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Windmill Brae: Ode to Aberdeen jobby

I was asked by a friend to make a flyer for a night in a place called Origin on Windmill Brae in Aberdeen. I lived there a few years ago. I have used the painting I did for this flyer in a zine I made for sale at HAND MADE AND BOUND on November 1st 2009 in St Aloysius Social Club 20 Phoenix Rd, London, NW1 1TA‎. Many thanks to Rosie who has organised a stall for us.



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Drawn for Dracule

Working on a sequence.
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1897 rail map and symbols for Dracula



For 'everything' task: Dante's Inferno, symbols of loss, superstions, religeons, Whitby Abbey and rail map of London dated 1897. Focus is now on trances, hallucinations and madness.









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Elective day is on Friday

After a relatively prolific discussion about theory, practice, the constructed concept of aesthetics and the benefits of reflection and analysis on practice, I was thus introduced to my elective of digital environments. Which was good. I have set up a blog especially for this part of the course and this kind discussion aptly named POSITIVE NON POSITIVE: http://positivenonpositive.blogspot.com/




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Mutate Britain featuring TWIGFACE

Tonight is the private view of MUTATE BRITAIN. A highly prolific event/exhibition of outstanding initiative and innovation that has been steadily growing underneath the Westway near Ladbrook Grove station. Ive seen it mutate over the last few weeks and it's looking exceptional. Its put together by the Mutoide Waste Co who brought you TRASH CITY. The people involved are fascinating and have done some outrageous, wonderful things. Im glad to be involved with them and to have seen all the other artists generate such an interesting space. Its going from 9th-25th of October 2009. There is lots of time for you to visit. Here is their blog


AND! You can purchase a beautiful giclee print of TWIGFACE (the owl I painted) here, the Mutate Britain online store! 






























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IN RECEIPT: A very thin layer of conventional thermal sensitive material

It has recently been drawn to my attention that most receipts are not printed using ink. The information displayed on most receipt paper is infact transferred onto the 'paper' which is coated with a very thin layer of conventional thermal sensitive material. The information is created by a light (heat) source 'spelling out' the information onto the surface, causing a physical fusion process to take place in the thin thermal sensitive layer part of the surface (e.g. of the receipt paper) where by the areas exposed to the light source melt rapidly and assume a change in pigmentation. The trick lies in the fact that the change in pigmentation only takes place when in liquid state and the heat makes the thermal sensitive layer change phase from solid to liquid. This change is permanent when it cools and re-solidifys, which happens quickly. The faster it cools, the more lasting the effect. The side of the paper with out the coating is left unchanged.


Anyway, this for me was astounding. I had a most exciting day playing with light bulbs, lighters, kettles and this has been right in front of me all along. People bang on about thermal transfer printers all the time and yet no penny dropped. Until now.

Here are some of the results from heat-play. Its very exciting that the backs of all these receipts remains unchanged compared to the difference that appears on the coated side.

Rubbing also marks this paper type because friction creates heat. I would like to get my hands on some massive sheets/rolls of this paper and will read up about something called 'thermochomism', the likes of which exists in mood rings and those mugs that change picture when hot beverage is poured inside. It will be of use to me.