Looks like I'll be out of action for a couple of weeks.

No blogging for me. My PC has decided that it's had enough. Once I can get it to boot up, which is once in every third or fourth attempt, it operates really erratically. It over heats and I have to run it with the side panel off the base unit in order to keep it cool. In light of these problems I have ordered myself a brand new all singing, all dancing Dell base unit. It's about three or four years since I upgraded the old box of tricks. I usually build my own (which is why I know that mine has had it - memory problems) but to be honest it is just as cheap these days to buy one ready built.

This also means that, what with my two weeks off decorating, I'll have had no time to prepare new work for my studio visits. Argh! Once the new box arrives it'll be at least a week until it is set up to my liking. But I'll try to do some sketching and post to Skine Art.

I'm back at work on Monday and I have had a text today from a friend which reported that Swine Floo is in the office.

Great.

Today is the start of two weeks and two days of annual leave.

I'd like to say that it'll be two weeks and two days of rest and relaxation, of sketching and working up some new ideas for pictures, of doing whatever I damn well please. I'd like to say that but in actual fact I'm going to spend two weeks and two days fixing up the old home stead.

It's been about five years since Helen and I refurbished the place and now it's starting to get a bit tired. It's now or never and never is not an option.

So, I'll post when I can and work IF I can. But mostly I'll be building and painting and hammering and plastering and...

the list goes on.

I've just signed up for Twitter and have absolutely no idea how to use it.

This was mainly to follow Tom Wild's updates on the Lucidity book, although I'm having trouble finding him. Think I'll try following Barack Obama, see what he's up to.

I'm also going to try a little experiment. I have noticed from my stats that the most frequent hits are from folks searching for Carl Malden references. I mentioned him in a really early post here. I'm going to post a list of ten items that folks might be using Google to find today to see what happens. Here goes:

Michael Jackson (obviously).
Barack Obama.
Armed police.
McDonalds.
Mobile phone ring tones.
Epson printers.
Water rationing.
Eye surgery.
Cat litter.
New red shoes.

I'll post the results here in a week.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Green Door were hosting an International Print exchange. I had planned to submit a design based around one of my Lucha Libré characters. Unfortunately this just wasn't working out. I think that the size constraint of the print, 10cm x 10cm was just too fine for the image. I agonised long and hard over this (for a bit anyway) and decided to do this instead. I have recently re-vamped my web site and this is part of the new logo that I designed for it. Worked out really well.

Boy, was that hard work?

Setting up the exhibition on Friday was a bit of a task. The room that we had, top floor of Cafe Zen, was, well, a bit grubby. So before Anna, Pan, Nat, Chris and myself could even start to hang the work there was a bit of cleaning and tarting up to be done. To be honest, I didn't think that we would be done in time but, as usual, everything came together at the end. Man, was I knackered? I found out that we actually have the space for a whole year so the pieces should change periodically. There are some pics here on Flickr.

Had two pieces of news today.

Firstly the show at Café Zen is being set up on Friday. There's a private viewing on Saturday, from which I should have some photo's, and it's set to run from the 22nd for public viewing. If you're in the local vicinity, go check it out.

The next item of news is that my work will be included in a book. How cool is that? The book is called Lucidity and it's been put together by a guy called Tom Wild and showcases the work of artists from all over the world. Tom has had numerous requests for copies of the book from design agencies so you never know...

I'm doubly excited about this because one of the artists included along with yours truly is Tommy Kane. I've followed this guy for a while and really dig his work.

The Café Zen show is running a little behind. Actually, I think I was premature with the announcement. It should take place the week of the 22nd June onward (for a couple of weeks I think). At least I'm all ready, I'm usually late for things, or down to the wire at any rate. In the mean time I'm updating my web site and working on some other items, new prints etc. There is an international print exchange organised by Green-Door and I thought that I might submit this. It's only a small image, 10cm x 10cm, but it should look nice once its printed.

I'm ready...

for the show at Café Zen. As any reader of this blog will know, and yes I do have a few readers, I have been working on these images for a while now (a quick check tells me it was back in February when I started work on these). And, drum roll please, here they are, framed and ready to hang either next Thursday or Friday. I'll be dropping them off at Green-Door tomorrow ready for the big day. This'll be my first real show participation since way back in 2003. I have to say that I am really excited. I had to take a quick snap of the little blighters just to see what they look like together and I think they look the dogs. But then I would wouldn't I.

These four prints are in editions of fifty, printed on acid free 300gsm paper and, should anyone fancy one, are available for £85 each (p+p to be advised - UK and world wide).

This a redux of 'Beetlebum', a print that I thought I had finished back in January. I was never completely satisfied with the finished article so, when I was approached by someone recently who had asked for a copy, I tool the opportunity to have another stab at it. The original was executed in three tones of blue which, while o.k.,always seamed a little flat. I decided to take out the darkest shade of blue and replace it with black. I also added an out line to the typographic elements. If you compare this with the original I hope you'll agree that the changes are for the better.

This is an edition of 20, 28cm x 19cm and is available for the princely sum of £50 (+£5 postage in the U.K.). Anyone interested in obtaining a copy can contact me at mail/remove/@mickstatham.com

So, this is how it goes...

First prep the screens and expose the image.

Fix the screen into the press


Ink it up and make a registration print

If everything's good, add more ink and start printing

Before you know it you have a row of lovely prints.

O.K. so it's not that simple. I just didn't take enough pictures.