The Colour Pop Issue! by EVERYTHINGinmyhouse

THE COLOUR POP ISSUE!

In this fourth issue of Everything Magazine we bring you colour in all its glory. From rainbow hued Pop art by Steve Thomas to tones of the bazaar at Tracey Boyd’s ABOYDBAZAAR; while the colourful characters at the Colony Room Club are fondly remembered in a feature on Sophie Parkin’s new book about the Soho venue. We find out editor Sue Evans’ Ten Key Moments in a life lived in fashion, illustrator Anne Smith tells us her tale of 100 Cups and artist Helen O’Keefe brings some joy into the dark winter. Plus we have put together an extended shopping inspired gallery of cool things to buy in our store - for those of you on the lookout for something truly collectable and creative. Our next issue will be available mid-February - and until then we wish all of our customers and readers a very Happy New Year. Emily Evans, Editor.

CONTENTS Helen of Joy pages 6-9 Futurustic pages 10-17 Pop Idol pages 20-27 ABOYDBAZAAR pages 29-37 100 Cups pages 38-47 Queen of Clubs pages 49-57 10 Key Moments pages 58-69 Walker This Way pages 71-76

HELEN OF JOY

ARTIST HELEN O’KEEFE HAS RE-INVENTED HERSELF IN NEW WORK THAT IS ALL ABOUT OPTIMISM AND LIFTING THE SPIRITS. A NEW BLOOM FOR A NEW YEAR.

As Helen O’Keefe accurately points out, it may not be terribly fashionable to create art that delivers on feel good factor but it is certainly good for the spirit. With a relatively new re-invention of herself and her work, it is a subject close to Helen’s heart. “I just suddenly discovered that I really love colour and it makes me truly happy every morning to be surrounded by it” she explains. But it wasn’t always thus. Born in Melbourne in the 1950s Helen enrolled on what she describes as “a fairly dry general arts course with no creative jobs available at the end of it.” A stint spent re-designing European textiles for the Australian market, some fun had helping run a theatre with her then husband and a period with a small lifestyle boutique culminated in Helen making a life changing move to London in 1969 - with her young daughter. She found work with a couturier creating hand painted fabrics “working with beautiful cloths and gowns” as well designing fabrics for the Emmanuels amongst others; but always maintained a day time office job to pay the bills. It wasn’t until daughter Sarah was 18 that Helen went full time freelance in order to properly explore her creativity. “I got into 17th and 18th century style mural painting and decoration – all very extravagant and romantic hand painted walls as well as furniture and screens,” says Sarah. Working with private clients on houses, restaurants and clubs the meticulous work then evolved into painting miniature hand painted collectable furniture “more out of demand than anything else as it was really popular in the late 80s for a good 8 - 10 years.” Helen re-married in the 90s and got back into painting murals for clients but after the tragic death of her husband in 2001 felt completely lost. “I realised that everything in my work had been completely derivative and it wasn’t me” she explains. Then the chance discovery of the book called ‘The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron set Helen on a new path of self discovery. “It was a tough twelve week book course that involved lots of reading, contemplation and writing; exploring your hang ups in your cre

ativity and brushing off cobwebs to reveal your potential” and Helen emerged with a new sense of purpose and possibility. “At around the same time my daughter Sarah who had recently opened her lifestyle boutique called The Cross in Holland Park called me and asked me if I would like to paint displays on their windows. I felt excited by the idea but really very nervous – a little like I was going on stage – but they were great fun and terrifically well received with people coming from all over the world to see the shop.” Each window got more and more adventurous and it proved a turning point for Helen who then turned her hand to doing a few paintings which Sarah put into The Cross for sale. “They all sold out and so that gave me huge confidence with the enthusiasm of the customers and the girls in the shop. It basically got me back on track.” “It was really a turning point for me – sink or swim time and the joy it brought me to discover I actually had something inside which I never knew was there. My colour palette changed entirely and it was all about creating this feel good factor in what I did.” The first charming tentative works were very Mexican in feel; hot pinks and flora brights with foils layered into the paint to create metallic flourishes. But this style has developed and evolved since then to become very much Helen’s own. Along with the change in creative direction Helen totally transformed her home as well. “Before the apartment was very neutral – something like the palette of a Dutch master and it didn’t gel at all with my new painting style. So along with Sarah who is very good with interiors I worked my way through the flat room by room. She added accessories while I painted the walls and the place just evolved.” “I love being around colour and I wake up and it makes me feel happy. I also think the theatrical spirit in me came out again with some quirkiness and stage like flourishes” she explains with silver foil palms surrounding a mantle mirror and rich patterned

curtains opening to reveal a warren of intricately embellished room sets in colours that make you smile. Now Helen works a lot with Perspex which evolved from the use of foils and mirrored surfaces in her paintings. The effect of these Perspex boxes, with the paint, is to really intensify and reflect the vibrancy of her uplifting colour palettes and it makes her work completely unique. The latest pieces conjure up images of her myriad influences; the work of Kaffe Fassett, Russian embroideries, Japanese kimono art and English garden blooms; all uplifting and optimistic with a ray of decorative sunshine in gloomy times. Especially for Everything Magazine and Store Helen has created a number of small paintings for sale alongside her Perspex box pieces which can all be viewed at our artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studio store.

REBECCA PROCTOR’S HIGHLY ACCLAIMED SEEKERS WORLDWIDE. AND NOW SHE BRING “THE RECYCLED HOME” - FULL OF IDEAS

FUTURUSTIC BLOG INSPIRES AESTHETIC GS US A NEW FUTURUSTIC-INSPIRED BOOK S FROM HER OWN CORNISH COB COTTAGE

For anyone who hasn’t seen it, Futurustic is a beautifully put together blog celebrating all that is rooted in craftsmanship, quality and heritage. Put together by former trend analyst and photo journalist Rebecca Proctor it rigorously explores the simply aesthetically pleasing within areas of life that are close to its curator’s heart. “When I designed the site, I thought about my personal interests and what I would most like to write about. My background is in fashion and interior design so I knew that both those subjects would form a major part of the content but I also wanted to include a few other things that would encourage me to pursue other interests too,” explains Rebecca Split into categories entitled Home, Lifestyle, Design, Architecture, Art, Vintage and Children; the sum of its parts creates a whole look and feel for living with huge appeal and reflects perfectly Rebecca’s own home and lifestyle choices. 12

