Kim (in print) http://kimprint.posterous.com visual arts & london stuff posterous.com Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:48:01 -0800 Failaka - 20 years of Liberation http://kimprint.posterous.com/failaka-20-years-of-liberation http://kimprint.posterous.com/failaka-20-years-of-liberation


I've just found this footage, filmed for To Rest in Peace, (Fawaz Al-Matrouk) which captures the strangely beautiful silence of Failaka Island. It's set against the song Salamun Salam, which won Best World Music Trackat the 2010 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

I did an overnighter there in February, during the 50/20 celebrations. 20 years after Kuwait's liberation, war ruins still stand alongside family homes which have been ransacked and stripped of valuable items over the years. Old toys, books and shoes lie in the dust, and remnants of classrooms fixtures still stand in the dormant school buildings - see photo album here

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Sat, 11 Sep 2010 03:49:26 -0700 Save The Arts - Shrigley http://kimprint.posterous.com/save-the-arts-shrigley http://kimprint.posterous.com/save-the-arts-shrigley
An ex student sent me a petition to save the arts - well worth a look. Visit Save The Arts for more info.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:55:02 -0700 London to Kuwait http://kimprint.posterous.com/london-to-kuwait http://kimprint.posterous.com/london-to-kuwait
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It's been a while since I posted - after the Final Show at Camberwell it was a dash to the finish line with work and packing up to leave London after 8+ years for a job in Kuwait City. My illustration supplies won't arrive for quite a few weeks, so a visit to the art shop is in order shortly. Meanwhile we've been out and about a little, and I spotted a lovely piece by US sculptor Dale Chihuly (whose 30' chandelier is the centrepiece in the V&A foyer) here at 360 Mall.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:14:53 -0700 Private View http://kimprint.posterous.com/private-view http://kimprint.posterous.com/private-view Here are a few scenes from the Camberwell MA private view on Tuesday evening - see more here at the flickr group pool. There are quite a few shots up there already....

Ma_private_view_4 Camberwell_ma Camberwell_ma_illustration Ma_private_view_1 Ma_private_view_2 Ma_private_view_3
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Sun, 11 Jul 2010 02:46:00 -0700 On a fiction bender http://kimprint.posterous.com/on-a-fiction-bender http://kimprint.posterous.com/on-a-fiction-bender

Candy

Having finished the studies it's time to take up reading fiction again (!) and celebrate some success stories from SCBWI circles... OK so some of these are aimed at younger people! Still, I'm looking forward to hearing about Sarah McIntyre's Fern and Lettuce, (Sept 10) and will get my hands on one of Layn Marlow's books next week when we catch up. Everyone is buzzing about Candy Gourlay's new YA book, Tall Story, which has garnered an excellent review in the Times. Today I catch up with talented illustrator, Heather Kilgour in Charing Cross Road - the book selection at Foyles and good atmosphere in the jazz cafe makes for a perfect meeting spot.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:07:00 -0700 2010 Camberwell MA Final Show dates http://kimprint.posterous.com/2010-camberwell-ma-final-show-dates http://kimprint.posterous.com/2010-camberwell-ma-final-show-dates

The Camberwell MA Visual Arts show is nearly here:
Private view: 13 July, 6 – 9pm

Show open: 14 – 17 July
Weekdays 10am – 8pm
Saturday 11am – 4pm
Sunday Closed

It's at Peckham Road - Illustration is hanging in the old part of the school which retains a bit of Victorian charm. It's easy to spot with good transport links - please see the MA Illustration blog for details.

Peckhamrd Ma_banner Cwellmap
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Sun, 06 Jun 2010 15:01:00 -0700 Camberwell MA Illustration Degree Exhibition 2010 http://kimprint.posterous.com/camberwell-ma-illustration-degree-exhibition http://kimprint.posterous.com/camberwell-ma-illustration-degree-exhibition

Hansel_and_gretel

 

We're getting preparations underway for the Camberwell MA Illustration Degree Exhibition next month and here are the dates, location, a list of exhibiting artists and info about Camberwell College, which is part of the University of the Arts London (UAL). 

