NEW!

New standard size (8.6 x 11.6") print in the shop today....'you can't always be friendly, there just isn't the time...' printed on lightly textured, 285gsm Hahnehuhle Torchon paper. Open edition. Titled, signed and dated. Actual image size is approximately 7 x 9".

february 25th: at a point of equilibrium...

pencil and gouache on book page

hidden

in those blissful moments of waking and being warm and comfy in bed without being fully awake i began to ponder what i had planned for the day ahead of me. and then it dawned on me, it is friday. friends - where has the week gone to!!?

i'll leave you with some pics of the other side of my studio. it's not quite as picturesque as my little window drawing nook.

mount eerie

listen :: mount eerie :: i hold nothing

phil elverum creator of fine tunes under the moniker mount eerie, i think i love you...

one thing i admire beyond all other things in certain creative people is their ability to have complete focus on their style and an ability to always have such direction in their work that one thing seamlessly follows on from the next, each one more brilliant than the last.

what i enjoy about phil elverum's work from one album to the next is the world he creates through his simple, lo-fi sound that is both intimate and worldly, empty and full all at the same time. with whispered lyrics of spiritual entities followed by emotive snarls of guitar and a clatter of drums, it's all just perfect in my book really.

little things

february 19th: safe from harm

gouache and pencil on book page

it seems i have been working backwards. i started out my week with simple screen-like structures but ignored them and got a bit more excited about empty rooms, as you do. i need to tell my brain to slow down and pay attention to the little things more often.

i wonder what next week will bring? more drawing and hopefully some sunshine (fingers crossed) methinks.

february 18th: void falls apart

gouache and pencil on reverse of an old photograph

i'm infatuated with these strange empty spaces this week, they're like models of rooms i visit in my dreams...

still working on my actual face.

actual face

for the most part i have a self-imposed absolutely no spending budget to stick to. clothing is mainly second hand, haircuts I do myself, i use every last drop of ketchup in the bottle and am happy to bring furniture home off of the street. secretly, or rather not so now, i enjoy being a tight-arse. but sometimes you just need a little treat to brighten your day...lines & shapes

what have you done to treat yourself of late?

today, the all important portrait. i'm involved in a few projects at the moment which require me to submit a photograph of my actual face. this is scary as I am not a photogenic person in anyway; think mrs. potato head on the verge of tears and that is pretty much my face...there may be results to post later if i look nice/feel brave...

february 16th: more empty than transparent...

gouache and pencil on reverse of an old photograph

thanks for all of your comments on the big cartel shop. i am trying not to fiddle with it too much. customization wise i would like it look a bit more different to the basic layout they have but it looks a bit beyond me. we shall see!

pounds and pence

If you prefer to see your prices in pounds I have just opened a big cartel shop as part of my website. It's something I've experimented with before and I've been finding it hard to find a way of integrating a shop into my website that gives the right impression. There are many things that I love about etsy and having an etsy shop but having a widget that displays items from my shop and directs people there doesn't quite fit in with my website on the whole. I think it's something to do with its generic appearance. It would be great if you could customize an etsy shop and give it a little bit more of your own style and make it a little less ubiquitous.

For now I'm just experimenting but my long term thoughts are to move all original pieces to the big cartel shop and keep etsy just for prints. I'll keep you posted.

15th february: an imaginary space...

pencil and gouache on book page with found notes

good monday!

february 13th: my former self...

pencil and gouache on book page

feeling a little more back in the groove this morning...hope you had a lovely valentine's?

february 12th: somewhere between an illusion and reality

pencil and gouache on hardback book cover

the way it goes...

thanks for all of your comments on my day the other day...i never think to carry my camera around with me but it really is something i shall try to do more of...

a few good brews...a treat in the mail...a poster (how much do i want it!?) in the window of an empty shop...earl grey in a newly thrifted giant mug...

it's been a terrible week on the drawing front. despite starting many, many things creating something i like has completely evaded me. i guess that's just the way it goes...