“I am particularly interested in the craft skills involved in building houses. From thatching to timber framing...” After living and working in London for eight years Rebecca decided to relocate to Cornwall with her husband. “I wanted a better quality of life and fancied a bit of adventure. I was lucky enough to have had a lot of fun, great friends and a great job in London but it got to the point where my idea of fun changed and suddenly walking on a beach seemed much more appealing than going to the latest shop launch or event,” she explains. And the move to a beautiful traditional cob cottage provided the perfect fit for the values Rebecca holds dear in everything around her. “I am fascinated by all sorts of architecture,” she says, “but I am particularly interested in the craft skills involved in building houses. From thatching to timber framing to decorative brick laying - a lot of traditional skills are now being used in contemporary architecture and this crossover is something that I am really interested in.” 13

“My own home is a traditional Cornish cob cottage. It has lots of characterful details that I have juxtaposed with a mix of simple furniture. Most of the furniture is vintage but when I can, I invest in well-made contemporary pieces,” Rebecca goes on to explain. And it is this mix which forms the blueprint for Futurustic. “I wanted a place to record all the things that inspire me and thought that putting them on a blog might be a good idea. It gives a focus to my thoughts and allows me to organize my ideas. And the name came about as I realized that my interests combined two key things – the rustic and the modern.” Within a category entitled Design, Rebecca curates her selections from fashion, furniture, textiles and product – with a heavy focus on ceramics as she has “a weakness for pottery”. And vintage is another passion for Rebecca.“ This is an area of the blog that I really want to expand upon, but haven’t had time yet. I am a big fan of vintage clothes, textiles, toys and furniture and used to work in an amazing antique clothes shop on Portobello Road. My plan is to do ‘vintage inspiration’ posts profiling key pieces with photographs. In terms of periods, I like the 30s and 50s best. I like the humble nature of the depression-era 30s mixed with the exuberance of mid-century modern,” she explains. 14

But it is her focus on lifestyle “mostly with photographs that I take myself - sneak peeks of my everyday life” and on children which really gives Rebecca’s site a life of its own. “I have two very small children (aged one and a half and six weeks!) so the worlds of kids clothing and toys etc are just opening up to me. I wanted to include a kid’s section because I know that this is an area that I will get more and more involved with as my children grow up,” says Rebecca. “In terms of lifestyle, I want the kids to feel comfortable at home and to be part of everyday life. I spend most of the day in the kitchen with them where they see me cooking and working everyday. I want them to learn that simple mundane tasks can be fun. My one and a half year old already likes to help hang the washing out so she is learning fast!” And it is clear that Rebecca’s appreciation of the childlike is a very natural one when she explains, “the line between children’s and adult’s things is quite blurred in this house anyway as my decorating style has never been very grown up. Quite a few of the toys have been in my home for some time - just waiting for someone to play with them!” It is this which makes her home and her general aesthetic so pleasing; always without pretension or frills and with lots of 15

thought and care put into the simplest of things to bring immense pleasure. And it is on this note that we were excited to see that Rebecca has created a book entitled Recycled Home full of easy to recreate ideas from her own cottage. “I decided to do a DIY book that was full of things that I would actually want in my home and it was a way to be hands on and make things myself rather than just writing about other people all the time,” explains Rebecca. “The projects are quite varied - from making wooden bird boxes to hand printed tea towels so it was a great way to learn lots of new skills!” From the magazine wallpaper to the Liberty fabric covered suitcase the book is full of charming make do and mend ideas for the recessionary savvy home maker accompanied by beautiful photographic illustrations that are inspiring in their own right. To view Rebecca’s Futurustic blog go to: www.futurustic.blog.com Recycled Home is published by Laurence King priced £14.95. Available from www.laurenceking.com and all good booksellers. 16

STOREPICKS

POP!

Bobbie Rainbow Sir Peter Blake £750

I want to spend the... 1st Edition Damien Hirst £450

Onwards & Upwards Ray Richardson £1500

Gold Leaf Pendant Alexandra Abraham £125

Hare Rama Angel Steve Thomas £385

Gilded French Ashtrays £55

Starck Taschen, 2000 £38

Untitled Ofelia Rodriguez £600

Barbie 1st Edition Billy Boy £88

STOREPICKS MONOCHROME

Brian Jones (framed) David Redfern £200

Mother of Pearl Brooch £15

Regent St. (framed) Tom Flint £650

Ginsberg is God Sweater size 6 £120

Hands Up Anji Richards £500

Nude in Headdress Phoebe Dickinson £120

London, 1971 Romano Cagnoni £1500

Galliano Tuxedo Dresscoat £800

Skrebenski 5 Beautiful Women £45

POP IDOL

ARTIST, AND ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S MOST ACCLAIMED GRAPHIC DESIGNERS, STEVE THOMAS IS CURRENTLY SEEING HIS POP-CENTRIC WORK CELEBRATED AT TWO SHOWS IN LONDON AND BRIGHTON. WE MEET HIM IN HIS NEW SELF-DESIGNED STUDIO AND HOME TO DISCUSS POP ART, PRINTING AND, OF COURSE, BIBA.

If an artist’s work tells the story of their life we can think of few more autobiographical pieces than Steve Thomas’s latest Art Angel, Clash of the Titans and Americana prints. In terms of imagery and influence, much of his past is mapped out here in the boldest technicolour. And with clients including Paul McCartney and Lucky Strike, working in the rock n roll industry in the 1960s and having designed the big Biba store and all of its branding, it was a pretty colourful past to begin with. “I guess if a picture tells a story then yes these are my history,” concurs Steve. “They are sort of totems assembled from my gathered past.” In one a Levis / Elvis ‘Leader of the Pack’ motif (designed by Steve in 1981 for a TV commercial directed by Ridley Scott,) is fused with a new drawing of The King, a frieze of wings created in 1987 for Boots No. 7 and the angel appears in the form of his Biba Cosmetics girl from 1978. “She becomes a quasi-religious homage to King Elvis of Memphis, with his Queen, Nefertiti of the other Memphis, serenely winging her way across the sheet music of Heartbreak Hotel – one of his greatest,” he laughs. All created using Steve’s incredible archive of drawings, painting and photography (and then reproduced and worked into) each element for Art Angels was laid out sym22

metrically in multiples to form an iconic kaleidoscope – conjuring up vivid memories from all of our pasts. Currently being exhibited as part of a two man show entitled PRINTS R US with master printer Brad Faine (at Pimlico’s Grosvenor Waterside) the prints are vibrant and uplifting and in the case of the Clash of the Titans really very funny in their clever play on words and imagery. Peter Blake features as Daddy Rainbow within a piece of retro Players style cigarette packaging and the iconic M&Ms logo mutates into Andy Warhol’s Marilyn. “Clearly, I have always loved Pop art; particularly Peter Blake who is one of my heroes and I have also always loved language – puns and spoonerisms - as well as typeface and graphic devices within art. So these are something I started a while ago and have continued with as people seem to like them and I really enjoy working on them.” Taught by John Hoyland, Patrick Caulfield and Allen Jones at Chelsea School of Art from 1962, print as a medium suits Steve’s Pop art sensibilities perfectly. “What I love about print is that it makes art accessible to people and that’s great, isn’t it?” A sentiment shared with his hero (and friend) Peter Blake who also cares to make the same point and who is similarly a fan of 23

