Recent work

More about my pen sketches of leaves in books.

These are sketches I completed a couple of weeks ago, trying to develop some of my ideas and images to a resolution. In these pictures I continue to be preoccupied with leaves, trees and imagery from nature, and with the formal and associative possibilities of the book form. What can the double page spread, the curve of an open book, the layering of sheets of paper add to my images? What added meaning and depth can the observed text, the associations with a fictional or factual text bring? So, more leaves in a book!

At present the idea has reached its fullest form in the book below. Leaves drawn in cross-hatched pen marks, sprouting from the spine of the book, raised above the level of underlying pages. These are also intended to be three-dimensional and sculptural objects, to remain open to view. Still to be completed and resolved-watch this space. The first image is zoomable.

Prior to the sketch above the leaves were drawn in a “moleskin” sketchbook, cut and folded to give an effect of growth and motion. I envisage the books as displayed open with the leaves becoming tree-dimensional. The impact of a strong directional light source creates drama, and emphasises the three-dimensional structure.

Stanley Donwood

Read an article/interview with Stanley Donwood today. I have been a fan of his work, ever since the OK Computer sleeve work, which was the first time I think I saw his work. He has continued to make interesting art work for Radiohead albums, such as Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows. His book Dead Children Playing is full of melancholy and dystopian imagery, which are at the same time intriguing and attractive. The textural qualities engage and interest me as an artist, with their layering of paint and collage, and the use of text and image. The pre-occupation with a fragmented and confusing modern life relate to my own feelings and concerns. Visit his website here.

The Hail to the Thief art work, with Donwood’s eclectic collection of slogans, structured around aerial street plans was very interesting. His appropriation of words and slogans, and the distressed and disjointed form of his work I find equally engaging.

His second book of short stories, Household worms (described by himself as “intermittently dreary”) has recently been published, and I am waiting for it to arrive in the post. As you might expect, it is a collection of short stories musing on modern urban life, and presenting it in a not entirely positive light.

An Apocalyptic Alphabet

Here are a couple of pages of my initial letters. As I have said before I was exploring the use of words around the trees, selecting words primarily on a gloomy and pessimistic theme. In the first ones the lettering is a fairly standard heavy font. In subsequent examples I started to use lettering that is intended to be recognisable. These two are almost finished. A little tidying up is needed, and replacing of the words at the top, with APOCALYPTIC ALPHABET, I think.

Once again, if you click on the image then zoom in you get a version as seen through a magnifying glass. Really quite interesting.