Odd Life City Sights

2012-02-02T16:54:00.002+11:00

David GrayLike in life, this blog, I'm just trying to keep afloat.

2011-04-04T12:33:00.002+10:00

Bob Dylan

Ok so you've probably noticed instead of the usual art related content, the 2 readers of this blog have recently been subjected to my personal musical tastes... well hang in there, lots of creative stuff to come in the following weeks - as life speeds up & cash registers briiiinng, calculators become useful & memories flicker away, productivity is the name of the game in 2011... & love, there should always be some love...

hoping everyone is well.

2011-03-14T13:34:00.001+11:00

Ryan Adams

2011-01-18T07:37:00.005+11:00

Nina Simone

My corner of the universe

2011-01-07T14:40:00.007+11:00

New studio... moving in slowly, just the basics at the moment, but already feel like my purpose in life has been restored. Also came across 2 songs recently - Fun Machine's Nintendo in the Jungle and Joni Mitchell's A Case of You (From her Blue album)... both on heavy rotation.

London

2010-10-30T13:39:00.003+11:00

I've been back in Sydney for a year now, and London has become one of those memories that sit much further back in the past than it should... highlights, the big trips, important occasions, all have faded... in fact, the memories that are strongest now are the really small things, street names like Greek Street, Waldour Street, Charlotte Road... I remember the first time I walked from Picadilly Circus following that immense curve of old buildings that barricade Regent Street and ending up at the National Gallery - later discovering the round-about route I had taken... I remember first seeing the room that contained a Holbein painting and Da Vinci drawing that made me feel years behind in my own art, and subsequently taking blow after blow as I inhaled more of the genius in just about every room over every return visit...

I remember passing William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and all those bookies searching for a spare 10pounds for the weekend Chelsea game (and scraping together another fiver for Lotto)... I remember being intrigued by crappy make-shift signs advertising models which led up long stairwells with red walls... smoking to keep warm & content... finding life indoors at that pub in Bayswater... being surprised by just how easy it was to get any drug you desired...

I liked how it was almost always cold and I enjoyed wearing big coats that had enough pockets for plenty of pens, novels and sketchbooks... my real vice was buying all these pens that I would never use, just feeling better armed than being unprepared...

There was a fantastic Summer's day in Green Park and it was a rare sense of camraderie as I settled on the green lawn with a throng of pale-skinned locals, I remember getting into an argument with an English man (dressed immaculately) near the Ritz... he refused to answer a question I had put to him... I remember a woman correcting the way I pronounced Holland Park.

There was also West London, passing by Chelsea fans as we walked to West Kensington to buy meats from the wholesale butcher, or groceries from the massive Tescos at West Cromwell, I remember once being really happy in the morning and jumping for joy and almost dislocating my bad knee, I remember ridiculously heavy backpacks, watching my white Volleys become greyer each time I trekked along the grey roads. I remember brushing teeth, cooking soups, making sandwiches, watching movies on an old couch with the lights off, snug under a blanket. I remember hangovers that involved lots of Tropical juice & instant noodles...friends coming for visits, polaroids, carrying friend's luggage up 3 flights of stairs, piano at 8.30am, looking out the window once and it was snowing and everything was slowly become whiter and whiter. I remember a tomato plant, old bed linen, a tiny tv, thick socks, knitting yarn, hot-water bottle, I remember Skyping family, and dreaming about home...

Koffia 2010

2010-09-30T11:40:00.002+10:00

An image created for Koffia 2010, it's happening very soon (October 1-5). Go to the website for tickets and details.

2010-08-08T18:46:00.000+10:00

2010-08-08T18:44:00.001+10:00

ordinary people

2010-08-08T18:42:00.000+10:00

after El Greco

2009-07-08T02:46:00.001+10:00

Worthless

2009-06-04T02:45:00.005+10:00

I first heard of Pollocks via an old shredded poster pasted on an even older barricade in Soho. It stood out nonetheless, as it was seeking to find artists to take part in a project where creatives would transform 'worthless' items (brought in by members of the public) into pieces of art.

