Jenny Bean, Jenny Bean, Where have you been?

Zoey Van Goey Album Launch, Stereo, Glasgow, July 08

...I've been to Glasgow to check out the Music Scene,

Jenny Bean Jenny Bean what did you there?
I got overwhelmed and hid under a rather quaint Tchai-Ovna armchair.'

(Ooooh, I'm good eh?)

So, it's been 6 months since I moved to Glasgow - and actually, I've been spending a bit of exciting time in Edinburgh too - and so far I've managed to cover the Projector Animation festival, a bit of the 'Aye Write' festival - of which a drawing ended up in the Skinny, exhibited my drawings from last year's StAnza Poetry Festival residency at the Byre Theatre St Andrews, The Arches Theatre Festival in the Spring which will be followed up by my covering their next one this Autumn, exhibiting while also drawing the fantabulous last ever Triptych festival at the Tramway and Arches, Drawing the West End Festival (yes sometimes in the rain), having my first solo show in Glasgow 'A Taste of Soep' at the fabulous little quirky Scotsome restaurant 'Roastit Bubbly Jocks', have a picture in the Transmission group expo at the moment until next week (Arab Strap picture - I ain't selling 'em, I love 'em too much), plus will have something at Tchai-Ovna soonish. I've also apparently got my drawing in The List which came out on Wednesday the 16th July to illustrate the article on the Arches 'Scratch Night', but haven't seen it yet.

I drew a poignant gig at the Oran Mor - Edwyn Collins, where I even got my best picture of the night nicked by some sweaty mad man - well at least he had good taste, and I did get my picture back relatively unharmed! In the last few months I've drawn Teenage Fanclub, Average White Band, Justin Currie, Karen Mathieson, Dananananakroyd, and particular favourites Melt Banana, Phantom Band, Zoey Van Goey, Second Hand Marching Band, Mike and Solvieg, Found and Steve Mason of Beta Band and now Black Affair - fantastic gig at the GRV in Edinburgh.



Black Affair - Cuts and Strings Night, GRV, Edinburgh, July 12th 2008



Steve Mason - Detail - Black Affair - Cuts and Strings Night, GRV, Edinburgh, July 12th 2008



Found - Support - Cuts and Strings Night, GRV, Edinburgh, July 12th 2008



Found, Ziggy and Gav's Diamond T-Shirt - Support - Cuts and Strings Night, GRV, Edinburgh, July 12th 2008



DJ Sean Keltie - Support - Cuts and Strings Night, RGV, Edinburgh, July 12th 2008


Bird of Prey - Support - Cuts and Strings Night, GRV, Edinburgh, July 12th 2008

My drawings have also been featured in the Evening Times centre pages - ooooh! - plus the West End News twice, a couple of extra curricular illustrations in ScotCampus and BIG NEWS, I will be covering an arts debate by the Scotsman at the end of August which will be featured in their paper 'What is dominating the Arts scene in Scotland just now?' and will have the following big fish - Tommy Smith, Scottish Jazz maestro,Vicky Featherstone, Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, Dr Richard Holloway, Chairman of The Scottish Arts Council, an extra special guest star plus chairing the whole event will be Joyce MacMillan. It promises to be a fantabulous event so will see what we can do with it. It is right before Connect - this could be a logistical nightmare!!



Meanwhile, not that you'd ever likely catch me as it's so sporradic, but I work now and again at Tchai-Ovna, a fabulous little tea house in the West End of Glasgow, my retreat with ritual, great tea, food, atmos. and lovely folks.


Ciao for now!

Expo - A Taste of Soep! This Monday 26th May

Official Invite to the Opening of my first wee Glasgow expo -
'A Taste of Soep' 6-9pm Monday 26th May Roastit Bubbly Jocks Restaurant
450 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow. Click on the poster to see more details.

(Yes, if you can print this out on an A5 bit of paper you can bring it along to the restaurant to get 20% off your meal. Offer until the end of June and co-incides with the West End Festival.)

Actually, about 16 years ago, I wrote my own imaginary little newspaper for a school project and the cover story was me standing in the moat house 8 years in the future, as a famous popstar, the title being 'A Taste of Soep'. In the 'photo' (a drawing) I had my hair long, in a french pleat and I was 21. I spent a lot of time on that little paper. Even then I was interested in writing, drawing and music. Well there's evidence of something consistant!!

Anyway, I'm getting a big kick out of having this exhibition in the most splendid Roastit Bubbly Jocks restaurant where a lovely friend treated me to dinner there about a month back and I haven't looked back since! It's a small and intimate unassuming wee place, that's cosy, quirky, friendly and contemporary, the food being served beautifully cooked and presented, not slapped on a plate and dumped in front of you! I had pork belly which is apparently one of their trademark dishes - it was divine! Though it's licenced it's also got a BYOB policy with corkage fee, which adds to the relaxed softly lit atmosphere. They also make every effort to get regional ingredients. The sign outside is in tartan ceramic lettering - I love it!

Having my expo there, is definitely an experiment for both of us.

Will people be able to enjoy the pictures from their table in the soft lighting? Will they want to get up and have a look, bumping into peoples chairs and leaning over tables? What will the expressive watercolour sketches do for the restaurant in comparison to the traditional bold oil paintings of before? I feel I should also dictate what music they should play in the background while the exhibition is on, but seeing as how I don't actually own most hard copies of the music I've drawn, this is a bit too tricky so late in the day; this is definitely an area I need to develop. I have good feelings about it tho'.

There are talks of having a dj at the opening night-we'll see what we can manage.

Anyway, beddy time. Still lots to do, and I've also got tea to make in Tchai-Ovna - my sacred Oubliette.