the visual qualities that the medium extends to those who truly master the art of it. All of these new works were created in Steve’s inspirational new home studio - which is something of a novelty for him - as it is the first he has ever had. “It is bizarre but I have always either worked out of some back bedroom - right up to doing the big Biba store, in fact - or had proper design offices. So when I sold my flat in Notting Hill the one thing I promised myself was a really good working space at home, ” recalls Steve. “I looked at all kinds of places to move to from Hastings to Bristol (I think I even looked at Reading!) and then one afternoon I was introduced to a bloke called Keith in the Chelsea Arts Club who said, “...have you thought about Deal in Kent?”. I hadn’t, so he kindly met me off the train there the next day, introduced me to his estate agent and within hours I had found my new home.” The new home came in the form of three tiny separate cottages in Deal’s Georgian conservation district; three cottages which were swiftly swept into one knocked-out open space throughout the ground floor and a simple run of bedrooms and bathrooms above. Two years in the making, Steve knew exactly what he wanted and the results are breathtaking. “I had this vision of a really light airy studio in which I could work leading straight into a living space and I think that’s what we’ve achieved,” he says modestly of the 20 feet-plus atrium lit with floodlights, “which I found on this website dedicated to selling vintage railway station accessories.” More salvaged lighting appears within the interior detail along with (in our opinion) the house’s number one standout feature; Steve’s curated open shelves of food packaging. “I have always been obsessed with packaging - it is really an art form in itself - and then of course came the Warhol thing of celebrating the ordinary in American Pop (like Campbell’s Soup) which turned it on its head. So I have always just had this open shelf design in the kitchen so you can enjoy all the packaging and the labels.” While the display is certainly a functional one, we are not en24

tirely sure if all of the contents are there for the eating or just for the pure aesthetics of them. One thing we are sure of though is that Steve must have loved designing the iconic Biba food hall; with its Pop art bean and sardine can display units and the opportunity to brand a full supermarket offering of groceries in his glorious black and gold Biba packaging. “Yes, I loved doing the food hall,” says Steve. “It was a proper piece of theatre. Although when Barbara walked in she thought it was completely mad.” Biba is the design work that Steve Thomas is most famed for. He was responsible for the entire interior of the five floor exDerry & Toms shop including the indulgent Rainbow Rooms in its rooftop and the incredible art Deco facia and entrance. Pure theatre throughout, the store will always be noted as one of the most important in retail history. From the decadent shop fit down, Steve’s job was then to also design branding for every item that existed in the store; from back neck labels and swing tags for Hulanicki’s cult street fashion through to packaging for make-up, hosiery, childrenswear, stationery and much more. “I really do feel very privileged to have worked on Biba,” he says. “It was just tremendous fun and I completely loved every minute of it.” This massive body of iconic work is currently being celebrated as part of The Brighton Museum’s Biba and Beyond Show and its shop is carrying a range of merchandise incorporating Steve’s black and gold logos. 26

For lovers of Pop art and popular culture, this and PRINTS R US are two shows that you shouldn’t miss. And we are thrilled to be able to offer for sale, works by Steve Thomas including limited edition Biba prints as well as his Art Angels, Clash of the Titans and Americana series’. PRINTS R US by Brad Faine & Steve Thomas is at Chelsea Futurespace until 27th January. Biba and Beyond is at the Brighton Museum until 14th April. Read more about Steve Thomas at www.steventhomasdesigns.com Steve Thomas’s limited edition prints are available from our artist’s studio store.

STOREPICKS COUTURE

1920’s Egyptian revival bag £120

Original Villemot SNCF poster (framed) £490

Jeanloup Sieff 40 years, Taschen £55

Vintage Gauntlet Gloves £50

Scissors Alice Instone £900

1920’s Celluloid Belt £45

Shocking! 1st Edition Schiaparelli £400

1930’s Silk Dress & Cape £120

Man Ray Coffee Cup £25

ABOYD

BAZAAR

TUCKED AWAY IN A PRETTY CHELSEA BACKSTREET IS THE TINY JEWEL OF A HOUSE THAT IS HOME TO DESIGNER TRACEY BOYD. WITH HER NEW VENTURE ABOYDBAZAAR, THE SPACE ALSO PROVIDES THE PERFECT BACKDROP FOR HER GORGEOUS GLOBAL CREATIONS. 29

Until recently Tracey Boyd was best known for her critically acclaimed fashion label Boyd with its beautifully styled and art directed catwalk presentations; always with ‘must-have’ pieces firmly positioned at the heart of each season’s collection. But in May this year the designer’s work took a major departure into something far more personal with the launch of ABOYDBAZAAR. An online store based brand, ABOYDBAZAAR is full of exquisitely made pieces that fuse together Tracey’s love of traditional (and sometimes forgotten handcrafts) with her own pretty yet modern aesthetic. “I have always had this passion for collecting things and for travel and have a real need to design so inspired by all of those things I have created ABOYDBAZAAR which is my personal little treasure trove of design.” Within the organically growing collection of fashion and home wares there are intricate hand beaded and embroidered cushions, vintage embroidery panelled dresses (with French lace trims), traditional panelled festival skirts, hand embellished bags and (a key item) eminently wearable embroidered shirts. All showing off the traditional, artisan skills of local craftsmen and women in regions of countries most of us will never experience firsthand and all re-worked in Tracey’s own inimitable style. Countries Tracey has travelled to evolving her bazaar collection, include Bali (for jewellery) and resources in Mexico will be used in future pieces. But she explains, “India really started it and Rajasthan will be totally different to Gujerat so that country is a world in its own right and is where I am making most things at the moment.” She is also now exploring Malaysia, “with its fusion of cultures really appealing to me,” and South America and Japan are on the map for future trips. “I pinpoint places and research the history of local, traditional crafts that excite me (in books and on the net) to try and understand if these crafts are still alive, who I can work with if they are, and then make travel plans from there,” explains Tracey. Tracey’s first experience of working in India came about via a 30

