All Things Considered

Mark Hearld linocuts
Posted by Simon Lewin

As part of our forthcoming St Jude's at Tinsmiths exhibition in Ledbury, Mark Hearld has collaborated with Tilley's Letterpress to produce editions of four linocut prints - Squirrel, Blackbird, Little Owl and Flowers.

The prints will be available from the exhibition with opens on Friday 30th March between 7pm and 9pm. Come along to see work by Ed Kluz, Angie Lewin, Emily Sutton, Mark Heard and Christopher Brown. More

And in May we'll be in London for our next St. Jude's In The City exhibition. For an invitation to the opening event, sign up to our e-mail newsletter.

Posted by Simon Lewin on March 25th, 2012

Keith Vaughan – Romanticism to Abstraction
Posted by Simon Lewin

A new exhibition marking the centenary of the birth of the British painter Keith Vaughan (1912-1977) opened earlier in March at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester.

Born in the nearby Sussex village of Selsey, Vaughan was one of the most significant artists of his generation, best-known for his painterly depictions of the male nude in the landscape.

Self-taught as an artist, Vaughan studied at Christ’s Hospital school at Horsham, before working as a designer for Lintas, the advertising arm of Lever Brothers, which informed his strong sense of composition. Although he was grouped with the ‘Neo-Romantic’ artists during the 1940s, Vaughan was an independent figure in the British art world, and an influential tutor at Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design and the Slade. Literature and European art had a powerful influence on him, particularly the work of Cézanne, Picasso, Matisse and Nicholas de Staël. He kept a moving journal in which he frankly recorded his thoughts on art, his homosexuality, and struggles with depression, which ended with his tragic suicide.

The exhibition runs until 10th June 2012 at the Pallant House Gallery.

Posted by Simon Lewin on March 20th, 2012

St. Jude’s at Tinsmiths
Posted by Simon Lewin

At the end of March we'll be returning to Ledbury for an exhibition of originals, prints and textiles hosted by our friends at Tinsmiths.

The exhibition opens on Friday 30th March between 7-9pm and runs until 28th April 2012.

Tinsmiths have commissioned this rather fine set of letterpress printed beermats to mark the occasion. Limited to just 150 sets, 100 are available for purchase online now with proceeds donated to the mental health charity, MIND.

For further information about the exhibition nearer the time, sign up for our e-mail newsletter.

The beermats have been created by (top to bottom) Angie Lewin, Ed Kluz, Emily Sutton and Mark Hearld.

Posted by Simon Lewin on March 10th, 2012

Spitalfields Life
Posted by Simon Lewin

We're long time fans of the Spitalfields Life blog, best described by The Gentle Author's pledge...

"Over the coming days, weeks, months and years, I am going to write every single day and tell you about life here in Spitalfields at the heart of London. How can I ever describe the exuberant richness and multiplicity of culture in this place to you? This is both my task and my delight.

Let me disclose to you the hare-brained ambition I am pursuing, which is to write at least ten thousand stories about Spitalfields life. At the rate of one a day, this will take approximately twenty-seven years and four months. Who knows what kind of life we shall be living in 2037 when I write my ten thousandth post?

I do not think there will be any shortage of material, though it may be difficult to choose what to write of because the possibilities are infinite. Truly all of human life is here in Spitalfields."

This new book brings together many of the places and characters covered by the blog - street life, street art, markets, diverse food, immigrant culture, ancient houses and history, pageants and parades, rituals and customs, traditional trades and old family businesses. Spend a night in the bakery at St John with baker Justin Piers Gellatly, ride the rounds with Kevin Read the Spitalfields milkman, drop into the Golden Heart for a pint with landlady Sandra Esqulant, meet Paul Gardner the fourth-generation paper-bag seller, Steve Brooker the mudlark who discovers treasure in the Thames, Bill Crome the window cleaner who sees ghosts and Alan Hughes the master bell-founder whose business started in 1570.

The book is illustrated by Rob Ryan, Lucinda Rogers and Mark Hearld (some of Mark's illustrations are pictured below).

