Jack Myles

‘I want to regain control/understanding of the self, The self (I believe based on Hume and Ego Theory) is defined by the stimulus it has received. We now live in an hauntological late-stage capitalist age of [mis]information- of massinformation-, Brain rotted and overloaded with stimulus. I seek to look back to the past and regain control/question the stimulus that’s been put upon me by sources such as authoritarian western education, by television/pop culture and by the internet/social media. Through this I hope to gain a better understanding of the self. ​

Through collage, staging/restaging, diorama and memes I hope to find a better understanding of a self that is unadulterated by outside messaging. By utilising the world building methods of science fiction and fantasy, my art involves a humorous reinterpretation of the world around me, to find or fabricate hidden narratives and messages. ​

This has recently involved a deconstruction of personal family encyclopaedias. An examination stemming from both an aesthetic appreciation; and a hope to question what as a child I perhaps could not. I was fascinated with these objects and their surreal presentation of the world, The choice to elect and stage a handful images to represent such broad categories as Africa, Fascism, Radiology or Jazz. The proximity of these disconnected and clearly selected categories inspired me to reinterpret the world as I had been led to believe it. ​

I have also been interested an analysis of our relationship to the screen and the echoes of past forms of stimulus found in them, the historic and the present. By crossing over past points of information from encyclopaedia and from television with that of memes and reels/doom scrolls.’ Jack Myles

I enjoyed Jacks enormous collages and his use of tiny magnifying screens as seen in the first and last images of this post.   

Stamp a story

Tomorrow '#Stampastory2026' starts, Monty Lee's (below) new challenge for which you make a stamp(s) and then use it (above) @ritazima_art (them) to create art and stories using prompts provided.  Already Monty's co-hosts have been working away to announce the challenge. 

The shape as illustrated by @sudden.strangeness is a wiggle.

It runs all week as illustrated by @marinahenina 

Above are the prompts by @mark_timmins77 

 There is a wonderful supportive team including @elena_tsaprounisillustration (above)

 and @zeke.draw (above) who will share different techniques and support.

and kind words (above) @zeynebihteryildiz 

and inspiration (above) @raczeszteranna and the whole creative community that always rises to the fun and excitement of Monty's challenges.

Jasmine Mcphee

Following on from Hannah's masters in the last post and the the jigsaw of fragmented culture is the graduate show of Jasmine Mcphee which also addresses the question of colonial thwarting and destruction of indigenous culture using collage. 

This project set out to explore a feeling of disconnection towards formal Gaelic culture, as a ‘first-generation’ speaker who learned the language in Glasgow – despite it being a part of my heritage.

By re-appropriating archival materials in combination with a visual language from my closer background, I am bridging a gap to alternative narrative; imagining what could have been. 

Jasmine Mcphee

Hannah Grajciar

"Growing up in America within a family shaped by Scots Irish, and Polish migration histories made me aware of how identity is often inherited through fragments: memory, music, objects, storytelling, and place. My work investigates these layered inheritances and uses communication design as a way of uncovering hidden histories, creating cultural access points, and fostering connection across communities. Drawing from archival research, autoethnography, language learning, and material experimentation, I am interested in how design can create spaces of orientation and welcome for people navigating questions of culture, memory, and selfhood."  Hannah Grajciar

Hannah Grajciar has collaged memories, songs, poems and images into her book, 'Ó Na Cruacha', 

Luyao Wang

'The Goldfish' is a  beautifully loose expressive book created using watercolour by Luyao Wang for her graduate show from Glasgow School of Art.

"When I was little, fishing for goldfish was all the rage. Every children’s playground had a goldfish pond, and countless children treated it as their weekend pastime. Every week, I would go there and catch five or six goldfish to take home. However, due to my lack of experience in caring for them, and perhaps influenced by the shopkeepers’ advice, I didn’t think twice even if a goldfish died on the way home or just a few hours later; I simply thought I’d catch some more the following week. until one day I caught a black goldfish. Miraculously, it lived in my fishbowl for a whole year. It was only at the moment of its death that I realised these were living creatures, not the ‘toys’ of my childhood. From that moment on, I stopped this activity immediately; whenever I think back on it, I feel an immense sense of cruelty. So I drew a very simple story. In it, a little girl catches goldfish three times. Through catching the black goldfish and watching it grow, she realises that goldfish are not the same as toys, and she never does it again."

Luyao Wang explored the commercialisation of experience and emotions for families and children through Disney, and then beyond in her degree thesis.

"I began to wonder: when happiness is designed and reality is replaced, and contemporary social spaces are no longer neutral venues for experience, are there commercial spaces, much like Disneyland,hat appear joyful yet harbour an emotionalised consumption?" Luyao Wang

Leah Enya Duncan

“The Shape of Understanding”

'This project explores language, accessibility, and the many ways people communicate beyond speech. For some individuals, communication barriers are a daily reality that can lead to exclusion, misunderstanding, and isolation. Influenced by growing up with a non-verbal autistic sister who primarily communicates through gesture and learns Makaton at school, I have witnessed firsthand how communication is often limited not by a person’s ability to express themselves, but by society’s expectation that communication must be verbal.

To communicate with my sister, I learned to adapt my communication style, using gestures, visual cues, patience, and observation. This experience taught me that meaningful communication exists far beyond spoken language and that understanding often requires effort from both sides. The work encourages viewers to reflect on their own assumptions about communication and to recognise non-verbal forms of expression as equally valuable and valid.

The installation transforms the gallery space into an environment of both communication and disconnection. The surrounding walls are covered with text formed from casts of hands spelling British Sign Language (BSL). At first glance, the text appears familiar, resembling written language arranged into paragraphs, yet for many viewers it remains unreadable. Instinctively, audiences attempt to decipher the message, only to encounter a barrier similar to that experienced by many Deaf, non-verbal, and neurodivergent individuals navigating a predominantly verbal world. Deliberately, no translation is provided. Instead, viewers are invited to sit with the discomfort of not understanding and consider the effort often required of marginalised communities to adapt to systems that were not designed for them.'             

  Leah Enya Duncan has just graduated from Glasgow School of Art. 

Jenya Lobanova

 

Jenya Lobanova pen and ink black-and-white illustrations from her book 'The Adventures of Wilson Fur: Journey to the Island of Volcanoes'.

"First of all, I never imagined that I would write stories. I’ve always considered myself an artist rather than a writer, but life pushed me to learn some new skills (though that’s a story for another time!).

I had already written this book, but there was one problem: I wasn’t happy with the illustrations I was creating for it. No matter what I tried, they just didn’t feel right. As a result, the unfinished project sat untouched for an entire year.

Then, during a holiday trip, I took a sketchbook and a few ink pens with me to make nature sketches. And suddenly—everything clicked! I realized that this was exactly how the illustrations for Wilson Fur should look: black-and-white ink drawings.

That simple discovery brought the story back to life and finally allowed me to finish the book.

Funny how sometimes the solution appears when you stop looking for it." Jenya Lobanova

Katja Roberts II

 

Two more images from Katja Roberts her bug occupied cable car and this wonderful hoopoe bearing tea!

Katja Roberts I

 

A great year for ECA illustration with some wonderful artists graduating. This is the charming work of Katja Roberts from her book 'Where there is two'.