I suppose I could come up with some rather far fetched scenarios to explain my absence over the last few weeks…
#1 I have been abducted by some charming but not so clever aliens, who have been trying to wire my earlobes in the wild hope of using them to communicate signals with planet Earth. They ultimately had to release me when they realised I don’t actually have earlobes
#2 Estelle sent me on a very dangerous and top secret expedition in an ancient-buried-lost-city in South America to recover the last fragments of a very rare pigment that changes colour like the rainbow
#3 or I could just simply admit, that we have been very very busy working on some new and exciting projects and we do apologise for not coming out to play as much as we would have liked…
…but, we’ll be back very soon with some new rubrics, some interviews and lots of fun stuff!
Stay tuned…
Sunday 10 June 2012
Wednesday 2 May 2012
When Mess Gets Arty: Case No.3
Swan Lake gone full on Disco |
When Mess Gets Arty: the strange, wonderful, funny or just plain inappropriate things found in “mess”, in all its glory and completely unaltered.
Case No.3 Big Hair Day
Case No.3 Big Hair Day
What it really is: a close up on a palette made of an old piece of white canvas, and used to mix colours.
Now cropped and viewed from a different angle: Swan Lake gone full on Disco! We see a little dancer skipping away, with her bright orange tights, a nice big white puffer jacket, and probably one of the biggest bouffant hair do, surrounding her tiny yellow face.
We’d love to hear what YOU see, let us know in the comment box below.
Tuesday 1 May 2012
... and the winner is...
Winner: "Really?" by iReina |
Congratulations to iReina all the way from Spain, who gets to pick her very own Mini Shueya: The Secretary.
The girls are already fighting for a chance to go and enjoy the Iberian sunshine!
Stay tuned...
Friday 20 April 2012
Did you know... Mummy Brown?
Lunatyc does a Cleopatra Pen and ink sketch by Estelle Rocca-Serra |
Did you know Mummy Brown?
Very popular with the Pre-Raphaelites, this rich brown pigment was originally produced from the remains of Egyptian mummies, both human and sacred animal.
Urgh!
The ancient Egyptians used aromatic herbs, resins and asphaltum to embalm bodies, a nice little recipe to preserve them from decay. When the remains where found during excavation of the burial grounds, someone - no one seems to know who (or maybe dare to say who?) - had the very strange idea of grinding this brown mixture of decayed bandages, arteries and bones into a fine powder to use as a pigment.
Due to its popularity a large number of mummies were imported into Europe and this pigment was still very common until 1925, but is not in use anymore.
Now have you guessed where I am yet?
Stay tuned
Tuesday 17 April 2012
Exclusive: snap! at the Bankside Gallery
Snap! at Bankside Gallery 2nd to 7th May 2012 |
The exhibition will be based around Women Artist Diaries from the Women’s Library collection at Goldsmith’s University, including the 1999 edition featuring one of their members, Jackie Brown.
During the show there will be a gallery talk by a Tate guide (the Bankside Gallery is situated just by the Tate Modern) and a performative event. Education workshops will involve four schools from the Bankside area.
If you’d like to attend the Private View, please Estelle directly (email), she will send you all the details.
Opening times
10am-6pm, admission free
Free events
Private view/Diary launch 2 May 6-9pm
Gallery talk 5 May 3pm
Performance 6 May 3pm
Monday 9 April 2012
Did you know... Carmine?
Mexican Flamingo Pen and ink sketch by Estelle Rocca-Serra |
All the way from Central America, I've been investigating the gorgeous Carmine.
Also called Crimson, it is a cool (as in “not warm”, although it is quite a cool colour!) red with a bluish tinge.
The colour comes from a natural dye, the carminic acid, extracted from female cochineal insects – Coccus Cacti – who, as its name suggests lives on cacti, and is found mostly in Central America and Canary Islands.
As it’s a dye, unfortunately, the colour is not permanent and will fade over time, but it is still used in paintings, mainly for watercolour.
Still in Central America (Oh don't you wish you were there too?!), another animal who lends their colour are the brine shrimps of the Yucatan region, in Mexico. Although their colour is not directly used in the arts, they do make for amazing wildlife photography and are responsible, in association with aqueous bacteria, for the coral colour of the Yucatan Flamingo’s feathers. Believe it or not, baby flamingos are actually grey!
Stay tuned…
Thursday 5 April 2012
Competition - "Get your own Secretary!"
"How can I help you Honey?" Ink and watercolour by Estelle Rocca-Serra |
To celebrate the 5th anniversary of Studio 231 West, we are organising a fun competition with an original Indian ink and watercolour artwork from The Secretary series to win!
Check all the details on the competition page here.
Good luck!
Tuesday 27 March 2012
Revenge! At least…
Too many girls! Photo Eszter Szicso and Basil |
Oh by the way, to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of Studio 231 west, in April, we are preaparing a fun competition for you, with original artworks to win!!
Stay tuned...
Friday 16 March 2012
Sketch of the Day
The Groupie Graphite sketch by Estelle Rocca-Serra |
I suspect we might see more of this little groupie in the future!
Stay tuned…
Friday 9 March 2012
Sketch of the Day
For Basil with love Graphite sketch by Estelle Rocca-Serra |
There really was no need to go and cover it with girly daisies now, was there?! You hippy! Sigh...
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Breaking News: The girls are back!
"Resistance is futile" Oil on canvas by Estelle Rocca-Serra |
Estelle gave me an exclusive that she is working on some new Shueya paintings as well some new tips on How to Handle a Wedgie.
I fear that soon the studio will be filled with more frivolous attitude and oestrogen that I might be able to handle!
Oh how I wish that someday Estelle would start painting Monster Trucks…
Stay tuned...
Wednesday 29 February 2012
Hot from the Easel: Mini Bar
Mini Bar, Mini Cocktails Oil paintings |
The Mini Bar series is a variation from the larger Usual Suspects series of paintings, a fun and bright collection of decadently high heel shoes inspired by cocktails, in a mini format.
They are oil on linen textured paper paintings, mounted on board, and framed in a 25x25cm black deep edge box frame.
For pricing and availability please contact Estelle by email.
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