Pick Me Up Selects – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | Pick Me Up Graphic Arts Festival 2013: A Review of Illustration Collectives

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- day job victoria willmott
Bird by Victoria Willmott.

In the upstairs section of the Embankment Galleries at Pick Me Up are housed a plethora of hand-picked collectives, some of which have had a presence in previous years, some of which are new for 2013. The section begins with a superb display by Day Job, a collaboration between ten recent Camberwell graduates who share a studio in Peckham, South London, some of whom I recognised.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- Charlotte Mei
Charlotte Mei‘s idiosyncratic pottery was a stand out feature at her graduate show: for Pick Me Up she has created a whole fleet of cars, characterful naked ladies in contorted positions, a pizza with strange toppings and a host of other animals. Brilliant stuff!

Pick Me Up London 2013 review-Charlene Man
I loved all of the prints by Charlene Man, and I was also tempted by her pastel painted wooden blocks for Snarfle, but feared he might chew the patterns off.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review - human after all tshirt

Human After All is the latest brainwave from Danny Miller and friends. As promotion for their newly launched creative agency they are hosting a space where you can construct your own #facestamp, to be applied to a t-shirt, with eye-catching results.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review-zombie collective maggie li

Zombie Collective is five illustrators: their interactive cog machine is a splendid addition to the gallery, spitting out gifts for lucky punters. Maggie Li‘s beautiful house print really caught my eye, as did this politely sleeping fox by Frann Preston-Gannon. Also for sale, some sweet acrylic treats.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- print club london
Print Club London are hosting the main room with a chance to help create a ‘living wallpaper’ drawn by the likes of Fred Butler and Margot Bowman. It looks like the just the place to hang out with the kids: give Snarfle a few years and we’ll be there!

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- nelly duff dan hillier

Columbia Road‘s Nelly Duff gallery have created perhaps the most spectacular room, where artworks and specially commissioned wall decals on a ‘flower show’ theme combine to stunning effect. Of particular note: Dan Hillier‘s foil blocked lady, curlicued skulls courtesy of Sweet Toof, and a skull print by Various and Gould (seen above in situ on a doorway just off Brick Lane).

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- soma gallery peskimo
Back for a second year running Soma Gallery are showcasing a wide selection of prints by long running collaborators such as Peskimo and Tom Frost, as well as newbies such as Telegramme Studio and Hazel Nicholls. I particularly loved these 3D wooden gum ball artworks by Peskimo.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review-el famoso
Unlimited Collective is a print company based in Brighton. Taking pride of place in their busy space is a huge yellow tattooed man, complete with hipster moustache. All over tattoos continue to be the badge of the uber cool, but if you’re too chicken to go the whole hog yourself then artwork by El Famoso might be just the ticket instead.

Jessie Ford black bear on bike
I was so taken by a black bear on a tiny tricycle by Jessie Ford that I bought one on a whim – it will go up in Snarfle‘s room: something more to growl at.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- helen musselwhite

Handsome Frank is an illustration agency that has done a great job of snapping up brilliant up and coming illustrators, including many that have featured in these pages (Lesley Barnes, Tim McDonagh, Sarah Maycock). Some of my favourite works on display at their interactive stand include a stunning paper gatehouse by Helen Musselwhite, a curious character by Emily Robertson, sleeping log gremlins by Matt Saunders and a wonderful knight on a horse by Lesley Barnes.

Read my review of Pick Me Up Selects here, and if you are unable to check out Pick Me Up in person make sure you check out all the talent above online. Full listing information here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday April 26th, 2013 2:24 pm

Categories ,#facestamp, ,2013, ,Camberwell College of Arts, ,Charlene Man, ,Charlotte Mei, ,Collectives, ,Columbia Road, ,Dan Hillier, ,Danny Miller, ,Day Job, ,El Famoso, ,Embankment Galleries, ,Emily Robertson, ,Frann Preston-Gannon, ,Fred Butler, ,Handsome Frank, ,Hazel Nicholls, ,Helen Musselwhite, ,Human After All, ,illustration, ,Jessie Ford, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Maggie Li, ,Margot Bowman, ,Matt Saunders, ,Nelly Duff, ,Peskimo, ,Pick Me Up, ,Pick Me Up Selects, ,Print Club London, ,Sarah Maycock, ,Snarfle, ,Soma Gallery, ,Somerset House, ,Sweet Toof, ,Telegramme, ,Telegramme Studio, ,Tim McDonagh, ,Tom Frost, ,Unlimited Collective, ,Various and Gould, ,Victoria Willmott, ,Zombie Collective