On Friday 2nd March 2012 the book will be launched at Christ Church Spitalfields - between 7-9pm. All are welcome.

All photographs below by Simon Lewin.

All photographs above by Simon Lewin.

Posted by Simon Lewin on March 1st, 2012

The Joy of Books
Posted by Simon Lewin

An amazing piece of stop frame animation that is proving very popular on Facebook and the like...

Posted by Simon Lewin on January 14th, 2012

Ben Bryden
Posted by Simon Lewin

Now living in New York, saxophonist and composer Ben Bryden is back in Scotland for an appearance in Edinburgh on Saturday night.

Ben has collaborated with poet Rab Wilson on 1957 Flying Scot, a book and CD set celebrating Glasgow's great heritage of building high quality racing and touring bicycles. The eponymous marque was once the dream and aspiration of many working class boys in Scotland. They were incredibly expensive, exotic and desirable objects in their day.

Rab's sonnets feature both in the book and read on one of the CDs. The second CD features music inspired by the work, composed and performed by Ben.

The book and CD set is illustrated throughout by Hugh Bryden and published by his Roncadora Press.

On Saturday 7th January 2012, Rab and Ben will launch the edition from 7pm at Ronde Cycle Café, 66-68 Hamilton Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5AZ.

Whilst in New York, Ben also collaborates with fellow tenor saxophonist Steven Delannoye on the Bright Noise project.

An EP of new material has just been released, with an illustrated sleeve by our mutual friend Jonny Hannah. Full details via Ben's website.

Posted by Simon Lewin on January 6th, 2012

Rob Ryan’s Christmas window
Posted by Angie Lewin

Something I'd meant to write about before Christmas is this brilliant window display that Rob Ryan has created for Coutts Bank at 440 Strand - opposite Charing Cross station.

The window has been created to raise fund for Kids Company. There will be an auction of the stuffed elephant, doll's house and rocking horse that form part of the display. But you can also make a £5 donation to Kids Company by texting KIDS HELP to 70700.

Posted by Angie Lewin on December 30th, 2011

Neil Cowley Trio
Posted by Simon Lewin

Here the Neil Cowley Trio perform 'Rooster Was A Witness' from their forthcoming album 'The Face Of Mount Molehill', out on 23rd January 2012 on Naim Jazz Records. The video was shot at the Nelson Brewery in the heart of Chatham's historic dockyard.

The album is available for pre-order now - and the first 50 copies ordered from Proper Music will be signed by the Trio.

The Trio will tour the UK from 15th March 2012, starting at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. Full details from www.neilcowleytrio.com

Posted by Simon Lewin on December 17th, 2011

Emily Sutton
Posted by Simon Lewin

We head back south to Edinburgh on Friday for the opening of Emily Sutton's "People and Places" exhibition at The Scottish Gallery. Below are a few of our favourite images (we're now the proud owners of the first).

Mark Hearld has written a few words about the show which includes work based both in the UK and from trips to Europe...

"This collection of work sees Emily taking an up-close look at the high street in Italy and Portugal – a hat shop in Siena, a pair of stone lions in Lucca, a glove shop in Lisbon. Emily’s fascination with the visual particularity of each shop window or scene comes to life in a series of ink and watercolour drawings. Hand-lettered signage, architectural details, characters going about their daily lives are seen with a keen eye and expressed with a deft hand."

The exhibition runs at The Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh EH3 6HZ until 24th December 2011.

And all being well, you'll get a chance to see Deep Sea, our latest fabric by Emily - the follow up to her award winning Curiosity Shop.

Posted by Simon Lewin on November 30th, 2011

Grayson Perry
Posted by Simon Lewin

 I took a trip to the British Museum last week for Grayson Perry's The Tomb of Unknown Craftsmen exhibition.

The show features various new works by Perry alongside objects made by unknown men and women throughout history from the British Museum’s collection.

The exhibition runs until 19th February 2012. Booking recommended.

Here are a few snaps from outside the exhibition itself.

Posted by Simon Lewin on November 23rd, 2011