A couple of illustrations for a magazine article about Seattle's Hempfest.

Here's a piece I've just finished that I'm well chuffed with..... been thinking a lot lately how didactic and absolute stuff is these days, particularly in the media and how it presents information or opinions - you either see things one way, or the other; something is 'all about this' or 'all about that'; black or white - middle ground is seen as somehow lacking in integrity or taboo. I thought it'd be a fun thing to illustrate.

I've just taken on quite a hefty but very exciting new project, producing artwork and design for a forthcoming cricket website in collaboration with a web developer. Will keep you posted on developments yesyes......

Listen Against is back!!! Man, I'm chuffed, it's probably my favourite programme across all radio and TV - proper hilarious. Helps if you listen to Radio 4 anyway but either way it's comedy gold. Hurrah!

Stalwart dub and roots producer Dubmatix has a nice new album out; he's one of a refreshing minority in this scene who is evidently highly professional and forward-thinking, both in terms of the production and the promotion of his tunes, whilst still with a foot firmly in the foundation to keep the purists happy. Deep Root/Universal Egg also fall into this category - both have excellent web stores where you can also download a stack of ace tunes for free (hooray!) here and here.

In other news, I've just revolutionised listmaking, for myself at least..... if you really want to get something done from your 'to do' list, cross it off before you've done it.

Another new piece. Aren't elderflowers smashing?

Just made a little jaunt up t'smoke to see the Magnificent Maps exhibition at the British Library and The Printed Image in China at the British Museum. Both were very very interesting, and predominantly featured exhibits from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; I was amazed by cartographers' knowledge and accuracy in such times in the case of the former, and by how thoroughly modern the prints looked, both in style and condition, in the latter. I really loved the room of twentieth century prints (many with a highly political edge) and I'm sorry to say I was far more pleased than I should have been to learn that there's a printmaker called Wang Qing. The British Museum even had Kokerboom trees in its forecourt (Kew Gardens' South Africa exhibit)! Needless to say I got very excited took lots of photos.

The biggest huddles of people in the maps exhibition were around a cracking wartime map giving the worldwide lowdown on tea (it's great and everyone loves it), and Grayson Perry's meticulous and intruiging 'Map of Nowhere'; it would have been excellent to have had more along these lines (the sheer volume and variety of beautiful maps produced by contemporary illustrators could warrant a show in itself) as much of the exhibition favoured work of a similar, albeit significant, period, style and purpose. All in all, though, two fascinating exhibitions.

Just about to start a new show myself at the Claremont (just seen I'm top of the list! Get in) here in Brighton (Hove, actually) so check that out if you're in the area. Private view is this Sunday (12th September) from 3 till 5pm.

Thanks to another good Trick Music podcast, I'm very pleased to have discovered the gloriously off-kilter plinky-plonk music of Sebastien Leger, and have also been enjoying 4DA's output, RMS & Peak, Ajja, and revisiting all my lovely old metal. Choice.

A few more new pieces, including my entry for the AOI/Transport For London 'Cycling For London' illustration competition earlier in the Summer. I didn't win, unfortunately. Also some personal work based on funtimes in India. I've been slowly uploading photos from my trip to Flickr, so have a look there if you fancy. Doors and boats, mostly...

Whilst in Mumbai I managed to check out quite a lot of contemporary art, thanks to my excellent textile-designer friend with the local knowledge, Dimps. They've got some cracking galleries over there and a great buzz surrounding both local and international art. It was amazing how much it felt like being in London while going round some of the exhibitions! Three shows that really stood out for me were:

Pascale Mira Tschaeni / Michael Husmann Tschaeni / Aditya Pande: 'Was : Is' at Chatterjee & Lal Gallery - colourful, fun, playful and inventive work (some collaborative); every piece had a relaxed confidence that made for a snappy, dazzling show.

Mahesh Baliga: 'Confabulations' at Project 88 Gallery - second solo show of paintings and sculpture here from this young artist. Lots of lush paintings that brought to mind Peter Doig, Graham Dean and the late, great, Reggie Pedro. The exhibition is currently on show in their sister gallery, Gallerie 88, should you happen to be in Kolkata.

Narendra Yadav: 'Memory Minus Me' at Gallery Maskara - a really good solo exhibition of (very pleasingly) interactive sculptures and installations; not often my cup of tea (it did help being talked through every piece by the highly helpful gallery assistant) but the thought behind them all was interesting, succint (refreshingly free of hyperbolic waffle) and boldly executed, with a very considered aesthetic and degree of audience involvement. Fun, but thought-provoking - great stuff.

Other things I enjoyed in India were THE WILDLFE, all the hand-painted adverts, signs, trucks and so on (blimey!), the doors (naturally, and all the crumbly, peely paint and wood and wotnot - wabi sabi in full effect yo!), bus travel, swimming and cycling, chatting to Indians, reading the paper (such a treat to get such an insight into a country, in a language I understand!), riding 1st class at sunset on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, puri, dal fry, masala chai and Hello To The Queen (a soporific pudding if ever there was one). Ooh, and also reading 'Atonement' by Ian McEwan - one seriously sumptuous novel, among the best I've ever read; damn, that man can write. I also caught IPL fever good and proper and subsequently watched a lot more cricket on the telly than I probably should have done.

Some of the new Kokerboom imagery I've been working on.

Thought I'd post a few drawings from my sketchbook, from India, should you be wondering.

