Livea Pop-Up

Occasionally I’ll take on a project, which is outside of my comfort zone. This was one such project. It was commissioned by a friend in Jakarta, who I worked with a few years ago (on a music video). He came to me to ask me to design a pop-up for a brochure for one of his clients, 'Livea', (an Indonesian Boutique Property Development Company). The pop-up will be in the middle-page spread of their brochures. 

The proposal was to create a simple, striking pop-up design, which demonstrates the company’s ethos. 

After experimenting with different paper weights and fibre optics (for the butterflies), we came up with this design. It's a simple house/gift box design, with cut-out butterfly shapes creating a filigree pattern at the top, fastened with a ribbon bow.

   The aim was to create a delicate, aesthetically pleasing pop-up design.

 

Due to the mechanisms of ‘pop-ups’, they tend to be rather clunky. The challenge here was to create a refined design that produces a flutter of gold butterflies when the gift box is opened. 

Last Chance to see this Exhibition

Closing on Thursday, 26th February

'In Fairyland' features new work by Tessa Farmer, 

  and contributions from Su Blackwell, Sverre Malling, Annelies Strba 

and The Cottingley Fairies

 http://catrionamcara.com/2015/01/15/tessa-farmer-in-fairyland/

  My Contribution - The Tree in the Oak House, 2015 (detail)

In the Studio today -

 photographs of work-in-progress for a new commission.

  

  

 

more to come soon...

New Work for 'Dwelling' Exhibition

The Tree House, 2015  

 

For my upcoming exhibition, I have been exploring the notion of dwelling, be that a shed, a wood-hut, a lighthouse or a tower. 
I am particularly drawn to tree houses. As a child I pestered my dad to build me a tree house. My pleads fell on deaf ears though, because I didn't get the tree-house I desired. Instead, I looked on enviably at other kid's tree houses, and wished we had a big tree in the bottom of our garden to build such a palace. 
So, when I came across a tree house in some communal gardens in St Leonards on Sea recently, it re-captured some of my childhood longing.

On completing this work, I received a lovely email from one of the residents in St Leonard's who commissioned the original tree house.
Here is a copy of some of his email.

''We commissioned the tree house from a local designer and his social enterprise wood recycling company a few years ago.

It's a great hit with all the kids but perhaps not so much with some of the residents on the road. :)

Unfortunately it is also on occasion a venue for others in the surrounding neighbourhood to hang out in uninvited.

So it is such a delight to see such a delicate and meditative creation of a familiar place.  Your piece really captures the intent and spirit of the treehouse and space we are so lucky to have in front of us''.

Illustration for Intelligent Life Magazine

Illustration to accompany the writer Robert Macfarlane's musings in Intelligent Life Magazine. In the current issue, Robert explores 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabakov, published in 1955 and questions the landscape paintings of that time, particularly paintings by Edward Hopper. 

My accompanying illustration above, makes reference to Edward Hopper's painting 'Gas' from 1940.

 

Gas by Edward Hopper, 1940

Book Cover Art

for Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer. 
Commissioned in 2014 by Random House Publishing, US.

 above: The Final Cover

And below: (Work-in-progress shots) A couple of options supplied to the publisher prior to their final decision.

 

http://www.jodipicoult.com/off-the-page.html

'Around the World' Commission for New Haven Hospital

 has been installed in their new Pediatric Centre waiting room.

Photographs by Jim Fiora

Last year, an art consultant from New Haven Hosptital in Connecticut commissioned me to create a sculpture for a new Pediatric Specialites Unit, based on travel and children's literature.

They required an art-work that was bright, colourful and uplifting.

I sourced a second-hand World Atlas from the 1960's, which was printed in bright acidic colours.

I wanted to incorporate various modes of transport, and settled on a girl walking (cutting out foot-steps), a sailing ship, camels, and hot-air balloons pulled by migrating swallows.

 

The sculpture is displayed in a recess in the wall of the centre, framed inside an acrylic case with a maple beading around the edge.

Wild Flowers Liberty Print in Fleece Cotton

I came across this post on Liberty London, which features my Wild Flowers design for Liberty Art Fabrics. 

 Make this: Liberty print sweatshirt with designer Keighley

 

Last year we caught up with Keighley, one of our talented print designers and we took a glance into what she makes in her spare time. Whilst working on designing Liberty prints in the week, Keighley makes a range of garments in her spare time which are always in awe of those at Liberty Headquarters!

Why did you choose the Wild Flowers print?
“I chose Wild Flowers because it’s beautiful! I also created and coloured the design from the artwork we received from Su Blackwell, it was really lovely to work on and its so nice being able to wear a print that I’ve helped to create.”
What inspires you to create new garments in your spare time?
“Being in the studio and always being surrounded by gorgeous designs makes you want to go home to make things with it all! Especially when we introduce new fabric bases such as the fleece, it makes it more exciting to see what you can create from them.”
What are your 3 favourite fleece prints from the new collection?
“I love Wild Flowers of course. I also love Eleonora and Wiltshire- beautiful classic designs that look so cute on fleece.”

 

Here Keighley offers some tips on how to make a snug sweatshirt from the Linford fleece fabric, perfect to keep warm in the winter chill. Learn how to make your own sweatshirt in less than ten easy steps.

What you will need:
Chosen fleece fabric
All your regularly sewing bits and bobs

Step 1: Buy/make a sample jumper pattern, I traced around an old jumper, mine is very simple. Front and back pieces are the same except the front neckline is slightly lower than the back and the sleeves are symmetrical. So both pattern pieces can be cut on the fold of the fabric. Cut two of each of the pattern pieces.

Remember to leave 1cm seam allowance which should already be on your pattern piece

Depending on the drop of the jumper, you will only need the length plus a bit extra for seam allowances as the fabric is wide, mine measured 60cm.

Step 2: Pin pattern to fabric, cut 2 x front/back and 2 x sleeves.

Step 3: Sew back and front side and shoulder seams together, with the jumper inside out.

Step 4: Sew down the sides of the sleeves, again inside out. You can finish the seams at this point with a finished stitch if you prefer to, but this fleece doesn’t fray so you don’t have to.

Step 5: Sew the sleeves onto the armholes, whilst both pieces are inside out.

Step 6: Hem the neckline.

Step 7: Choose how you would like to finish your sweatshirt. Fold over the sleeves twice to give a cute contrasting colour at the edge, or you can hem them.

Step 8: You can either leave the edge to roll for a sporty look or hem for a neater finish.

Step 9: Iron all the seams and hems flat. Your jumper is now finished and ready to snuggle into for the cold winter months.

Follow Keighley on Twitter @Liberty_Prints

 Wild Flowers Linford Cotton Fleece Fabric is available at 

http://www.duckadilly.com/products/liberty-of-london-linford-fleece-wild-flowers-a

while stock lasts.

Simon Carter London

Features beautifully tailored shirts in Wild Flowers print in their Menswear Collection

http://www.simoncarter.net/