“Me and fiance are expecting our first child this year, we are both heavily tattooed and they play a big part in our lives, whilst looking for clothing for our little one we were disappointed with the lack of choice especially in the UK, so as my job is art working and screen printing and my fiance has worked in several tattoo studios, we thought we should put our skills to good use and Born to be Wild was started.
I hand draw all the designs then scan them in to paint them digitally, The images are put on the shirts using high quality transfers. I wanted to keep prices as reasonable as possible so i only charge £9 a shirt.

I have two shows coming up, first is the Frighten Brighton Macabre market and the next is at the Brighton monthly Craft Fair”

You can buy”Born to be Wild” products on The Brighton Collective here.

Ever since I was a child I have been scared of dolls, terrified that they would come to life at night and attack me…
Humans naturally fear the unknown; I feared the doll’s blank lifeless expression, watching quietly, absorbing secrets. I began to convince myself that something sinister laid beneath that flawless facade.
I knew that logically it was impossible for an inanimate object to come to life but I still could not let go of my fear. Using Science I tried to face my fear by dissecting the doll both physically and metaphorically.

The “autopsies” performed on the dolls led to an uneasy juxtaposition of childhood innocence and death. Their cheery floral dresses and ringlets jarred with the skeletal image of decay. For me the loss of childhood innocence is the moment you encounter/learn about Death.
I uncovered that if Barbie were real she would die instantly due to her disproportionate body, this eased my fear. Safe in the knowledge that dolls were physically incapable of coming to life I began building their imagined anatomy, unaware that by giving them a skeleton I was metaphorically bringing them to life…

Here’s the link to my webiste: www.badgemakesart.co.uk and my blog:www.badgemakesart.blogspot.com 

Badge.

A talented, hidden artist from Hassocks, Christopher Dawson paints beautiful acrylic pieces.

Photographs of his work allow a glimpse into the depth, scale and time taken to create such magnificent representations. Having a piece in your home or in an office is an appreciation of what great artists have to offer.

Chris Dawson offers an array of subject matter, from intricate still life of scrumpled paper and decaying machinery, to lucid landscapes of the real and the fantastic, to picturesque portraiture. With the flick of a mouse online, the art pieces will transport you through worlds of nature and technology.

Tailored pieces are also offered, all you have to do is ask.

These pieces are ones you will wish to own, when you do, you will be so glad you did.

http://www.chris-dawson.blogspot.com/

An understated and modest artist with truly inspirational work.

Bartie’s Boutique is an exciting and contemporary new Saturday Boutique in Worthing, bringing you a gorgeous shopping experience at The Lime Cafe, St Pauls …. We bring together a range of exciting new talent, handmade items and big brands all under one roof, whilst raising funds for the fight against Breast Cancer with Cancer Research UK. If you would like to join us and showcase your gorgeous goodies please get in touch at www.bartiesboutique.co.uk or email mail@bartie.co.uk

EVERY SECOND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH – 10am – 2pm

Lime Cafe @ St Pauls, Chapel Road, Worthing.

Tizzs opened in 1987 and initially started as a bead shop, but then began selling clothing, incense, silver jewellery and accessories, now the shop specialises in tattoos and piercings.

Over the years the shop’s reputation has grown into one of the town’s most popular stores. Resident tattoo artist, Fade FX, said: “People of all ages come, teenagers and elderly women, we can usually find what someone’s looking for.”

Fade specialises in dot work geometry and Japanese black and grey styles, but can accommodate various designs.

“Usually if someone comes in with their own design it’s achievable. It’s about having a new challenge as what people ask for changes, you’re always learning because if you’re not going to improve as an artist anymore then you might as well give up tattooing,” added Fade.

With a background in painting and drawing, Fade then had a six-year apprenticeship that involved learning the basics with simple outlines before progressing into more complicated designs.

She said; “My favourite style is dot work geometry, I enjoy patterns, anything interesting and creative. I started doing a bit of everything, but then you work out what you’re good at, that’s how you find you’re niche.”

Tizzs recently welcomed Jeremy Lo from Monkey Tattoo Studio in Borneo as a guest artist to offer customers the chance of a rare and ancient tattooing experience.

Jeremy Lo is renowned in the tattoo world for his unique ‘hand-tapping’ method that is ingrained into the culture of his homeland.

The technique involves two sticks, one with a needle on the end, while the other is tapped against the back of it to pierce the skin, kind of like a mini chisel and mallet.

“I’m really interested in hand-tapping, it’s really unusual for Brighton, let alone Lewes. The only other place you could get this is at a tattoo convention and then you could only get small piece,” said Fade.

Traditional hand-tapping tattoos go back centuries and are an important part of Bornean culture, signifying Rites of Passage and a connection to the natural world.

