Street art by Eddie Colla
A good philosophy to live by!
Sunday 8 August 2010
Thursday 15 July 2010
So, there you have it...
Phew! As publications editor and
designer of Connections magazine, those
are all the articles I have written and just a few of the pages and covers I
have designed to date over the last 5 years.The magazine is a
publication distributed by Connect International.
A fair amount of material and the joy
continues, in the Autumn issue... so watch this space for more.
Feel free to share my articles on
social media, but please keep the credits intact.
So, until the next post, meet ~ Scuba
Cat - (Sabotage
Times)
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Wednesday 14 July 2010
Connections Magazine - Summer #28, 2010
For the summer issue of Connections, we set a competition for children asking them to
'Design a Summer cover' for the magazine. Here is the the winning entry created and sent in by Sam Kompier.
Read & download issue here
First
published in the Connections magazine #28
Summer 2010
Houtmagier (Wood Magician) Arjan Portengen
Finding some
studios and their artists isn’t always a breeze, but once I had found a large
and obviously empty building that looked like a perfect space to house a
furniture designer, I knew I was on the right track. Previously a warehouse for
kitchen supplies, the building is now totally empty, except for the presence of
four artists who have made personal studios out of the space within it. One of
these is Arjan Portengen; also known as ‘De Houtmagiër’ (Wood Magician).
The revolving entrance door to the building had to be unlocked in order
to let me in and opened out onto an enormous interior space of concrete floors,
large high windows and a motionless escalator to the upper level. As we walked
through it towards Arjan’s studio of six years, the abandoned feel of the
building, reminded me of the atmosphere in the film ‘Escape from NY’ starring
Kurt Russell.
The building
is one of a multitude of properties managed by Ad Hoc (www.adhocbeheer.nl) a
nationwide company responsible for vacant buildings. These are rented out, for
a token monthly payment, until such a time as the property is reused or
demolished. The tactic is to prevent vandalism and break-ins, so often
prevalent in empty buildings.
‘Ribbenkast’ (Ribs cupboard) by Arjan Portengen
Once
ensconced on a large sofa with a cup of coffee I asked Arjan what led him to
becoming the wood magician and furniture designer. In reply, he said that for
him, old furniture has always had more soul than new and many of his pieces
have started out life as an object thrown away on the street, by a previous owner.
This interest in furniture and bric-a-brac in turn has led him develop his
signature style by creating a new object, by way of a collage of both new and
old elements, which at the finish becomes a completely new piece of furniture
in it’s own right. Most of the time he already has an idea in his head to start
with and this is translated into a sketch, but as with most sketches, the idea
evolves as he works. He coupled his interest in furniture with a study, where
he trained as a furniture maker for a year and a half, thereby learning the
basics of furniture construction, the rest (in his words) came from him and has
resulted in what he makes today.
In a lot of
his work there lies a conceptual joke, cupboards dance or take on a new form or
life of their own. For example, there is the ‘Ribbenkast’ (Ribs cupboard), a
white skeletal spine-like construction supporting a series of draws, of varying
sizes, at intervals along its length. The skeletal spine symbolizes death and
the draws represent memories. Each draw is individual and brightly coloured. In
this case (which is an exception to his general colour use), it is a reference
to the Mexican traditional use of vibrant colours and their intense relation
with the dead, particularly during the annual ‘Day of the dead’ celebration.
De
Dansende Kast !! - “It takes two to
tango”
When asked about influences in his work, he says he tries (hard though it is) not to be influenced by external influences and if he is, it is not done expressly.
Other than
his creative side and the ‘kronkels realiseren’ (realising the twists of ideas
that present themselves), he is a restorer and carpenter able to make and mend
traditional doors, cupboards and interiors, which he enjoys. At the moment he
is restoring a farm interior and its built-in cupboards, so the creative projects
are temporarily on hold.
I ask him if money and support were no object, what would he like to make here in
Arjan Portengen’s website: De Houtmagier
Studio: Sontplein 4-8, 9723 BZ Groningen
First published in
the Connections magazine #28 Summer
2010
Read & download issue here
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Friday 18 June 2010
What's Hot, What's Not! - CRAVE
Crave * v. 1 feel
a powerful desire for.
