Andrew Cranston II

 

Today's feature is a collection of Andrew Cranston's paintings using old book covers as canvases. Creating works that document every day feelings and events in a tangible homely way by using the patina of a well worn book. 

'All (books) are accumulated from Cranston’s various pilgrimages to Voltaire & Rousseau, a bookshop in Glasgow founded by three brothers famed for their heaps of stacked books which their cat, Coco, perches on. Cranston always limits himself to the £1 section; when dissecting his chosen books, Cranston channels all his punk-like impulses by, in his words, “destroying one thing to create another”. He was initially drawn to the covers’ formal attributes – their intimate size, bleached colouring and worn surfaces suiting his ladened painterly visions. But having worked on them repeatedly since, he’s come to notice how uncannily similar the production of books and painting canvases are – both requiring firm tension and glue to prime them into shape.' Ted Target

Christopher Corr VI

 

I also managed to see some work by the gorgeously vibrant artist Christopher Corr whilst in London and in person it really makes your heart sing!

Chris Kenny

 

I was in London last week doing research and stumbled upon this excellent wee exhibition in The Rowley Gallery of Chris Kenny's bird boxes made from 'found' paintings, as Chris works with the flotsam and jetsam of life. 

Which reminds me, if you are going to put up bird boxes please do it now a often the bird boxes appear in the shops far too late for nesting birds who start checking out nesting sites in the late winter well before we are even thinking of spring optimism. 

Wu Guanzhong

 

Wu Guanzhong. (1919-2010) 

The nights stretch into what was the day and the temperature soothes to cool and chill and we hope the flowers have time to form fruit. 

Efi Kokkinaki

 

It is hard to say goodbye to a summer that I hardly celebrated or experienced this year. Also it was hot too hot for Scotland the trees were desperate in the spring for water after the effort of pushing out their leaves and then lost their leaves too early, their fruits ripening extremely early I fear a long hard winter. 

However I am now grasping any chance I can to be out and quietly absorbing what is left of the year. To illustrate this, is the joyful work of Efi Kokkinaki. 

Inês Viegas Oliveira

The Duel is Inês Viegas Oliveira's stunning book promoting peace book is published by Planeta Tangerina. The story explores what can happen when you turn away from violence and embrace curiosity, friendship and forgiveness. In many ways it is like another peace promoting book 'The General by Michael Foreman.

“In a cold and distant country two men argue. 

They’ve been arguing for so long, they don’t remember why they started it in the first place.

They gave up on finding a real solution, and to solve it once and for all they decide to fight a duel.

Back to back, as in all duels, each men starts to count one hundred steps before turning around to shoot.

1, 2, 3, 4… There they go, moving apart.

We follow one of them but at some point we ask ourselves: where is he going?

A book about fights, conflicts, wars, but mostly about peace.” Inês Viegas Oliveira

This beautiful book was developed during the project @every.story.matters.eu, that promotes inclusion in books and literature.

Tamakiiwao

 

Tamakiiwao's delightful dancing suspended wire drawings are todays joy.

Afsane Sanei

 

A charming cover illustrated and designed by Afsane Sanei for a prompt on inanimate objects. 

Catarina Sobral IV

 

'Ashimpa' by Catarina Sobral, one day, a researcher makes an important discovery. A mysterious word buried in an old dictionary: ASHIMPA 

Everyone wants to use the new word, but no one knows what it means or even what part of speech it belongs to. A 137-year-old is certain that it’s a verb: people ashimped and would always ashimp. A linguist is convinced it’s a noun. Soon there would be people who claimed to have seen live ashimpas—and in color. “They still exist abroad. They’re green!” 

Kinghorn: Whale Wall

Just a wee catch up on what some of the summer entailed. 

I was commissioned, and my daughter Freya Ledingham helped me, to create a mural on a very unimposing (low and long) brick wall overlooking Kinghorn harbour. 

Kinghorn in Fife is a great spot for whale watching and Ronnie Mackie has secured funding for an enhanced whale watching area, including our mural, a bench and a notice board among other improvements. 

Even painting the wall white was a huge improvement. We started with the whales and basking shark and went down in size through the sea mammals that appear here. Originally we kept to a fairly limited palette, but as we started on the smaller birds and sea creatures that changed, not all were painted in their true colours. 

As we worked we had many appreciative and lovely visitors and we noticed kids asking their parents what each creature was, sometimes they knew and sometimes they didn't so we labelled everything as we went on. The labels have become a mantra for people and kids walking the wall and it is lovely to hear. So if you are ever visiting, then pop and see the wall and see the amazing sea life and beauty of this part of the Scottish coastline.