Self Portrait

Just completed a few moments ago - a self portrait doodle
I haven't done one of these in a very long while

Happy Extreme!

I've just found this flexi disc whilst rummaging through a drawer. It's a Japanese DIY release from perhaps 1988 or thereabouts. Aside from The Rain, the other bands are all Japanese, though in true homage to the UK twee indie scene of the time, all of their lyrics are sung in English. I loved flexi discs during the 80s, which along with DIY cassette albums were a great accompaniment to the music zine scene of the time

Useless fact > In the evenings, The Rain used my tutor room at secondary school as a rehearsal space

Takashi Murakami Exhibition

Takashi Murakami
Gagosian Gallery, London
June 27 - August 5, 2011

I made a visit to the Murakami exhibition this afternoon. There's only one room of work, and I felt slightly intimated by the 5+ attendants resembling CIA / Men In Black agents. Even so, there were a couple of highlights, including a silver vagina entitled Miss Clam and its partner sculpture Mr Big Mushroom - a polished gold penis. Both were huge and sported cute smiley faces placed on their erogenous zones. Behind these were two paintings reflecting Japanese Shunga that were equally enticing / explicit

Sadly there doesn't seem to be an online reference to these works or the majority of others on display. I guess that the heavy security presence has put pay to casual visitors photographing the show. However, the pay-off to this was a bonus gift - a free Murakami papercraft kit of one of the show's exhibits (pictured)

For more information on the exhibition, click HERE

Scans of the papercraft after the jump...

Self Portrait

Oil painting from when I was 17
At the time, I was clearly loving the work of Pierre Bonnard

Royal Wedding, 1981

My Royal Wedding souvenir from 1981...
Nice headed paper and fountain pen detail

Springtime

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of some time out from London. Here are a handful of photos from a leisurely walk in Alresford, Hampshire. Lovely spring weather and nature in bloom made for a perfect afternoon...

Oxford Street

Selfridges on Oxford Street, London (4th March, 1992)

This was taken at my halls of residence, where I stayed for 2 years while studying at UCL. The Mayfair address was always a bonus, though sadly the entire block has now been demolished