A Hurdy Gurdy Exhibition!

Hurdy Gurdy have taken over the 100 Years Gallery in Hoxton to create two weeks of artworks and workshops!

On Saturday 29th September go along and enjoy a Toy-making and Hand-made musical instrument workshop from 3pm to 7pm, with live music.

On Thursday 3rd October meet Hurdy Gurdy and check out their exhibition as listed in First Thursdays Top 5!

And more workshops on Sunday 6th October from 3pm - 7pm!

Here are some images from our live window drawing and the opening of the show...

Hattie Hair

For June 10th. The birth date of Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Academy Award.

Be a Starman

Tomorrow, from 10.30 to 16.30, we will be running a workshop at Victoria and Albert Museum during the Bowie Weekender. You will have the chance to wear one of these incredible space helmets, craft your own accessorises in the style of Ziggy Stardust, and be immortalised in a memorable picture. Come one come all!

April 22nd

April 22nd, the birthday of Vladimir Lenin and the date of  Robin Knox-Johnston completing the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world.

8th April

As the 8th of April is the date for two important art history facts, I've decided to combine them into one image.
Firstly, in 1820, the Venus De Milo (Aphrodite of Milos) was discovered by a peasant named Yorgos Kentrotas on the island of Milos in the Aegean Sea.
And secondly, in 1973, the master of Cubism, Pablo Picasso, died at the ripe old age of 91.

Despite the pale stone we recognise the Venus De Milo was originally painted to look more life like (the Greeks did this to most of their statues). She still looks a bit shocked at being Picasso'd though.

Staatliches Bauhaus School

On 1st April 1919, Walter Gropius founded the famous Staatliches Bauhaus School, in Germany. The concept behind the school was to combined applied arts and fine arts in the aim of making craftsmen rather than artists, as Walter Gropius proclaimed his goal was"to create a new guild of craftsmen, without the class distinctions which raise an arrogant barrier between craftsman and artist." *
Part of the The Bauhaus 'manifesto' was the use of very simplified forms and the fact that mass-production and the individual artist expression were reconciled to create something functional and rational. 
The school was a success back in time and is still very influential nowadays in disciplines such as 'architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design and typography'. * 

For more information about the school's history, have a look here!

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus
http://bauhaus-online.de/en/atlas/personen/walter-gropius

On this day, 18th March 1834, six farm labourers from the small town of Tolpuddle in Dorset were sentenced to be transported to Australia after forming the friendly society of agricultural labourers to protest against the gradual decrease in wages. The society had many of the features of a trade union and swearing an oath of that sort was considered illegal. 2 years later 5 of the 6 men were allowed back home after 800,000 signatures petitioned for their release

An annual festival is held in Tolpuddle to this day organised by the Trade Unions Congress, featuring a march through the town with many trade unions banners sported for the event. 

There's an exhibition, alert the media!

So, about that announcement that was so alluringly alluded to last week. here's the news, Hurdy Gurdy member, Matt's been busily preparing for an exhibition of his MA project at the Bill Douglas Centre for the  history of cinema and popular culture at the University of Exeter. The exhibition features a selection of work from Matt's MA project about the films of Austro-British actor Anton Walbrook, star of Powell & Pressburger's classic film of art and obsession, "The Red Shoes". Alongside the existing illustrations on display are seven new illustrations created specifically for this exhibition which exapnd on Walbrooks' early career in Germany and Great Britain in the 1930s as well as a selection of Walbrook-related artefacts, including original programmes, cigarette cards and a costume from one of Walbrook's "Queen Victoria" films, where he played the role of Royal Consort, Prince Albert. The exhibition's running until June, admission is free. Make sure you see it!

The Bill Douglas Centre's website

  

Illustration of the Day: 11th of March

 

 

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku was a magnitude 9.03 (Mw) undersea megaearthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred on 11th of March 2011. It was the most powerful known earthquake ever to have hit Japan. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 40.5 metres and which, in the Sendai area, travelled up to 10 km inland. The earthquake moved Honshu (the main island of Japan) 2.4 m east and shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of between 10 cm and 25 cm.