I came to the MA programme with a strong interest in narrative illustration so my research project is centred on picture book illustration - in particular, Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm.

I've not made a final decision about what I'm exhibiting as the space is still being worked out. This may be the case for quite a few of the exhibiting artists - what you're seeing on the blog is indicative of what they will show.

There will be loads of photos taken at the show in July which will go up on Flickr for those who can't make it. I think it's fair to say we are quite a diverse bunch, so I hope you enjoy!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Mon, 17 May 2010 14:55:00 -0700 Aine Cassidy - Illustrator and Pogonologist http://kimprint.posterous.com/aine-cassidy-illustrator-and-pogonologist http://kimprint.posterous.com/aine-cassidy-illustrator-and-pogonologist

An Interview with Aine Cassidy

Your solo exhibition, BEARDfest: A Pogonological Celebration, opened last week at bookartbookshop, London N1. What drew you to explore and portray this - some might say eccentric - world of pogonology?
It all started last year when I was doing my MA illustration at Camberwell College. Each student had to submit a piece of work for a small internal exhibition entitled 'Cover'. I started thinking of how to interpret this theme and thought of the idea of beards and moustaches as a covering for the face. As I started reading up a about facial hair and soon became aware of the whole vocabulary associated with it. It was the seemingly ridiculousness of it that attracted me.

Your style is really enhanced by the use of letterpress – you appear to use it in a conservative, buttoned-down way, which sits really well with your mixed media illustration. Was the discovery of letterpress a happy accident?
I've always been a bit of a type nerd which probably stems from my background as a designer. Graphic design is a very time sensitive  - you often need to work quickly to produce something ephemeral. Letterpress is the opposite in that it's a slow, labour intensive process and perversely this appeals to me! It makes you think more carefully about what you're creating or the message it's communicating. I've developed a real appreciation for hand-made things over the years and enjoy the physical process involved. The result is ultimately more satisfying because you're creating something less transitory and more precious.

I can’t count how many different textiles, threads and other media you choose to draw with. Do you work on a piece until you get it right or discard and restart regularly?
I work mainly in notebooks and in quite an experimental, organic way. I'm collecting and collaging on an ongoing basis so when I start generally I don't  know how something is going to turn out! I'm a big fan of collage and work in my notebooks and in photoshop to positioning and repositioning all the different elements until it starts to feel right. Because of the round about way that I work, I don't generally restart projects but instead work through the process as often it's the happy accidents which create the best results.

How do you approach an editorial illustration job?
Because I try to constantly generate my own work, when a commission comes along I have a palette of textures and patterns to work from. Once I've digested the article there is usually a slant or a theme which stands out for me which I start to work with. Much of my work is collage based so I begin to make drawings, mono-prints and photographs and composite them together.

Do you have a dedicated work space?
I do most of my work from home. I'm generally quite a tidy person but because I use lot's of different materials in my work, my room sometimes start to resemble a bomb site!

Has your multidisciplinary approach to image-making has proven advantageous when conveying a particular idea or story?
I think working in a multi-diciplinary way helps to achieve more narrative subtlety. My work is generally more about suggesting a certain atmosphere or reflecting the mood of the piece rather than directly depicting it.

Tell us a little about how your Irish upbringing has directly influenced your work.
I think the craft element in my work stems from my primary school. I attended St. Clare's NS in Balyjamesduff which was a girls' convent school. There was a strong tradition of knitting, crochet, art and singing - much more fun than Maths and English! The secondary school I attended also had a really strong art department so I guess I was quite lucky in that creativity was always encouraged and nurtured.

What’s been inspiring you lately?
I've attended a few exhibitions recently which have taken place in alternative spaces that I found really interesting. 'Is it Over' exhibition took place an underground bunker in Dalston and featured the work of a small group  of emerging contemporary artists. All the work in the show responded to the space and so the whole thing worked really well. Similarly 'The Market Estate Project' was a one day event last March where a 1960’s housing estate scheduled for demolition was converted into a series of installations. I like the idea of taking mundane man-made structures and transforming them.

