CD of the month for February (in my studio anyway!) is Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions. For anyone who likes their music BIG, melodic & rock-like! We are going to see them in April, which I am excited about!
The paintings are always different, dependent on what music I listen too. It’s usually very loud though!
Other favourites at the moment are Muse, Lady GaGa & Van Morrison (I need to calm down some times!).
This lifesized cutout of spitting feathers lady resides in my studio watching.. note the sticky tape on the arm. She currently acs as a hat stand and holds the scissors!
ANGELA SMYTH bits&pieces
My work will be displayed at the launch of Creative Calderdale - a network for the creative industries in the region on the 8th July. The guest speaker for the evening is Trevor Beattie, creator of campaigns such as FCUK (french connection) and the Wonderbra “Hello Boys” campaign. So that should be fun!
There will be lots of other designers, marketeers & artists displaying alongside a good friend of ours Bob Collier’s photography.
Bob has been a photographer for many years and a lot of those were with the Times & Sunday Times newspapers. He he’s photographed a LOT of famous (& not so) people, but ALL his pictures are amazing. Have a look at his website www.bobcollierphotos.co.uk
The event is at The Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre in Halifax.
I saw a great band the other week at a local festival. They are called the Janice Graham Band and have no one in the band called Janice or Graham.
I can only describe them as Happy Mondays meets Louis Armstrong - yes that good - and extremely young!
Check them out and remember where you heard the name first.
We’ve got a lot of art & design books in our house, and the latest one is amazing. Its a massive collection of work by the designer / illustrator Javier Mariscal, based in Barcelona. He first came to prominence with his design for the Barcelona Olympic mascot but has since become world famous.
The thing I love most about his work is the line and how freely he draws, but also how everything has a certain magic. Wonderful! Have a look: www.mariscal.com/
current faves on the studio playlist:
1 Muse - The Resistance
2 Rook & The Ravens - 16 holes in 16 souls
3 Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
ROB RYAN
Earlier this year I went to see a fantastic exhibition by papercut artist Rob Ryan
His work is extremely beautiful and the pictures just make you feel warm & uplifted! The skill involved in his work is tremendous, as he cuts really intricate pictures from a single piece of paper. I’m sure you’ll recognise his work. Sneak a look.... www.misterrob.co.uk
SPRING CHICKEN COMPETITION (NOW CLOSED)
ANNOUNCING THE WINNER........ Let me get out the gold envelope........
The picture goes to Elanor Hill.
We will be getting in touch with her this week & sending off the print to her.
There as loads of entries for the competition to win the print of spring chicken, so thank you to all of you who took time to enter.
I would particularly like to thank you for the Star Wars (and not) related bribes you all sent to my son Alistair to make him pick you (he was doing the draw!).
As this is a fair competition we had to ignore all bribes (although a couple were very tempting indeed) but I thought you would all like to se how cunning some people are. So here are the top bribes in no particular order of corruptness!! We won’t name people, particularly when one involves stealing their own children’s toys, but made us chuckle.
TOP 5 BRIBES FOR ALISTAIR
1 Darth Vader voice changer helmet & 2 light sabers.
2 Chocolate, Fruit or Sponge Cake, Iced and shaped like any Star Wars character or vehicle made by our fair own hand...
3 A David Prowse signed poster (Darth Vader actor not the voice), I will happily send you that if I win.
4 My son has lots of Star wars and tells me his Yoda is quite sort after. Could we come to some arrangement, I'm sure he won't miss it in the bedroom mess!
5 World peace, love, harmony and joy ever-after (you may have come over all “GMTV”, Angie, but I’m going for Miss World 2009!!)
__________________________
To prove it was a fair competition, bribe number 5 was from Elanor the winner, which Alistair said, “Yeah, but that’s not a as good as a voice changer mask!”
So thank you all for your entries. It’s been so successful I’ll think of another one in the coming months.
Angie x
DATE 2nd January 2009
To start off 2009 & to celebrate this new look website, we’ve decided to put together a competition for the chance to win a limited edition print of a new title “Spring Chicken”. It’s 10” x 10” and is hand embellished & triple mounted. This print will have an edition of only 15, and this is the Artist’s Proof.
To have a chance of winning the print just click here & leave an email with the title COMPETITION in the subject box. The closing date is 9th of February & we’ll get my son Alistair to randomly choose a name (so there’s no favouritism - unless you are prepared to bribe him with Star Wars merchandise of course!). We will notify the winner by email the week after & announce it on the website. I’ve suddenly come over all GMTV.....
send email to: info@angelasmyth.co.uk with the title competition.
STOP PRESS:
BEST BRIBE FOR ALISTAIR SO FAR:
1 Darth Vader voice changer helmet
& 2 light sabers!
(who said people were basically honest?!)
if you want me to keep in touch, please click here & just hit your send button.
The aforementioned lady
who is “Spring Chicken”.
I was a bit distracted on the phone...
you can tell that they are painters hands (no manicures for me!)
Here’s a picture for you to download and print at home (oh how I look after you!). It’s called Wash Day and is inspired by the view outside my studio window (below). Just click the picture and download it to your desktop.
Marvelous. x
The view from my studio. As you can see I took liberties with the blue sky in the painting.
We do live in Yorkshire after all...
style & cake...
A free card design for you to print out & send to your friends or enemies (to make peace of course!). It’s a standard A6 size so will fit any envelope.
just click on the picture to down or if you don’t have acrobat reader try here well, hello.jpg
thank you.
CD of the month I am listening to while painting: Hope & Social - seen here playing in our friend’s garden for their party. Brilliant stuff & very nice people with very nice blazers. They went down a storm at Glastonbury this year apparently.
Here’s a little postcard to print out if you like (you don’t have to!). It’s part of the booklet designed by my husband chris for the Alexander Exhibition.
Just click on the image & hit print.
I’ve got a new fur (sorry fake fur) coat that I love so much it is bound to appear in a painting very soon. (It feels like it used to be owned by someone very special!).
It’s vintage (or second hand, depending on which magazines you read) from an amazing shop in Hebden Bridge called Hotcakes. They buy lengths of material form the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s and make new clothes out of it. They also have some really great retro things like books, bags, mugs etc. My son Alistair is mad on The A Team, and he got a Mr T voice box that shout all his catch phases like “Don’t gimme no backtalk Sucker”. Relaxing.....
For all you 60’s, 70’s & 80’s kids out there.
me in my new (old) coat in the cafe
RECOGNISED!
I had a lovely experience a couple of weeks ago.
I was on my way to London and I was recognised in Leeds railway station !! It turns out that John, the train driver who took me to Leeds was a collector of my paintings and recognised me from this very website!
What a wonderful surprise and such a lovely man. He told me that he would toot the train every time he went through Sowerby Bridge to say hello, as the train line runs over a bridge just across from studio window. I have to say, I have heard it quite a few times and always say hello back! So, thank you so much John, it was a pleasure meeting you, and thanks for the toots.
the train bridge
my studio