An Infestation

A daft little story spun out from several comments on the "What is Home?" questionnaire about sharing a house with animals. All in aid of subverting the Lakes Tourist Board's effort to get away from just hills, mountains and Beatrix Potter, of course!

Worlds

from the book/exhibition "What is Home ?"

Moving the map

From the "What Is Home?" exhibition/book (see sidebar - all proceeds to Kendal YWCA)

In the occupied West Bank, I've been told that it's common practice for the Israeli "settlers" to st up towns near Palestinian ones, with very similar names, and remove roadsigns, amenities, even roads, effectively wiping the older settlement from the map.

How to find Kendal YWCA - a mythical songline

To all seekers of my exhibition at Kendal this weekend, tread these steps from the Brewery Arts Centre, which is centre of all things Comic Art Festival-y (apart from those that are not).

Note, when using the photos as a guide, remember that buildings make better landmarks than people or pigeons do - as the latter may have moved since the photo was taken!

Stride forth from Brewery turning left/north-ish/uphill

This building was cursed for centuries with not being called "The Clock Tower", simply "The Town Hall". Ask a local where the Clock Tower doth lie, and they will pull a Face of Bemusement at you. Many riches lie within, purveyed by Sir Stephen of Holland and others, but pass it by for now if partaking of this quest.

Pass the Glazed Arbor of Unknown Significance on your left

And this soldier chap, who isn't very talkative. (Head down this street if pursuing Mike Medaglia, Gareth Hopkins, the Postcards, and several others...

If you approach this Unruly Boar, you've gone too far. Turn right immediately,...

...and scurry down this narrow pass before he gores you! 

Emerge into a most pleasing vale, wherein a tree ringed once by a Bench of Restfulness sits.

Pass through the gate, though the way is neither straight nor particularly narrow

Step across the back of the Would-be-a-rainbow-serpent-if-rainbows-were-black-white-and-yellow

Pass a Tall Tree (that doesn't go "Ni") 

go down this road (sorry, I'm running out of steam now...)

Behind this hedge lies a semi-circular crossword-comic hybrid of wonders!

"What Is Home?" : book of the exhibition

My exhibition has been put together as a book (disclaimer: I did it, it didn't just happen), containing re-flowed versions of the strips on both sides of the window, plus a new illustrated two-page story. It's available to purchase online,  and on sale in the Comics Clock Tower (aka Town Hall), and from the Foyer Cafe, where the exhibition runs until Sunday.

Window Trails

After setting up my own Window Trail, I took a stroll round the lovely town of Kendal to see what else was already in place. Here's my holiday snaps.

I'm excited to be part of this, and thanks to all the other participants for also taking part. Mounting my own exhibition's fun, mounting it as part of something bigger is funnerer.

Farrer's Tea & Coffee featuring Poblins by Jim Dog Art & Anthony Dixon

St. Patrick's C E Primary School doing Oxfam

Andy Poyiadgi's exhibition at Brew Brothers artisan cafe

Soutergate Gallery by RV Projects Group

Turning Point by Independence Studio feature recycling/fair trade superheroes 

Close-up of Soutergate

Brew bros. open late during festival for Tea-n-Poyiadgi connoisseurs

This is not part of the Window Trail, just standard window dec at an estate agents, but I'd like to do a comic that looks like this! (There's some cut-out paper style stuff at my exhibition at YWCA, getting into that look.)

A cartoon fox at white Stuff, where Mike Medaglia will have his exhibition (don't think it's up yet?) Look out for that, it's on sale for charity 

Iridium stationers, feat Gareth Hopkins' original take on "To Kill a Mockingbird", which he hasn't read!

Installation of the Exhibition

Follow up to the Process post from a couple of days ago.

I've been in Kendal today, at the Foyer Cafe run by YWCA Kendal, installing my exhibition (twice! "Washable" glue-spots didn't do the job, so I had to re-stick everything with "extra strong" after they started falling like little autumn leaves. The blobs are transparent, but just about visible from outside - special prize to the person who tells me which panel has the most blobs on it!)

Big thanks to Heather Lindsay, Resource Centre Manager at YWCA, for being available to let me in and help out. Also to Sandra from the festival Comic Art Trail, for dropping by and giving some good advice.

Phase 1 of the exhibition is now done. Phase 2 is in progress, and will be installed first thing Saturday morning before I go to improvise at Brewery Arts.

Bookmarks featuring work from the exhibition are on sale from the cafe, and the art/narratives will be collected into a book in time for the Festival weekend (and hopefully a bit sooner). All profits from these go to the YWCA Kendal.

Lot of glue spots harmed and swore at in the making of this exhibition!

I remember the day I came up with the idea of making a square with a lone panel in the centre - it's Deeply Significant, folks

Process: Exhibition

Last couple of days I hit that scary / exciting stage in the project where everything came off the computer, and got printed out. Finally giving me some notion of how the installation is going to be. Each square is 20cm roughly, there are 170 of them, laminated and mounted double-sided to be readable from inside or outside. 

I'm up in Kendal tomorrow setting it up. Will post some more photos when it's up.