Canary wharf piano

Here is the piano that Phoebe Halstead and I painted together. It is in Jubilee Park, next to Canary Wharf tube. Tessellating birds! (Our pianos are bird heavy because the festival theme was birds). We got to go to a real live piano warehouse to paint it last week, with Steinways stacked up in cardboard boxes. And on the way back I found a spoon that had been run over so it is pancake flat and no longer any use as a spoon, and we had a full English breakfast at a greasy spoon (no relation).

Play Me I'm Yours

My piano is painted, varnished, and ready to play! It is in Paternoster Square, just behind St Paul's Cathedral. It is a lovely thing to hear people play in the city. It is also a rare opportunity for strangers to talk and smile together. I recommend hanging round the pianos for a day of meeting people, hearing stories and enjoying London.

There are 20 decorated pianos around on the streets for three weeks, as part of the City of London Festival. See all the pianos on a map, photos and videos of each here - http://www.streetpianos.com/london2011/

PS. The man in the top photo played Leona Lewis, bet you didn't expect that.

Fish and chips

This delightful dinner goes round your neck and you can paint your face with the pattern from the plate. For the complete party outfit, you may wish to drape a tablecloth about your body, and wield the knife and fork with gusto.

Do not lock yourself out of the house whilst wearing this, I can say from experience that it is inconvenient.

Life in the evening

Some drawings from life drawing yesterday evening.

Coming soon - street piano

I am painting a street piano and this is where it will be! The project, initiated by artist Luke Jerram, is called Play Me I'm Yours. Twenty pianos will be placed on streets, squares and stations in the City of London, and painted by artists there. The pianos will stay for three weeks, free and open for anyone to play. My piano is going to be in Paternoster Square, location of the London Stock Exchange and Goldmann Sachs, right next to St Pauls!

The model above is what it will look like. I am very excited about this, we paint on the 27th and 28th of June.

Phoebe is painting a piano too, hers is on Hampstead Heath - here's a few teaser words... duet, costume, film... there is more to come!

http://www.streetpianos.com/london2011/

Epic tale, epic scale

Live illustration at Ejector Seat Arts Festival. I set myself the task of illustrating the entire of Homer's Odyssey in one day, and on one piece of paper - an epic tale in epic scale. 7 hours of continuous drawing, ten metres x 1.5 metres of paper. Really lovely to hear such an ancient story being talked about.It was SO fun, I got incredibly inky and got some really good responses from festival goers - here are my favourites.

Don't read it, it's too long

You've inspired me, got my paints in my bag, I'm gonna go home and draw.

Do you think the cyclops is evil, or just a hungry oaf?

I can remember it...the vessel pulled into port with its sails puffed out where's that bit then?

What is this? Cause I look at it, and I dunno.

Where is the nearest Starbucks?

Oh wow it's a STORY!

Thank you for showing us.

Flock

This is my installation at Ejector Seat Arts Festival in Southampton yesterday. Brilliant day, lovely people, great atmosphere. It was windy and the birds were flying about nicely. I don't have any photos of the birds throughout the day as I was doing live illustration (see next post!), but hoping somebody out there has some and I can put them up too. Thanks to Keiron le Vine for getting me in on this festival!