consultancy role with high street retailer Monsoon. “I loved what SEWA were doing there, helping women build their own businesses (which is so challenging in India) and so I went to them with my idea for ABOYDBAZAAR and asked them if we could work together. The processes are challenging but wonderful”, says Tracey. For example, creating her white on white beaded cushions involves Tracey drawing out the design for every single bead from which they make a trace and pin prick the positional for each bead. Then they lay down a fine layer of grey ash and blow that through the holes to mark very lightly on the fabric where the beads go. “It is just a really traditional way of beading and is the most precise.” Tracey has established two ways of working on her collection – designing from scratch and working with the local craftsmen and women to fulfil her product vision, and then sourcing vintage cloths and items to re-work into oneoff pieces. “For the pieces I am designing from scratch I find these established crafts and traditions and look at how that can fit into the direction of my collection. I then design into those crafts in a modern way. Or I might use something that exists like a vintage pieces of embroidery as the start point for an item; for example in the treasure dresses there is this very traditional piece of truly Indian embroidery but then it is worked into this very modern dress shape with a scuba zip trim. You still know it is a piece of exquisite Indian embroidery but it is presented in a modern way,” explains Tracey. In a similar vein Tracey has fused together disparate elements into unique pieces that tell a story; as with her vintage cowry shell bags. “The fabric I chose for these pieces is used for traditional dowry bags and cowry shells were traditionally used a lot in the Far East as currency so I liked the idea of putting the two together. I then bound them in the ticking they often use to make beds in India, so for me there is a little connection in putting these different things together. I love to find things and re-invent them; putting various pieces together to give a whole 32

cohesive look and feel or to tell a story.” Tracey’s first eponymous London Fashion Week collection came in 1996 (working with husband Adrian Wright) and began with orders from Colette in Paris and The Cross in London. They went on to sell to Barneys in New York amongst many other stores globally and to have their own store in Elizabeth Street. But while she doesn’t miss the cut and thrust of running a seasonal fashion business, “I am really enjoying the luxury of having time to focus on an organically grown collection without the constraints of wholesale schedules,” she says “I do miss the show side of things...the theatre of it, the castings, finding new faces, the whole package coming together in your vision”. And this pulling together of a whole story is something that is very evident in all that Tracey does. “I’ve always liked to do everything myself as far as I can and even if I can’t do it myself I like to understand what someone else is doing so I have covered off every angle and the whole package is complete.” Which comes as no surprise as Tracey is more than just a designer; a fact met out by her industrious career history. Born in Surrey, Tracey studied art in Paris to Foundation level. When she returned to London she applied to St Martin’s who requested she complete another (English style) foundation course, which at 18 didn’t particularly appeal. So Tracey went straight out and found work as an illustrator. She then had various fashion based jobs in PR, magazines and production companies eventually becoming a buyer and design consultant to UK high street retailers thus experiencing both sides of the fashion industry coin; all great grounding for someone going out to set up their own fashion label and taking on the myriad responsibilities that entails in creating excellent product. And it is this global understanding of product - how it is conceived, designed, made and presented - that Tracey has now distilled into her ABOYDBAZAAR vision. “The excitement I get from seeing people making things in India for me (the role they play in the product) that is as vital as the design to me. If you 34

understand that process and its integrity you are able to design better into it and will know more accurately what is possible.” An example of which is displayed perfectly in those hand beaded cushions with their complex designs beautifully articulated by the hands that made them; these are home accessories to cherish with thought, care and love all gone into them. Designing product for the home is new territory for Tracey but from her own gorgeous space we understand it when she says she has always been “something of a frustrated interiors stylist. Our house is as important to me as what I wear – it is my world, really, and is very personal.” Eclectic but highly stylized and ordered, her and her husband’s home is an inspired mix of the hand crafted and pretty with the modernist and functional. Mid-century modern furniture and lighting sit alongside French flea market finds and decorative textiles. (Luckily for Tracey husband Adrian appreciates 36

her home style while she likewise admires his). And sprinkled throughout are pieces from ABOYDBAZAAR; collection of artfully arranged cushions, a treasure dress and festival skirt hanging like pieces of art on a neat rail and works in progress taking form across a table full of thread swatches, colour palettes and designs on paper. With new items added all the time, Tracey’s website and online store goes from strength to strength. We can’t wait to browse the pieces created on her latest travels to India and Malaysia and to viewing the whole collection in one space at the Boyd Bazaar salon event scheduled for May. To shop and for more information go to www.aboydbazaar.com Additional photography by Brian Usher © 2012 37

100 CUPS

A STORY OF PASSION, LOYALTY, LOVE AND 100 TEA CUPS.............CHANCE MEETINGS, ROMANCE, TRAVEL & OPPORTUNITY. ILLUSTRATOR & ARTIST ANNE SMITH TELLS HER TALE AND PRESENTS A PORTFOLIO OF WORK.

ong ago I made cups, real ones out of porcelain to be exact. And now I don’t do that anymore. Instead, I often paint pictures of cups. It began innocently enough, as a path for transposing the ceramic cups that had always inspired my pottery into paintings. This simple idea launched an obsession and soon my desire to paint cups got a little bit out of hand. Because I had so many different ideas, I began numbering them in an effort to hold it all together. “But why the cups?” you may ask. This is a reasonable question, one that I revisit all the time. Making the porcelain cups just happened. I started doing it for fun and ended up taking the whole thing quite seriously. For those who are not familiar with the realm of pottery making, it is a vast universe unto itself, rich in history, beauty and tradition. When one makes things out of clay, delving into this knowledge is unavoidable. People loved the cups I made. I didn’t really think about it too much. I was told that they were beautiful. Over time the demand for my cups increased and I responded by cranking them out like a demon. Long hours of hard labor eventually eroded my enjoyment of working with clay. The repetition of making millions of cups became tiresome. My back hurt and I no longer wanted to mix nasty chemicals into glazes or haul lumpen bags of clay.

o be honest, I needed a change. I decided to go back to art school and pursue a graduate degree, hoping to revive my spirit. Well, that turned out to be a colossal mistake! Build-destruct, deconstruct-reconstruct, discuss-rebuild-obliterate…Graduate school left me with a massive skull-splitting migraine that blocked my vision for years to come. Afterwards I never wanted to see another cup for as long as I lived. I needed to break free from the tyranny of it all, to feel the air on my face and get away from that mouldering ceramics studio. I was deeply unhappy. Wouldn’t you know it? In spite of my snarky mood people were still clamouring for those damn cups but I didn’t enjoy making them anymore. Distressed, I finally asked myself the obvious question: “What do you want to do more than anything else in the whole wide world?” And then it became clear. After a bit of wrangling, I packed my bags, headed off to Paris and began painting little gouaches in an atelier overlooking the Seine I’m not kidding! Of course it was lovely and fun. A revelation, in fact.