Amelia’s Magazine | Pick Me Up Graphic Arts Festival 2013: Pick Me Up Selects Review

Pick Me Up London 2013 review-MaricorMaricar donut
Banana vs Donut by MaricorMaricar.

Each year I look forward to exploring new graphic art and illustration talent at Pick Me Up, and so it was that I trundled along to Somerset House this Sunday, skirting the Marathon on the Embankment to enjoy a relatively quiet visit. First up, some of my favourite pieces from Pick Me Up Selects, the opening section where new talent is given a brilliant showcase.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review-MaricorMaricar banana
MaricorMaricar are twins who work out of Sydney in Australia – I loved their beautiful typography created with delicate embroidery, but my favourite pieces had to be their tiny artworks featuring surreal images and puns. A banana doing a somersault through a donut? Why not?!

Pick Me Up London 2013 review-Tom Edwards lion
University of Brighton graduate Tom Edwards displayed a whole wall of domestic cats and wildcats – a big hit with Snarfle, who likes to growl at anything that could potentially be a lion.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review-Katie Scott Snake
I instantly recognised the intricate work of Katie Scott, who I first spotted at her graduate show in 2011 – she makes delicate patterned artworks that remind me of old fashioned classroom anatomical aids. I’m glad to see she’s had a busy few years, creating artwork for the likes of New York Times and Phaidon.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- Malarky
Malarky is an interesting choice for Pick Me Up, best known to many as a street artist who paints bright big toothed animals all over walls and shop fronts in east London. We couldn’t resist a little print titled Hotpot Snottini, which features one of his beasties inside a 70s casserole dish. Strange and wonderful.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- PingsZoo
Ping Zhu goes by the very apt moniker Ping’s Zoo – loved this jungle scene, erupting with animal activity. As a follower mentioned on instagram, I love how you don’t see all the beasties straight away.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- Hattie Stewart
We will be posting an exclusive interview with self confessed professional doodler Hattie Stewart shortly. Hattie channels the spirit of pop artists such as Keith Haring to transform glossy high fashion magazine. The likes of Vogue, Pop and Love are given outrageous makeovers, the models acquiring colourful leopard print skin and cartoonish eyes.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- Daniel Frost
I was struck by a wall of marvellous miniatures by RCA graduate Daniel Frost, who works his stick figures in bold primary colours. Each little vignette and model is a part of his imaginary Frostville, where the strangeness of everyday life is celebrated.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- William Goldsmith
Delicate watercolour people populate narrative illustrations by the Glasgow based William Goldsmith – these are a sneak peak at pages which feature in his upcoming graphic novel The Bind.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review-Rob Flowers squid king
The popularity of risograph prints shows no sign of waning, and their instantly recognisable muted neon colour palette was present throughout Pick Me Up. We were so smitten with this Squid King that we bought him, a bargain at £10. Rob Flowers (above and below) is inspired by mythology, folklore, early fast food merchandising and the surreal. His wall was a riot of monsters and mushrooms in a zingy range of colours.

