I'm now working on 'Jive' - the figures are smaller than I usually do them - as my main interest with this piece is in capturing the whole scene of the night - the mood, lighting and perspective of the moment is what I want to achieve here.

Here are some sketches for Jive below;

Also in progress is a smaller version of Balloon, see below;

Wilhem Sasnal at The Whitechapel

Wilhem Sasnal is a Polish artist, whose work echoes that of Gerhard Richter. I recently went to his show at The Whitechapel and was very impressed.

Born in 1972, Sasnal helped form a Krakow-based artist collective known as the Ladnie ("pretty") group. They reacted to the classic and conservative techniques of their instructors at art school, choosing to focus on everyday scenes and images from pop culture.

He draws no limits as to what he paints - everyday objects, portraits of historical figures, views of his home town Cracow, photos of friends and family and sometimes just images from the internet that inspire him.

His paintings are bold and graphic in style – using a lot of neutral grey tones, mixed with one or two colours. What I like most about his work is the texture of the paint and his many different ways of applying it, his use of light and the fact that his paintings look so simple, though they are not at all.

Here’s some of my favourite pieces from the exhibition;

I'm currently featuring on The Art Collector

and Amusements is in progress

I've started on Wildlife..

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Excited to say, a series of prints of my work are showing at The Hideaway, a quirky bar and restaurant in N19 from next week. These are smaller prints on canvas (20in x 16in). The illustrative nature of my paintings works well at this size - but I won't be trading in my large brushes for miniature ones just yet..

Miro Exhibition


I was really impressed by the range of paintings on show at the Miro exhibition. I have been a bit sceptical about his work, but this show made me think again.

What struck me most was how much his style changed throughout the years. Starting out with neat and intricate paintings and ending up with the massive canvases with crude abstract forms. I am drawn to the detail and subtle shapes of his early work, but I was amazed by the variation in the work of one artist - and that he was able to fulfil all styles well, whilst keeping his identity intact. If you still have not been, it's definitely worth a trip before the exhibition ends.

Here are some of my favourites and you can see the progression in style - I particularly like The Hunter, where he starts to explore the objects with just shapes and lines and the subtlety of the colours used.

The Farm, 1921-1922

The Hunter, 1923-1924

May 68, 1968-1973

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/joanmiro/default.shtm

Blitz II

Blitz II is out - I may be tempted to do more of these, as I like the theme so much.

Blitz I

Let me introduce you to the other Houchen...

Louisa Houchen is a freelance illustrator, specialising in mini sculptures out of fimo.
Remember that plasticine substance that you used to play with as a child? and then you cook it, and it becomes an intriguing and mysterious object, taking on a life of its own.

Her latest project and collaboration with Abstract Greetings, is 'Poptastic'; this range shows intricate models of celebrities and their make believe worlds. This is a work of genius, one that takes unbelievable time, skill and most importantly, patience.

The result is extremely stylish and entertaining and can be seen here; http://www.weezadesigns.co.uk/untitled-gallery-38099

If she wasn't my sister, I would still be talking about it, but as we are two in the same there must be a mention on here.

Now working on 'Small Disco'

Here are some small sketches that led to my final pieces..

La Porchetta is showing my paintings as part of Islington Exhibits