CHARLEY HARPER!! Next exhibition at Castor & Pollux

Charley Harper has become increasingly well known in the UK, but in America, he is a national treasure.

Best know for his bird designs, Charley Harper (1922 - 2007) was an extraordinarily prolific graphic designer and artist, loved for his delightful, stylised, and often humorous illustrations of nature, animals, insects and people.

Harper captured the essence of his subject with the fewest possible elements. This can be seen in the ornithological illustrations for his most famous book, 'Birds and Words' (1974).



'When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don't see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see exciting shapes, colour combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behaviour and endless possibilities for making pictures'

For the Castor and Pollux exhibition we have either more recent prints from 1970s- 1980s but most are from 1950s and 60s, printed by Charley himself in the basement whilst Edie mixed the ink.



If you get the chance, do come and see the beautiful colours and compositions from the pioneering graphic artist.

Charley Harper screen prints at Castor and Pollux 3 July - 3 September. All will be sold framed, and prices start at £450.
If you are interested in attending the private view, please email for full details. castorandpolluxart@mac.com

www.castorandpollux.co.uk for more information.

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Artist of the Week - CHRIS KNIGHT

Chris Knight. everywherenowhere

I’ve always wanted to make art that people who don’t necessarily enjoy art will like. Maybe that they wouldn’t even call art because its not labeled that way, it's just general alteration to an environment and hopefully an improvement. I have a lot of respect for good quality street and public art, my ideas are always designed for the public realm but often sneak their way in from the cold. Still if you can trip over something or walk into it I like it.


Money spent on travel is never wasted
Even if you end up somewhere you don’t want to be, even if you get lost. I love getting lost; I do it all the time much to the annoyance of my friends. But you’re never really lost, just somewhere you haven’t been yet and besides you get to see a lot in the process.

One favourite living artist
Ron Mueck. I just think he’s incredibly skilled and perfect in what he does. I think I wish I could produce pieces so physically perfect, I’ve spent ages looking at his work trying to find faults but there aren’t any. Plus I love the distortion in scale and often placing of his work in a gallery, once I almost tripped over an impossibly small boy behind a door and it just made me laugh.


One favourite historical maker?
Everyone and everything that came before because it gave us what we have and everything that surrounds us today. That includes ‘God’, Nature and your Granddad, it’s a rich tapestry and everyone contributes in their own way.

What place in the world has inspired you?
I’d love to say somewhere exotic but Manchester really inspires me. It’s beautiful in its own way, dark dirty-bricked back streets and urban wildlife, rain and in turn puddles. It’s not a perfect or amazingly beautiful city but when there’s a lot of room for improvement there’s more room for ideas of improvement. Besides that the sea, or the view of the land from the sea when I’m surfing, out there alone its easy to think.


What was the last art/craft/design thing you purchased?
I don’t often buy art; I’ve nowhere really to put it at the moment. The last piece I bought though was about two years ago, it’s a little ceramic bird by Jeremy McLachan and you can blow three musical notes through it. I absolutely love it but unfortunately so does my Mum so she ‘borrowed’ it.

At age 15 who influenced your style? Was there any individual who very much helped you on your way?
My high school art teacher really seemed to believe in me and gave me a worryingly free rein for my work. Of course I took advantage and got silly with my interest in ‘shock’ art but I had to go there to realise that wasn’t what I wanted to do. It’s not easy to be fifteen and it’s even harder to be around a fifteen year old but she put the time in.


How do you set about starting a new project?
I don’t dither too much with my ideas; I take them half-baked and try to make it physical. In doing this I always discover I don’t have the necessary ingredients to make it happen and get slowed down giving me time to think, reconsider and start over. After doing this a few times I usually end up with something I’m really pleased with and a small trail of destruction.


What do you have on your pinboard?
I stick things up above my desk with magnets attached to random nails so it can be quite disordered but generally I have a silly poem a good friend wrote (to keep me company), my list of how many birds I’ve made, random reminders that always fall down and never get to remind me and my collection of minute drill bits that I’d lose otherwise.

Where and what is your studio? Do you work alone? In silence, radio?
My studio is usually wherever I’m living but my favourite was an old warehouse in Ancoats, Manchester. It was freezing cold and a little bit lonely but I felt really comfortable and energetic there. I played the same Bright Eyes album over and over until I knew every single word. I can’t imagine my neighbours appreciated that. Otherwise I like to keep the TV on, just for conversation.


Surprising activity/hobby?
People watching but that’s not so unusual really. I get in trouble for staring too much but really I’m just in my own world.

Would you rather be doing something else?
Yes and No. There’s nothing I’d rather do if the creating was all I had to do. The paperwork and networking in between gets to me a bit. Every week I have an idea for a new skill I’d like to learn but it always comes down to art in the end.
I want to be a jack-of-all-trades.

