Gareth Courage
P o r t f o l i o
Constructed objects Personal work (1999 - 2000) Mixed Media assemblage
Visual language development & acquisition • Early work defined basics of visual language still in use now - mainly an exercise in mark making and sketching without using traditional drawing method • 3D based but gives way to paper based collage constructions, mark making and assemblage • Defined use of composition and materials Sketchbooks developed into pure collage illustration using found materials - Particular emphasis on use of photography and typography • Images retain a drawn quality and freshness of manufacture • A mainly full set of the these can be found here • A full set of the “Music For Pleasure” collages can be found here. • Early photographic imagery produced with expired film, analog cameras, double exposure and other obsolete technology. Now informs own digital photography aesthetics especially in the use of source material and colour palettes.
“Music For Pleasure� Personal work (2001) Set of 60 drawings and collage on reclaimed vinyl record sleeves
Sketchbooks Personal work (1999 - 2002) Collage & drawings
Photography Personal work (2002 - 2008) Analog phoographs on expired film stock
Pages from “VIEWER” Internet distributed magazine of Personal work (2006 - 2009) Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator & InDesign
Project #1 - VIEWER zine • Updating of style and language in a purely digital manner after seeing the possibilities posed by Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. • Built upon previous hand constructed work by using hi resolution scanning of paper ephemera • Use of photography integral and sourcing of suitable imagery becomes a priority • Copyright free sources from GIMP savvy and Flickr Commons • Ideas of story telling and narrative become relevant and important as the magazine format becomes more than just a “visual scrapbook” • VIEWER project complete after 8 issue and a printed “best of” issue 9 • Archive on Flickr here and Issuu here.
Pages from “VIEWER� Internet distributed magazine of Personal work (2006 - 2009) Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator & InDesign
“SUB” Personal work (2009) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Long Wave” Personal work (2009) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Twenty Thousand” Personal work (2009) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“The Crystal Lake” Personal work (2009) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“First Fold Records” Promotional illustrations for First Fold Records artists (2009) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
Project #2 - First Fold Artist Illustrations • Illustration brief to produce photographs for promotional imagery. Decided to get recording artists to submit there own photos that were then “remixed” • Some artists declined to submit photo so visual work was created around the play on the artists name and the sound of the music produced. • Illustrations produced on A4 with repeated visual elements - every image had a grid, cross, circle, a vector “scribble” and a fragment from a scanned image - all had a highly “textural” feel. • Ongoing project has developed but imagery still retain the idea of repeated visual elements although now in a less rigid, formal manner. • Full catalogue on flickr here.
“First Fold Records� Preliminary sketches, original images and finished designs (2009) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Magnetophone� Promotional illustration for First Fold Records artist (2009) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“A Small Party Of Pressure� Promotional illustration for First Fold Records artist (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Arc Vel� Promotional illustration for First Fold Records artist (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Amonism� Promotional illustration for First Fold Records artist (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“From the ashes of industry we rise...” Preliminary illustrations for First Fold (2010) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
Project #3 - “from the ashes of industry, we rise...” • Complete body of work of for CDs, design and illustration from concept to execution • “from the ashes of industry, we rise” was used as inspirational text and images were sourced from Flickr Commons. • Source imagery used explored themes of social photography, documentary photography (esp industrial and military) as well as any collection of imagery which initial purpose was now lost or insignificant. • Repeated uses of tone, texture composition across imagery. • Exhibition of work and short documentary video reproduced here • Photographs of exhibition here. • Full list of exhibits here
First Fold Series source material, CD covers and reverse for series #1 & #2 CDs (2010) Digital photographs (own work) , Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
Papa November - Book Two - The Well Download art for First Fold Records (2010) Photoshop &, Illustrator
The Resource Centre - The Resource Centre Series - EP1 Download art for First Fold Records Photoshop &, Illustrator
“The Only One To Return That Night” Personal work (2011) Photoshop & Illustrator
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“Chromastistes� Personal work (2011) Photoshop & Illustrator
Source images and finished illustrations Personal work (1999 - 2002) Photoshop & Illustrator
Source images and finished magazine adverts First Fold (1999 - 2002) Photoshop & Illustrator
“I do not want art for a few any more than I want education for a few, or freedom for a few” Pages for Premier Pli issue #1 (2011) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
Project #4 - Irreversible, Premier Pli & B.O.Y.D • Body of personal work developed with eBay sourced antique slides These number over 600 and are the output of an amateur photographer in the 1950’s to the 1970’s - mainly holidays and family holidays. A current set of the images scanned so far can be seen here. An ongoing project identifying locations in the slides using Google Streetmap can be seen here. • Developed into material for Premier Pli theme based art journal (2 issues) • Although images retain elements of previous work an attempt to mimic rough, hand cut imagery and a quick cut and paste aesthetic were achieved in response to the very considered and neat work from the previous project. The use of unknown but very personal imagery added a peculiar distance but also weight to the imagery. • Work was developed for First Fold and featured on CDs covers and live event posters.
“I don’t like nostalgia unless its my own” Covers & inner spreads for Premier Pli issue #2 (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Irreversable� Personal work based upon Ebay sourced box of slides (2011 - present) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Irreversable� Personal work based upon Ebay sourced box of slides (2011 - present) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Irreversable� Personal work based upon Ebay sourced box of slides (2011 - present) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Irreversable� Personal work based upon Ebay sourced box of slides (2011 - present) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Bring Out Your Dead� Poster and Flyer designs for First Fold Records live events (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Bring Out Your Dead� Poster and Flyer designs for First Fold Records live events (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“All the nice Japanese girls love a metal head” SoundKitchen Sketch (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
Project #5 - Soundkitchen • Commission to develop new visual identity for local experimental music promoters • Used Flickr commons to source imagery related to brief • Used newer cut and paste production with source images from older work • Imagery attempted to visually create the sound of the music that Soundkitchen might promote.
“Tutonic Tuba” SoundKitchen Sketch (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
“Waving & Raving To The Funnel Heads” SoundKitchen Sketch (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
Soundkitchen - initail pitch image and source photograph Poster and Flyer designs for Soundkitchen live events (2012) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
Soundkitchen 2013 SoundKitchen Poster (2013) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign
# 01 Noise & amplified tubas Thursday 28 February, 8pm Roadside Picnic / oRe / sZiLĂ Rd
# 02 Improvised music from Mopomoso Tuesday 23 April, 8pm evan PaRkeR tRio / aLex waRd & kay gRant duo / Pat tHoMas / Benedict tayLoR, david LeaHy & aLison BLunt In association with Sound and Music
# 03 Live electroacoustics Thursday 23 May, 8pm RoBeRt cuRgenven / anviL and stiRRuP and more
# 04 Jazz, improvisation and live electronics Thursday 18 July, 8pm LeaFcutteR JoHn / goniMoBLast and more
Tickets available from hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk Hare and Hounds 106 High st kings Heath B14 7tZ soundkitchenuk.org twitter.com/soundkitchenuk facebook.com/soundkitchenuk illustration by garethcourage.co.uk
Soundkitchen 2013 (with text) SoundKitchen Poster (2013) Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign