Costume design for a Beauty & The Beast painting project. The mask is inspired by Baroqu-era gargoyles and grotesques. Had the pleasure of this image on my phone scaring the hell out of my favorite bartender, whose voice is usually low enough to be the voice of God...usually. XD
I have had an ongoing project called Hybrid Mythologies. Inspired by stories and mythological creatures, tales from different traditions and parts of the world, I have been playing with emergent stories, characters and creatures that incorporate different elements. It is really a kind of spontaneous, intuitive journey and play of associations - oftentimes surprising to myself in what emerges. This year I am planning to publish an artbook entitled Hybrid Mythologies and if it all goes according to plan, it should be done some time in May. I will post process from this book.
I decided to practice posing with a character that has a certain style. I also wanted to test a design for my artist logo. I will definitely be making a digital version of this character in the near future. Colored with Artify alcohol-based markers, and a white Gellyroll pen for highlights.
Oils on canvass. This is Charlie. He's the parrot owned by the supermarket where my husband used to work. The owner of the shop brought him in to keep him from getting bored and pulling his feathers out. He has a large cage at the entrance which he often escapes from, and can be found hopping from trolley to trolley on the handles, to amuse himself. He's usually found by a staff member who brings him back. A real character lol
"Spade - Magic Card Tournament" ♠️ ✨
Character design for a videogame idea based on a futuristic world in which there is an artificial magical card tournament held every decade. The main character, Spade wants to bring peace to her world by winning the tournament and being granted one wish.
Winter strikes Stoke Newington and the scarves come out along Church Street. Pops of colour and man's best friend help get us through the most trying of seasons
An article/rant/annotation to an illustration. A #Hackney bar and its flies.
This picture is not as sad and blue as it might at first seem, I promise.
It is early in the week and the pub becomes the territory of the most outspoken drinkers. Raised somewhere between Churchill and Harold MacMillan, a night such as this is time for them to spin out a yarn of nostalgic fantasy. Encouraged by the lack of a crowd and with space to fill, statements start to fly.
In the opening rounds the barman athletically hits back with factual blocks and reality-check haymakers; statistics and personal experiences are given. Two histories cross examined, one where 1982 means Thatcher and the Falklands, the other renders Reagan and the AIDS crisis. Stoicism and national pride vs mental health and realism.
In the latter rounds the barman is fatigued, swaying on the backbar, glasses begin to stack up as form begins to drop. The older men seem stronger than ever.
The barflies come in close now, they scrutinise his generations work ethic and make wild political comments on poverty, immigrants and the minimum wage.
The barman is close to sheer bloody despair, he maintains his defence and focuses on breathing while maintaining his professional stance.
But at the end of the night the barman knows HE will ring that bell, they will politely leave and they will return again in a week and maybe, just maybe there will be a change, common ground or maybe at least polite silence.
But what these interactions have given despite the salt in the eye is community and an exchange between generations, culture and class of those participating. No home is ever straight forward, no relative without their good and bad traits and in a world where we often slide into echo chambers online or in our physical environments, the pub is still a place where society is family, face to face, pint to pint. Or maybe it's just a room with alcohol on tap?
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