Guernsey Arts Foundation Raffle Prize

Yesterday was the Guernsey Arts Foundation launch party at Government House. Despite the patchy weather there was a great turn out. It was also great to meet up with other local artists.

Here's the artwork I donated for the Arts Foundation raffle prize "chip thief." It even made the Guernsey Press along with artwork from Peter Le Vasseur, Cat James and Mike Lowe.

For more information on my art visit my main web site here

Arts Foundation Guernsey, Launch Party

Come join me and hundreds of other artists, dancers and musicians for a day of celebrating the arts in Guernsey plus also launching the Arts Foundation Guernsey. Its to be held this Saturday at Government House. I have a few of my paintings on display, please pop by and say hello.

You can get a preview of some of my artwork on my online portfolio here

Dark Side of the Lens

Beautifully shot, inspirational movie about following your passions no matter what.
"If there’s no future in it, at least its a present worth remembering” Mickey Smith



DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

Heron in Colour

Portrait of our new son Heron.

As we are on the road at the moment I've been getting into watercolours, as they are easier to transport and less messy than oils. I'm loving the medium, especially the blotching watercolours can make.

Discover my other portraits on my main website here

Welcome to the world Heron!

To our delight our son Heron has been born. He’s awesome and keeping us on our toes. Here’s my first sketch of him after 2 days old.

Discover my other portraits on my main website here

Ingrid sketch

Initial sketch for a painting I'm doing of my wife Ingrid

Discover my other portraits on my main website here

Moulin Huet

Here's a recent commission for a wedding present. The couple loves Moulin Huet Bay in Guernsey and apparently they were very pleased with the final piece.

Moulin Huet is a very beautiful beach on the South Coast of Guernsey, made famous by Renoir who painted here when he came to Guernsey. Personally I have fond memories exploring rock pools here as a kid during long summer holidays.

Discover more of my landscapes on my main website here

Irish/French Save the Dates

Here's some save the date wedding invitations for an Irish/French couple, getting married in France this year. Check out some of my other invitations here... 

Think Kind

An amazing kindness experiment is just about to take place on the island of Guernsey. The Dandelion Project is asking the islanders to do random acts of kindness and to leave a card urging the recipient to pass on the good feeling by being kind to someone else.

The aim is to radiate out good will and vibes throughout the community. It could be anything kind no matter how small; like giving somebody your favourite book to read or making a round of tea for everyone in the office!

I got asked to do the literature for this really exciting project. These leaflets are hitting every Guernsey home in the next week. To ideas and inspiration go to kindness.gg

Think kind and have fun!

Discover more of my graphic design projects on my main website here

If you are feeling inspired check out Nipun Mehta's talk on the power of generosity...

Karma Kitchen comes to Guernsey

The other day I met an inspiring guy Nipun Mehta, creator of volunteer-driven experiments in generosity aiming to make the world a better place.

One of Nipuns projects is the Karma Kitchen, which is coming to Guernsey this month... Imagine a restaurant where there are no prices on the menu and where the check reads $0.00 with only this footnote: "Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you. To keep the chain of gifts alive, we invite you to pay it forward for those who dine after you."
That's Karma Kitchen, a volunteer-driven experiment in generosity. http://www.karmakitchen.org

It's going to be held at Ziggurat and I jumped at the chance to do the flyer for it.

Discover more of my illustration projects by visiting my main website here

Cornet Dawn

Here's my latest painting of Castle Cornet, Guernsey. You can buy from Soldstory here

Sunset Surfer 3

Some paintings just play on my mind. I think they're finished and then months later I wonder how I can evolve them. The trick is knowing when to finally stop so you don't over cook it. This is the third repaint of Sunset Surfer at Vazon, Guernsey and finally I think I've nailed it!

Its now available to buy here on Soldstory

Bird wedding invitations

It's great when I get asked to do not just the wedding invitations but also the whole styling, all the way through the process. This way you get continuity of style throughout, right from the save the dates to all the small details on the big day.

Here for Fiona and Quentin's wedding I got to do everything from order of service to table numbers and even personalised brioche boxes! It was a great project and a fabulous wedding in France.

Photo credits: James Colmer and 4th photo, Sebastien Boudot

Broody Vazon

Paining of Vazon Bay, Guernsey at sunset for my good friend Axelle in Champagne, France

Guernsey wedding surf invitation

Well here was a brief… Good friends Max and Nina asked me to create their wedding invite with them tandem surfing, with Fort Grey in the background in a vintage style! I don't like to say no to a brief and I love a challenge! 

You can see some of my invites here

What do artists do all day?

I stumbled across this programme on BBC4 the other day and it totally blew me away. As an aspiring "full time" artist, the title intrigued me… What do artists do all day?