hen I returned home several months later, I was astonished to find that none of my problems had disappeared, such as I had hoped. I kept the cup enterprise going for a little while longer but I already knew that my days of pottery making were on the wane. Things changed, events happened and I ended up teaching ceramics at a fancy school for teenagers who were much too smart for their own good. They loved making pottery. It helped them forget about physics, history, and the mounting pressures of getting into Harvard. I loved teaching and without realizing it, my students ended up helping me enormously. Working with them reminded me about the unmitigated joy I felt when first making pottery as a teenager. The fancy school was an amazing place, but it was also insanely busy and I had zero time available to make my artwork, which became untenable. I soon met a handsome, wonderful man. We drank martinis and fell in love. He was based in London and eventually, for all kinds of reasons we decided to move there and that was the end of my teaching. It was not a bad thing to leave the fancy school, as it was clearly time to re-focus on my own work. That was when I decided to become an illustrator. I knew absolutely nothing about it but it seemed like a decent way to make a living. I landed my first job almost immediately and it was a really big one. I thought, â&#x20AC;&#x153;WOW, what a result!â&#x20AC;?

t came about when I told a good friend, who was an art director in New York, that I was now no longer a potter or a teacher, but an illustrator. He said, “Great, I can use you”, and hired me on the spot. He threw me into a room with a painter turned video editor. “To begin with I’ll need some squiggly hairdos.” So I painted squiggly hairdos with abandon and handed them all over. The editor spliced my drawings into a charming, wacky animation that became a visual element for a TV station. I cannot tell you how much we laughed and joked as we worked our way through that project. I enthused, “I love illustration! Its just like painting but without all that ponderous ‘what’s it all about’ crap.” The editor had gone to art school and knew exactly what I meant. Soon after finishing the project I left for the UK. Arriving in London was a huge shock. You see, I hadn’t really thought through what it would actually be like. I had acted purely from the heart because I was in love. Picture it: alighting at Heathrow on a grim, sleety morning. Sleepless, with all the stuff of my life packed away in a storage locker back in Lawrence Massachusetts. I suddenly worried that I had made a rash decision. One never knows. It did all come together in time, but not without difficulty. I found a studio, made some friends, and basically got on with it, which is what one does in England, I soon learned.

began ‘illustrating’ taking cues from my clients, rather cluelessly, and concentrated on enjoying the process. Eventually, I learned what I needed to know about my new profession, albeit in a bumbling side-step manner. The cups. I hate to admit this but I actually began to miss them. There was something about living in England, poring through the V&A ceramics collection, and finding oddball variations of Blue Willow on Portobello Road. My art director friend had lately been trawling on e-bay and soon his tiny apartment on Park Avenue South was chock-a-block with exquisite early Staffordshire pottery. He would send me pictures of all the wonderful, quirky pieces he’d bought. I became jealous, wishing that I had made them. Even though those pots were over 200 years old, I could feel them in my bones, how they were thrown on the wheel, sprigged, painted and glazed. But you know, I had renounced all of that and quite happily too. Yet, I wanted to make cups again somehow, only from a new place. The 12 hand-finished Cup artworks on paper featured in this portfolio are from a series of 23 available to buy for £250 each at our artist’s studio store.

STOREPICKS

SMALL BUT BEAUTIFUL

1950s Murano glass necklace with birds £140

Art Deco leather and snakeskin clutch £130

Heavy chain bracelet with glass balls £130

1950s enamelled Parisian bracelet £50

1920s glass necklace with flowers £85

Giftwrap for all featured accessories

1940s Italian postcard pendant £45

1950s Murano glass necklace with berries £75

Vintage Chinese leather clutchbag £45

Giftwrap for all featured accessories

1950s Murano glass necklace with oranges £65

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QUEEN

OF CLUBS

THE VERY BEST MEMBERS CLUBS ARE ALL ABOUT THE MEETING OF LIKEMINDS IN A CONDUCIVE ATMOSPHERE; CREATING A CULTURAL MARKER IN TIME AND PLACE FOR THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE THERE AT THE TIME. THIS WAS TRUER FOR NO CLUB MORE THAN INFAMOUS ARTIST’S HANGOUTTHE COLONY ROOM AND WRITER SOPHIE PARKIN, WHO WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE THERE, HAS RECORDED ITS DEFINITIVE HISTORY IN A BOOK OUT THIS MONTH. WE FIND OUT WHAT THIS CLUB TO END ALL ARTS CLUBS MEANT TO HER. 49

The Colony occupied a tiny first floor room in Soho’s Dean Street (where the bar was the sum total of the venue and the people at it created their own heady atmosphere) for sixty long years that saw sea changes in surrounding Soho as well as in British art but which never really changed the Club itself. It was, throughout its life, (from 1948 when its founder Muriel Belcher opened the Club’s famously green door) really in a world of its own. Writer and performer Sophie Parkin was born and brought up in and around the artist’s colonies of Chelsea and West Cornwall; graduating in adult life to become a familiar face in every credible creative hangout from the East End to West London. A formidable knowledge on the history of London clubs and the art scene, Sophie was always perfectly positioned to write the definitive history of the most infamous of all arts clubs; but we want to know what Soho’s Colony Room meant to her personally. “I must have been about 14 years old and living in Cornwall with my mum and my stepfather (artists Molly Parkin and Patrick Hughes), when I first ever went to the Colony. We were 50

in London and I had just been bought a pair of these bright green sandals which were from Clarks and had a heel– they were proper grown up shoes. I was wearing them with a navy blue cotton jumpsuit which was a bit of a look at the time,” remembers Sophie. “ Anyway we walked into the Colony Room and Muriel exclaimed, “Ooh what a wonderful pair of sandals!” I was terribly excited and replied, “Yes thank you! I’m rather pleased with them myself!” To which Muriel responded “Not her! Him!” And pointed at Patrick’s hideous open toed numbers with socks underneath.” So that was my first experience of the place - which was nice! I quickly learnt it was better to listen first in there rather than speak out and you might learn something that way.” Just four years later Sophie herself became a member of the Club - aged 18 - and her love affair with the place began. “It was about 1979/80 when I actually joined myself and I had just started at St Martin’s around the corner. At that time to go there meant a huge amount as the European style café society that we now enjoy in this country did not exist and basically 51

you could not go into a pub on your own as a woman. It just didn’t happen; drinking was a very male thing and if you did dare venture into a public house alone, you were either written off as an inferior being (probably with a drink problem) OR you would be hit upon and considered fair game. Well in the Colony Room you were not fair game and you were never hit upon. And that was really important to me; that here was somewhere you could go to as a woman and feel safe and have an interesting time. It was unique at the time.” “What I also loved about it was that everyone was considered an equal, no one was better than anyone else. I mean the room was full of these characters; there was literally no hierarchy or pecking order; even with say Francis bacon who was obviously a God amongst men and had the charisma of five (charismatic) people put together, and whose presence would literally full any room. But there was no sense of celebrity and everyone treated everyone else the same.” “So I was at St Martin’s and was working at the Zanzibar Night Club and introduced quite a few of my friends to the place – people like Dean Bright and Dick Bradsell and various characters from around the fashion scene,” Sophie explains. “Some hated it and thought it was a complete dive but others loved it and they stayed. I guess it was very much a place for people with a love of language, people who reveled in 52