Whose work would you hang on your wall?
My favourite illustrators are Thomas Hicks, Mathew Richardson and Polly Becker. I suppose the mixture of different media in their work is what appeals to me. There are artists and photographers Edward Burtynsky and Gordon Matta Clark

Which galleries and museums do you frequent?
I like visiting Natural History Museum and especially enjoy the wildlife photographer or the year award annual exhibition. I also like Pollock's Toy Museum, it's such a wonderfully quirky little place and the V&A is always good for drawing.

Clearly you’re finding success as an illustrator – what’s happening workwise right now, and what does the future hold for Aine Cassidy?
I've been getting a lot of design work recently now but am keen to pursue more illustration based commissions. I enjoy working in a multi-disciplinary way and hope to continue to do that. I also try to maintain my own artistic practice away from commercial work though sometimes it's hard to find time for everything. The challenge is to find the balance between the work I really want to do and work which pays the bills!

Finally, what are your contact details?
www.ainecassidy.com
Aine, thank you for sharing your work - all the best for your future projects.

 

Aine_cassidy_letterpress1 Aine_cassidy_letterpress3 Ainecassidy_bw_lores Ainecassidy_convent Ainecassidy_new-school Ainecassidy_notebook Ainecassidy_picnic Ainecassidy_scope Ainecassidy_scope_001
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Thu, 06 May 2010 14:28:00 -0700 Artist's Studio - Becky Brown http://kimprint.posterous.com/artists-studio-becky-brown http://kimprint.posterous.com/artists-studio-becky-brown

You’re participating in the Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House in London this weekend. How did you come to be involved?
My Aunt is a textile artist and has been doing this for quite a few years, I exhibited with her at her house one year and when I got a flat of my own I thought well why not? It can be quite fun and it makes you do the spring cleaning. She is number 91 in the brochure and will be liberal with the wine. I'm baking cake and staying sober!

What are you exhibiting?
Some of my animal drawings, some handmade greetings cards and I've had some fun making some pop ups in found objects, old cigarette boxes mostly just for this weekend to see what reaction they will get. I might put out some of my MA work but it won't be for sale.

Your illustrations are so distinctive, particularly your animals – have you always depicted them in such an energetic way?
I have no idea, it is always a bit of a surprise what comes out, perhaps that why a lot of people say they always look a bit alarmed. I think of their character or what they are thinking or feeling when I am working, I think that just comes through. I have always drawn and I'm much more comfortable drawing animals than people, and they are much more forgiving if the anatomy is wrong.

Talk us through your work process...
Well I sit at my desk, get up make a cup of tea, answer an email, sit back down, panic, change the radio station ... make more tea, talk to the cat, you get the picture. It really depends on what I'm doing, if I need to focus then I really need to clear the decks mentally as well as physically. I will procrastinate days away otherwise, I have to remove excuses not to work. I use reference and work on getting shapes and movement right in a sketchbook or on big sheets of paper until I get it right then I will put the reference away and start 'properly' using memory and the sketches. I will often do a piece several times.
 
What’s been inspiring you lately?
I have been looking at Brian Wildsmith a lot because of his exhibition at the Illustration Cupboard. Alexander Calder because of piece I am doing for my final show and I have been looking at rouge taxidermy as well.

Whose work would you hang on your wall?
Money no object? Klimt and Kandinsky with some Klee, all the K's andHannah Hoch. I'm actually more than happy with some of the work I do have which I have 'swapped' with friends. I like reciprocal nature of it. There was also a fantastic painter called Helen Tabor I saw at the Affordable Art Fair and I fell in love with her landscapes, all summer Scottish evening light and colours, they glow. She also paints a damn fine cow.

Fave galleries and museums?
The Soane's Museum in Lincolns Inn Fields and you can't go there without going to the Hunterian the other side of the square and the Horniman in Forest Hill. Oh and Pollock's Toy Museum. All the odd collections! I think my favourite gallery is the Isabella Stewart Gardner in Boston, it's like the Soane's but with amazing paintings as well.