Led by Josef Valentino and his dedicated team, the project has been fantastic to work on, and has produced some very interesting results. Check out the Pollocks site for more info on Worthless and other projects.

On the streets of London...

2009-04-30T06:58:00.002+10:00

busker with electric guitar, man in suit playing trumpet leading a group of revellers, dwarf in navy blue tracksuit.

On my mind

2009-04-03T03:30:00.002+11:00

Richard Prince's Nurse Paintings, Gerhard Richter portraits, Japan, monsters, Tapas, James Morrison, money.

Cosplay

2009-01-21T07:07:00.002+11:00

I've been keeping a sketchbook of Cosplay characters, usually based on images from the net, and sometimes straight from something I see on my daily walks.

London isn't Harajuku, although you'd be surprised at what you find at times.

London Shows

2009-01-10T06:44:00.004+11:00

I've seen some good shows in the past month or so. Tate Britain had a comprehensive Francis Bacon show - his early paintings were the highlight - combining chance, technical virtuosity and oppressive images, creating nightmarish, unforgettable paintings.

Saatchi Gallery is currently showing New China Art presenting some strong figurative art by not so new Chinese artists. One painting in particular, Zhang Huan's Insects No.2 caught my eye. It was quirky, and somehow seductive (the creamy background?... the fact that it was covered in ants like some massive melting ice cream canvas...?), I don't know, I liked it.

I've also found a few of Antony Micallef's works. His earlier paintings/drawings were inspiring, I remember my dad cutting out a magazine article from a cafe as he knew I would appreciate his stuff, anyways, I caught a few of his black portraits at Lazarides, and saw his massive painting Parasite and a series of bronze nickel-plated sculptures at GSK gallery. Interesting to see what he does next.

hey... Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T04:23:00.002+11:00

Been working on a new series of works, and looking for a decent gallery space in London. Out East there's too much stencil and 'street art' stuff; Cork Street galleries freak me out - looking for something that kinda slots in between - any ideas?

2008-10-29T01:40:00.000+11:00

sQuareOne Art Auction

2008-09-05T17:30:00.003+10:00

Dear friends,

Will be showing All-Star Interlude at the SQ1 show, looking forward to a good night and one mean auction, details below!

Vibewire Youth Arts and Media Inc would like to invite you to our second annual sQuareOne Art Auction – an event that will showcase the work of some great emerging and established artists and raise funds for the continuation of sQuareOne's programs.

This will be a fun night, with bands, food and drink, and the chance to own some of the amazing art that will be on display!

Date: Friday September 12th
Time: 6-9pm
Place: Mori Gallery (168 Day St Sydney)

August Dreaming

2008-08-19T06:30:00.003+10:00

Website v.2

2008-07-19T17:54:00.004+10:00

website redesigned. Much more streamlined now and showing my latest work in London.

Rembrandt

2008-07-05T08:55:00.004+10:00

Its very hard to leave the room of Rembrandts in the National Gallery.

Art Below

2008-06-21T04:25:00.004+10:00

I'm always keen to show my works in interesting locations aside from the usual gallery spaces, so when an opportunity to exhibit in the London subway came up, I jumped at the chance!

Thanks to Ben and Art Below, you can catch one of my works (in poster size) at Stockwell Tube station for the next few weeks, it's like my own little piece of advertising space, free to be observed, ignored and even graffiti-ed on.

Barcelona Sketch

2008-06-11T22:44:00.002+10:00

Man in hero suit (near Seven Dials)

2008-05-21T04:35:00.005+10:00

Acrylic on paper.

Just taking it all in...

2008-04-14T06:20:00.004+10:00

Recently I have been lucky enough to travel through Paris, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Prague - these cities have been a beautiful initiation into Europe, not only rich in culture, but visually stunning and overloaded with inspiration. Already I have seen monumental cathedrals; hand-carved altar-pieces; freaky cemeteries (Kutna Hora Ossuary!!); and architecture that makes no sense but demands your attention - I'm a bit worried since I'm still to make it to Italy!! Hopefully by then, all this would have sunk in and I will be itching to do it all over again...