Pick Me Up London 2013 review- Rob Flowers mushroom
Above I have covered the artists whose artworks I captured reasonably well in photos (not easy, when trying to carry a squealing baby at the same time, I’ve discovered), but there are many more of mention: fabulous Kama Sutra inspired typography by Malika Favre, surreal 3D installations by Anna Lomax, brilliant crayon portraits by Damien Florébert Cuypers, stunning retro style minimalist art inspired by everyday activities (such as painting toenails) from Sarah Vanbelle and delicate dreamlike fantasy environments by You Byun. Coming soon: my round up of the best of the rest of Pick Me Up. Make sure you catch the last few days if you haven’t already been: full listing here… Read last year’s review of Pick Me Up Selects here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday April 23rd, 2013 12:11 pm

Categories ,Anna Lomax, ,Damien Florébert Cuypers, ,Daniel Frost, ,Frostville, ,Graphic Art, ,Hattie Stewart, ,Hotpot Snottini, ,illustration, ,Kama Sutra, ,Katie Scott, ,keith haring, ,Malarky, ,Malika Favre, ,MaricorMaricar, ,New York Times, ,phaidon, ,Pick Me Up, ,Pick Me Up Selects, ,Ping Zhu, ,Pings Zoo, ,rca, ,Risograph, ,Rob Flowers, ,Sarah Vanbelle, ,Snarfle, ,Somerset House, ,Squid King, ,sydney, ,The Bind, ,Tom Edwards, ,University of Brighton, ,William Goldsmith, ,You Byun

Amelia’s Magazine | Pick Me Up London 2014: graphic arts exhibition review

This year I went along to the Pick Me Up exhibition at Somerset House on a quiet weekday, giving me plenty of space to walk around the exhibits and chat to people along the way. In the Pick Me Up Selects area I was delighted to find many familiar names, including some recent graduates. Here’s a few of my favourites: there were many more so do check out this page.

This cheeky airplane is by Edward Cheverton, a recent graduate of the University of Brighton. He specialises in deceptively naive collages and mini sculptures.

Billy (otherwise known as Alex Godwin) divides her time between the UK and Germany, creating distinctive iconographic artwork with a playful edge.

Jack Hudson graduated from UWE a few years ago. I love the way he plays with scale in images such as Wibble Wobble, above.

Finnish designer Linda Linko mixes fine art with illustration and graphic design in large scale abstract artworks.

Moving upstairs, there were lots of exciting artworks to be discovered on the stands hosted by collectives and galleries. Works by Becky Liddiard caught my eye on two walls; firstly on this repurposed plate featuring a pair of horses, and then with her Mushroom Botanic risograph.

I first discovered Margaux Carpentier at Pick Me Up in 2011 and more recently I’ve been following her on instagram, where she posts pictures of her highly patterned animals. At the Animaux Circus sign painting stand I admired her work in progress, a war squaw for the Puck Collective shields project.

Other works that I loved included Doing the Dictator Dance, by Alec Doherty, who is currently showing in 80s Youth, an exhibition curated by Printer of Dreams.

Moving onto the next floor I discovered this gigantic artwork by Malarky at Beach London.

At the Unlimited stand a super sized gem print by Paul Farrell grabbed my attention.

Over at Outline Artists I was introduced to new works by Hvass & Hannibal – including this awesome jungle print.

Andreas Neophytou produced this intriguing abstract print on lovely paper in conjunction with GF Smith.

Isn’t this Roller Disco Girl awesome? Owner Camilla was kind enough to offer me a print of my choice, and I chose these Toucans, also by Jessica Das: she must be one of my favourite finds from this year’s Pick Me Up.

Over at the Handsome Frank stand I admired this lady riding a tiger, by the wonderful Lesley Barnes.

Skull, rainbows, clouds, stormy seas… papercuts by Helen Musselwhite are so damn clever.

I love to read Paul Thurlby’s Alphabet book with Snarfle. Paul Thurlby has an idiosyncratic ‘retro modern’ style that is brilliantly realised in this ace musical pussycat print.

On my way out I was introduced to the delights of bag making with Sally Walton of Carry-a-Bag – a business she set up in response to the vast amount of plastic bags that are only ever used once. Thanks to the involvement of Outline Artists visitors were invited to choose a fabric design from the newly relaunched Heal’s Fabrics collection. Like many others I chose the fabulous Peacock design by Malika Favre. Since it was the end of my visit and I was unable to wait for the bag to be made up they kindly offered to send it to me and it arrived promptly in the post a few days after. What a delightful surprise.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday May 7th, 2014 5:22 pm