Hello. A sorely neglected blog you see before you. And there's a reason for that - I buggered off. Had meself a little adventure. I got a little disillusioned with things (projects over-running massively, not being paid - you know, the usual nonsense) in the midst of a quiet spell, and found myself getting a little stagnant in my work, so I took a few months off and went to India. Gosh it was good. Fascination in every direction, stuff just everywhere, amazing stuff, and exactly what I needed. I'm still sorting through lots and lots of photos and producing a load of artwork based on some of the things I saw, some of which I shall post up very soon, but for now have a few shots from Glastonbury. Being the 40th anniversary of the festival it was suitably immense and full to bursting with all manner of bonkers things and music and colour in absolutely all directions, much like India (I went ten years ago and remember being occasionally overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the whole thing and by the ridiculous abundance of entertainment, this year even (much) more so. I guess cultural gluttony is par for the course these days; I must be getting old (that's not to say I'm complaining, far from it, it's just mental). I was there with the TNT crew who provided the hottest late night entertainment on site with their Snakepit venue in the Shangri-La field - loads of fun. Oh, and it was baking. All weekend. Excellent.

I've also made a couple of cracking trips out west (of which a few photos will follow shortly) and have generally been having fun producing a load of personal work - experimenting, pleasing myself and developing my style, and hence overhauling my portfolio with a stack of fresh, solid and exciting new work. I've also been enjoying getting busy with the elderflowers, playing tennis in some very decent weather, and gently grooving away to the sounds of Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate (In the Heart of The Moon - my god, now there's an album to get swept away in), Baaba Maal, Dousk, Fearsome Engine, Bon Iver, Dennis Bovell, Kanka & Orchestra Baobab.

Whilst on the subject of music, I'm very chuffed to say I've just joined Wonk#ay Records, both as a recording artiste and as a label DJ for their Wonk#ay Dub Foundation. Jolly exciting news, and as such I've been revamping the Kokerboom identity, producing a new logo, promo imagery and so on. Again, I'll be posting up some selections in the next week or so. Check the interwebz below for more details and keep your eyes and ears peeled for some hot upcoming releases and events from Wonk#ay in the near future.....

Wonk#ay link
Kokerboom link

Hello again! Here's a selection of some recent work...

Hello! Busy times...... I'm having a great summer so far. A bit of everything, and finding inspiration from all kinds of sources. Living where I do is really coming into its own, with the beach on my doorstep providing endless opportunities for pleasure - games of petanque, barbecues, and some gorgeous swims. I interrupted my cooking the other evening to have a little dip, and it turned out to be one of the nicest swims I've had - I had the sea to myself, it was beautifully calm, very warm, and as I swam out I could see a deep red sunset over the town, which was reflected in the (nearly full) moon that was rising, huge and pink, over the pier in the other direction. To cap it all off, as I made my way back up the beach afterwards, there was a group of people doing Tango dancing on the newly renovated bandstand. The bandstand itself is a triumph - a fantastic new landmark after aeons covered up by boards, and with brass bands playing every Sunday. Excellent.

If I'm in a slightly 'floral' mood it's because I'm on quite a high having just returned from my friends' wedding in Norfolk - one of the most amazing weekends I've ever had and everything a wedding should be. I'm in the midst of doing some personal work inspired by the weekend and I'll post the results on here soon - don't worry, nothing soppy - just based on an aspect that's stuck in my mind.....! I'm also working on another personal/promo piece on a certain topical issue that's been lots of fun - it'll see the light of day shortly and hopefully I'll be able to licence it for some use or other in the coming months......

Anyway, some new work for your perusal - a few pieces I did for a new one-shot magazine out this month called Cycling Active, and the cover for the outstanding new album by Slackbaba on Liquid Records - out this Autumn, as well as some artwork for my dub outfit Kokerboom. I hope ya dig 'em! I'm currently working on some new stuff (diagrams essentially) for my favourite regular client, Elaine Colomberg. If ever you fancy some excellent Thai Massage in the Brighton area, do check her out.

http://www.embodyforyou.com/EB/?k=178956
http://www.evolutionarts.co.uk/hc_thai_massage.html

Tune-wise I can heartily recommend the new Trick Music compilation 'Abra Macabre' (see what they did there?) and the Third Ear Audio album on Dubmission, and am also enjoying excellent stuff from Nyboma, Balkan Beat Box, Gregory Isaacs, Sepultura, Manasseh, etc.... I also seem to be developing a taste for minimal techno and am very excited by the prospect of new albums from Earthling, Clutch and Muse. Hurrah!

http://www.edtucker.biz
http://www.liquid-records.com
http://www.myspace.com/kokerboom

Springtime in Brighton, ahhh, lovely. The blossom's out, the air is fresh and everybody's feeling fine. It also means the May festival is only round the corner, offering much excitement. I'm exhibiting once again at the rather splendid 5 star Claremont on Second Avenue in Hove, as part of the Open Houses festival. So, drop by any weekend in May (except the last one) and have a look round - a fine collection of over 200 pieces of excellent contemporary art n wotnot, with a lovely garden to enjoy a Pimm's in to boot. Smashing. I'll be showing some new limited edition prints - three commissioned pieces and three brand new personal pieces, which I've really enjoyed doing. There's a sneak preview above.....

In other news, I'm now represented by the very excellent Rarekind Agency, which is exciting. Formally of Brighton Town, they're now based in East London and have a cracking gallery and shop at 49 Bethnal Green Road - check it out!

Currently working on illustrations for a CD cover, a club flyer and a private commission for a painting, which will make a nice change, and listening to large doses of Oliver Mtukudzi and the Gladiators.




http://www.edtucker.biz/

http://www.hovearts.co.uk/venues/Claremont.html

http://rarekindagency.blogspot.com/