London

2008-03-27T21:39:00.004+11:00

London 2008... I'm sitting in the National Gallery not entirely believing the quality of works that I am surrounded by. When a major Velasquez is overshadowed by MANY! artworks, you know you are in the presence of something special. It begins with a DaVinci drawing in the opening room, and continues with masterpiece after masterpiece - Holbein's The Ambassadors; Ucello's Battle of San Romano; Ruben's Massacre of the Innocents, Rembrandt's A Woman Bathing in a Stream, Suerat's Bathers, ... (and it goes on & on!). These are not just paintings but icons! Artworks that changed the way the Western World viewed itself! What exciting stuff... best gallery since MOMA!

Melbourne

2008-02-25T12:12:00.006+11:00

Spending my last moments in Melbourne at an internet cafe - it's strange to be typing emails when you can hear the sound of gunfire and explosions in the background. Kids play online mpg's swearing at each other viciously as their avatars fall victim to a barrage of bullets from an AK-47 or at other times a single sniper shot; a recurring electronic riff plays continuously as the kids laugh and enjoy the carnage they create.

In real life the cafe is a cavernous dark hall filled with glowing monitors and 16 neon lights - there is one visible security camera and green exit signs at either side.

Surveillance (Revival), detail

2008-02-09T13:04:00.000+11:00

Melbourne show

2008-02-09T12:55:00.001+11:00

... at the Red Gallery in North Fitzroy - (look for the small howling wolf... or the big red sign)

The End Begins (2008)

2008-02-05T10:56:00.001+11:00

Riding the bus home, I look out the window and see a man burst into flames. As I shield my eyes from the light, I can almost feel the heat penetrate right through the glass…

People walk by without pausing, not even a sideways glance - grey-looking business men in battered suits; kids dissolving in their Chucks and drowning in striped shirts – only a dog straining against its leash shows any action (the dog is angry not terrified).

I look to my fellow passengers, they sit idle, unmoved. I am certain that by now the burning man would be screaming – but there is silence.
I have to get off the bus – get away from the light –the heat –that fucking silence.

A drink. A drink is what I need, I enter into what used to be a corner store (now it’s a slick 24/7 something or other) – I head straight to the fridge and scull a can of cola…

…cooling down I amble to the counter… $3.20 a forgotten man grunts without ever looking at me. Fair enough I consider - maybe bringing an empty can to the counter might be kinda rude... As I search for loose change, I notice a set of monitors just behind the man; grey, monochrome surveillance screens, each focused on different sections of the store and the city streets.

A few of the screens present blurry images of grocery aisles, hamburger shelves; another depicts a door bearing a poster where pandas spit out blue speech bubble catch phrases like – ‘More than just sightseeing, our China Tours are Authentic Journeys.’; it’s the last screen that gets me though, where from a slightly raised perspective – I view tiny grey men navigating their way through the city, around a silent man slowly burning to the ground.

Castle Greyskull (Join Us Or Die), detail

2008-01-31T09:29:00.002+11:00

Eyes In The Sky

2008-01-31T09:26:00.001+11:00

All-Star Interlude

2008-01-24T18:45:00.000+11:00

The End Begins (part II)

2008-01-24T18:41:00.000+11:00

Dance Off

2008-01-24T18:39:00.000+11:00

Untitled

2008-01-24T18:35:00.000+11:00

32 Views Framed

2008-01-24T18:27:00.000+11:00

32 Views Going Home (detail)

2008-01-13T10:10:00.001+11:00

32 Views Going Home (detail)

2008-01-13T10:08:00.001+11:00

32 Views Going Home (detail)

2008-01-13T10:05:00.000+11:00

The End Begins

2007-12-16T08:02:00.000+11:00

Supreme Tigers

2007-09-19T12:44:00.001+10:00

Based on the Onitsuka Tiger range - beautiful stuff...