You work for the Association of Illustrators (AOI) and you’re an MA Visual Arts student – what made you choose the life of an illustrator?
Well it wasn't the money! I was a prop maker and teaching and although I loved aspects of both those jobs I wanted to use my drawing skills as well, I'm still trying to combine the 2D and the 3D. Watch this space, I'm still not there ....
 
You’re a published greeting card illustrator and you’ve had a lot of success with your handcrafted cards – how did you start out?
My friends made me! I made my Christmas cards every year which always went down well so I went to Top Drawer and collected some business cards from companies I liked the work they produced, that I thought I sat well with and approached them.

What’s the best part about what you do?
When something is going well, and you know it might be special, there is no feeling like it.

Back to the Open House – for those who can’t make it, do you have a dedicated work space?
No, I work from home, too poor for a studio right now. I do occasionally make a mess in a friend's but after the last time and the polystyrene ....

You’re working towards your degree show right now... what’s next on the horizon for Becky Brown?
Well I have quite a big (for me) illustration commission that we are sorting out the all the boring legal stuff for which I can't wait to get started on and I want to make some more 'objects', a friend and I have been talking about a joint exhibition. Fingers crossed both of those things will come off. All other offers considered! That and the AOI is always busy.

Thank you Becky! How can people contact you?
Details are on my website: http://www.becky-brown.com/

Beckys_messy_desk Ws_greyhound_03
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Sat, 03 Apr 2010 09:54:00 -0700 Boat Race 2010 http://kimprint.posterous.com/boat-race-2010 http://kimprint.posterous.com/boat-race-2010

Boat Race 2010 - top & middle
March afternoon practice session - bottom

2010-04-031

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:11:13 -0800 Original Alice - the 1903 Movie http://kimprint.posterous.com/original-alice-the-1903-movie http://kimprint.posterous.com/original-alice-the-1903-movie
Wow. Timely restoration by BFI who are showing the latest Alice at BFI Imax. Thanks Paul S.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:16:08 -0800 Ca'puccino London http://kimprint.posterous.com/capuccino-london http://kimprint.posterous.com/capuccino-london
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:41:00 -0800 Tate Modern - After Hours http://kimprint.posterous.com/tate-modern-after-hours http://kimprint.posterous.com/tate-modern-after-hours

Feb_21_10

 

The other night I walked into an empty Turbine Hall and had to fight the urge to run up into Miraslaw Balka's installation, How It Is (pictured bottom right, elevated behind the staircase). Walking through this hulking building after hours is different. I'd arrived at the Tate for an evening class on paper engineering, centred around the current exhibition: Van Doesburg and the International Avant-Garde. After introductions, juice and snacks we spent an hour being guided around artworks never seen in Britain before. We explored room after room of sculpture, painting, drawing, furniture, stained glass, moving image and architectural plans and models. 

I confess I'm drawn to a small Brancusi sculpture, but there's a lot to be excited about in this finely curated show which presents a slice of 20th century European art history. Being on the paper engineering course affords the opportunity for some more visits to the collection, however a decent length of time to view this substantial exhibition is required. For me, the stand-out van Doesburg painting is his Decomposition of The Card Players, after his earlier The Card Players (not in the show).

Van Doesburg's retrospective runs until May 16, 2010.

As for me, I have homework  - to turn my initials into a pop-up, modernist style. Busy times.

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Sat, 20 Feb 2010 09:59:00 -0800 Picture Books and Pre-Raphaelites http://kimprint.posterous.com/picture-books-and-pre-raphaelites http://kimprint.posterous.com/picture-books-and-pre-raphaelites

Illustrator Bruce Ingman and Children's Laureate Anthony Browne were guest speakers at yesterday's event for picture book reviewers' organised by Nikki Gamble of Write Away and hosted by Walker Books. The day has been reviewed in depth by my friend Sarah McIntyre who drew me(!) while I talked about an aspect of the review process - a somewhat daunting task given the company I was in.  Nicolette Jones led the panel discussion and Walker's Deirdre McDermott who opened the day had published one of the books I talked about, so we had some good discussion over lunch. (I'll leave details of the speakers there as the article on Write Away and Sarah's blog cover everything).

