All Things Considered

Rob Ryan

Rob popped along to the opening of our latest exhibition on Saturday to have a chat about his show with us in November.

We're real fans of Rob Ryan's work - and it's great to have a chance to work with him. We'll have a range of Rob's prints on show - along with some of his tiles and examples of his design work. And - fingers crossed - we'll have a 2008 St. Jude's charity Christmas card designed by Rob.

If you'd like to receive an invitation to the opening of the exhibition, please sign up for our gallery newsletter.

There was a great article about Rob's work in a recent copy of the Independent by Clare Dwyer Hogg:

"The narrow back streets of east London make an ideal wind tunnel on a cold spring morning. There is little to this landscape other than old buildings, a deserted park, and a corner shop or two. But this façade belies the mills of creativity that are churning away behind closed doors. This is studio land, where artists have set up residence, toiling away behind crumbling walls and rickety doors."

Read the full article online

Modern British Posters

Last week I finally made it to this excellent exhibition of British posters from the middle part of the 20th century.

The exhibition features work by Edward Wadsworth, Paul Nash, Edward Bawden, Edward McKnight Kauffer, Abram Games and Tom Eckersley amongst others - all from the private collection of Paul and Karen Rennie.

Paul had previously introduced me to many of the artists and designers whose work is exhibited - and the show acts as the perfect introduction to the genre, as Paul Rennie explains:

"The evolution of British graphic design, from 1920, onwards has usually been presented as a footnote to developments in Europe. These posters show a graphic language of range and sophistication emerging in Britain and able to communicate beyond the established rhetoric of advertising and sales."

The exhibition runs until the 17th of May at the Lethaby Gallery, Central Saint Martins, Southampton Row, WC1. You can also view this slideshow of the work being exhibited. Highly recommended.

Salt

Since moving to Norfolk we’ve spent lots of time walking the dogs at Morston. For me, the views over the saltmarshes, across the ‘pit’ with the many moored boats, to the shingle of Blakeney Point and its bright blue tea room are the essence of this beautiful coastline. Here land, sea and sky merge - and there’s a lot of sky.

This landscape has been the strongest influence on my own work for the last 10 years and is the setting for "Salt", the first novel by Jeremy Page. Page grew up in Norfolk and he captures perfectly the haunting quality of this beautifully bleak landscape and influence on the character of the inhabitants of this part of the country.

So when Nathan at Penguin emailed me to ask if I’d like to produce a print for the cover artwork, it was the perfect commission.

"Stunningly good. Captures the landscape with a truly deft watercolourist’s touch" Rose Tremain.

“Salt" is published by Penguin. £7.99

Eric Ravilious and the Towner Art Gallery

Our friend Emma Mason is busy helping to raise funds for the Eastbourne's new Towner Art Gallery which is due to open this year.

Having studied and taught at Eastbourne School of Art, Eric Ravilious' work is a key element of the Collection. The Towner holds the broadest collection of paintings, illustrations and commercial designs in the world by this important, modern British artist of the early 20th century.

The New Towner Trust has launched the special limited edition sale of the rarely seen Lombardy Poplars, a watercolour by Eric Ravilious. The Ravilious Family and the Private Owner have given special permission for  this painting to be reproduced to help raise funds for the New Towner Trust.  The giclee print is available unfamed for £295 including delivery in the UK and framed for £395 including delivery within the UK.

For further details on purchasing this print, please e-mail Emma Mason.

Letterpress

I'm spending the best part of this Easter weekend clearing out the shed that was designated as my letterpress workshop some months ago. In that time it seems to turned into a dumping ground for all sorts of rubbish.

So, I though it was time to do something about it. I've been collecting type for some time now and have two small presses - an Adana and a simple proofing press. There's still much to do but I can't wait to get started. I'll aim to keep a record of progress here.

It's been great to work with Phil Abel at Hand and Eye for our own St. Jude's stationery and vouchers - though it'll be some before we have to dispense of his services.

Doing a quick search on YouTube I came across this great mini-documentary which serves as a great overview of the craft. That said, I would definitely disagree with the closing comment that letterpress is 'going to die'. If anything, it seems to be flourishing - a visit to New York's Greenwich Village Letterpress would convince you of this.

Something for Valentine's

We've just added details to our gallery site of this latest print by Rob Ryan.

