Well if you are what you eat in my case I'll be sweet

Another day - another meal! The recurring excitement of being fed was nurtured by a visit to meet with Jean, a nurse from Manilla in the Philippines who lives and works in Invergordon.
We were treated to a traditional dessert called Leche Plan - a milk and egg dessert similar to creme caramel but a lot better...

Jean told us about her travels which have included time working in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as well as her impressions of Invergordon and the Highland weather.

Another meal planned tonight when we go visit Father Reese. Who said research was boring?! - FIN

BLOG TITLE
Jason Mraz - Too Much Food
Waiting For My Rocket To Come (2002)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The first cut is the deepest, baby I know...

Last Friday we made our way to Edinburgh for the book launch of Rough Cut Nation at the newly refurbished Scottish National Portrait Gallery. It was a good evening and we enjoyed ourselves immensely! The new building has certainly changed and it was good to see it before its official opening.

Its been a few years now since Rough Cut Nation and the knock-on effects that have followed. It was needless to say, a great project - had plenty of publicity and ended up being one of the galleries most successful shows ever. Al and I had a blast working there and met some great folk and made a bunch of new friends - many of whom have worked with us on other projects (In Honour of September and Are We There Yet?)

Have put a few images here of the book together with an image we found while clearing the office the other week. Things don't change - we're still clowning around... - FIN

BLOG TITLE

Cat Stevens - The First Cut Is The Deepest

New Masters (1967)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

I strip away the old debris that hides a shining car.

Just over a week ago Inverness was host to the fine folks from Team Recoat - including Death Rattles, Syrkus, Lyken, Rue Five, Elph, FiST and Kirsty Whiten - while they used cars as their canvas at Rose Street Car Park under the auspices of IOTA.


I was there on the Thursday to document the beginning of the process - mostly masking and a bit of paint being laid down. Was disappointed I couldn't be there on Friday too but it was good to meet old friends and some new ones and see the work as it was unfolding...no doubt there will be more images up on the IOTA website soon.


Enjoyed talking to Ali and Amy from Team Recoat and getting their thoughts on the street art scene in Scotland just now - more power to them as they promote Scottish artists!! - FIN

BLOG TITLE

Rush - Red Barchetta

Moving Pictures (1981)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

It's time to prepare the garden for 2012!

Ponds are being expanded, brooks are being cleaned -
and new artists are preparing for the New 'Enchanted Garden'
Introductions of all the artists are being prepared (!)
- in the meantime Art Sanctuary is living it's own 'secret life':




Best greetings to all!
Tone

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Deck the Halls...

Its Christmas and we are beginning to feel that generosity of spirit that we should all be feeling at this time of year. So in true Christmas style we at DUFI have a superb offer for you - all our screenprints are available for the mind-blowingly amazing price of £50.00 & delivery. All printed and embossed on beautiful papers - this offer even includes our Silver Edition Doors screenprint (normal price £90.00)

There aren't many copies available and the Nirvana one from the original series already not available...

Makes a great present...even if it is just for yourself. We'll even chuck in a few of our button badges too!

Does that still count as giving? - FIN

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon



Arches Rives BFK Black 100% cotton paper
22in x 15in
Embossed and two colour screenprint

Limited Edition of 10 Prints

£50.00 + £5.00 p&p

SOLD OUT

Arches Rives BFK Grey 100% cotton paper
22in x 15in
Embossed and two colour screenprint

Limited Edition of 10 Prints


Runrig - Heartland




Arches Rives BFK Grey 100% cotton paper
22in x 15in
Embossed and two colour screenprint

Limited Edition of 10 Prints

£50.00 + £5.00 p&p

The Doors - The Doors




Arches Rives BFK Black 100% cotton paper
22in x 15in
Embossed and two colour screenprint

Limited Edition of 10 Prints

£50.00 + £5.00 p&p

The Doors - The Doors (Silver Edition)




Arches Rives BFK Black 100% cotton paper
22in x 15in
Embossed and two colour screenprint

Limited Edition of 7 Prints

£50.00 + £5.00 p&p

SOLD OUT




Arches Rives BFK White 100% cotton paper
22in x 15in
Embossed and two colour screenprint

Limited Edition of 10 Prints

BLOG TITLE
Unknown - Deck The Halls
19th Century Christmas Carol

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

...and the moon is smiling down.