freedom of speech and the joy of words and a lot of it was outrageously funny. You would walk in and someone would go “Hello, C**ty.” to which you would make some witty quizzical remark. And I suppose some people would find that really offensive and probably think how dare you talk to me like that but those people would just not have fitted in. As I say you either loved it or hated it.” “Anyway for me, personally? I loved it and I consider myself very lucky to have been there when some of those great old characters were still around – like Francis Bacon. That was the other great thing about the place – it was somewhere where all generations mixed and would chat. You wouldn’t know who you were sitting next to but you would end up having these fascinating conversations and hearing these incredible stories from the past. There was a genuine respect for older people in there - somewhat comforting in a society that treats its elderly so appallingly.” That old guard of the Colony Room proved invaluable to Sophie in the immense research she had to undertake for the book; interviewing all of the past’s regulars who were still living. “I would never assume to write their history and say how they must have felt about something back in 1948 so it was really important to me that I spoke to them first hand,” explains Sophie. “Many of them have lived into their nineties so they were obviously doing something right,” she acknowledges reflecting as an aside on the fact that these characters really “lived life with their souls as opposed to their heads and did not allow money to rule them.” as a possible recipe for longevity and one surprisingly common amongst hard living Colony veterans. Four years in the making, Sophie’s start point for the book’s research was to comb through all that remained of the Colony Room after the death of its last manager Michael Wojas. “Michael has been nagging me for years to write the story of the club so when he died I went and picked up these 14 huge boxes of things that had been kept from the club. The boxes were full of 53

completely random stuff; photographs, postcards, membership book from over the years but also odd little things that Michael had kept and clearly thought were important in some way like a note saying ‘Remember to pay the electricity’. Anyway that took about six to nine months to dissect and weeks to just scan everything but it was an amazing resource for the research.” Sophie also had access to great picture archives (some of which were by now held by the National Portrait Gallery) and collected and read over 100 books relevant to the Club, its members and the broader history of post-war Soho; “many of which are now deleted and are really special books with very lively writing. I’d love to see some of them re-published.” In addition myriad stories were passed down through the handover’s in management with each new encumbent having been a faithful member before their appointment and already well versed in the past magic that had held the place together, as well as to the elder statesmen of the Club, Sophie spoke to anyone she could who played some small part in the Colony’s history. The result is a fascinating read with real substance which paints a vivid history of British under culture and art in the making; encompassing everything from the emerging establishment of Francis Bacon and Lucien Freud with muse Henrietta 54

Moraes in the 1950s to the post-punk antics of Damien Hirst and Keith Allen in the naughty nineties. And all delivered with a heavy dose of humour most befitting the people and the place. “Humour is for me a very serious commodity in life and The Colony Room was full of it,” says Sophie. So the book is peppered with hysterically funny tales and anecdotes from the Club’s sixty years of life. One that stands out for Sophie is the story of Muriel Belcher and Ian Board’s annual ‘liver breaks’ in Mombassa where they would drink no spirits, instead swigging beer all day, thus giving their vital organs an apparent holiday. The hotel owners approached Muriel one day concerned as they had noticed her (daily) walking into the complex’s pool, turning round and walking straight back again. Worried that she was unhappy with the facility they asked if there was something wrong with the pool to which she responded “Don’t be a c**t, darling, I only go in there to have a piss.” Fully illustrated with amusing photographs of Muriel and Ian (in a grim holiday resort that rather resembles Butlins in Minehead circa 1956) the Mombassa story is typical of Sophie’s embrace of the comedy gems that formed a huge part of the Club’s appeal. “There were lots of academics and people with very serious day jobs in there but this was a place where even they could go and be silly and get drunk,” she explains. “It was 55

a release for them and they had a laugh like everyone else.” Closed since 2008 and acknowledged widely as a huge loss to the area and to the arts at large the tiny bar space that was the Club has now been converted into three flats; where the walls must beat each night to the drum of drinking, laughter and expletives. And now it has gone, we ask Sophie what of the gap it has left on the Soho landscape for her? Part anecdote, part a sad reality she replies, “People often moan that ‘Soho isn’t the same anymore’ but as Jeffrey Bernard once said, “It never WAS the fucking same!”, which is very funny and also true. However at the same time I have to say that Soho will never be the same without the Colony.” The Colony Room Club 1948 – 2008 A History of Bohemian Soho is available from 10th December at www.thecolonyroom.com or from specialist bookshops at £35. 56

Pollocks Bones, Abigail Lane

EVERYTHING MAGAZINE READER’S OFFER ‘The Limited Edition’ of the book (only 750 – hand bound, linen covered and embossed with slipcover) includes a lucky dip of 1 of 6 artist signed prints by Sarah Lucas, Abigail Lane, Chris Battye, Patrick Hughes, Molly Parkin and Michael Woods is available to our readers at £225 (normal price £275) And ‘The Collector’s Edition’ including all six prints is available to our readers at £2225 (normal price £2450).

Please quote ‘Everything Magazine’ to receive your discount on purchasing limited and collector’s editions at www.thecolonyroom.com 57

10 KEY MOMENTS Fashion Editor Sue Evans on the ten moments that have defined her own (very unique) personal style; from beatniks to Biba, St Germain to grunge in a life that has lived fashion to the full.

Beatniks I grew up in the 50s whe was a revelation to disc about beatniks in the N subculture happening in Liverpool. It might have Lights bookshop in San Fr and icons like Juliette G important â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and first sem pair of jeans and accomp pair of medieval-style s suburban Liverpool shoe 2 squares of tartan and alternative beatnik outfi find outside the pages of universally American Tan teamed with an old shirt oil paint as though I had painted-stained smock fel the safe haven suburban jeans and striped sweate

The 5-Point cut Grace Coddington was always my favourite model in th to spell out a different sort of message from the groomed images that prolifiated the eraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fashion off-kilter beauty and pre-Raphaelite hair chiming explosion that was waiting to happen. And then sud of a generation with the iconic profile shot of Vida ary 5-point cut. That short glossy bob was one of th images I had ever seen and I was desperate to get my shorn as soon as possible. Of course that seminal h for a change of image and out went the paint-stained in favour of nifty culottes and Mod sweaters. 60

en nice girls wore pleated skirts and twinsets so it cover at about age 13 - probably via lurid headlines News of the World - that there was an alternative a parallel universe to curtain twitching suburban e been a long way from the Left Bank or from City rancisco but from that moment on the Beat Generation Greco became my raison d’etre. Consequently, my most minal fashion moment - was the purchase of my first panying striped sweater, to be worn with a strange shooties (lord only knows what they were doing in a shop) and a shoulder bag I cobbled together from a length of lavatory chain for a handle. I had an fit too. My black heavyweight ballet tights – hard to f balletomane magazines in an era when hosiery was n and the only option was with seams or without – t of my father’s, artfully distressed with daubs of d just finished painting an angst-ridden canvas. This lt like my entry into another world, far removed from lifestyle my mother envisioned for me. For me the er, the smock and shoulder bag spelt freedom...

