New paintings and designs.

Candy Mountains went down a storm at Arbeit Gallery. A very exciting new gallery space, just off of Old Street. I'm very interested to see the upcoming exhibitions there.

I have been working at the studios on some new abstract works. I'm very happy about how they are going. Back to basics mark making, if you like, I am working on several at a time which is a pleasing way to work. Having been slogging over a very large painting for a long time, its been great to throw myself into working fast on more than one at a time.

Have also spent some time preparing graphics for Normal Designs' first collection of shopping bags. This image of mine has been re-blogged from a tumblr sketchbook blog no end of times recently, and although I don't particularly mind people using my work, I thought it only sensible to start making some money out of it myself! Please watch out for further announcements regarding Normal Designs' products, available near you....very soon!

Candy Mountains at ARBEIT

Spent a couple of days in the studio, working on some new abstract works, which I'm very excited about.

Also very thrilled to be part of this exhibition.

Candy Mountains at ARBEIT

Art during birthday week.

Well, it was my birthday last week. Had lovely presents, mainly books on how to make money as an artist and designer - very much required reading! Anyway, for my birthday treat I wanted to see the Threadneedle Fine Art Prize exhibition. Having not been selected for the last three years, this year there seemed to be a lot more decent work than I have seen previously. So we walked to the Mall Galleries, it was a lovely warm Wednesday last week, and lo and behold when we got there the gallery was closed for the prize giving! Never mind, we thought, the ICA is next door - and were installing their next exhibition. Oh well, not to worry, I'm happy, it's my 41st birthday. Let's go to Mason's Yard and check out the Raqib Shaw exhibition.

Wow! What a pile of utter toss. I mean, I know that I know he didn't make those sculptures - I know the company who does, but really?? Were the frogs supposed to be dripping with hot glue from a glue-gun? Or was that supposed to be spunk? After the dreadful anodine sculptures upstairs (although the painting of the flesh was quite good on the feet), we went downstairs...

Well, after that appalling exhibition, I thought it might be nice to pop into the always magnificent Alan Wheatley Art opposite. I saw a wonderful painting in the window. Who was that? Was it a Patrick Heron or a Peter Lanyon that I didn't know? No, it was by Alec Cumming, a 25 year old painter from Norfolk.

April 2011, Alec Cumming, Oil on canvas.

The exhibition is on until 21st October. Trust me, just go and see it. Made me glad to be a painter again. The mark making, the colour, just the use of space - everything is wonderful.

Hung new work yesterday in the Crypt Gallery underneath St Pancras church. It really is a wonderful space, very exciting to be part of a show there with some good friends from Collective Studios and some artists who are new to me. I particularly like Paul Griffiths' new series of landscapes, painted from memories of his walks in the south downs.

After that went to see Miro at Tate Modern. What a fantastic exhibition. Very hot as always in the Tate, and quite crowded, but great to see. Particularly impressive is the Barcelona Series of fifty lithographs.

Got to see the Ryan Mosley show at Alison Jacques on the last day! The work is so dense with paint, there is so much going on underneath the final layers of paint. Wonderful show. We all know how important it is to see work in the flesh, but I was reminded of this hugely at this exhibition. No reproduction can capture the physicality of these paintings.

An interesting week, to say the least!

Well, what a week we've all had! Got stuck at the studios at the beginning of the week as the riots were getting pretty close! Went to Clapham Junction with a few of the crew from Collective Studios for the riot cleanup the day after, which was great fun, though there were so many people there, it was difficult to find anything left to sweep up. Then back to the studios for some painting. Nothing much coming to me, pretty much had a blank - so that's what I painted, a blank wall.

I Still Have No Ideas (II)
Oil on board
27.5 x 21cm

Bad Art Salon

Bad Art Salon at Vintage Festival, in the Guardian

My work The Entertainer has appeared in the Bad Art Salon at Wayne Hemingway's Vintage Festival on London's South Bank. The Bad Art Salon was curated by Paul D Kindersley, Ellie Arnold and Clare Simmonds. Judges included Wayne Hemingway, Lulu Guinness and Adam Ant.