“Each symbolises each stage of life. The eggplant flower is the first to do and is for the first time a young man leaves the village. It starts as a flower and if the person reaches the next stage then it grows into animals like a scorpion, dragon, then monkey. It grows like a tree, from what you see in nature, like a tree of life,” says Jeremy.

“In Borneo if you do not get a tattoo then you are not a man. The first one you get is usually on the shoulder so that if you are killed the first time you leave the village then in the other world as you approach the river in the afterlife, if the river-god cannot see tattoos he will shake the log as you try to cross because he can see that you are not one of us.”

His guest appearance in Lewes lasted from 12^th September to the 19^th and proved very popular with enthusiasts and newcomers alike.  Jeremy has appeared at tattoo conventions and workshops around the world, from the beaches of Thailand to the streets of Amsterdam.

Fade added: “It’s a very ancient method of tattooing, from before electricity, it’s old, organic and a big part of the culture. He’s [Jeremy Lo] attracted a lot of interest because he’s international and not many artists from Borneo travel this far.”

The whole process is very different to what is considered normal tattooing in Britain; first of all everyone in the room has to take their shoes off, there are scented candles everywhere and soothing sape music (a four-stringed guitar-like instrument) plays in the background.

“The sape is calming, relaxing for the person, sometimes I even tap to the rhythm of the music,” Jeremy added.

It takes much longer to complete but those that have had both machine tattoos and hand-tapped ones say the experience is much more pleasurable, with less pain, quicker healing time and no peeling or redness on the skin afterwards.

“It [hand-tapping] feels more gentle as it drags less and doesn’t churn up the skin. Traditionally sometimes magical ink is put in the tattoo from a Sharman ritual in order to gain the power of a scorpion or dragon.”

Some of the old ways have had to be adapted to modern hygiene regulations. In the past needles would have been re-used and the ink would have come from less than sanitary sources.

“Originally the ink was made from burnt carbon from cooking at the bottom of the pot, it was then scrapped out and mixed with glucose, sugar. The problem was it’s not hygienic, they didn’t know how people’s skin would react to that. Now we use disposable needles and inks,” said Jeremy.

This form is not restricted to just traditional tribal tattoos, Jeremy can also do designs that are more familiar to western customers.

Fade will be getting her very own Jeremy Lo creation in a half sleeve design that she is considering entering in a tattoo competition at a convention sometime in the future.

Brighton Tattoo Convention is from 28– 29 January 2012. To see more of Jeremy Lo’s or Fade FX’s work go to www.myspace.com/monkey_tattoo and www.tizzs.com.

Written by Chris Dyer

Now you can have as many skeletons in your closet, with Skitch skeleton hanger by dede. This morbid design is a ghastly treat for all those Halloween costumes you’ll soon be hanging back up. It’s not just for looks either, this hanger has lots of functionality. Its shoulders hold shirts, the ribs can be used for belts or other accessories while the loop at the base can be used for pant storage. Also a great space saver, measuring only 0.4 cm 1/6 in thick.

via dede: Skeletons In The Closet Hanger « Format Magazine Urban Art Fashion.

buttonboard jim knopf by snugstudio on Etsy.

October is a time for art galleries to rearrange collections and swap exhibitions, with a flurry of new works normally hung to re-energise show spaces.

Perhaps there’s something about the changing seasons which makes it the perfect time to reassess through art.

Which makes Swiss artist Franziska Furter’s Stray Currents (until January 2) exhibition at Eastbourne’s Towner Gallery a solid proposition.

The gallery commissioned the sculptor, who is obsessed by the weather and how it shapes humanity, to create her first UK solo exhibition.

The Exhibition Gallery features new work Kamikaze (literally, divine wind), a wire mesh installation all about perspective, and From The Corner Of Your Eye, black plastic knots made into a tumbleweed.

Opening October 20 (until February 19) at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester is the first major museum show for 25 years featuring work by British artist Edward Burra.

The painter was described by critic Andrew Graham- Dixon as “the best British artist you’ve never heard of”. He lived in Rye, and although most famous for his figurative works, he loved to paint views of the town. He was fascinated by subcultures and urban life and, in June, Sotherby’s sold Zoot Suits, his portrait of Jamaicans arriving in London in 1948, for an auction record of £2m.

Also showing at the gallery is The Radev Collection: Bloomsbury And Beyond (until January 22). The private collection tells the story of Mattei Radev (Bulgarian emigrant and EM Forster’s secret lover), music critic Eddy Sackville-West (fifth Lord Sackville) and artist-dealer Eardley Knollys.

Keith Vaughan’s Two Male Nudes, given to Mattei Radev by EM Forster, is the draw, as are works by Duncan Grant, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and Amedeo Modigliani.

There are Sussex connections to another big name further afield: Tracey Emin who, after starring in recent BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?, discovered her ancestry consists predominantly of criminals.

