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.

Tom Leonard

Tom launches his book with a flying f*...


Tom, Speaks 'Proper' from the beautiful poem 'An Ayrshire Mother'


Alasdair Gray reads from Tom's Book

(Another of my favourite quotes - Poetry is all the juciest bits in the juciest order!)

James Kelman reads a fantastic choice!


Anyway, Nora's Place

Total inspiration

What a brilliant, beautiful, tender and thought provoking night. Also bloody hilarious. It's funny, I didn't remember the humour after my first time hearing Tom read, but I did remember it's poignancy. Same thing tonight - I remember being quite contemplative after the gig, and thinking a lot of it was beautiful, acerbic, touching, but forgot that I'd laughed my ass off at quite a few points. Glad I was sitting on the floor, that could've caused an incident...
Suffice to say, they were turning folks away from the door. Support from pals Alasdair and Jim.
Buy his book, it really is brilliant. I didn't know how visual his thinking is - great little illustrations in there.

This quote from Tom himself:

Thanks very much, I like the drawings and am glad to have them. You have your own way of portraying an intimacy tangent to an occasion, with quotes like holiday luggage labels on a speaker's passing expression.

Maximo Park, The Noisettes, and Stricken City - check them out!

On stage, with Maximo Park!


The Noisettes

I think I just returned from a flight with the Navigator...

Maximo Park - I finally found the pics from that infamous night! (You can't beat it - I was positioned on stage near the bassist at the back so I was looking out at the audience - felt like a right lemon. In order to stop feeling like a lemon, I knelt on the ground. However, after an hour my legs were officially dead and as I knelt up I nearly puked and passed out. Thankfully, my truly Rock & Roll moment passed without projection. Don't know what Maximo Park would have thought of that, tho' they had toyed with the idea of me standing beside the drummer with an easel. Maybe next time...)

Also check out Stricken City - I really liked them - frenetic energy.

I should be so lucky...Zoey Van Goey's Sold Out Album Launch

I am a lucky, lucky, lucky girl. (reference: seeing as how it was Zoey Van Goey's album launch there was an entertaining commentary on what was everyone's first album: Kim's was 'Michael Jackson's 'Bad', Matt 'Best of Hip-Hop? or Rap' (need clarification on that one!,) Michael John admitted to having Kylie given to him when he was about 7, Graeme Smilie's was the soundtrack to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Jamie Savage's was Puff The Magic Dragon.)

I am lucky in that I was able to witness the fantastic album launch of experimental pop troubadours Zoey Van Goey at Stereo Glasgow, finished off with a big helping of the Second Hand Marching Band on their encore song. (I did regrettably miss Endor and the Second Hand Marching Band who were both supporting, but hope to catch Endor soon, and draw the SHMB more times than the last 3 attempts!)

I am lucky in that I was able to get in as twice as many folks got turned away as were in the venue. It was very much a sold out gig, and very exciting to be one of the lucky ones to get in. Thank you Martin, Lynda and Zoey Van Goey!

TutSweet: - TutVuVu and a bit of Aidan Moffat

Aidan's night would have been great: RM Hubbert, plus Malcolm Middleton making a surprise guesting, even the line up of Aidan's 'Best Ofs' tonight - Alun on guitar, Stevie on Bass, Michael-John on Accordian - but I only managed three of the first sumptuous offerings before I made my goodbyes. I hope Aidan plays again in Glasgow before the year is out.

I had torn myself away from this splendid gig since via serendiptious chancings, I had heard TutVuVu were doing an even rarer performance at the GFM recording studios and felt I had to be there, most definitely. And they were Great. You did notice that capital G didn't you?

Post-gig, some classic Blues, Rythm & Blues and Sweet Rock and Roll played out for some great eclectic boogying. You cannot beat a baaaad blues boogie, no way.

Drawing (has now appeared!) TutSweet.

Jeffrey Lewis and the Junkyard, and Foxface.

Jeffrey Reading From His Film Noir


Detail of the Whole crew.


The Whole Crew: Jack, Jeffrey, Dave and Fletcher

The Inimitable Foxface.

Awwweeeeeeeeeeeeessoooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

A Wee Tasty, John Knox Sex Club

John Knox Sex Club, courtesy of A Wee Tasty, the experimental art, music and performance night at Glasgow's Stereo Venue, with club afterwards. Brilliant night, oh yes! More superlatives to come.

