Stratocastish

Part 1 of a forthcoming series of photos.

Feb 25 1967

Chelmsford, Essex.

Happy Birthday Joe Mask

Heather got me to do this for Joe's birthday in September. To address the balance for Emlyn's Mum's cat ending up as the star of this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sumlin/2280986291/

Flag For Nottingham

Nottingham magazine Left Lion asked me and some more local artist-types to come up with a new flag for the city and some words to explain it.

Here's mine:

"I propose not just a flag, but a whole new secret society for the people of Nottingham, inspired by the Toynbee Tiles, the Freemasons (minus the George W Bush shit) and, of course, the words of Donovan Whycliffe Bromwell.
Nottingham has long celebrated the underdog and applauded the glorious failure. Our cultural exports all fall short due to don't-give-a-shit modesty or they break down in the rush hour traffic at 6.10 somewhere on the A453 on the way to a gig in London, where they were supposed to arrive at 7pm.
It's a curse, but I say we should celebrate this. It's what makes us Nottinghamers, not Robin Hood or "two girls for every boy".
Next time you suspect a stranger is from our fair city, just slip this into the conversation: "Can I sing you a song?".
Use it as a greeting maybe, like the Masonic handshake. Or write it on a wall somewhere without explanation. Trest positive responders kindly and cut them favours.
We've got to stick together"

I should add this flag is very much pro the subject matter. Donovan (aka Whycliffe) has been about since I first moved to the city over 10 years ago. I've had plenty of run-ins with him. The day after I submitted this to Al from the magazine, he sprung up from behind a plant at a pub in town and sat down next to me. The first thing he said was "YOU LIKE MY FACE YEAH?". It freaked me out a little. That's not his problem though.
His story is a sad one ultimately but it's an ongoing one, it's not a fable despite how people might treat it that way and the guy's no cartoon character despite me almost making him one here. I put him on the flag with the utmost sincerity and I hope it's taken that way.

*UPDATE
I have been reliably informed the man himself loves the flag and plans are afoot to get a real one made for him by the team at the magazine.

Sundae Overdrive

Just completed this FX pedal fascia design for new company Concord LLC from the US (link to follow once it gets set up). Daed from the company wanted something different to the 2 standardised ways of decorating a stomp-box (very much hand painted a la Z-Vex or super graphic-y like Electro Harmonix: both very nice too I should add, esp. the old EH Black Finger which has always been my favourite pedal design).
So we opted to use a high-gloss full colour sticker on the top of the metal casing. Some slight repositioning later and the Sundae Overdrive had a suitably creamy visual presence with the neat touch of a red LED literally as the cherry on the cake...erm...ice cream.
Production pictures when I get them...