All of Rob's work is the result of painstaking hand-cutting of delicate papers. These intricate works are either sold in the papercut form or developed as limited edition screenprints.

"Can We? Shall We?" has been created and printed by Rob in an edition of 95 copies, screen-printed in red and cream on a heavy weight paper. We have a limited number of the edition here at St. Jude's and you can order a copy online.

We're looking forward to Rob's exhibition with us in November. If you'd like to receive details nearer the time - along with an invitation to our private views - you can join subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter.

Rob Ryan

It was a genuine pleasure meeting papercut artist and printmaker Robert Ryan earlier in 2007. Our visit to his London studio was inspirational.

And we're delighted that we'll be exhibiting his work at the gallery.

Born in Cyprus in 1962, Robert Ryan is a paper-cut artist, printmaker (Rob has an an MA in printmaking from the Royal College of Art) and illustrator, working for a range of clients including Vogue, Paul Smith and a number of book publishers.

All of Robert's work is the result of painstaking hand-cutting of delicate papers. These intricate works are either sold in the papercut form or developed as limited edition screenprints.

The story-telling that is present in much of Robert's work is perfectly illustrated by his recent book, 'This Is For You', the dreamy tale of a man who has lost his place in the world who takes a magical papercut journey of rediscovery.

You can view a selection of Rob's work at the gallery.

The Mini Picture Show

The Bankside Gallery, right next to Tate Modern on the southbank  of the Thames, is the home of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and the Royal Watercolour Society.

Featuring exciting new work on a small scale, The Mini Picture Show promises to be the perfect opportunity to purchase enchanting, original and affordable art for Christmas. Works by Members of both Royal Societies will be available framed and unframed and may be taken away when bought. The exhibition opens on Tuesday 11th December from 6-8pm and continues until 24th January 2008.

I'll have a number of prints available at the exhibition including 'Five Trees' (see right) and 'Winter Spey' which featured on our now sold-out St. Jude's 2007 Christmas card.

The gallery is open daily 11.00am-6.00pm and admission is free.

The Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH Tel: 020 7928 7521

www.banksidegallery.com

At The First Fall of Snow

We're getting ready for the usual busy days in the run up to a new exhibition at the gallery.

Opening on Saturday 24th November "At The First Fall of Snow" features the work of both Jonny Hannah and Mark Hearld - they'll be exhibiting a range of paintings, prints and collages.

Born & bred in Dumfermline, Jonny studied illustration at Liverpool Art School and then the Royal College of Art.

Since graduation in 1998 he has been working both as a commercial designer & illustrator (his clients include The Daily Telegraph, The New York Times & The St. Kilda Courier) and printmaker, creating wonderful screen printed books, posters and prints for his own Cake & Ale Press.

Born in 1974, Mark Hearld studied illustration at Glasgow School of Art followed by an MA in Natural History Illustration at the Royal College of Art. 

Taking his inspiration from the flora and fauna of the British countryside, Mark works across a number of mediums, producing limited edition lithographic and linocut prints, unique paintings, collages and hand-painted ceramics.

We've also been working with Mark on a range of textiles - the first of which, Doveflight, is available now.

If you're anywhere near Norfolk on Saturday 24th November, pop in between 11am and 4pm for a glass of wine and a natter with Jonny and Mark.

You can find our more about the show and view examples of some of the work we'll be featuring here:

http://stjudesgallery.co.uk/show.htm

Jonny Hannah

We're getting very excited about our next exhibition at the gallery that opens on November 24th - featuring the work of Jonny Hannah and Mark Hearld.

Born & bred in Dumfermline, Jonny studied illustration at Liverpool Art School and then the Royal College of Art. Since graduation in 1998 he has been working both as a commercial designer/illustrator (his clients include The Daily Telegraph, The New York Times & The St. Kilda Courier) and printmaker,  creating wonderful screen printed books, posters and prints for his own Cake & Ale Press.   A passionate music lover, his ‘Hot Jazz Special’ - a book of red-hot rhymes and bold poster-style art - took 2nd place in the 2005 V&A Illustration Award.

If you'd like to receive an e-mail invitation to the opening of this and all of our other exhibitions you can sign up for our free e-mail newsletter - you'll only hear from us a few times a year and you can unsubscribe instantly at anytime. We'll also let you know when we've uploaded examples of Jonny's work on our website a week or so prior to the exhibition.