2 dated ask for: I must crave
your indulgence
ORIGIN: bef.
1000; ME craven,
OE crafian (‘demand, claim as a
right’),
of Gmc origin; akin to ON krefja to demand, lay
claim to
Early February, when the mornings are still too dark
to be enjoyed by any stretch of the imagination and feeling as though I have a
starring role in the movie Ground Hog’s Day, I crawl behind my computer, backed
up by a pot of tea, with the idea of finding something for the ‘What’s Hot,
What’s Not’ spot in the Spring issue of the Connections magazine.
Yes, it would be easy to take the low road and continue on the traditional negative downward spiral of Monday morning that I so often suffer from, but I decide I should make a concerted effort to lift my spirits, after all I am writing for the spring issue of the Connections. This is a time of re-birth, when everything comes back to life again. The infernal snow and permanent living in ugly walking boots (party shoes in a bag) scenario, has come to an end and attractive footwear rules once more. Crocuses and snowdrops emerge, wagging tailed little lambs and fluffy chicks are born and yet, I crave something… My permanent bar of big chunk chocolate in the fridge is temporarily gone and I can’t lay the blame on anyone but myself, as my son is at school and I have yet to see a cat eat a piece of chocolate, let alone open a fridge door; although I must say I used to own a very clever large black tom cat who could open doors, but I digress.
So, I turn my attention to the Internet and tick in
the word crave. The search offers up a variety of sites, which
cover edibles, games, sexy videos, a perfume by Calvin Klein, as well as a
hospitality public relations and marketing services firm. That’s all very well
and good, but it doesn't hit the spot. How about Wikipedia? That
presents, of course, a definition in much the same way as my trusty Oxford
dictionary, some music, a band and a brand of cat food. With the party (Soul
Train) from a previous weekend still playing clearly in my mind, I idly tick in
crave and party, well nothing ventured as they say… and so I come across
The Crave Company. I enter their website hoping to be pleasantly
surprised.
First published in
the Connections magazine #27 Spring
2009
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Jessica Lelieveld - Artist interview
Jessica divides her time between a house in the
countryside, situated in Norg (which she shares with her family and two dogs)
and her studio in Groningen. With two such different worlds at her
fingertips, she finds plenty of influences, which can be photographically
captured. After much contemplation, an idea will emerge and this she then
interprets in clay.
Particularly interested in the transience of
existence, she is fascinated by the process, structure and colours in nature
when something dies away. Layers and organic forms are recurrent themes in her
work and with this in mind; her interpretation of the four seasons has emerged.
This consists of twenty clay panels (mosaic-like in their layout), depicting
the flora and colours typical of each season. During my visit to her studio,
winter and summer were laid out on display, ready and waiting for the panels to
be joined together with a copper-coloured wire to make a wall hanging.
Other current works include lamps; one of which has
as its base form, a large stripped walnut tree trunk, encircled by metal
swirls. The finished product will symbolize the relentless continuance of life.
On display in windowsills smaller works can be seen, comprising of a series of
clay tiles, some displaying cross-section slices of a small tree trunk, some a
procession of pebbles, ever increasing in size. The roundness of the forms she
uses symbolizes nurturing whilst the tile procession that of evolution.
With beautiful high ceilings and ornate decorations,
Jessica has renovated her studio-house, imprinting on it her signature style,
with a touch of the modern here and there where appropriate. Future plans are
to decorate every room, door and space with her work so that it becomes an
artistic house, where it would be possible to spend the night, or artistic
companies could come and hold workshops and inspirational events.
Apart from the natural world, another inspirational source (as well as his philosophy) comes from the Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He was best known for the colourful buildings he designed as well as being a champion of human and environmentally friendly construction.
Jessica is a member of a collective of artists, Galerie Huis ter Heide, which can be found in a converted stall of a farm in Drenthe. The exhibits are refreshed every couple of months with new work and all works are for sale. More about the collective can be found at: Galerie Huis ter Heide.
