Caution!

I’m cautiously hoping it might well be about time we can dig our sign and ladder out and put them to some use as we get back to some sort of wall painting normality. It’s been fun painting my garden wall over lockdown and i’m sure there’s probably more to go but it would be good to spread the love and get to know some new walls too. Here’s to hoping…

Cheers

id-iom

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Blam, Bam, Boom!

Years ago we did a piece of artwork for Diageo, the drinks manufacturer, where we were asked to paint something within 90 minutes. They were then going to use it for some promotion or other and then we were meant to get the canvas back.

Four years later we remembered we still hadn’t picked up the canvas, so set about trying to find it. After some considerable sleuthing we found it on the wall in one of their London offices. As they are a huge multinational company with many millions we said they could buy the piece or give it back and – you guessed it – they gave it back. Cheers for that.

Now what to do with an old canvas? Like any self-respecting pair of artists we decided to paint over it but with what? It just so happened that at the time I was rewatching all the old Batman TV shows with Adam West. The rest is history…

It is painted on a 1m x 1m canvas and is most definitely available. if you’d like to get this professionally upcycled piece on your walls then drop us a line. If no-one buys it we will inevitably keep adding to it. Stop us before go too far…

Cheers

id-iom

Beware the Letterbox Bandit

During the pandemic some people haven’t been able to get their kicks where they usually would due to everyone being stuck indoors. This has resulted in a few problems here for Chanel, she always been a bit into voyeurism but due to lockdown can’t exorcise those demons and has resorted to some pretty ingenious ways to get her kicks.

First, she tried webcams but there was no fun in that at all, everyone knew she was watching them. Then she thought a simple bit of people watching out her bedroom window would work but with the shops closed and her living in the centre of town that didn’t work out too well.

Eventually, she came across the notion of watching people through their letterboxes. If she’s careful enough not to make a noise the only thing that gives Chanel away is the occasional gust of cold air through the letterbox then it’s usually time to beat a hasty retreat….

It is A2 in size and made using acrylic, watercolour and paint pen.

Cheers

id-iom

The new normal

It would seem I have French on my mind at the minute. I’m not sure why but c’est la vie. I keep hearing the term ‘The new normal’ being bandied about on social media and traditional media alike and to tell you the truth I don’t really get it. Of course, I get the obvious meaning but the pre-pandemic world we inhabited was an ever-changing Smörgåsbord of world threatening problems and the word ‘normal’ was never one I’d use to describe it. We just didn’t have to wear masks occasionally and wash our hands so much. Perhaps it’s a chance for improvement? 

Cheers

id-iom

The Red, White and Blue

So we here at id-iom didn’t really do anything related to the BLM movement when it jumped to the forefront of popular consciousness after the death of George Floyd. We weren’t really sure of our place in the narrative. 

Anyway, it just so happened that at the time I was going down the rabbit hole that is the Youtube sidebar and to my surprise a song by Body Count came on. Body Count is an American heavy metal band formed in LA and fronted by rapper Ice-T. In my youth, I listened to a lot of Body Count but hadn’t come across them in years. The song that I came upon was ‘Body Count’ and whilst listening realised the parallels between what Ice T was angrily rapping about in 1992 and what is going on in America right now. 

This whole saga has been going on for years. Let’s just hope we can get the message through to the next generation…

Cheers

id-iom

Robin redbreast

When the in-laws arrived they bore with them a small robin that had definitely seen better days. I really should have got a ‘before’ picture. He looked sad, rusty and dishevelled. I was asked if I could possibly do anything with him. ‘Of course I can. Any reasonable job undertaken.’ was my snappy reply. Ladies and gentlemen I present a dapper, rust-free and slightly mad looking robin. I believe my work here is done…

Cheers

id-iom

L’esprit de l’escalier

We’ve all been there, you’re having a massive argument with some insufferable dolt and for one reason or another you storm off, only to come up with the wittiest retort known to mankind but alas you’re too late. L’esprit de l’escalier is a French term used in English for the predicament of thinking of the perfect reply just a bit too late.

Just imagine, Sarah here is now storming down the stairs from a party where she just had the weirdest argument with Michael and Justin from no.22. Now she’s about six stairs down her brain has just supplied her with the perfect retort to Justin’s ridiculous argument that Trump was probably right about injecting bleach. Now her biggest question is whether to remain walking down the stairs and retain some dignity or aboutheel back to the party to loudly point out to Justin the fallacies in his reasoning and the fact he’s undoubtedly talking bollocks. Decisions, decisions, decisions…

Cheers

id-iom

The hungry hummingbird

Never ones to turn down a challenge we were asked to step a little outside our comfort zone and to paint up a recently purchased Asgard bike shed with a wraparound wildflower meadow scene featuring a hummingbird. Okay then. Game on. 

First up we had to come up with a design they were happy with and it’s funny how sometimes things are easy to design but tricky to paint. That should probably be a memo to self. Next up – the fun part. With the shed disassembled we got to work throwing some paint around. After a few furious hours, we had to stop due to rain but when we got back to it it all seemed to fall slowly into place. Whack a fancy little hummingbird on there and some varnish and you’re good to go. Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?

Cheers

id-iom

A new lick of paint

So whilst over excitedly painting I managed to get a bit of spray paint on to some of the other half of id-iom’s girlfriends garden furniture. Not sure what to do I started to try and colour match the furniture with the spray paint I had at hand but to no avail. After a few minutes of panic, I decided to come clean and admit my mistake. Luckily I was told that the garden furniture was on its third or fourth repaint and that to solve the problem all it needed was a new coat of something spiffy for summer 2020. After a quick clean, some new colours were decided upon and hey presto something old looks new. Shame about the layabout who wouldn’t get out of the photo mind…

Cheers

id-iom

Fun in the sun…

So, there I was (pre-pandemic) just casually minding my own business in the queue at the art shop when BOOM! – an impulse purchase incident – and before I know it I’ve got a little Sunogrpahy ‘solar powered photography’ kit clutched firmly in my hand. Fast forward to about a week ago when I find the kit in a pile on my desk. It’s sunny outside. The game is afoot.

A quick search reveals a transparency with a printed design from another project and we’re good to go. After 15 minutes on each side I had a surprisingly clean image using just the power of the sun. How very wholesome. Now I’ve got my proof of concept I just need something suitable for the other four sheets and then to find out where I can I lay my hands on some larger A2 size sheets before the next bright and shiny idea comes along to steal all my attention…

Cheers

id-iom