As it's Friday thought I would add these 2 images of my happy little daughter playing in the Market with the Fairytale artwork we did last week... even pretending to be a "wolf dog" in one of them! - FIN

BLOG TITLE
Jump, Little Children - Smiling Down
The Licorice Tea Demos (1995)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

L'AVENIR: ART SANCTUARY GARDEN RECEIVES 1ST PRIZE:)

Ils ont le plus beau jardin de Jodoigne - 26/11/2011
JODOIGNE -
Tone Aanderaa et Ignace Clarysse ont remporté le prix Jardins fleuris de la Ville. Anne Colinet et Nina Seilleur ont aussi été distinguées.
Durant l’été, un jury de quatre personnes présidé par Bénédicte Maréchal parcourait les jardins des candidats au plus beau jardin et à la plus belle façade fleurie de Jodoigne. Verdict ? Le premier prix dans la catégorie Jardins fleuris (11 candidats) est allé à Tone Aanderaa et Ignace Clarysse (Sainte-Marie-Geest), devant les ex aequo Patricia Duchatelet (Jodoigne-Souveraine) et Joseph Dewael (Jodoigne), puis ex aequo encore M. et Mme Guilmot (Jauchelette) et Francine Ceuppens (Lathuy).
Dans la catégorie Façades fleuries (11 candidats également), Anne Colinet (Saint-Jean-Geest) l’emporte grâce à ses magnifiques surfinias blancs, devant Carine Meys (Jodoigne) et Monique Sambrée (Lathuy).

Dans la catégorie Commerces, (3 candidats), Nina Seilleur (café Le Tonneau) prend le meilleur sur le home Le Cèdre bleu et la société Verabel. La terrasse de son café est fleurie toute l’année.
À l’issue de la remise des prix par les autorités communales mardi, Tone Aanderaa avait le triomphe modeste. « Mon mari et moi participions pour la première fois au concours. Le jardin est la symbiose de nos rêves, mais c’est mon mari qui a l’a dessiné et réalisé. Il y a planté une centaine de cerisiers il y a bien longtemps puis l’a embelli de pièces d’eau. Moi, je ne suis arrivée qu’il y a quelques années et ma contribution est assez limitée » Elle oubliait de dire qu’elle y a organisé en juin dernier une exposition de sculptures avec l’aide de ses amis artistes, ce qui a donné une dimension nouvelle à leur magnifique jardin.
M.W. (L'Avenir)

http://www.lavenir.net/Article/Detail.aspx?articleID=DMF20111126_00083898

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Once upon a time a girl with moonlight in her eyes...

Its been a pretty frenetic week or so as we have worked ridiculous hours trying to complete a commission for Eden Court Theatre in the Victorian Market, Inverness. We worked Monday to Friday last week beginning at 5.30pm and working till 2.00am - even 4.00am on Friday morning!

Our brief was to recreate Victorian styled Fairy tales and we gave them a wintry twist with the choice of colours etc. We used a huge amount of stencils and a fair whack of spraypaint - not the kind of thing we could do during the day!

After completing this we were then asked by Highland Council to do a Mail Box for Santa so we were back in yesterday doing that as well - Polar bear and North Pole included!

Definitely can see we are in the Christmas spirit... -FIN

BLOG TITLE
Frank Sinatra - Once Upon A Time
September of my Years (1965)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

I can't hear you...

Over the last couple of months we have had the privilege of working with two different artists on album artwork.

The first album, The Quiet in the Land, is calamateur's latest and is a beautiful and honest evolution of his past sounds. This is the sixth piece of cover art we have designed for calamateur, and as always it has been an inspirational listen - another great album!

We designed the cover artwork as well as a 13 page album artwork download, with artwork for each track. - AL

For the second album we did a photo-shoot and design work for Dagger & Colin Gordon's new album Like Father / Like Son.

"Arguably Scotland’s leading mandolin player for many years and he’s clearly passed his talent for negotiating strings and frets onto his guitar-playing oldest son, Colin. The pair are captured on this splendidly intimate album playing older Scottish pipe marches, dance tunes and airs, many of them long neglected ... a splendidly intimate album." The Herald

It has been ten years since we last worked with Dagger on his album Frozen River, so it was good working with him again and we look forward to working with him again in 2021 on his next album!