Categories ,2014, ,80s Youth, ,Alec Doherty, ,Alex Godwin, ,Andreas Neophytou, ,Animaux Circus, ,Beach London, ,Becky Liddiard, ,Billy, ,Carry-a-Bag, ,Doing the Dictator Dance, ,Edward Cheverton, ,GF Smith, ,Graphic Art, ,Handsome Frank, ,Heals, ,Helen Musselwhite, ,Hvass & Hannibal, ,illustration, ,Jack Hudson, ,Jessica Das, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Linda Linko, ,Malarky, ,Malika Favre, ,Margaux Carpentier, ,Mushroom Botanic, ,Outline Artists, ,Paul Farrell, ,Paul Thurlby’s Alphabet, ,Peacock, ,Pick Me Up, ,Pick Me Up Selects, ,Printer of Dreams, ,Puck Collective, ,review, ,Roller Disco Girl, ,Sally Walton, ,Somerset House, ,Toucans, ,Unlimited, ,Wibble Wobble

Amelia’s Magazine | Pick Me Up Selects 2015 Review

Laura Callaghan 2
Pick Me Up is back! Here’s my run down of the twelve artists and illustrators chosen to exhibit as Pick Me Up Selects: this year the emphasis was on process as much as outcome, which meant a healthy selection of wildly different styles. Which is your favourite? Let the inspiration sharing begin…

Guarab Thakali
I was extremely pleased to see Gaurab Thakali chosen to showcase a series inspired by Prohibition America for Pick Me Up Selects, having loved his narrative work at the Camberwell graduate show last year (read my review here).

Thomas Lamadieu creates surreal work by working into the spaces on photos that show the upward views of skyscrapers.

Illustrator Laura Callaghan titles her work with names such as Sweat, Gorge and Stasis. Her amazing maximalist artworks feature strong women surrounded by minute details that invite the viewer into a story. She is showing a series inspired by Dante’s Inferno (see also the opening image).

Peter Judson displayed a huge image of Somerset House alongside detailed crops to show juicy abstract details.

Hattie Newman is a paper sculpture specialist – loved this intricately cut tableaux of Miami.

Like some mad scientist Luke Evans makes artwork from jolts of static electricity fired from an old laser printer, resulting in oddly beautiful abstract patterns. Luke studied graphic design and photography, which has informed his clean aesthetic – prints are accompanied by a stylish video showcasing his techniques.

Zoe Taylor is a Royal College of Art graduate who creates atmospheric hand painted vignettes that call to mind stills from movies.

I think these cute inkblot animals might be goats! Rop van Mierlo lets chance take effect in his fluid paintings.

Detailed graphite drawings by Jennifer Argo are inspired by the patterns in glaciers, worked from large format photographs.

Swedish illustrator Sara Andreasson creates awesome work that is focused on bodies – using simple shapes in cut out paper to create bold images in a simple yet eye catching colour palette.

French designer Laura Jouan layers textures in an exploration of poster making.

Jake Cunningham
Finally, these cute dinos are by Jack Cunningham, who is an animation and illustration graduate from Kingston Uni.

All of these images were first shared on my instagram feed. Pick Me Up 2015 continues until 4th May at Somerset House, more details here. More favourite finds to come soon!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday May 1st, 2015 12:29 pm

Categories ,2015, ,Dante’s Inferno, ,Gaurab Thakali, ,Gorge, ,Graphic Art, ,Hattie Newman, ,illustration, ,Jack Cunningham, ,Jennifer Argo, ,Laura Callaghan, ,Laura Jouan, ,Luke Evans, ,Miami, ,Peter Judson, ,Pick Me Up Selects, ,review, ,Rop van Mierlo, ,Royal College of Art, ,Sara Andreasson, ,Somerset House, ,Stasis, ,Sweat, ,Thomas Lamadieu, ,Zoe Taylor

Amelia’s Magazine | Pick Me Up Contemporary Graphic Art Fair 2012: Pick Me Up Selects Review

Pick Me Up 2012 - Zim & Zou
Pick Me Up Selects – Zim & Zou.

