Monday 31 October 2011

In Depth: Solvent Abuse

The not so proud mother
Graphite sketch by Estelle Rocca-Serra
At the studio we have observed a rather high incidence of solvent abuse in the studio fly community, with multiple recidivists.

I’ve done some research and it seems flies are attracted to the smell of Turpentine and before they know it they’re all high! Flying erratically and more often than not ending up in emergency crash landing on the oil painting itself… such silly junkies!

The rescuing process is a very delicate and time consuming one, but I’m not quite sure of the usefulness of a rehab facility though.

Flies are not the only one conducting themselves in a disorderly fashion, just this year an owl was taken in, for been drunk, by the German police (read the article here). Alcohol abuse is frowned upon in the owl community.

Apparently substance abuse is widely spread in the animal kingdom: overripe fruits, locoweed, rock lichen, mushrooms of course! and so many more. Not that I would particularly know about substance abuse, obviously…!

Stay tuned...

Source: Australian Geographic

Friday 28 October 2011

Exclusive: Private View Invitation

Request your invitation
Opne Studio Show Private View, 24th Nov 2011
It my great pleasure to let you know that your are invited to the Private View evening of the Winter edition of the Open Studio Show, on the 24th November.

Feel free to contact Estelle (email) to request your invitation and the information flyer. If you come to the show, pop in to see Estelle and I in studio 231West, it would be so lovely to meet you, and I can give you a tour of The Daily Mouse offices!

Did you know that to receive news about Estelle’s upcoming exhibitions, projects, as well as invitations to private views and other events, you can subscribe to the Little Extras email newsletter here.

Stay tuned…

Sunday 23 October 2011

Follow up: A Shueya in Pocklington

"Shueya and her entourage"
Estelle's paintings at The Acorn Gallery
The paintings have arrived safely at The Acorn Gallery in Pocklington (Yorkshire), as you an see they are already on the wall. Their installation "Shueya and her entourage" looks great!

It was a bit of an adventure for the Shueya… all the details are on the gallery’s blog (here and here), feel free to nose around

Stay tuned…

Wednesday 19 October 2011

On a personal note… The View

Studio 231West: View from the News Desk
The Reality
This little note is specially for you who visited 231West during an open studio show, and, incidentally, might have thought the studio is always all neat, cosy and tidy…

This is the current view from the Daily Mouse news desk. 

Personally I’d prefer a river view… I did suggest a bit of Feng Shui to Estelle, but I don’t think it has been well received.

Stay tuned...

Monday 17 October 2011

Breaking News: Shueya goes to... Yorkshire!

"Does my bum look big in this?"
Oil on canvas by Estelle Rocca-Serra
Exclusive: The Acorn Gallery in Pocklington, Yorkshire, will be featuring some of Estelle’s paintings.

If you are in the area, pop in the gallery, Estelle told me the owners, John and Diane, are really friendly and the gallery is very welcoming, with lots of fun art.

“Does my bum look big in this?”
as well as “Black Velvet”, “Bellini” and “Black Russian” from the Usual Suspects series, will be on display… a Shueya with 3 cocktails…well, that's a bit of an explosive mix!

Stay tuned…

Thursday 13 October 2011

A Shueya a day keeps the doctor at bay

"Darling... I don't make coffee"
Indian ink and watercolour by Estelle Rocca-Serra
Still going through the series of the Limited Edition: Shueya Secretary, we are half way through. Here is  “Darling... I don't make coffee”.

This limited edition series of originals is composed of 5 Secretaries, click here to see the complet set.

They are still some sets available, feel free to contact Estelle directly (email) for more details.

Stay tuned...

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Did you know?... Castor Oil

Beaver, one of Basil's cousin
Graphite sketch by Estelle Rocca-Serra
Castor oil is extracted from the bean shaped pods of the fruit from the castor-oil plant... not from our little friend the Castor (Beaver).

As an oil painting medium it would be ideal as it doesn’t go yellow at all, which is extremely rare. The yellowing potential of an oil is a decisive factor in its usability, but so is also its drying time and unfortunately castor-oil dries so slowly it cannot be used for oil painting.

Due to its very desirable non yellowing property and low staining power, research was carried out, successfully, to find ways to make it dry quicker, but then the problem became a too high viscosity…

Hopefully one day, the guys in the labs will find a way to make it all work into the perfect painting oil.

Stay tuned…

Friday 7 October 2011

Gossip: Lunatyc

Sneak peek at Lunatyc
Ink and watercolour by Estelle Rocca-Serra
Estelle has been working with a Spanish designer to create a range of boutique clothing. I can’t tell you more right now, or I'll be sent to the naughty corner, but here is a little taster of Lunatyc.

Stay tuned...

Wednesday 5 October 2011

Sketch of the Day

Oops... Sorry!
Graphite sketch by Estelle Rocca-Serra
On the canvas, woman! The paint is supposed to go on the canvas!

Monday 3 October 2011

Interview with Kabira Alieva

 Narsharab Soul 152x122cm
Mixed media on canvas by Kabira Alieva

Name:
Kabira Alieva
Artistic discipline:
drawing, painting, and a few experiments with sculpture and photography
Weapon of choice:
a nib (I think that’s the right word in English?) or stylus, and a very wide brush
Website:
www.kabira-alieva.com



Hello Sweetheart, looking gorgeous! D’you mind if I ask a few questions?

Fire away!

First of all, where's home?

Tough one… As our family moved around a bit, I went through a mini identity crisis some years ago and wasn’t sure where home was… for most part I guess it felt to be Baku, my birth city, the capital of Azerbaijan… but these days Baku is changing so fast that the strong connections or associations that I have with ‘home’ are mostly left in my memory – and I believe they still live through my work. Perhaps my art is where my home is…although London is a big part of it too.

What was your first art piece creation and who owns it?
I was three years old when I drew a big circle, two dots inside, circles around them… a receiver resting on top of the big circle, and a long curly cable nearby – the heart of the drawing was a massive moustache – and I proudly called this masterpiece ‘Dad The Telephone’ – even though my dad doesn’t wear and never had a moustache. Not sure where this drawing is now but I do remember it made quite a few people smile, which is good!

What art piece or art work do you look at think “I wish I had created that”?

There is so much fascinating art out there but I would probably have to say impressive, big-scale outdoor installations like one of Anish Kapoor’s works. Ah… one day. On the other hand, I create what I am meant to create for a reason, and if I can do that well, then my mission is being fulfilled step by step so there is not much point in looking at someone else’s work and thinking ‘I wish I created that’ – it’s just better to enjoy it and respond to it if it speaks to me.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?
There are so many! ‘Always believe in yourself’ comes to mind right now…

How do you fill your days?
Hmm… besides art – family, friends, books, science, yoga, a walk in the park, discovering London… travelling whenever I can… or just sleeping.

What is the worst job you've ever done?

A newspaper round in our neighbourhood… I was a student then. Had to wake up at 4 am sharp every morning, no matter what the weather, and carry this big heavy, bigger-than-me trolley with newspapers and magazines around the block… I lasted about a month. But it is a good character-building experience, especially for a young person.

If you were written about in the newspaper, on the front page, what would the headline say?

“Her work changed [something] for the better”

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Well, I love magic, so whatever a good magician can do, I’d like to do that too. Having a healing power would be really cool!

What will you be doing after this?

Brainstorming.

Can I take you out for a drink Darling, I know this great place!
Do you even need to ask?! I have so much more to tell you!