Secret Seven Private View

Last night was the big launch for Secret 7" exhibition. It was a great night with a talk by the chief executive officer of War Child charity- which the whole project is raising money to, as well as drinks, music and live drawing by Day Job Studio!

We had a space with The Vinyl Library who were playing great tunes all night whilst we scribbled away making covers for all the tracks.

All visitors were given a chance to bring a record and get a new illustrated sleeve created on the spot for them, this lady happily took home my first drawing that evening so I quickly took a photo. 

Pastel Pictures

Here was a very strange fellow watching me sketch the streets of Clarouge. He offered me sweets (never take sweets from a stranger) and talked at me about pop music. When you're travelling by yourself I realised how little conversation you have with people so I appreciated this man's strange yet harmless speech.

Clarouge

I walked down Rue de Clarouge and found beautiful streets of cafes, bookshops, parks and open space with lots of people eating lunch. I was drawn to some of the shop signs, each so intricate and unique.

Nathalie

I made friends with a lovely lady Nathalie, who is friends with my Grampa! She works as a children's storyteller in Switzerland, I arranged to meet her in the scenic Lausanne just 30 minute train away from Geneva.

We spent hours talking in a lovely cafe near the Museum of Contemporary design about both our works within the arts and children and inventing stories with the unlimited imagination of children.

Nathalie's daughter made daisy chains and gave me one to wear I was honoured. This was my first day in Switzerland and was perfect to speak with such a lovely artist living in the country.

 Our daisy chain crowns and long hair match.

Saleve mountains

 The view from my apartment. The Mountains surround the city buildings, almost anywhere you go you can see the Savele or the Swiss Alps. I was often staring up at the mountains, thinking of the creatures and stories that could come from there.

Botanical Birds

 Birds! I was incredibly excited when wandering around the Botanical Gardens investigating poisonous and healing plants I stumbled upon a flock of birds...peacocks, white peacocks sitting in a tree.

And Flamingoes dipping in and out of the lake with their beaks. So elegant and rhythmical bopping up and down and twisting round and round.

With the shower of birds I was thrilled to see two black swans with bright red beaks, twisting and bending together making heart shapes with their elongated necks. I was amazed to see them so graciously intertwined.

Botanical Gardens

I visited the Botanical Gardens in Geneva, which wonderfully was free and full of gorgeous exotic plants. The greenhouses were beautiful old fashioned structures and had stalks and stems of plants gigantically growing all inside. I've never seen plants so big. Quite fittingly I took Hothouse by Brian Aldiss with me which I started reading on the plane home, it made this visit ever so alluring.. which a science fiction story of the planet being run by extremely deadly vegetables.

Coffee in the Square

Sitting in the old town of Geneva I spied on the locals sipping coffee in a busy alfresco cafe.

Geneva

Day Job Studio are in the process of making a holidays illustrated book, with pages of sketches, stories and anecdotes from 10 trips to foreign lands. All ten of us went travelling alone in research for our new book. Selfies were unavoidable we wanted to show proof, heres me at the infamous 'Jet d'Eau' but Genevan's hate the English calling it the 'Water Jet' it takes away any romanticism from it... but I guess thats just the english language after all..

Below is the old town Geneva view from the top of the magnificent Cathedral in the city. This was my last day in Switzerland, with the sun brightly shining down on my sketchbook the houses were glowing yellow and orange. 

I'm back

After a year or two?! I've decided I missed blogger.. Tumblr I couldn't keep up with you! I like the old fashioned ways of blogger and hope to find a love again in writing and sharing my photos, sketches and illustrations here with whoever might be interested.

So heres a little preview of some work I created recently for Secret 7"- visit their website showcasing 700 artists - including Antony Gormley, Jake & Dinos Chapman.. and the great Day Job Studio ;-) who all designed a record sleeve out of seven chosen tracks. All records are up for auction next weekend to raise money for War Child. Here's mine, but I can't say what record it is.. its a secret.. Look out for the biddings next weekend.