It was a full-on morning and Anthony was kind enough to sign my copy of [his] Hansel and Gretel - coincidentally the book he selected to open his talk on the relationship between words and pictures.

After lunch we walked over Vauxhall Bridge (see photo: apartments, MI6 and Battersea power station) to the Tate Britain for a tour of the Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian narrative art. We started at Ophelia, (to this day, the Tate's bestselling postcard) and the excellent guide managed to cover a lot in a short space of time, concentrating on Millais, Hunt and Rossetti. For more about the current Children's Laureate, see Guardian interview with Anthony Browne. Follow Write Away on Twitter and see more of my London photos on Flickr.

Feb_19_2010

 

 

 

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:03:00 -0800 Crazy Hair - Gaiman and McKean http://kimprint.posterous.com/crazy-hair-gaiman-and-mckean http://kimprint.posterous.com/crazy-hair-gaiman-and-mckean

Having just reviewed Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's most recent picture book, CRAZY HAIR, for Write Away, I though I'd show you a photo of one of my Year 7 students... actually, I kind of promised I would. He calls this his Hedgehog Hair, though some of the other kids suggested we call it Art Hair. Since obviously Art is their best lesson and all. (Ahem).

Anyway, check out my review for Crazy Hair here at Write Away and by all means tell me what you think if you have seen the book. It's definitely unusual and opinions are fairly polarized!

Also, Write Away is now sending its very own tweets. It's definitely the place for book reviews from informed librarians, educators, writers and illustrators. Follow Write Away on Twitter

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:29:00 -0800 An Interview with Michael Foreman http://kimprint.posterous.com/an-interview-with-michael-foreman http://kimprint.posterous.com/an-interview-with-michael-foreman

Michael_foreman1 Michael_foreman
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I welcomed the opportunity to interview British illustrator Michael Foreman about his work which spans six decades and includes the new 50th Anniversary edition of his first picture book, The General. The story was a response to the times - the threat of nuclear war and related environmental concerns - topics close to Foreman's heart. Illustration, Michael Morpurgo and the golden years of publishing were among the topics discussed - Read the Write Away interview here.

Photos: Foreman's London Studio (from top left): Art supplies; travel kit (under table); mini watercolour travel set - a gift from Paul Hogarth; desk; soft pastels; watercolour palette which was found in a skip.
Foreman looking over a spread from his latest book, set in Cornwall, which features a Hokusai inspired wave.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:29:00 -0800 Escalation http://kimprint.posterous.com/elevation-24 http://kimprint.posterous.com/elevation-24

Dscf3826 Feb_7_10
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O lovely escalator - Saturday at Canary Wharf - more at flickr

 

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:24:50 -0800 Metaphorically Speaking http://kimprint.posterous.com/metaphorically-speaking http://kimprint.posterous.com/metaphorically-speaking http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/james_geary_metaphorically_speaking.html
Delicious ideas from James Geary.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:03:00 -0800 Herding into the Black Void http://kimprint.posterous.com/herding-into-the-black-void http://kimprint.posterous.com/herding-into-the-black-void

Miroslawbalkalores

I'm hoping to get back to Miraslaw Balka's Box of Darkness installation, How It Is in the Tate Modern when it's not so busy. (see video) The experience of being blanketed in darkness as we were herded into the unknown was lost somewhat due to the light pollution from the many phones and cameras in action, despite 'no photography' signs. Not for me the overwhelming experience of Olafur Eliasson's The Weather Project, however it still draws on memories of other times and places. Thought provoking. 

How It Is runs until April 5th '10.

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:32:00 -0800 Snowy Britain - NASA image http://kimprint.posterous.com/snow-covered-britain-nasa-image http://kimprint.posterous.com/snow-covered-britain-nasa-image

Snowmed

Britain looking beautiful at 11:15am today from NASA satellite Terra, transmitted to the receiving station at the University of Dundee.
Photo: Thanks to NEODAAS/University of Dundee.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/19391/kimt.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4PJJoNXvA Kim Toohey Kim Kim Toohey