Closing Ceremony

I cut the stencils for this last year, but never made a print that I liked. Last Saturday, I suddenly knew the colours. Sprayed a few of them the next day ... a stormy day.

"Mukai Tiende"

An ancient Shona song, played on an ancient Shona instrument.

Mbira is the name given to both the instrument & the music.

Mukai Tiende means "Wake Up, Let's Go"

what you waiting for?

30th March, 2013

(solo dongonda mbira)

*

3 Cocks

Commission for Spit Jacks Restaurant, Lauriston Road, Hackney, London E9

click here to visit Spitjacks Facebook page

Hoping to get some pictures soon, of the restaurant when its open & full of happy eaters

(It was closed when these were taken)

These cockerels were far bigger than anything I've done before, and, to be honest, 

I was a little nervous. 

This is my try at creating a stencil print version of a sketch by the artist, Guy Denning,

who drew it as a preliminary for his painting,

"We Shall Be Hypocrites"

click for bigger 

 

You can see Guy Denning's sketch at

 http://denningdrawing.blogspot.co.uk/2012_01_01_archive.html 

 Its a picture that I return to, time & again,
 just to 'feel' it one one more time. 

The sketch is in charcoal & conté crayon, & doesn't exactly lend itself to spray paint, but I wanted a 'hand-made' version of this picture rather than the photo I had. 

Guy had sold the sketch before I first saw it.

Also, I just wanted to see if I could do it at all.  

I'm just pleased to have captured something of her expression. 

Anyway, Guy Denning's work is special, check it out here ... 

http://www.guydenning.org

Early Morning 
29th September 2011
Lower Dowdeswell, Gloucestershire, UK

... all sorts of ways

& then this one that I played with on the computer, trying to work out my colours ...

"Moonlight Ride"

photographically altered spray paint & stencil

(a colour scheme for tomorrow, straight out of the past)