The artist on show was Norman Ackroyd. I didn't know much about his art before but it really stuck a cord with me and what I want to achieve in my art. Despite living in London he is completely drawn to the sea, specifically the rugged coastline of North Scotland and Ireland and their isles. The resulting sketches taken from boat trips transfer to etchings back in his London studios. The finished artworks are atmospheric seascapes jutting up against impressive cliffs swathed in rainclouds. Safe to say I am now a big fan!

I was envious of his lifestyle too (apart from the 6am wake up!). He lives above his studio, an old atmospheric warehouse and spends his day planing and making his art, then taking a breather for a spot of tapas in the restaurant opposite.

The documentary is filmed really well too and has a lovely tempo. Its part of a series I'm yet to watch but I'm looking forward to delving into them… 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rd35q


and here's his website... http://www.normanackroyd.com

Herm Wedding Invitation

I've just completed a fun job for a lovely couple getting married on Herm Island this year. They are aiming for a laid back beachy feel for their wedding and I tried to reflect that in the invite. I always try to do unique invites which really reflect the couple and their wedding day and I thought it this be a great opportunity for me to combine my art with my graphic design.

You can check out more of my wedding invites here

Osmond Launches this Friday!

I have to tell you about this amazing new book, Osmond the Owl Boy by Charlie Buchanan. Its a dark childrens tale about a boy with massive eyes living on Sark. I designed the book and helped Charlie put it together and the results of her artwork and text by Magnus Buchanan is spellbinding.

There is an exhibition showcasing Osmond this Friday at the Gatehouse Gallery at Eizabeth College... https://www.facebook.com/events/403225949860301/ Should be a great night.

You can also buy her book there in paperback or limited edition hardback. For more info and to contact Charlie visit http://charliebuchanan.comHere's a few images from her book…

Love Exhibition

This weekend I had a piece in The Love Exhibition at the Gatehouse Gallery and I put in my artwork Shoreline Blues, a story of my forbidden love of the sea.

GBG article

I’ve been lucky enough to be featured in the January version of GBG magazine and I’m chuffed to bits how its turned out. Check out my Q & A session here

http://issuu.com/gbgmagazine/docs/gbg_horizons_2015_rgb/1

Merry Christmas!

...and have a fab 2015

Sunrise

Following on from last week, here's the artwork for Buffalo Huddleston's excellent new album 'Sunrise'. Get yourself down to the album launch is this Saturday at the Fermain Tavern!

Sky High

I've been busy getting together Buffalo Huddleston's new album cover for their latest release "Sunrise." As a build up to its launch here's their last ep I did for them "Sky High" and a follow up painting I did afterwards.

The folk-funk-rap ensemble Buffalo Huddleston are having a launch party for their new album at the Fermain Tavern on 18th October. Should be a cracking night, come on down!

Here's one of their tunes to get you in the mood...


Buffalo Huddleston Band - Sexy Lady from Tim Adkins on Vimeo.

Fort Grey Invitation

I've been doing some wedding stationery for our wedding and events business The Château Bee and utilising my skills as an artist to come up with some unique invitations.

In Guernsey the States have opened up some of the local forts for weddings, which I thinks a great idea. Here's one I've just done for a wedding down at Fort Grey. Abstract, bold lines with a beach feel.

You can see more of The Chateau Bee's wedding stationery here

Back to the woods

I've been back to an old painting of mine, probably the first picture I put up on my blog. This time though for a commission on a much larger scale 1.5m x 1.2m

May life drawing

Spring Daffodils

Spring has definitely sprung on the island and coincidentally I've been given a commission to paint daffodils. I decided to do an extreme close up to get get a dynamic composition.

Fermain Storm

Guernsey sea defenses have been battered this winter, more so than any other year I can remember. Fermain bay has been no exception, which now has a gaping hole in its sea wall. I've been out and about trying to capture these recent tempests. Here's a rainy Fermain Bay with Sark in the background.

Life Drawing

Yesterday, for the first time in years, I went to life drawing and had such a good time. Its like meditation to me, you just get in the groove and you don't think about anything else, just the present. Looking forward to the next session next month.

The Château Bee up and running

Ingrid and myself have just set up a new business as event and wedding planners specialising in organising occasions in France.

The plan is to make it easy for you to organise an event in France, whether you are based in Jersey, Guernsey or the UK. We can source everything from the perfect venue for you, down to the smallest details such as the perfect kind of confetti!

Visit www.thechateaubee.com for more info

For my part I've been doing the branding, website, business cards etc. and its been great fun so far.

I'll be heading up the design side of the business, making bespoke stationery for the events plus any other artistic bits I can help out on. Our plan is to gather top artists and designers to contribute as well to get the best artwork possible to be showcased.

If you're an artist or designer who has stationery you would like to feature on The Chateau Bee portfolio please contact me at james@thechateaubee.com. We'd love to hear from you

Heres a few samples of my work so far...