Mike Day Test Shoot from Clay Porter on Vimeo.

Mike Day’s got pump.

Death Spray Custom - XS650 Bones

Came across the great paint and design work by Death Spray Customs via Sideburn Magazine. There’s some ace stuff in the portfolio and the blog is a good blend of bikes, motos, cars and design. Looks like the dude has a XS650 like me too. Good stuff

Jamaican Will... sadly for sale

I’m stoked to say I have a last minute solo show on for the whole of February at the much acclaimed Baristas Coffee Collective in Bristol (by Bristol Bridge).

I’m having an opening view / drink tomorrow night (thursday the 4th feb) from 7.30 till 9.30 ish. Come along if you can make it.

There will be original, not previously available work for sale along with some prints. I’m also showing a bunch of skateboards I designed for Lush alongside the original framed artwork.

Please join the facebook fan page (wish it wasnt called a ‘fan’ page) here….

And here is the event on facebook too.

If you cant make the opening perhaps you can drop by during the month and have a butchers, and of course a coffee and cake!

Baristas Coffee Collective
29 Victoria Street
Bristol, BS1 6AA,
0117 922 7111

Crucial Advert - Transit

Here’s the Crucial advert I did for the January edition of Ride UK. To mark their move from the old shop to a new one I decided to draw a ‘Transit’. Get it? Ha.  It turned out pretty good I think, fun to make too. Seems like the new shop is going really well too. Bristol is definitely lucky to have a good BMX shop on its door step.

Matt Coplon - Ride US Magazine Advert

Here’s the Profile advert I did for the January magazines. Matt Coplon, Suicide No Hander in Tampa.  Photo by  Rob Dolecki

Aswell as being the Profile TM and worker, Matt is also the vocalist in Light Yourself on Fire. Brutal hardcore from Florida, getting really good press from the last year. You may have seen them paying at a BMX trails party where some dude takes things literally and actually sets himself on fire. Savage.

LYSOF

Wallride

Matt Coplon

Matt wearing the TWOAND8 Squadron Tee I designed with pride

Represent! Heart and soul tee also by me.

I’ve been working with Matt on Profile stuff for a few years now and I have to say he’s such a great dude. Always a treat to work with. That goes for Charlie (Fernandez) also at Profile who’s in charge of the marketing etc. Awesome guys. A pleasure having them as my clients and friends.

Charlie with David Lee Roth in the day apparently!

I just watched Died Young, Stayed Pretty, an insightful documentary about the mysterious and curious Rock Poster Scene (thanks to Ollie at the ICA). If like me you’re addicted and inspired by the imagination and variety of poster art and the people behind them, then this is a must see.

DYSP Poster by Ron Liberti

I’ve been checking Gigposter.com (Set up and run by Clay Hayes) since back in 2001 after my design guru, Dave Marcar gave me the heads up. I’ve even had my own work on there at some point.The film gives a great opportunity to meet some of the players and protagonists from that community (of sorts) as well as exposing you to plenty of inspiring artwork and angry DIY ideas.

DYSP Screen shot

Iranian-born Canadian filmmaker Eileen Yaghoobian spent 4yrs making the film and I’m glad she did. If you liked Beautiful Losers chances are you’ll like this. It comes with a good dose of geek humor and frustrated, futile angst but thats rock posters all over.

I felt the film was maybe a little long and could have been cut to 60mins but hey, then I’d have probably complained and asked for more! I was tired so not the best time to judge. I did go to bed filled with ideas about posters and a new screen printing set up for the studio so it obviously did its job!

DYSP Screen shot

Official Synopsis…

Died Young, Stayed Pretty is a candid look at the underground poster culture in North America. This unique documentary examines the creative spirit that drives these indie graphic artists. They pick through the dregs of America’s schizophrenic culture and piece them back together. What you end up with is a caricature of the black and bloated heart that pulses greed through the US economy. The artists push further into the pulp to grab the attention of passersby, plastering art that’s both vulgar and intensely visceral onto the gnarled surfaces of the urban landscape. The film gives us intimate look at some of the giants of this modern subculture. Outside of their own circle, they’re virtually unknown. But within their ranks they make up an army of bareknuckle brawlers, publicly arguing the aesthetic merits of octopus imagery and hairy 70s porn stars. They’ve created their own visual language for describing the spotty underbelly of western civilization and they’re not shy about throwing it in the face of polite society. Along the way, they manage to create posters that are strikingly obscene, unflinchingly blasphemous and often quite beautiful. Yaghoobian shows these artists for what they are: the vivisectionists of America’s morbidly obese consumer culture.

