Posts Tagged With: Culture

A Tour of The Northern Quarter – Part 2

vintage type writer keyThe weather’s sh*t but the clothes are fantastic!

Manchester would be perfect if it was just a little closer to the equator. The second part of my tour of the Northern Quarter looks at the wonders hidden between the boutiques and the bars.

metal bird sculpture
The light in Manchester can be really stubborn. This picture was unusable until I started experimenting. It’s amazing how much information can be extracted from the pictures we delete. This one went through iPhoto and Photoshop and I was surprised at what came out. These metal birds are just round the corner from my apartment. Everywhere you look in the Northern Quarter there are tiles or sculptures, murals and installations. The streets are paved with poetry! You can read Lemn Sissay as you walk up Tib Street.

Where home
truths trickle
home and confide
where the silent
forests brood

We even had a Banksy which was lovingly painted over by the City Council.

wall tile mural tib street

This mural was right outside my lounge window for years, and it was only when I took this picture that I noticed how rich it is, detailing the history of the neighbourhood.

Tib Street terracotta parrots
These terracotta parrots, loyal to Manchester, can be seen roosting above the flickering neon of Matt & Phred’s jazz bar.

Read A Tour of the Northern Quarter – Part 1 here.

A Tour of The Northern Quarter – Part 3

Categories: Photography, Random, Travel, Vibe Monitor | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Kate Bush – The New Album

Kate Bush

It’s been six years since Aerial. The new album, 50 Words For Snow is spellbinding. And if you’re quick, you can hear a preview of all seven tracks here…

NPR Music streaming 50 Words For Snow

It’s difficult to review something so layered and ethereal, particularly when you’re better listening with an open mind. You could say it’s sprawling and epic, but delicate and hypnotic at the same time, much the same as snow. For all the intricate detail dazzling on the surface, there is a dark undercurrent and a profound sense of loss. There is also the cosy embrace of warm humour, but don’t get too comfortable: there are frozen tears at the end…

The album comes out on the 21st of November, http://www.katebush.com/

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Art From Mark – Fun With Photoshop

Northern Flower shop digital painting the vibesThis is a digital painting I did based on a very dull photograph of a little flower shop in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. To see how the picture was transformed, check out the original here.

This was my first attempt at a magazine cover, which was an assignment for OutNorthWest Magazine in Manchester. My brief was to provide a bright, uplifting image to inspire people and increase readership. I went for warm summer colours and a radiant, aspirational character, based on a photograph of a real person. Part of my inspiration was the Hed Kandi CD covers, and I think I managed to inject some pop culture into the image, because circulation spiked immediately: it was the most successful issue to date. Inset is the printed cover. I’ll be posting more magazine covers soon, but first:

singing cat

Regular readers may recognise this image from my blog header. It’s Sparky, my ginger cat taken from a photograph of him singing. He was more than likely yawning, but singing sounds better. The original image can be seen in a forthcoming post about this handsome ginger tom in December.

Art Deco Dalek Photoshop

There was some speculation a few years ago that the Daleks would be redesigned in the style of the 1920s. Noticing that the original Dalek already had a bit of a retro-industrial look to it, I designed the Art Deco Dalek, just for fun. Using an original 1960s movie Dalek as a base, I incorporated elements from chrome radios, toasters and glass valves – thank Buddha for Google Images.

Psychedelic CD Cover

This is my psychedelic CD cover for a compilation I did for friends called Far Out. It shows a Ganesh-type figure holding a Sonic Screwdriver (from Doctor Who,) a Mars Bar and an iPhone. I’ve noticed a have a radial style to a lot of my artwork, and rather than admit to being repetitive, I’m embracing it as my unique signature.

Panos Photoshop

This is Panos, taken from a photograph and processed in the same style as the magazine cover above.

Barberella Barbers Manchester Poster

My friend Nikie wanted to raise her profile, so I designed this poster for her, using elements from her well-establshed barber shop in Manchester.

Here is another friend of mine, recreated in Photoshop.

This was made as part of a series of still images for an animation which I included in a Goldfrapp video. You can see the eye blinking here in the Goldfrapp Live! video.

Gay Wedding Picture

And finally, my friends got married and as a big surprise, I did a huge ‘Gilbert and George’-style canvas which I gave them to blast away any nerves just before the ceremony. The canvas now hangs in pride of place in their hallway, and creates quite a stir for new guests as they come through the door.

Categories: Design, Random, Vibe Monitor | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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