he early 60s – she seemed e sophisticated grown-up magazines. Her slightly with the youth culture ddenly she was THE face al Sassoon’s revolutionhe most startling fashion y long beatnik-style hair hair cut opened the door d smocks and bell-bottoms 61

Biba By 1963 I had left tion course at the life room and the my chosen career p It happened in a h by someone called life drawing but that was Hulanick faces and the clot denly going to be studying fashion Biba shop in Kens store, and when Fashion competiti vintage-inspired canvas laced boot

Paris Left Bank boutiques I finally realized my Left Bank dream in 1965 when m and I managed to get ourselves to Paris. Although e fleapit hotel near Gard du Nord, we circumnavigated o Left Bank on foot every day. For me it was the start o affair, not only with a baby-faced French beatnik myriad tiny shops that lined every narrow cobbled st Michel and Saint Germain. Shops selling everything patisserie and traitteur, , to children’s clothes lik seen – my favourite was a shop called Petit Faune – ing ethnic jewellery from far flung corners of the ear soon be destination names for the hippie generati precious boutiques by designers like Emmanuelle Kha with the French beatnik may have lasted only 3 years marked the birth of my lifelong love affair with ret 62

t grammar school and was in my first year of a foundae local art school. There I enjoyed long hours in the e painting studio or sculpture hall, never dreaming path of painter was about to be thrown a curve-ball. heartbeat when the fashion tutor showed us a drawing Barbara Hulanicki...Suddenly it was no longer about wanting to emulate that beautiful sinuous ink line kiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hallmark. To create those pert-nosed, doll-eyed thes that went with them. And that was it. I was sude a fashion designer. Several years later when I was at the RCA, I was lucky enough to live right by the sington High Street and later the Derry & Toms Biba I won 2nd prize in the Sunday Times International ion in 1968, the prize money went straight into Bibaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tills in the shape of a purple satin blouse, purple ts and a skinny knitted 30s-style suit.

my best friend ensconced in a our way to the of a long love but with the treet in Saint from amazing ke I had never to eye-openrth that would ion, to small an. The affair but that year tail. 63

Ossie Clarke Fashion is a fickle beast and the early 60s saw my t to Mod and then into vintage queen when I discovered Amsterdam and even my home town of Liverpool. That 40s looks was the precursor to discovering Ossie Cla to recreate the glamour of a vintage era with modern Birtwell’s romantic prints. Suddenly all I wanted and pre-Raphaelite curls. One seminal Vogue shoot fu and miniscule snakeskin jackets became the lynchpin ding and I was determined to get to Ossie’s Radnor Wa Sadly, with only £60 to spend and arms that were n Ossie snakeskin sleeve I opted for a Mary Quant pina instead. But like Barbara Hulanicki before him, Ossi era with his iconic silhouettes and effortless bias

Galliano’s gradua There are seminal or collection tou you are witnessin fashion moment. I point image back i I was at the Sain what seemed like i alive with the Fr marked John Galli he has always bee visionary greats cut silhouettes a that of a couturie was a match made at his graduate c 64

transformation from beatnik d the flea markets of Paris, dressing-up box of 30s and arke and his innate ability n-day proportions and Celia was flowing chiffon dresses ull of Ossie’s smock dresses n for my upcoming 1968 wedalk shop to fulfill my dream. never going to fit a skinny afore dress and Biba blouse ie captured the mood of the cutting.

ation collection moments in fashion when one image, a particular dress uches a nerve and you get that goose-bump moment that ng something extraordinary, something that is a true I had it with the Vidal Sassoon/ Grace Coddington 5in the early 60s and I had it again years later when nt Martin Graduate show in 1984 and after 2 hours of interminable look-alike collections, the runway came rench Revolution extravaganza (Les Incroyables) that iano’s baptism into the fashion stratosphere. For me en an extraordinary designer – one of fashion’s true who transposes his love of women into immaculately and sublime detailing. His aesthetic has always been er rather than a mere designer and his tenure at Dior in heaven. I have always felt honoured to have been collection. 65

The fashion churc I love people who of the mainstream ment so when I wa a hybrid fashion Poison Mind I was smock, the head-w an amazing never80s New Romantici and-prouders. It whole-heartedly, although I am not when I picked the off at parents ev

Japanese deconstruction The late 80s was one of my least favourite fashion eras. Everything from the power shoulder to Dianna Spencer’s silly hats and prissy pussycat bow blouses were fashion’s anthithesis to me. Suddenly the world and its suburban brother thought they were a fashion expert thanks to endless Princess Di-look-alike magazine spreads and covers. So when Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto’s revolutionary deconstructed looks first appeared on the Paris runways I embraced it wholeheartedly. Their androgynous monochromatic looks were the antidote to everything that was happening in mainstream fashion at the time and in my attempt to emulate their anti-fashion style it was masculine black tuxedos, black polo neck sweaters, tutus and Doctor Martins for me for the rest of the decade. 66

ch o break the rules and step outside the conventions m and arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afraid to make their own fashion stateas idly sitting watching TV one Saturday evening and image presented itself singing In the Church Of The s immediately smitten. Was it a boy or a girl ? The wraps, the plaits the kimono coat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all added up to -before-seen look that was the culmination of early ism, opening the doors for a whole generation of outwas perfect timing for me and I embraced the look smocks always being one of my favoured silhouettes t sure my kids were quite so taken with my new look em up at the school gates and I was definitely a onevenings.

Grunge It occured to me that roots in era-defining r the 80s - Alexis Carr Susan - Marc Jacobs’ s like a breath of fresh suburban mid-market. Th Perry Ellis but it ope down the fashion ladder perfect antidote to th tage dressing a mainst twenty-somethings. In f today age 60+.

