Sometimes things just don’t turn out like you expect. It was a particularly dismal and rainswept day when the other half of id-iom popped out of the studio to get lunch but came back with the classic board game, Twister (think Jack and his magic beans…)
I was somewhat put out by this manoeuvre as I had been daydreaming of a Greggs sausage roll for close to an hour. I quickly demanded to know what exactly what he thought was going on but all I got in return was a whirring noise and the repeated phrase ‘Left foot first’…
Growing up as one of three brothers the phrase ‘First up, Best dressed’ was not just a saying but a way of life. There was only one rule. The first person up had free choice of clothing including any items that belonged to a sibling. There was no argument with this rule. Only later, with the power of the internet, did I learn that it is a relatively common saying in the North of the UK and historically applied to other families with an equivalent number (or more) of potentially warring siblings and was, in fact, more commonly used as a saying much along the lines of ‘the early bird catches the worm’ rather than an actual house rule. You live and learn.
Today’s piece is inspired by this rule and here we most definitely the first up. He’s gone all out and has selected a dinner jacket and bow tie and looks simply FAB-U-LOUS. He’s on a 100 x 70cm canvas and has been made using stencils, spraypaint and the ancient art of paint chucking. Drop us a line if interested.
I’ve had The First Earl cut and ready to go for a while now. I just didn’t have anywhere suitable to put such a classy looking chap. After looking around for somewhere good to get it up I spotted what I thought was the perfect location; a likely looking rusty metal door that appeared to be just the right size with an agreeable amount of surface patina.
Once I’d confirmed it would fit it only remained to get him sprayed up which, as it turned out, was relatively quick and easy given that it was a one layer stencil. What I didn’t really think about in my excitement of finding a good spot was the fact that there would be hardly any contrast between the black of the piece and the darkness of the old door. Now I could go back and add some colour or an outline but that takes away from the nicely aged door and he was originally meant to be a standalone piece anyway so I’m hesitant to go back and mess with it. Perhaps the best answer is just to redo him somewhere else against a lighter background?
Eagle eyed viewers will of course spot why doing this piece in South London is somewhat inappropriate but I’ll leave that to you to figure out. Answers on a postcard…
Sometimes the muse works in mysterious ways. There I was working on two separate pieces of art which, after realising the similarities between them, decided should become part of a larger triptych. The only trouble then was that they needed a third unifying part that would (hopefully) allow them all to make sense as a whole. This meant it was back to the drawing board to scratch my head for a whilst waiting for this magical third section to materialise in my mind’s eye.
Nothing but dandruff came out of this scalp relaxation session until the other half of id-iom walked passed me and nonchalantly came out with a most cromulent quote that seemed to hit the nail squarely on the head. Not bothering to stop or change course he just sauntered along to do whatever he was doing in the first place but that inspiration was all i need to get the piece finished.
Considering the pieces originally had no order and the middle section was the final piece of the puzzle it seems a particularly fitting quote.
Cheers
id-iom
Title: The last thing one discovers…
Materials: Paint pen, acrylic, ink, charcoal, Tipp Ex and Spray paint
Hmmmm….. What does a gritty urban art duo do for a one year old’s birthday present? Well, after worrying for a while about exactly what you can and can’t do for a baby this is the end result. There was a lot of time spent thinking about whether we were doing something kid friendly or something that maybe he’d appreciate when he’s older and finally settled on this after finding a piece of glass to work on in the studio that seemed to provide some inspiration.
With a name like Jude it was hard to avoid the Beatles reference so we decided to get the opening notes from ‘Hey Jude’ on there along with his name and a little monkey logo (they’re all cheeky little monkeys aren’t they?) Cutting musical notes correctly at a small size however is probably not something I’ll be doing again. The main thing about painting on the back of the glass is remembering that everything has to be done in reverse – which can sometimes be a little frustrating as you can’t change things after you’ve done them if you have some mid piece brainwave. Oh well, there’s always next time…
Just over a year ago we did some work for a new bar opening in Brixton called the Electric Social. To promote the bar’s 1st birthday (how time flies!) we were asked to go out and do a small street campaign in the surrounding areas with a single layer stencil and some chalk paint (I love chalk paint by the way). So we put on some sturdy walking boots and hit the road for a pleasing stroll whilst at the same time spraying up the pavement near the likes of bus stops, crossings and bins where people usually slow down their pace a little so there is all the more chance for them to notice a little subversive advertising. Thankfully all went well and although we couldn’t make it to the actual birthday party we heard that it was also a massive success with one of their busiest night to date. Happy Birthday sunshine!!
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