White Tiger

2007-09-19T12:43:00.001+10:00

Red Tigers

2007-09-19T12:40:00.000+10:00

Weekends are great!

2007-08-27T19:04:00.000+10:00

$24.95 worth of hard work...

SquareOne Auction

2007-07-18T13:45:00.000+10:00

Lately, the fine people at SQ1 have been providing space/facilities for me to build my website. One of my older artworks will be up for auction at the SQ1 fundraiser, so if you're interested in a good cause or buying art or just looking for something to do on a cold tuesday night- make sure you drop by! Details below.

The sQuareOne art exhibition and auction will be held in July 2007 at Chalk Horse Gallery, Surry Hills.

This inaugural event will showcase artworks by some of Australia's finest young artists, with proceeds from sales going towards sQuareOne and its programs.

All works will be exhibited from 22 ~ 25 July and auctioned on Tuesday 24 July from 7pm.

Website up! (and it only took me 3 years...)

2007-07-14T20:58:00.000+10:00

finally have the first version of my website up... it's pretty basic, but it feels good to get something out there. The website covers my paintings from the past 5 years or so (including the Matchbox Paintings & Surveillance series drawings) - as well as some illustrations. Still there's lots more to be done, with plenty of images to add, hundreds of slices to be made and tweaks here & there (sorry Johnnie at work - going to be asking you a thousand more questions -thanks in advance hahah). In the end though, this makes submissions for shows a heck of a lot easier and it's exciting for me to see the work together... anyhow, view the website here - yes i know what you're thinking "wow that's the most creative website name in the world!!!"

Where do I buy polaroid film?

2007-07-02T15:57:00.000+10:00

Life Drawing...

2007-06-06T13:08:00.000+10:00

sucks when you haven't done it in a while

Arrows around six

2007-05-12T16:24:00.000+10:00

Noticed coffee cup lid with text -Caution - Hot- Arrows Around 6

(also found this old drawing)

Little Freedom

2007-05-09T08:40:00.000+10:00

Friday Walking

2007-05-07T13:24:00.000+10:00

Been busy lately - fighting off wave after wave of ants that are storming into my apartment (it's a battle of attrition I tell you!); working to replace paints that were confiscated by customs at Brisbane Airport; trying to get Japan off my mind (because the fact I am not living there atm pisses me off); oh and also welcoming my brother's first born Isaac to the world (the cutest, best-behaved baby I have ever come across!)

Updates

2007-01-10T22:30:00.000+11:00

All images from the exhibition are finally up - big thank you to all who made the opening night and to the exhibition - also very belated thanks to Mark and Ed at China Heights! You guys are doing great things... hope to see you again down the track.

Looking forward to 2007... will be uploading some new images soon.

Exibition View 6

2007-01-10T22:28:00.000+11:00

Exhibition View 5

2007-01-10T22:26:00.000+11:00

Exhibition View 4

2007-01-10T22:25:00.000+11:00

Exhibition View 3

2007-01-10T22:23:00.000+11:00

Exhibition View 2

2007-01-10T22:22:00.000+11:00

Exhibition Views

2007-01-10T22:18:00.000+11:00

Thursday (young hitchcock), Acrylic & charcoal on plywood, 30x20cm

2006-10-19T11:53:00.000+10:00

Thursday (rainbow cap), Acrylic & charcoal on plywood, 20x30cm

2006-10-19T11:52:00.000+10:00

Thursday (joojay), Acrylic & charcoal on plywood, 30x30cm

2006-10-19T11:50:00.000+10:00

Thursday (Stormtrooper), acrylic & charcoal on plywood, 30x20cm

2006-10-19T11:49:00.000+10:00

Thursday (con), Acrylic and Charcoal on plywood, 20x30cm

2006-10-19T10:30:00.000+10:00

This series of works were based on quick drawings made in my sketchbook on a Thursday.