Four new tapestries by Chichester’s West Dean Studio’s resident weavers have been made in response to Emin’s paintings Keeping You In Mind, In The Dark, Rose Virgin and Thankyou. The tapestries are on show as part of a wider exhibition, The Vanishing Lake, of new Emin work being held (until November 12) at 6 Fitzroy Square, London.

A black cloud hangs over Bexhill’s De Le Warr Pavilion following the recent death of director and chief executive, Alan Haydon. But light is provided by its latest exhibition, Warhol Is Here (until February 26), which has already had 16,000 visitors. Among the highlights is Marilyn Diptych (1962), which was made in 1962 shortly after Marilyn Monroe’s death.

Two canvasses contain 25 silk-screened repetitions of an image first used as a publicity photograph taken for Niagra. Not only is it one of the world’s most important pieces of contemporary art, Marilyn Diptych was also created as Warhol turned his approach from commercial interests to fine art.

In Brighton, The Sounds Of Shadows (until November 7) at Brighton University Faculty of Arts Gallery has the first UK exhibition of renowned German artist, Peter Vogel.

Two innovative and interactive large-scale works, Sound Wall and Shadow Orchestra, are the centrepiece as the artist explores sound in gallery spaces.

The window at Wagamama in Kensington Street, Brighton, makes for an interesting exhibition space for Pam Glew. Her giant fine art print, Window To The World, and two specially commissioned flags that draw inspiration from terrorism, American culture and horror films, are complemented by more work inside.

Italian collector Claudio Moscatelli’s rare collection of 24 Indian Ragamala paintings (medieval pictures with stories from across the subcontinent) arrives at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery from Saturday (until January 8).

At Fabrica, in Duke Street, Melanie Manchot presents Gathering, two installation films examining identity and group behaviour (until November 27).

In the city’s private galleries the debut solo show of one of the UK’s leading female street artists, Missum, opens at Ink_d Gallery in North Road on Friday (until November 20).

Naked Eye Gallery, in Western Road, have Erotica showcasing Priapus the phallic chandelier (until October 31),while Art At Five’s nostalgic Summer Reflections show (in Bartholomews in The Lanes) features recent works by Brightonians Cecil Rice, Philippa Stanton and Louise Brooks (until Sunday).

via Art round-up, various locations across Sussex (From The Argus).

A group of multi-media artists are exhibiting their work in public places to bring art to a wider audience in an exciting and diverse way.

The work done by the ZOOM Image Group can be seen in the Debenhams restaurant in Hastings until February next year and The Lemon Tree cafe in Bexhill.

Most of the group have, or are currently, studying at Hastings College of Arts and Technology and have become established in the local art scene with exhibitions as part of Coastal Currents and Brighton Photo Fringe.

The group was founded in 2005 by seven photographers and has now grow to 22 members, with Tim Jones the most recent addition to their number.

It is now made up of a wide range of artists in disciplines such as photography, paint, pastels, collage, sculpture, textiles, printing and video art.

ZOOM intend to expand their numbers beyond their current 22 members whilst still remaining as inclusive as possible, without losing their identity and commitment.

Denise Griffiths, a ZOOM artist, said; “Unconsciously I do seem to gravitate towards my past life. There is a huge store of images in one’s mind’s eye. Because memory is not perfect, they surface in a kind of dreamlike otherness. I like to do interiors, still lives and people mostly, as well as urban landscapes. I spent many years working in the City of London, so buses, the underground, commuters and the ‘daily grind’ feature heavily.”

In the future the group hope to exhibit their work at the Arts Forum at the De La Warr Pavilion and will be participating in the Coastal Currents Visual Arts Festival as well as The Black Shed in Roberstbridge and the September Art Exhibition in Wadhurst.

Claire O’Shaughnessy, a photographer with ZOOM, said; “The public like to see a variety of work with a number of different themes, although we may choose a specific theme in the future.”

For more information visit their website at www.zoomimagegroup.co.uk, contact info@zoomimagegroup.co.uk or find them on Facebook.

written by Chris Dyer

Jim McElvaney from Sebastian Canning on Vimeo.

30th September – 23rd October

No Walls Gallery

13a Prince Albert Street, Brighton

Private view 29th September, 6-9pm

No Walls are delighted to present the third exhibition in their Brighton space with an exhibition by one of the UK’s most promising young artists, Brighton based Jim McElvaney.

Bringing together an eclectic mix of figurative drawings, paintings and prints Stop Looking at the Walls, look out the Window encourages the audience to look beyond the familiarity of ideological portraiture and see things from a different perspective, highlighting the complexity of human emotion and it’s various interpretations.

Following the success of his solo show earlier this year at The Outsiders, Newcastle, Stop Looking at the Walls, Look out the Window precedes shows in Seoul, Moscow and London in what has already been a big year for the young artist.

 address

No Walls Gallery

13a Prince Albert Street

Brighton

BN1 1HE

opening hours

Monday – Saturday 10:00 – 18:00

Sunday 11:00 – 17:00

prices

Free