The aftermath of the economic downturn has had its effect on every walk of life and particularly that of the artist. I asked her what kind of effect it has had on her and her work. From her reply it seems that art fairs have become more important as venues for artists to show and sell their work, as well as making a concerted effort to offer a selection of work in a broader range of prices. Jessica intends to show her work at a couple of these fairs, as well as taking part in Art Explosion, a platform for artists, which occurs annually in Assen.
She has no issues about parting with her work when it comes to selling it, for her it’s the process that is important, particularly whether her idea is feasible, not only from the design perspective, but within the confines of the size of her clay oven. The biggest ‘present’ for her is that she can make people happy with her work.
First published in
the Connections magazine #27 Spring
2009
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Relocating from Oz to the Netherlands
‘So what made them move
from Australia to Holland?’ was my son’s remark, as we made our way round the
puddles towards their flat. ‘That’s a very good question and one of the first
things I’m going to ask them’ I said. The apartment of Meredith Tavener and Peter
Tooley (also in the Indian neighbourhood in Groningen) is only a five-block
walk from ours, is very spacious and flooded by light through its large
windows. We were greeted by equally large smiles and voices with an Australian twang.
Meredith is the reason they made the move,
exchanging Perth in Australia for The Netherlands. They arrived 11th January
2010, right in the middle of a real snowy winter. Such extreme weather was
something completely new to them coming previously from a heat of 47 degrees.
It seems that after she had completed her PhD, Meredith thought it would be
interesting to find employment out of her then academic environment, which
although pleasant, no longer provided her with a much needed challenge. So, she
began to look around. First efforts brought up a job at Oxford University in
England, which would have been a marvelous opportunity, had it not been for
the fact that she would most probably be competing against the world and his
wife for the position! Next she found a position in Groningen at the University
and thought I can do that!’ Two interviews later she was hired.
Both Meredith and Peter were used to moving
regularly from place to place, due to work, in Australia and inventorying their
lives down to how many forks they owned. They think this made their shift from,
Australia to Europe, and into expatriates’ status, somewhat easier.
Now where is Peter in all this? Before the move,
Peter worked in military aviation. He had spent the last eighteen years of his
life doing this and earning a good salary. But he decided to give up his job
and follow his wife in search of adventure. While Meredith works Peter is
taking his time to find out exactly what step he would like to take next. He
says that at the moment he feels as though he can’t just walk down the street
and say ‘gidday’, to people as he did in Oz, not knowing how it would be
received. He says his ‘compass’ is adjusting to a new hemisphere, which must be
strange for someone with a job where navigation was an integral part.
Nonetheless they are both very enthusiastic to learn
the Dutch language, but unlike their European counterparts (who generally have
a knowledge of a minimum of two foreign languages) getting their heads round
actually learning a language, has been quite a challenge. They decided to bring
in a private tutor to get things rolling, so that one day soon they will be
able to finally decipher their mail and find out if the news reader on TV
actually makes sense. In the meantime, when they don’t understand something,
they call upon the help of friends, colleagues and Connect as well as making
use of those often rather interesting online translation websites, which give a
vague idea of a document’s contents, in between some very hilarious literal translations.
Looking around their modern apartment I see brightly
coloured painted canvases leant up against the walls and ask who’s the artist.
Meredith laughs at the term ‘artist’, saying she started dabbling with paint as
therapy, whilst she was taking her PhD. The canvases
have traveled with them as instant décor for their new apartment.
Peter too, is a creative soul and has an interest in photography, which he
would like to really like to get into now, seeing as he has the time to do so.
Both Meredith and Peter are happy to be in Europe,
not only to see what The Netherlands has to offer, but also to discover more
about its neighbouring countries. Travel is something they enjoy and with past
trips across Australia, often covering thousands of kilometres, they find it a
refreshing change that distances here, around town or to work, are a lot
shorter and can be done either on foot or by bicycle.
Paintings:
Meredith Tavener & Photos: Peter Tooley
First published in
the Connections magazine #27 Spring
2009
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