There is one major problem with a trip to Pick Me Up contemporary graphic art fair: the vast choice of amazing artwork. Where then does one start when writing a review, or making a purchase for the wall? From what I hear most people come away with far more than they planned to, so make sure you set yourself a realistic budget before you go in. You have been warned…

Pick Me Up 2012 -Zeloot
Pick Me Up Selects – Zeloot.

The ground floor entrance is this year devoted to Pick Me Up Selects, the work of up and coming artists who have been chosen by a group of industry insiders, including Camilla Parsons of Outline Editions, John O’Reilly of Varoom Magazine and Angharad Lewis of Grafik Magazine. I was delighted by this year’s selection, which seemed more diverse and truly representative of little known artists than has been true in previous years. Here’s my highlights: some new discoveries as well as old favourites!

Pick Me Up 2012 - Zim & Zou
First up are some stunning neon and metallic papercut artworks by a duo: Zim & Zou, who are Lucie Thomas of the UK and Thibault Zimmerman, now working together in Nancy, France.

It was great to see work that has a distinct if not overt fashion illustration flavour: Riikka Sormunen‘s background in fashion design is evident in her intricate narrative pictures of elegantly dressed women.

Niki Pilkington
Similarly Nikki Pilkington combines fine pencil drawn figures with colourful collaged details.

Pick Me Up 2012 -http://mcdonaghillustration.com/
Opposite this are pictures by Tim McDonagh, a graduate of the University of Westminster whom I raved about when I discovered him at his graduate show in 2010. I am not sure how his mind works but as this detail shows it must be a complicated place.

Next up, another familiar face. The New York based illustrator Yoko Furusho features in my first book Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration, and her beautiful work is looking as uniquely fantastic as ever.

Sarah maycock bear
Sarah Maycock is another artist who I spotted at the Kingston University graduate show last year: I even own my very own screenprinted version of her fox! #luckyme

Pick Me Up 2012 -matthew the horse

Matthew the Horse is the zany pseudonym of a graduate from Bath Spa University. He is inspired by language and feelings and his very yellow collection of images is based around jobs and identities. I especially like the hyacinth bulbs and a curious monkey.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Sac Magique
There is definitely a strain of 80s inspired illustration coming through at the moment – Finnish designer Sac Magique is one example…

Pick Me Up 2012 -Martin Nicolausson
as is Swedish designer Martin Nicolausson, who veers ever more towards the surreal.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Zeloot

I was also most taken with psychedelic work by Dutch designer Zeloot that has a distinct 60s flavour in both colour and content. She likes designing within the limitations of silk screenprinting.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Kristjana S Williams
Kristjana S Williams is the creative director of Beyond the Valley so you may well already be familiar with her magical landscapes created out of collage and metallic elements.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Sarah Beeston
Australian illustrator Sarah Beeston studied at Falmouth College of Arts before settling in London, where she became preoccupied with politics and perversities of popular culture. She is creating live portraits at Pick Me Up every day!

Pick Me Up 2012 -Yuko Michishita
S for Shells by Yuko Michishita is a beautiful example of handdrawn typography, a swirl of intricate pen lines.

And then it’s on upstairs, where a host of collectives have been invited to display their wares in the long gallery space… find out who to catch in my next instalment…. in the meantime check out my listings for recommended workshops and talks.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Saturday March 24th, 2012 12:15 am

Categories ,2012, ,60s, ,80s, ,Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration, ,Angharad Lewis, ,Bath Spa University, ,Beyond the Valley, ,Camilla Parsons, ,Falmouth College of Arts, ,Fashion Illustration, ,Grafik magazine, ,illustration, ,John O’Reilly, ,Kingston University, ,Kristjana S Williams, ,Lucie Thomas, ,Martin Nicolausson, ,Matthew the Horse, ,Niki Pilkington, ,Outline Editions, ,Papercraft, ,Pick Me Up London, ,Pick Me Up Selects, ,review, ,Riikka Sormunen, ,Sac Magique, ,Sarah Beeston, ,Thibault Zimmerman, ,Tim McDonagh, ,Type, ,University of Westminster, ,Varoom Magazine, ,Yoko Furusho, ,Yuko Michishita, ,Zeloot, ,Zim & Zou

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