i came across marina porter's blog the other day and thought you might enjoy it.

balmorhea, part two

i found this great video to accompany one of my favorite tracks from balmorhea's last album all is wild, all is silent by jared hogan, it really complements the spareness of their sound - enjoy!

also big thanks to rojo magazine for promoting my work again.

balmorhea

simple, enchanting and nostalgic. these are a few of many words i'd use to describe the music of balmorhea and i thought i'd share their work with you today.

you can stream their forthcoming new album, constellations, here, i'm loving it with the scratchy old film footage in the background, the flickering dust at the end is perfect.

listen balmorhea :: bowsprit (via western vinyl)

today

moments from my day today...ominous sky...packaging orders and freshly baked banana bread (is it just me or is the entire blogosphere posting about banana bread right now?)...

blog love:

cubic dreams

an ambitious project collapsing

hot hot hot

when the sun actually decides to come out i love to sit right in the corner by the window (which is also where the radiator is) and busy away. it's so nice at this miserable time of year to sit with the sun on my face whilst drinking a hot cup of tea...

facebook fan page

it's not all seriousness around here y'know...

okay, I have finally succumbed to it - there is now a facebook fan page for the Restless Things shop. I'll be regularly posting there about new items as well as offering some special offers/discounts to fans.

i do not enjoy facebook in general. i've given it a try and to be honest if there's anyone I want to have a chat with or know what color socks they're wearing today i'd rather go out for a beer with them. but i can see that the fan pages could be a really good tool for promoting my shop as it's something i don't like to push too much in this space here.

the restless things facebook fan page

who knew?

5th february: but what does it mean?

gouache on book page

i was awakened at about 6.50am this morning by the sound of my mobile going off downstairs. for the record, i am not an early morning person at all. i'm not one of those people who needs to sleep in 'til 10 or even lunchtime, my body clock kicks in every morning at approximately 7.45 and I'm ready to start the day. 6.50am is not a time for getting up to my mind, but today that is exactly what i did. and by jove i don't think i've had such a productive morning in a long while. i worked on some experiments, finished a drawing and made myself do emails along with my usual morning pottering. it just goes to prove (to myself more than anyone else) that getting up early can be a good thing.

enjoy your weekend!

4th february: we are closer

gouache on ruled jotter page with found note,

'and i can think that we are closer than the map states'.

obsessive compulsive

3rd february: the next it's gone...

gouache on ruled jotter page

a swarm of bees, a familiar smell that takes you back, bacteria under a microscope, a multitude of moments, a flock of birds seen from afar, a bustle of people never touching one another, an explosion that never stops exploding, particles of dust in the breeze, a collection of thoughts, light through the leaves in a tree on a beautiful day, a final breath...

it's all of these things at the same time.

rabbit on a string...

image by jasonepowell

i know this kind of thing is a bit old hat but i'm loving the looking into the past pool on flickr. does this lady have that rabbit on a lead?! it made my day.

2nd february: in the back of my mind...

gouache on cardboard panel

dear diary...

i keep a folder for every month of the year on itunes, a kind of musical diary and i've been doing so for the past 4 or 5 years. it's been waaay to long since I posted a mix and I may have to publish 2 this week because january was such a fabulous month for tunes both old and new; never have I had so many tunes in one month of my musical diary!

part one features tunes from local natives, beach house, boomsnake, kath bloom, little wings, midlake, papercuts, tune-yards, thrice, oh no ono, miracle fortress, my latest novel and spoon.

get the kettle on...

tara holmes

interesting jewelry and sculptural pieces from tara holmes, i really like her use of salvaged items. nothing beats the joy of finding something old and beautiful and giving it a new lease of life...

1st february: is there something i should know?

gouache on book page

blue sky days

i love this view through my bedroom window at different times of the day, only on blue sky days though...

this weekend...

the sun came out and i got carried away and took lots of snaps - studio space, doodle, pile, box of favorite paper and my tool box. so nice to see bright colors and not have the lights switched on!