Sometimes it’s difficult to know where inspiration comes from. Was I listening to Joy Division’s ‘Love will tear us apart’ when I came up with this design? Or did I come up with it independently as it seemed fitting for the design? I really couldn’t tell you.
I can tell you however that the Joy Division version was released in June 1980. Apparently the lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis’ marriage problems and frame of mind before his suicide in May 1980. Which is really quite sad all things considered. I’m not quite sure where I’m going with this so maybe best just to leave the rest to you.
It is made using the magic of imagination, stencils and spray paint on 60 x 60 cm canvas
‘I always feel like somebody’s watching me’ sang Rockwell in his 1984 hit (which features Michael Jackson on backing vocals assumably because Rockwell’s dad was Motown CEO Berry Gordy). And he wasn’t wrong. In today’s always-connected society the feeling that you’re being watched is very real indeed. Because you probably are. Being under lockdown hasn’t really helped to allay this anxiety for Marcus here but he’s getting on with things as best he can. Aren’t we all.
Well, there it is. My first solo mission. I’m pretty pleased with the final product – from the skin tone to the wallpaper. Now I just need some sunshine again and I can move on with some modifications before whitewashing and starting all over again.
Eagle eyed viewers will be aware we have previous with rabbits and their leporine brethren. Somehow they’ve managed to convince the majority of the world into believing they are cute and loveable creatures but in reality they are actually maladjusted and homicidal megalomaniacs.
I can’t trash talk them too much however as we have entered into a pact whereby we won’t provoke the other side. That doesn’t mean I won’t slander them when they come at me first though!
They’ve been in the vegetable plot and eating my flowers again and I’ve just had enough. I know they’re doing it on purpose. Now, it’s full on war…
As you can see I’ve donned my bunny outfit and now it’s time to try and lull them into a false sense of security so that they could be manhandled into a sack and sold to Pets At Home. It’s only because of the pact that I don’t sell them to the fancy food market nearby…
Sometimes it’s difficult to know where inspiration comes from. Was I listening to Joy Division’s ‘Love will tear us apart’ when I came up with this design? Or did I come up with it independently as it seemed fitting for the design? I really couldn’t tell you.
I can tell you however that the Joy Division version was released in June 1980. Apparently the lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis’ marriage problems and frame of mind before his suicide in May 1980. Which is really quite sad all things considered. I’m not quite sure where I’m going with this so maybe best just to leave the rest to you.
They’re on A2 paper and are made using the magic of spraypaint, stencils and imagination. They’re £130 each if anyone wants to give either a new home.
Frankly I think I’ve nailed today’s ‘No Context Required’ piece – the main aim of which is to present Phil Collins quotes in new and unusual ways in order to try and exorcise him from my thoughts. If you were a male child in the 80’s you could hardly have missed Sam Fox and her undoubted charms. I’ve collocated her coquettish pose with Phil’s quote equating songwriting to child rearing and how disappointing the end result can be. Given Sam’s own glittering music career – and who can forget her 1986 classic ‘touch me (I want your body) – I thought Phil’s quote was particularly fitting. So there you have it.
Once you’ve liberally sprinkled a few pilfered logos in and adorned it with a grey background with some hearts then you’re good to go with another successful ‘No context required’ piece. It’s laser engraved on wood then hand painted and stands proud at 39 x 26cm. Drop us a line if you’re interested…
Bon Jovi once famously sang that they’d been shot through the heart and noted the fact that you were to blame. Well, short of the whole blaming you for it thing I thought I’d turn that sentiment into some art using the magic of stencils, spraypaint, gold (and red) leaf and a Dymo. Now she’s just about ready to hit the street as long as I can find somewhere suitable.
We’ve previously done an earworm and I thought it was about time to give it another go. The success or otherwise of this piece hinges on the fact that just about everyone is familiar with Bon Jovi’s ‘You give love a bad name’ and so I’ve done my best to try and get it playing unheeded in your brain. For no reason other than I can. It’s difficult to know how successful I’ll be but them’s the breaks…
If you’ve got the inclination then I’ve got the crime
‘I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks, Let’s make lots of money’. So sang the Pet Shop Boys in their seminal 1986 track ‘Opportunities’. They also went on to inform us that if we’ve got the inclination then they’ve got the crime (you can check youtube if you don’t belive me):
Anyway, there we were driving around the Isle of Man with our older brother and some of his kids when this song came on the stereo. Somehow the line resonated in my tiny brain and the next thing you know a plan had formed. I just needed to get home to execute it before the idea faded. I had the beginnings of the idea down on paper when we got stuck trying to figure out what font to use. Luckily that was when my mum walks in with an armful of wrapping paper and lightning struck once again and it was decided we’d use her spidery handwriting as the basis for the piece. A swift scrawl and an extra couple of moves later with a red crayon and some silver leaf and we were on the home straight. And that’s how easy it can be. Sometimes.
In keeping with our ‘anything goes’ style of making pictures today we’ve gone for something of a classical pencil study of the bust of the famous Egyptian queen, Nefertiti, complete with annotated poem about her and fancy gold coloured lettering to give you a clue if you weren’t sure as to her identity.
Like Elgin’s marbles controversy surrounds the famous bust of her that was found on the banks of the Nile in 1912. By 1913 it had been spirited away to Germany and has remained there ever since despite claims by successive Egyptian governments for its return. It’s currently on display in Berlin.
Mainly because of the discovery of the bust she has become an icon in popular culture along with Cleopatra as one of the two famous queens of Ancient Egypt that most people could name. For a lady with such fame that she is still known over 2,000 years later, I thought there would undoubtedly be songs sung in her honour. And I was right. Although my exhaustive search only took me as far as youtube I was probably expecting something a bit better known:
Cheers
id-iom
Title: Queen Nefertiti
Materials: Paint pen and pencil
Size: A4
Well, guess who’s got themselves a Dymo? I hadn’t seen one for years and had presumed they’d gone all digital but no, it’s a good old-fashioned one like they had at school and it’s just perfect for small scale street interventions and, ideally, little earworms like this. Having printed the first couple of lines from the theme song from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (which are surely ideal breeding ground for an earworm) I just had to find somewhere good to put them. Where better than a bin that does get turned upside down on a weekly basis? Granted it’s probably in the highest traffic spot in the world but it’s all about placement and if it achieves it’s aim just once then it’s fit for purpose. I just have to remember to take it out with me next time…
thisisidiom.wordpress.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.