Friday 13th July: Kelly Anna at The Book Club

"She Stole The Show" is not only the name of Kelly Anna's new exhibition at The Book Club, but also an accurate description of her presence at the private view in a suit tailored from her own print.  This inspiring force of nature has dedicated her show to strong women to make a statement regarding the climate of self-doubt endemic in our current timelines.  She's painted beautiful athletic ladies from strong bold shapes and colours in her signature style as murals, complemented by large screen-prints and vinyl on the ping-pong table.   The project is in collaboration with the initiative "The Art Of Ping Pong" with a range of prints and merchandise including these glorious ping pong bats (with 10% going to Mind Charity)!   Head down to The Book Club for a match of table tennis or shoot a hoop with her customised basketball corner!    

Sunday 29th October: The Art Of Ping Pong 2017

For the 2017 edition of The Art Of Ping Pong, 27 artists have come together to create a one-off piece of art from a ping-pong bat to a table, such as this live action shot of Mr.Doodle.  The group exhibition is on show this weekend at Protein Studios with a merch shop of t-shirts, totes and prints to compliment the bats.  

Here is my entry which is a cosmic combination of stitched patchwork pieces which I was very chuffed to see included in the multi-media line up of artists.  The items will go to auction on November 30th in aid of Trekstock charity ( young adult cancer support ) and can all be viewed online here.

(Top to bottom:  Me, Mr. Doodle, John Booth, Sam Taylor, Marina Esmeraldo, Gemma Shiel, Kev Munday, Alison Carmichael, Emily Forgot, Saskia Pomeroy.  Portrait of me and Camille Walala by Tara Darby)

See archive post from last year's show here, 

Monday 4th September: The Art Of Ping Pong, my WIP pics

 The 21 artists to be taking part in the Art Of Ping Pong exhibition for this year are now being unveiled and announced over on their Instagram.  One of the creatives to customise a ping pong bat for the charity auction is me!  Here are some snaps from my work in progress / process.  The fundraiser for the Alzheimer's charity will open on the 3rd November at 71A Gallery in Shoreditch.   You'll be able to view the complete collection and try to guess who has created which piece for a week before they go up for grabs.  Until then, keep an eye on their social media for hints and sneak peaks of the bats and names in the bag.

Friday 14th July: "WALALA X PLAY" at NOW Gallery

If you go down to the Greenwich Peninsula today, you're in for a big surprise!  Camille Walala has turned NOW Gallery into her own version of a funfair playground.  The installation of patterned and reflective walls take you on a journey through colour with intersections conjuring up different combinations of line and shape.  The theme for her "temple of wonder" is to play.   She's inviting the audience into a 3D world of her 2D murals so they can become lost in the twists and turns of the Memphis style maze.  

For the opening night we were given allotted times to venture into the tardis to run round and out again so that everyone could have a turn.  This added to the frenzied fun of getting lost and confusion in the mirrored surfaces merging the graphics as optical illusions.  I joked that it might be like a sportive where a sweeper truck would appear to clear us up.  Sure enough the invigilators had the impossible task of peeling people out of their selfie modes and move them on.   Im looking forward to returning for the complete submersion experience and also play on the ping pong tables she's positioned outside.  How French!  How Camille!  The perfect opening for Bastille Day! 

14 Jul - 24 Sep 2017

NOW Gallery, Peninsula Square, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0SQ