured tones, is describing an aspect of life in 1950s Britain that is all but forgotten. "They had piano smashing competitions, you know, that was the thing. Outside a country pub the local youths would take sledgehammers to pianos, which is ... barbaric behaviour."

It's clear that Burningham speaks from the heart, not least because his spacious Hampstead home is a monument to furniture salvage, with strange and lovely pieces of all kinds of provenance fitted in any space where something can be fitted. He still shudders at the idea of beautiful things being destroyed for pleasure and entertainment, and the huge horn of his ancient record player attests to his collector's passion for retrieving abandoned and otherwise forgotten music." Read the article in full

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 22nd, 2009

Wild Places
Posted by Simon Lewin

Caught some bits of Radio 4's 'Traveller's Tree' on Monday (still available on iPlayer).

One of the guests included Robert Macfarlane. I'd been meaning to get a copy of his Wild Places book (now purchased).

They discussed a couple of wilderness destinations that are on our list. One isn't an obvious destination - Essex - but I've become increasingly intrigued/inspired (in part by Caught By The River and Underworld) by this part of the world - especially the Dengie.

We're also keen to make it to Knoydart someday soon - it's part of the mainland but only really accessible by water (or a very long walk in).

The snap shot below is from a beach we visited on Skye a couple of years ago. What was going to be a quick stroll turned into a couple of hours beach combing and rock pooling. In the distance are the Cuillins - where you'll find the Fairy Pools also discussed in Traveller's Tree.

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 22nd, 2009

Bees
Posted by Simon Lewin

I keep meaning to ask Justin Knopp about his interest in bees. I'll still do so next time I see him but in the meantime, The Bumblebee Chronicle has just posted some photos and information about his Solitary Bee House.

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 20th, 2009