DYSP Screen shot

The film is available from the 8th February 2010 priced £12.99 in the UK

Died Young Stayed Pretty website
ICA Website

Madera – Jeff Kocsis advert

Here’s some of the recent adverts I’ve put together for Madera BMX.

Madera – Dave McDermott advert

Cassette Hubs – Mike Hinkens advert

Quarter / hood rat shelter – 13/01/2010

My local skatepark / ghetto, Dean Lane (AKA, The Deaner, Dame Emily etc) got a sprinkling of snow last few weeks. I got a few snaps on my phone to mark the occasion. Had some really good times at this park, its weird as hell but thats what makes it good. Its crap good. Long live the Deaner! Nothing Meaner! (Respectful nod to the DLH)

Sketch pipe – 13/01/2010

Ye Olde Quarter – 13/01/2010

Hip

Bermed quarter

Dylan

Wall ride

Downhill

Tight as Habgoods jeans

I’ve only just discovered this insightful interview with Peter Saville (one of my design heros) about the creative process. Pete cut his teeth with Factory Records designing iconic covers and artworks for Joy Division et al.

His cover for Joy Divisions Unknown Pleasures takes pride of place in my hall way. One of my favourite pieces of all time.

Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

Thanks to Aesthetic Interlude for pointing the way on this one.

The inspiration I get from the whole Factory Records thing is seemingly never ending. Post Punk DIY, I love it. Here’s the drawing I did of Ian Curtis from Kevin Cummings photo.

Ian Curtis

He has an amazing book out at the moment by the way Manchester: Looking for the Light Through the Pouring Rain

Manchester – Cummins

We didnt have a fairy on the tree this year

Happy New Year! I havent had time to post anything since before christmas. Been really busy of late. Lots of freelance work and of course family stuff. I havent even drawn anything for weeks. Mostly been working on adverts and web stuff for some advertising agencies here in Bristol and my good friends and clients at Profile in Florida.

We had Gene Simmons!

Looking forward to getting back into the swing of drawing everyday (I slipped out of that a while back). Also missing BMX and the trails but I have instead been out walking on Dartmore and the Mendips with my buddies. Pretty stoked on wildlife and the countryside right now (nothing too new about that). Anyway, really amped on 2010, cant wait to get stuck in. Anyone wanting illustration work or graphics get your briefs in! I’m getting booked up pretty quick already. I’ve decided after resisting for a long while I’m going to take commissions for Tattoo designs too so get in touch. Lots of my work has been used for tats in the past but I’ve not designed specifically for it so this is a new ting. So, here are some photos and snippet from the last couple of months of winter in Bristol, mostly just crappy shots off my phone but whatever…

George and Homer my buddies from the trails

Cockchafer! Made me laf so it did

FBM - If you ride BMX you'll know why I'd wanna go on this holiday. Fire Beer Mayhem

Wick-St-Lawrence

Christmas day. My nephew, born driver, as long as its in reverse!

I got a book of pub walks in the mendip hills for christmas so been trying a few of those out. I didnt realise how varied and beautiful the countryside is around Bristol, right on the doorstep.

Me 'n' George at Rods Pot. The mendips

Went down to Devon for New Years Eve. Toby Forte and Jess had a rad little party. We got half heartedly dressed up. Ended up in the local pub troubling the locals and being too loud. Good times.

NYE, Leo, Me, George and Toby

The Jackman Sisters!

Me n Claire

Dan didn't have any tats last time I saw him! Wild

Tom and Rhino

Forte Bros

Country Bumpkins

George, Toby and Claire

Dartmoor, New Years Day 2010!

Me! Teignmouth shore front

Wilhelm of Digmore

Teignmouth. Rideable on the flip side

Been spending a lot of time playing with my cats…

My family are protective

Claire and Poppy preparing for Mid Winter

Top Cat

Millie, the cats whiskers!

Millie's quarry

Went on another Mendip walk with Will Davis from the trails and Rachel.

Will and Rach on de Mendips

Rad lookin tree

Ahhhh Rivendell!

We found this old air raid shelter on the plateaux that was used when they build a decoy Bristol to fool the bombers during the Blitz.

Escape hatch

Inside the bunker

Cool portholes

Can I please live here and raise big cats and raptors?

My house mate Rob and I were so stoked on the snow we regressed, not by much

I think 2010 is going to be rad. Full of change, all for the best