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Maker of the week - ABIGAIL BROWN

ABIGAIL BROWN

Describe your work? - My work uses new and reused fabrics to create predominantly decorative pieces which exist in both 2D and 3D form. This method of working has evolved from a childhood amidst loose threads and scraps of fabric, watching my Grandmother at work. It's a purely natural process for me, there's a lot of comfort in getting lost in the piles of fabric I hoard at home, selecting pieces to work with for their colour or pattern.

My work centres on animals perhaps because of the sheer joy I get from observing them, I love that I can create little worlds in which they might exist, humanising them, giving them names, deciding what little items of clothing they might like to wear or what personality traits they might have.
Currently my work takes the theme of birds perhaps because not only do I think them one of the most beautiful of creatures, so precious, so fragile and yet so animated and so positively bursting with life, but also because they are the most accessible to me. Merrily they chirp in the dawn, delighting me with their happy little tunes. They are simply so enchanting to watch as they hop, skip, swoop and dance their way through the day, twisting and turning with such quizzical looks.

The work is childlike, naive, it's quite soft and gentle and it doesn't force any opinions or views on the observer. Sometimes there are personal feelings going on and in the case of the wall art there is often something of a narrative at work which isn't always happy! But as a whole the work is just simply a way for me to give life to the little creatures that form in my mind...and to set them free, hopefully creating smiles wherever they might land.


Last best read? - I am a big Murakami fan, love getting lost in the bizarre worlds he creates for his characters, but the book I just finished was ' The book of lost things' and I absolutely loved it!!! I couldn't put it down and was so sad when I came to it's end. I love fairytale and this story weaved so many of the stories I loved as a child into this incredible book about loss and courage and love and the transition from child into adult. It got me all excited to reread all those books and rediscover the worlds I loved so much being so little.

Who would you say buys your work? - I think 99% of the time it's women, if not women then men who are buying it for women! It's nature is somewhat childlike and naive and so it obviously appeals to softer natured people! It sells to people decorating their children's nurseries or people who like to surround themselves with little visual delights. It's sweet when people buy for friends but then let me know they couldn't part with what they bought so they kept it for themselves! That is always such a nice thing to hear.


How do you set about starting a new project? - I'm always collecting ideas, references, materials...so when I plan to start something I've usually had it in mind for a while. I'll start sketching out things and trying to visualise how it will work, but really what transpires is far from what my intentions were! Funny, sometimes thats frustrating!

If I'm lucky it just works out first time, but if it's something I haven't tried before, something totally new then I might have to work through a few problems to get there.

What do you have on your pinboard? - Gosh theres all kinds of things on there, some painted eggs from Prague, some soft toys, cards and postcards, some street art I've naughtily swiped, drawings from friends...all kinds of bits!

Where and what is your studio? - I'm only beginning to work out my work situation, and so I currently work from my huge bedroom in my rented flat. It's far from ideal but it works as a space just now. I love being surrounded by all my things and as much as it can be a bad thing to work and live in that same space, it's also quite cosy and something about it almost feels like it should be that way. I like that I can crawl out of bed to my desk if an idea hits me...

but as I'm about to quit my full time job and make this work more of a larger part of my work life that whole situation will need to change, it really won't be healthy to be in there so much.

So currently I am alone working, sometimes thats nice, I can get on with things, sing at the top of my voice or dance and jump about when I'm restless and fidgetty...but I do enjoy being in company and miss having people around me to bounce ideas off...yep, that all needs to change this year.


What one word would describe your feeling of doing your work? - Natural
Do you think art and craft has any real importance? - Without doubt. If you are a creative person, whatever field, you are compelled to express yourself. You simply can't be without having that outlet and it's a release to so many feelings and thoughts. So to the self, yes.

To the observer, also yes. It's human contact without physical contact itself...it's reaching out and touching, creating thoughts and feelings in the person interacting with it in whichever way.
I've been lucky enough with my work to hear such beautiful things from people who see it, how much it made them smile...and happy thoughts and feelings carry huge importance...so yes! Art and Craft are hugely important.

Are their other (unusual) fields that you'd like to apply some facet of your work into? - Animation - It's not so unusual, I think the work looks like it would lend itself well to animation and this is where I would really love to try and take it...at some point.

abigailBROWN textile artist and illustrator
www.abigail-brown.co.uk 07940 497488

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Abigail Brown

Abigail brought her birds down from London today and installed them in the gallery at Castor + Pollux.

They decorate the 'Christmas tree' and look very festive

Her intricate little beasties are machine and handstitched using new and recycled materials. Each have an amazing amount of character. Tiny birds occupy vintage matchboxes, some form pictures on canvas whilst others eye you, perched from above.

Prices start at £22.

www.abigail-brown.co.uk
www.castorandpollux.co.uk

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