Trelise Cooper The 90s and the Noughties pretty much passed me by moments. I flirted with Prada, Topshop and Marni but n my mood until the day I discovered what was a new in a small shop in suburban Melbourne. Trelise Coo affair was born. After fickle years of beatniks and and deconstruction, I’d found my fashion kindred spir tic design aesthetic mirrors my own entirely with h and feminine shapes, surprise detailing and colour – that there was a treasure trove of perfect fashion mo across the other side of the world in Trelise’s nati very country where my son had coincidentally reloca Her boudoir-like shops are my first port of call whe and I am in heaven if her legendary warehouse sal bi-annual trips, to the point where about 75% of my Trelise. I find it amazing that after over 40 years o fashion, I’ve finally found a designer who perfectly

Sue Evans is Senior Fashion Editor at www.WGSN.com (Opening image Sue wearing Trelise Cooper’s Black Sw 68

t several of my key fashion moments all have their revolutionary looks. And after the mixed messages of rington, Princess Di, Madonna’s Desperately Seeking seminal 1992 Grunge collection for Perry Ellis was air, addressing the youth generation rather than the he iconic collection may have got Marc the sack from ened the door for a wave of looks still verberating r today. The mismatched any-thing-goes ethos was the he sports-inspired minimal 90s and helped make vintream occupation for whole generations of teens and fact it’s a fashion aesthetic I am still tapping into

in terms of fashion nothing quite matched designer name to me oper. And a new love Mods, New Romantics rit. Trelise’s eclecher passion for print who would have known oments waiting for me ive New Zealand – the ated with his family. enever I hit Auckland les coincide with my y wardrobe is now by of experimenting with matches my spirit.

wan dress.) 69

STOREPICKS 20th CENTURY

Untitled James Leggat £2400

Original Lufthansa poster (framed) £600

Figure Rod Walker £1400

Evidence (1st edition) Richard Avedon £45

50s & 70s tables £120 & £140

Vintage Maniopoli hand painted plate £35

Vintage Maniopoli hand-painted plate £25

Abstract Brown Sandra Blow £ P.O.A.

Alexy Brodovitch (1st Edition) £100

A NEW COLLECTION OF PAINTINGS REVEALS A MORE ABSTRACT DIRECTION IN THE WORK OF U.K. ARTIST RICHArd wALKER, BUT STILL WITH HIS FAVOURITE THEMES OF MODERNISM, MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE OMNIPRESENT.

WALKER THIS WAY

Richard Walker’s studio speaks volumes about the man as an artist; its (very) central London location, its steely grey architectural colour palette with hit of urban inspired colour (neon greens, flashlight reds and oranges) the 20th century modernist collector’s pieces and shelves filled with his favourite vinyl and popular culture reference books. Best known for his dramatic cityscapes of London and New York, Walker’s canvasses have always appealed to those with an appreciation of urban beauty. And we have come to his studio space to view an exciting new body of work with a more abstracted quality - but still with the continuum of themes that have influenced Walker throughout his life evident. Richard agrees that this new work is more painterly and abstracted than before, “but it is really just a natural progression,” he explains. “My former work was more celebratory and very much about places like New York and London (the whole big city thing) and I am probably a bit more reflective in my old age. I have become very interested in various mid-century artists; probably informed by my interest in the architecture of that time.” And indeed the softer edges, the more organic forms and the influence of artists such as Gerhardt Richter with their rigorous yet romantic vision can be seen in these new canvasses. In addition bold volume shapes imbue a Hepworth-esque sculptural quality into the imagery, “but the sculpture of big buildings is probably still in there too,” laughs Walker. Born in Yorkshire Walker decided at a very early age that he wanted to be an architect; an ambition that wasn’t to be as “I was immediately told you have to be good at maths to do that which I thought was rather cruel. If it was just mathematicians making buildings we’d be in for a very dull existence, really!”, he jokes. “But basically the architecture of my childhood had a huge influence on me with this sudden modernism appearing all around me - as war-torn Sheffield was largely rebuilt in the 1950s and 60s. I found it all really visually exciting.” Despite being dissuaded from architecture as a career, his art teacher Robin 72

Noscoe (who also tutored Derek Jarman a couple of years ahead of Walker and who also later sited him to be major inspiration in his life’s work) was fast to become a mentor in nurturing Walker’s creative talent. “He was a huge influence and a Renaissance man who basically taught me how to see,” reflects Walker. In addition Noscoe built his own modernist house and that was the most exciting thing that Walker had ever seen as a school boy. Later in life he would return to that house as part of his contribution to the 20th Century Society which exists to safeguard the heritage of architecture and design in Britain from 1914 onwards and of which he is a very active member. “The Society is a big part of my life now,” explains Walker who has curated many tours of seminal modernist buildings as part of the organisation’s activities. “I have made many friends through the society such as architect Ivor Cunningham who landscaped many modernist estates which I find fascinating. And the tours of houses are highly personalised - they really want to hear my own personal view – as an artist - on architecture or a building.” The 20th Century Magazine are, in the New Year, running a feature on Walker and their website can be viewed at www.c20society.org.uk This leads us on to talk about Walker’s studio and home style which he describes as ‘mixed modernist eclectic’. We love his space with its industrial greys and metallics which he uses as a backdrop to float colour upon and to effect change when he feels like it. “I am constantly re-hanging all the time and sometimes will get bored and hang someone else’s work in the space,” he says. And in addition to the ever changing artworks, curated displays of 20th century collectables create flashpoints of colour and interest. Again it was Robin Noscoe who influenced him in collecting things and grouping things together to create a strong look and “to celebrate the ordinary next to the unusual.” Along with the themes of modernism and architecture, there is also the constant influence of music within Walker’s work; as for all its architectural structure and reference, there is an equal 75

measure of lyricism and movement within each of his canvasses. This belies another lifelong passion. “Music has become increasingly import in terms of an artistic vision for me,” he explains. “It had been a sideline for me in terms of actually making it but recently it has kind of been validated by serious musicians who have come back and said you can do this. So now I have been working on some interesting collaborations. The interaction of music with visuals is something I love and I kind of see music as a soundscape. Landscape and soundscape mean the same thing to me and certainly people like Derek Jarman have been a huge influence as his art (his film) was as much about the landscape and the music as anything. For me, music is the most abstract form of painting,” says Walker. Along with Jarman, Walker sites Andy Warhol, Brian Eno and Yoko Ono all as inspirations; possessing an individual spirit of expression. “Artistic adventurers who are not afraid to be experimental and who might paint a picture one day and will be making a film the next. That to me is truly creative.” Shifting boundaries in creative disciplines appeals to Walker and this extends to how he believes we now physically view art as well. “The way of showing work is changing and traditional galleries now seem very formal and static in their presentation. I am always interested in the experimental so new ways of showing work is good to me.” So in the spirit of this modern way of thinking, as well as featuring new small works for sale here in our Everything store, Walker is currently exhibiting his latest large canvasses within the East End’s giant Ligne Roset furniture flagship and is well worth a visit . Richard Walker’s featured work for sale is available at our artist’s studio store. For more information visit www.richardwalkerworks.com And to hear music by Richard go to https://soundcloud.com/richardwalkerworks 76

WE LOVE GRACE A MEMOIR... Written in collaboration with Michael Roberts and full of charming sketches – over 400 pages of Xmas reading heaven from our No1 fashion heroine.

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