New Project Coming Soon...

Since last November I have been burning the midnight ink and brandishing my Biros to create art for a new commercial project!  With product design involved a new project needed a new logo.  Before I reveal the project, I can give you a clue that it features animals in part! 

It didn't take long for the lightbulb to illuminate above Lily my dog and muse; I would use her image within the logo design. Whilst the project is celebratory in context, I have also tried to stay true to my art practice, which explores loss generated by human destruction.  I therefore wanted to impress a personal aspect within the logo.



I created Lily in 2008 using black Biro.  The drawing was the first in a series for the body of work Tales from the East, which became part of my installation The Woodcutter's Cottage.  The installation explored the fallout of war.  Film is always a huge inspiration to my work and part of my working method involves photographing films as they play, to gain inspirational images.  For this project I concentrated on WWII documentaries.  All too familiar footage of refugees escaping war, feature in many WWII documentaries.  In one particular film I watched French refugees melded in a painful procession, which flowed for miles along a country road.  Horses and carts, wheelbarrows and even prams loaded with treasured possessions, were guided passed the film maker by harrowed individuals.  I spotted a dog walking alongside its owner who was leading a laden horse and cart.  The film cut to a scene showing the destruction of a town where a dog was foraging for food amongst the rubble. 

I imagined people frantically grabbing what they could carry from their homes, as war came to their doorsteps. Some perhaps called out for their dogs and when they didn't come, were forced to flee without them. The distress experienced over the loss of their companions was unimaginable. I looked at Lily draped over her favourite chair.

Girl holding her dog, Warsaw 1939 Julien Bryan - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Inspired by that documentary, Lily was a year old when I made the drawing of her lying on the armchair.  I removed the chair from the composition to signify pets left at home alone during war, the familiarities of their daily routines, extinguished forever.  

Lily and I are entwined in this new logo which hopefully encapsulates the sentiment behind my new project, soon to be revealed!