Art Auction This Saturday 21st March!!

Fantastic art auction for charity Yorkhill this Saturday - bring your big fat wallets!!
I've donated that infamous drawing of those 2 braw Proclaimers chappies that got me on STV news, and which the Proclaimers then used on their merchandise. This particular drawing of Craig and Charlie was drawn live of them during their gig on Arran in 2006, along with a drawing of the whole band, plus one of their support band Ten Storeys High. Was a brilliant night, and I was lucky enough to get to see them again in Fort William (quite close to my old home!) which was another joyous occasion!

For a bit more on the charity event this following excerpt is from highly intriguing and quirky photographer Alex Boyd who's submitted one of his brilliant photos for the auction:

Yorkhill Childrens' Foundation Y.C.F make a big difference to the lives of kids who have to stay in Hospital in Glasgow, and throughout the year they help to set up fundraising events to help with the cost of their work. This year I've given one of the Sonnets shots (Elgol and the Cuillins, Skye) to raise funds for the organisation as part of a Charity Auction at Montgomery's Cafe, Radnor Street in Glasgow. The exhibition/auction will have some work by some of Glasgows well known artists. Of these Jenny Soep, the Live music illustrator is exhibiting, who is one of my current favourites.

From the Montgomery's Cafe site:A.S.K. YorkhillA.S.K. Yorkhill is a silent art auction on behalf of Yorkhill Childrens Foundation. Local acclaimed artists have donated their work to be exhibited for auction from February 2nd to March 21st when, at the final night party, there will be a live auction for the art and a raffle with great prizes donated by local businesses! Stop by Montgomery's to check out the art and make a bid!

Find out more about YCF here:

www.yorkhillchildrensfoundation.org/

Other artists/photographers involved:

www.uglyduckexhibits.com/Auction/CharityAuction.html

The Phantom Band

The Phantom Band played a sell out night last night in King Tuts - been sold out for aeons - the brother of the drummer wasn't getting in it was that sold out. Don't know if he finally managed at the last minute, but twas the sign of things to come.

This drawing was done in the less packed but excellent venue the Stirling Tolbooth - done on Saturday 28th (yes a bit of time travelling done here!) supported by Kochka and another band - both who I missed.

First heard of the Phantom Band playing a stellar line-up the Chemikal Underground's 2007 Winter Revue with none other than the most splendid De Rosa and the most fantabulous and now tragically missed Mother and the Addicts at Stereo, Glasgow. I hear they were a tad rough round the edges in them days, but have since come on in merry little leaps and bounds. (Apparently it's coming up for Spring just now...) Chemikal Underground have very sophisticated tastes, and I trust them more than any other indicator of the great and the good right now.

2009, Checkmate Savage by the Phantom Band - get it, and go see them.

Streamlining, and Tommy Perman

I've been tidying my room/'studio' for the past week, seeing too many painfully intriguing compositions, not doing anything about it because my room needs to be tidied as it's been driving me nuts tho' I did manage a couple. I'm feeling a little lost to be honest. What to do What to do.

And then I found the site of someone who I already have a tonne of respect for - along with anyone else in the marvellous band called Found, and knowing roughly that he was already an artist, tutor, graphic designer, I still wasn't prepared for the fact that he's also f**king brilliant.
You should check out his artsome site here - http://www.surfacepressure.net/

I wish I could hate him.

Happy New Year Folks!

Ah, yes, it's official - I have managed to crawl back far enough into the land of the living that I can now offer a mighty thumbs up for 2009, s'gon' be D-vaaaiinne! Oh yes. I can feel it in my sketching pencils...

There did not exist one Christmas card from the mighty Soep as I was officially engaged in sorting out lots of last minute orders for artwork in time for Christmas, so don't feel left out that you didn't get a Festive Greeting. Next year I will be amazingly more organised. Truly - it's my New Year's Resolution, or one of them anyway...

So enjoy the pics for now - I'm having an exhibiton at the Byre's Theatre in St Andrews at the end of the month will clarify details in the next few days, but it will be a bunch of Music drawings mostly.

Here's a wee pic of a great band that I've been giving a bit of time to.