Today's Inspiration - in Sounds, Visuals and Combos

It's 15.54 and it's dark.  But my afternoon has been significantly warmed by listening to Emma Swift on her show In the Pines - listen here http://ondemand.fbiradio.com/index.php?show=in-the-pines

Having just drawn and experienced the intense and dreamy voice, music and presence of Bill Callahan I was looking up twitter to see what was the current lowdown and found this amazing festival in Brussels happening all this week - http://autumnfalls.toutpartout.be/ - oh boy - it looks Great!

I've also been checking out another blog which has a very nice mix of artwork, listening recommendations, interviews and more.  The artwork is big and bold and the site is easy to navigate, fun and inspiring. I hope I can tweak my own sites to be as simply enjoyable.  Three girls are behind it and they have a few different places online that you can follow and be similarly inspired by.
http://theleftoversessions.co.uk/

I really must limit my investigations online.  One inspiring article can branch out to two or more interesting links and it goes on from there.  I was looking up a video this morning on the band Isosceles and it actually had this very theme running through the whole documentary - ie random inspirations leading onto even more inspirations and even collaborations.  The art of random, and being able to follow the chase.  Anyway, check it out on Central Station http://vimeo.com/29034684 and make sure to see the other 2 parts to it.

Central Station is itself worth checking out and is currently going through a major revamp.  If you are an artist of any kind I would thoroughly recommend signing up and boosting your online presence via their suggestions and be in the running to win some promotion and/or cash prizes. See this link for more - http://community.thisiscentralstation.com/_Central-Station-v2-Latest-News/blog/5449958/126249.html

Finally, some audio visual stimulus.  If you're in Glasgow on the 9th of December I would recommend going to see the one night launch of animator, director, audio-visual chap - Konx-om-Pax.
Details here - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=317994184893560 including a good few links to his myspace, website and Vimeo - very much worth a watch. His Hudson Mohawk video did remind me of a video from a while back and which I prefer by inimitable and rather brilliant Rachel Maclean for the awesome Phantom Band which you can see here.  It is EPIC!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH1qxYG78eQ

Meanwhile on the 9th of December in Edinburgh there is a rather special book launch of the Roughcut Nation project from 2009 which was basically the best Scottish street artists taking over and restyling a part of the esteemed National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. It was a fantastic happening, of which the resulting beautiful artwork/installation was divided up and auctioned off after a series of live music sessions involving the great and good in the Scottish music scene.  So now there is a book. And I want one.  (Oh, I suppose I should mention I was actually involved in some live projected drawing work when the marvellous John Knox Sex Club were strutting their stuff there - Magic :).  JKSC will also be there to create music mayhem at the launch.  I would thoroughly recommend the above. It's a free public event but you need to sign up for the free tickets.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=240242586038219

Finally, a very inspiring audio-visual project by sound artist John Keston where he manipulates the sound and film merely by touching the screen.
http://www.creativeapplications.net/maxmsp/voice-lessons-maxmsp/ 

So after that dry load of information, I really should stick up a drawing to break it up. Words and Pictures and all that. Ah, I'll leave it. I've been inside all day. I'm going out for a jog before drawing at a gig tonight. Walrus (SWE) and Mongst (CAN). It's a 'Mother' gig and I'd highly recommend it if you happen to be in Stockholm this evening.
Details - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=263291350388197

I'll stick up some pictures of that.

Rough Cut Nation, Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh

There is an auction later on today at 2pm for Rough Cut Nation, where the fantastic exhibition of street art has delectably decorated the innards of the Grand Old Madam Portrait Gallery herself. Or his-self. I reckon it's Herself...
Anyhoo, this ground breaking, wall busting, aestheticising, carpet carving manifestation will be dismantled and sectioned into smaller, more manageable buyable bits. Challenging task I should think.

It's been a brilliant and exciting project involving street artists and musicians and is an important and poignant step towards creating the Portrait of the Nation, a contemporary update in all manners of media and public participation.

Here's a little excerpt and link:

'Devised by the National Galleries of Scotland Outreach Team, Rough Cut Nation updates William Hole's historical murals to create a collaborative, multi-media installation that depicts Scottish history and identity through the eyes of contemporary artists.
Instead of merely recreating Hole's murals by inserting contemporary characters, figures and events, we decided to transform the way national life is depicted.'
Rough Cut Nation

Grab your purses and go.

Dream Fluently...

The Jazz


Ryan Van Winkle


St Jude's Infirmary

Well, what have I been up to? Well, apart from drawing a great night of two bands at the beautiful central library in Edinburgh last night, hanging up my expo in the music library beside it, frequenting places of social gathering and engagement and verbal lubrication, painting murals on a village hall in the middle of nowhere, drawing a really lovely humanist wedding in the splendid Pollockshiels Burgh Hall, making cards and writing rhymes for family birthdays folks, I've also been making my way through the Sandman series of books. Addicted. I feel like I've not read for a century and now I'm being sucked back into the orbit of imagination. Great stuff.

Drawings above of St Jude's Infirmary and Don Paterson's collection of cool jazzy folks doing some top class beat poetry with top class jazz in Edinburgh's gorgeous central library. This was last night and clashed with the very exciting expo opening of Rough Cut Nation at the Portrait Gallery (also in Edinburgh) which had Tut Vu Vu playing. Apparently it was mental. It would have definitely been a different night to what I'd been drawing! Check it out. It's one of the most exciting projects to descend upon the grand ol' Modom herself. They're doing gigs on Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm too. Worth a look, listen and donder.

Glad to catch the library event though. More drawings in the future too. Keep your eyes peeled for new news. Or Noo News.