Original acrylic paintings on thick A2 size paper, around 220gsm thick. I drew and cut out a stencil to paint through from a roll of lino I found in the attic. The paint is cheap so each colour needed at least three layers. Then the red letter text was individually hand stamped on in Cailgo Rubine Red oil based printing ink. The Advertism was PVA glued on, then the whole thing painted over in gloss PVA. The first in the edition has a hole in it that happened when I left them out in the back garden to dry and they all got blown around in the wind.The stencil painting is a new thing that will hopefully allow me to get many more copies of each done. I’ll also not be gluing these to cardboard as holes are now being stabbed into the tops, reinforced on both sides with Gorilla tape. Part of the reason I stopped giving out loose canvas or works on paper was because I didn’t want people taking them home and then just storing them away. I don’t like original artwork in frames or behind glass either, so gave them out on cardboard ready to hang and not needing framing. If they’re not ready to hang, then I’m sure most won’t bother putting them up at all. Now they’re just as easy and ready to hang as the cardboard ones, and more importantly, are less likely to be displayed behind glass. Win win!
The big cardboard paintings are so unpopular at Camden anyway, and must result in more people taking Blond Cards who would otherwise prefer a large painting. It’s better for me to take up more of their wall space, and I don’t fancy spending half of the rest of 2026 making Blond Cards because so few people want anything else. Less cardboard backed work also means I can fit more paintings into my laundry bag. All part of a big redesign I’ll be working on this weekend as the weather is forecast to rain on both Saturday and Sunday, preventing this week's Camden Market Free Art Man from going ahead.
I’m getting into the habit of changing the format of my work to fit what people want, at the same time I’m getting used to doing free commissions. All that reluctance to take any instruction on board turned out to be counter productive. There’s some snobbery in art about accepting commissions or tailoring what you make to what people want, but I’m finding it to be all positive. I had no interest in painting Camden Lock bridge, for example, until Tina asked me to do it. I said yes out of politeness, but was pessimistic about the idea from the moment she mentioned it until half way through making them, when it occurred to me to put portraits of Zombie, Alan and me underneath and give it a neon green background. Now, not only do I like them, but have another four variations lined up for the same composition and series. None of the Blond Bridge's are finished as I need to leave the acrylic paint a couple more days before covering in PVA, but this is where we're at. For scale, my foot is a UK size 11:
The series is called Blond Bridge. The first of the five Blond Bridge designs is the one I’ve already done six of for Tina. A further three will be of each of the crypto social sites I’m on with Ron Throop Hive account@ronthroop and Hive account@offgridlife Offgridlife. The three of us standing under a bridge with Blurt.blog, Steemit or Ecency written on the bridge. The fifth will be Emma Pugmire Ron Throop and I standing under a bridge with Black Ivory written on it.
The other commission I took last week of the old Irish flag is still on my to do list, but the flags series idea came from Alan’s instruction too. Not only is changing what I make based on what people want working out, but is working better than my own ideas. Blond Cards only came about because Zombie wanted a Blond Twine painting but said it was too big for his wall. He was looking in my suitcase last Sunday for an Alan Blond Card. There wasn’t one so this is my note to remember to take him one next week.
As with all my showcase videos, they double up as the blockchain ledger of every numbered work in the edition. No forgeries possible. No signature necessary. Front and back photos, closeup videos and footage of me holding each one.
