It began in Africa

Although Michael had been born in London his somewhat eccentric Nigerian parents would always tell him ‘It began in Africa’. Of course Michael could only ever think of the song by the Chemical Brothers whenever his parents said it but then it would always be accompanied by a weird and wonderful African legend or morality tale. 

His parents, it turned out, were truly encyclopaedic on the subject. Over the years he’d heard hundreds of these tales and decided to rate the nations involved on the quality of their storytelling. He had every intention of visiting them all, in the order he’d worked, to find out if he was right. This was going to take a while…

Made on a National Geographic map of Africa using the power of imagination, spray paint, stencils and acrylic. It is 48 x 63 cm in size. Drop us a line or it’ll be on our Big Cartel page soon.

Cheers

id-iom

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The cut out

It’s funny what turns up when you’re having a look through old photos. I must have just snapped this in the moment and then completely forgotten about it. It’s the cut out piece from a stencil we used when creating a gift for our cousin’s wedding and I just think the composition of the photo somehow hits the spot. Which is nice for something that is usually just discarded.  

I like it enough to have it as the background image on my phone. So there. 

Cheers

id-iom

There’s no need to tell me

Paula and Robbie had been dating for just over 6 months now and were attending their first dinner party as a couple. Everything had been going well, the main course had just been taken away and they were awaiting dessert. That’s when it all started to go wrong. Paula managed to catch Robbie’s eye over the table and that was enough for her to know something bad was going to happen. She’d seen it happen once before – although she still wasn’t entirely sure what ‘it’ was. 

It starts first with a look of wild incomprehension, followed quickly by some barking noises and then Robbie would start speaking in tongues. This could go on for some time before he’d suddenly shake his head and start speaking normally. Paula decided she’d seen enough so hurriedly excused herself from the table and went to help in the kitchen…

Cheers

id-iom

Lost and found

As an artist who can let their imagination get the best of them, it’s no surprise that sometimes things can get out of hand…

Many months ago now, possibly even years ago, I was working on this painting when an errant idea popped into my head which managed to satisfy the Muse and derail my entire train of thought. Needless to say I needed to please the Muse which meant me putting this canvas aside to work on my shiny new idea.  

There it lay until just recently whilst having a rummage around for an entirely unrelated item and it appears in my hands. For now, I’ve got no idea where I was heading with this piece so any suggestions would be welcome. Otherwise I’ll just have to wait until the Muse has finished with Margaret, aged 9 from Dumfries, who has some Christmas based art homework to finish for tomorrow… 

Cheers

id-iom

Business up front, a party in the back

A mullet can be either ‘any of various chiefly marine fish that are widely caught for food’ or ‘a hairstyle in which the hair is cut short at the front and sides, but is longer at the back’. Looking at today’s piece I think we know which route we’re heading down…

The funny thing is that Schmigal here didn’t know that. He is a cultural historian living in the distant future and having found reference to the mullet he had to investigate further. In the future the haircut has disappeared whilst the fish remain so this reference to ‘business up front, a party in the back’ made no sense. 

Once he’d done some cross referencing however and found a picture of Patrick Swayze from some time (he guessed) in the late 22st century he knew what it was all about. Now, in 3041 the mullet is about to rock the world once more – and Schmigal will briefly become the most famous man on Saturn 7.

He’s on A4 and made using acrylic, paint pen and pencil. If you have a forward thinking mullet wearer in your life then you’ve just found the perfect gift…

Cheers

id-iom

Sod it Rick! Not again!

It’s time to check up on an old piece and see how it’s getting on. The first time we saw black sphere 004 he was shiny and new and this is what we said:

Today’s sphere is out living life in the real world. It’s watched one too many episodes of Rick and Morty and has decided to go on an inter-dimensional trip of its own. It has chosen our world. Quite why it is examining a moss covered wall is anyone’s guess. What Black Sphere 004 will make of it would also be well beyond our range of reckoning. Perhaps it will declare war. Perhaps it will stop for a picnic. Only time will tell…

Now though we can see that time hasn’t been kind to black sphere 004. He obviously decided he liked what he saw and stayed a while, a little too long maybe. Maybe this is what happens to sphere’s when they decide to hang around on earth…

Cheers

id-iom

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

Just the other day Marcus was told that he looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. They thought he’d had some sort of surgery to make him look like one of the anime characters he was so fond of watching all the time. In fact, they were surprised to even see him out and about as he was usually glued to a screen watching the latest adult cartoons from around the world. 

Marcus would have loved surgery but sadly he didn’t have the cash for it. What he did have money for though was a mystery baggie from Dangerous Dave down the pub. He’d only popped in for a pint on Monday when they opened back up but had been up for two days now and was still somehow looking fresh. What’s the moral I hear you ask? Well, that’s for me to know and you to find out. 

Cheers

id-iom

Self portrait – men with big noses

The other half of id-iom told me just the other day that I should probably stop drawing men with big noses and I thought he was probably right as I have about 20 half-finished pictures sat around featuring men with big hooters. But then I did an about turn. 

With inspiration running low and no idea of what to paint I was staring vacantly out the window when my eyes refocused – and what did I see but my own face complete with statuesque Roman nose staring back at me. That was enough to get the creative juices flowing, so I quickly set to work on my latest self portrait. Something I said I’d never do again after my last attempt which resulted in ‘High Risk Hugo’.

This time things haven’t gone much better, it would seem I still have a penchant for making my face look more like a horror movie monster than what I actually look like or perhaps all these months of lockdown have been getting to me.

Also I spent far too long painting the colours in the background but I guess I’ve had some time on my hands. 

Cheers

id-iom

Kev

Ever felt the need to paint an ugly man-child who’s looking at you like you just spilt his pint? I can’t imagine you have so I’ve gone and done it for you. Kev here is angry pretty much all the time at just about everything imaginable – from the cost of a pint to how people cross the road. If you see him whilst out and about it’s much easier to give a cheery wave and carry on your business for if you’re unlucky enough to engage him in conversation you’ll understand why the cheery wave is the preferred scenario. 

His anger for so many things simultaneously is both impressive and depressing in its magnitude. The main thing is to extricate yourself from the conversation as swiftly as possible before his ire manages to get under your skin. If you find yourself agreeing with him then the best thing is just to drop to the floor and play dead then hope he’ll get bored. You have been warned…

I think I might go and have a cup of tea and reminisce about all the walls at the old studio that I didn’t manage to paint.

Cheers

id-iom

We Ride At Dawn…

It’s dawn on id-iom’s private Caribbean island. There’s a soft knock at the door and I’m gently reminded that I’ve got a call in 30 minutes. After a couple of lengths in the pool and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice I take the video call from the BBC documentary team chronicling the eventual but meteoric rise of id-iom to being the pre-eminent design/art team in the world. Today we’re being asked about the big idea that took us there – 3 in 1 designs… 

It’s not that far fetched. Is it? Anyway, despite how great I think they are it’s up to you, the viewer, to decide that for yourself. It’s 3 in 1 performance art on a canvas. And if that isn’t a good trick then I don’t know what is. This rather opinionated gentleman is on a 60 x 40cm canvas and would desperately love to go to a new home. Drop us a line if that can be you…

Cheers

id-iom