 

Belated March 4th illustration

An illustration about March 4th. The date which brought us the first recorded case of the 1918 Spanish flu, ushering in a global pandemic that killed 50-100 million people, the landslide election victory for Robert Mugabe in 1980 starting him on the not very long road to dictatorship and the 2001 bombing attempt of the BBC television center.

(Nice things did happen on the 4th of March too, like the US congress sitting for the first time, effectively putting the United States constitution into effect as well as the writing an proposition of the Bill of Rights and the first female member of the house of representatives is elected.)

Flotian Exhibition in Beijing

Some of the Hurdy Gurdy members would like to let you know they have work being exhibited in the first Flotian exhibition in Beijing that opens this week. If you happen to be in the area go check it out. There are loads of great artists involved. You can learn more about Flotian here. Above image by Alix Bigois-Jeambrun

One day, One event, One illustration: 25th February

On the 25th February 1841 Pierre Auguste Renoir was born. 

One of the most independent painters of his period famous most for paintings of female nude. 

Valentines Craft workshops, Valentine @ Late Museum of London

One Day, One Event, One Illustration: 18th Feb

Continuing our new online project I present to you the story of Elm Farm Ollie; the first cow to fly in an aircraft on the 18th February 1930! 
They milked her mid flight and parachuted cartons of fresh dairy goodness to the spectators below - no word of a lie.
In homage to Elm Farm Ollie (otherwise known as Sky Queen) here is my very own flying cow. 
I thought after the recent UK horse-instead-of-cow supermarket scandal it was only fair that cows have a bash at the 'mystical flying creature' niche market.

By the way guys - the Valentine's Workshop was a roaring success! Stay posted for pictures!

One day, one event, one illustration

Hello guys!
We are back with a new exciting illustration project!
Every Monday, one member of HG will illustrate an event or a birth that happened on that specific day!
Today, it is my turn, and here is what happened 36 years ago...

On 11th February 1977 was caught off in Nova Scotia, Canada,  the heaviest crustacean, a 20.2kg lobster!! This is the heaviest lobster that has been recorded since. Yes I know, that's massive and huge on your plate... Here is the illustration that goes with this crazy catch.

What do you think? Would you like to have a lobster pattern in your home like this one?

We also have another exciting event taking place at Museum of London. We will be running Valentine's workshops on 14th February! It is already sold out but stay around, we will share pictures with you!

WE ♥ PATTERNS

Hey hey hey guys!

We hope you had a good holiday, ate good food and spent some quality time with your loved ones!

We had a great time in our respective families and now we are back and ready to rock 2013 with new projects and events.

But for now, here is some news from our illustrator / designer, Alix!

You probably know it now, but Alix is specialised in decorative and narrative patterns illustrating fairytales, films, flowers and everyday objects. 
She recently produced some work for the new wallpaper and fabric company Mitas & Co., run by the lovely Rachael. Mitas & Co. showcase young designers’ work and offers a big variety of styles and designs where it is difficult not to fall in love with at least one! Each design is available on wallpaper and fabric and on different color range (they all have lovely names!): soft sorbet, vintage mustard, garden variety, bastille day and much more! 
Alix had the great opportunity to see her work exhibited alongside other Mitas & Co. designers at the famous Home London trade event at the beginning of the week. And Rachael got very positive feedbacks on the collections. YAY! 

But enough words for now, pictures talk best!

Moby Dick, Alix Bigois-Jeambrun - Copyright © 2012 Mitas & Co.

Nottingham Lace,  Alix Bigois-Jeambrun - Copyright © 2012 Mitas & Co.

The Pequod, Alix Bigois-Jeambrun - Copyright © 2012 Mitas & Co.

Peg O' My Heart, Alix Bigois-Jeambrun - Copyright © 2012 Mitas & Co.

The Mitas & Co. stand at Home London, 2013


We hope you enjoyed the work and please let us know what you think. 

Talk to you soon :)