As I make my way through the city, my eye focuses on different objects. Sometimes it can be something insignificant such as a person wearing Chuck taylors (everyone owns a pair of cons these days...), at other times you see strange sights in the city that capture your imagination like a businessman wearing a rainbow cap with a small propellor; a nicely designed logo; or an eye-catching piece of grafitti. So much to see and never enough time.

Concerns Over My Safety (confused about pre-emptive strikes)

2006-09-28T17:38:00.000+10:00

Spitting Rainbows (part II), Acrylic + charcoal on canvas,

2006-09-28T17:31:00.000+10:00

Blue Striped Hood (Stormtroopin), Acrylic+charcoal on canvas, 60x60

2006-09-28T17:17:00.000+10:00

Girl In Blue Singlet, Acrylic + charcoal on canvas, 150x75

2006-09-28T17:12:00.000+10:00

The Man Who Went Too Far, Acrylic on Canvas,

2006-09-25T13:10:00.000+10:00

I Never Said We Were Friends, 20x20cm, Acrylic & charcoal on canvas, 2006

2006-09-11T11:05:00.000+10:00

The issue of security is still on my mind. At the moment, I am really drawn to fence spikes that appear outside city residences. Some of these spikes are beautifully designed and ornate, while others are simple and quiet.

I often wonder when the purpose of spiked fences shifted from security to a matter of aesthetics and decoration. I remember reading about a design prize where a designer created spikes shaped to resemble rabbit heads with pointy ears, so that they would appear less intimidating in the urban environment.

I think in the end, no matter how much beauty is injected into these fences, the intention of security will always be present. With these particular works I was hoping to attach both purposes to the painting, where the aesthetic draws you in, but the notion of fear (
being guarded) keeps you out.

Wire Jewels (part II), 20x20cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2006

2006-09-11T11:03:00.000+10:00

Urban Hymn, 20x20cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2006

2006-09-11T11:01:00.000+10:00

Wire Jewels, 20x20cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2006

2006-09-11T10:59:00.000+10:00

The Difference Between You & Me, 20x20cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2006

2006-09-11T10:58:00.000+10:00

Grey Spike, 20x20cm, Acrylic & charcoal on canvas, 2006

2006-09-11T10:51:00.000+10:00

Blue Hood, 60x60cm, Acrylic & charcoal on canvas, 2006

2006-09-01T12:35:00.000+10:00

Skull Cap, Acrylic & charcoal on canvas, 60x60cm, 2006

2006-08-18T13:46:00.000+10:00

Boxer, Acylic & charcoal on canvas, 60x60, 2006

2006-08-18T13:42:00.000+10:00

Red Hood (All-Star kid), Acrylic on Canvas, 60x60cm, 2006

2006-08-17T12:33:00.000+10:00

Throughout the city is this reoccuring grid system that can be seen in everything, the background grill is probably the most important part of this painting, the figure didn't even need to be there, but i did always want to paint an image of someone wearing a red hood.

Grey Hood, Acrylic on canvas, 60x60cm, 2006

2006-08-17T12:27:00.000+10:00

Updated bio info, image info, uploaded new images.

Green Striped Hood

2006-08-15T13:48:00.000+10:00

Spitting Rainbows

2006-08-15T13:21:00.000+10:00

On the weekend, the city is scattered with kids and their skateboards. It's a great time to look at the city as the environment is totally changed when it is not occupied by a sea of workers in their suits. This painting in particular was inspired by seeing a skater-kid spitting on the street. The action immediately caught my attention, and i knew that i could make a painting from it, the challenge was to make what is considered a vulgar action attractive. After working on a few ideas in my sketchbook and failing many times in achieving the image i wanted to make, i played around with a few different types of discharge emerging from the figure's mouth. In the end the rainbow just seemed to work.

China Heights Exhibition

2006-08-14T11:34:00.000+10:00

Here is the latest version of the invite.
Come along and see the show!