BLOG TITLE

The Dead Weather - I Can't Hear You

Sea of Cowards (2010)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

ART SANCTUARY RECEIVES SPECIAL PRIZE - AND 1ST PRIZE: 'BIODIVERSITY' !

http://www.lavenir.net/Article/Detail.aspx?articleID=DMF20111126_00083898

ART SANCTUARY receives 1st PRIZE - 'JARDIN FLEURIS 2011'

What a wonderful thing to experience!

In late November...Summer long gone....

The garden itself receiving this prize

 - and:

'Special Prize for Biodiversity'!

Apropos:
'A la Sainte-Catherine, chaque arbre prend racine!'

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

There will be no white flag above my door

We were privileged to be part of a very important day for the Polish residents of Invergordon and beyond as they remembered the fallen at the Polish Remembrance Service. A large group of about 150 gathered around the Polish War Memorial and had a short service with full colours and standards from various groups which was incredibly moving to be part of. Sang Psalm 23 in the open air while leaves fell off the trees, birds sang and the sun shined... it was pretty powerful stuff!


Was intrigued by one gentleman in particular called Marek Straczynski who is Scottish president of the Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów (SPK - or Polish Ex-Servicemen Association) He carried a standard that had come all the way from Porto Allegre in Brazil carried by Polish soldiers in WWI. Took a number of photographs of him and have included a couple below. Also took a few shots using old Polaroid 690 sheet film and thinking of maybe developing a series of these based on the families. The one attached here is a gentleman called Otto Stainke who is well into his 80's now - not that you could tell - we joked with his son Mike "he looks better than you!"


All this is part of our research for Invergordon Off The Wall so it was good for us to meet some of the families who remain in the area - the Stainke's, Malicki's, Symborski's, Majewski's and Zawinki's among others... We look forward to talking to them about there experiences living in the area - a big thanks to Vanda Zawinski and her family in particular for allowing us to be part of the day. -FIN

BLOG TITLE

Dido - White Flag

Life For Rent (2003)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

I want to make it with you...

Al has mentioned before the joys of our job and the exciting things we sometimes get to do. We had another one of those nights on Monday when we visited the Cross family in Nigg. As part of the Invergordon Off The Wall project we have been carrying on our research phase and did our first real interviews with Sabine and Richard while they prepared food. Sabine made her Fathers recipe for homemade bread ("Daddy's Bread")which he had perfected over a number of years.

While preparing everything she recounted stories about her past growing up in Invergordon as well as the amazing story of her fathers escape from Poland during WWII. Richard made his famous "Honey and Mustard Chicken" which only differed from the recipe on the back of the jar with the addition of red peppers instead of green! Needless to say Sabine's bread was absolutely amazing served warm with butter and her homemade blackcurrant jam... ah, the trials we have to put up with in the name of art!

 There is a real flurry of activity here today as we get to the end of the week. Big job starting next week in Inverness and we are busy doing Risk Assessments and Method Statements...all artwork created and both Al and I keen to get started. Imagine we will have a few blogs up in the next few days to keep you all in the loop.

In the meantime a few pics to get your mouth watering... - FIN

BLOG TITLE

Bread - Make it With You

On The Waters (1970)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Lonesome Swan

The studio has a buzz about it today. We are gearing up for a large paint job next week in Inverness, and are frantically putting finishing touches to our stencils. We wont give away too much just now, but lets just say we are enjoying reading up on the tales of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm!

Here is a detail of one of our sketches. - AL

BLOG TITLE

Glasvegas - Lonesome Swan

Glasvegas (2008)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Burning down the house...

I spent my Saturday with some members of the Northern Cell of Scottish Photographers in Dingwall. It was a surprising breath of fresh air with some really inspiring work on show by the folks there who had come from as far away as Aberdeen.

A mix of work including a series of images shot on a mobile phone on the London Underground, images shot from crumbling WWII bases in Scotland, some interesting pinhole work, handmade books, digital slideshows, images and poetry...very diverse but all inspiring!

I was a touch disorganised and left things till the day before but showed a few prints from work I did for The Big Willow a couple of years ago as well as a selection of travel work on the laptop - really could have done with prints of some of those.

Hoping to maintain contact with some of the guys and maybe meet up again over the winter to talk all things photographic...

Have attached some of the images that were taken over a 2 year period of The Big Willow project (by U.S. artist Patrick Dougherty) from site selection, through growth, construction and ultimately its destruction. A series of 42 images in a portfolio were produced to accompany an exhibition of the work. - FIN

BLOG TITLE

Talking Heads - Burning Down The House

Speaking In Tongues (1983)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad