Print Temple

Ian Francis is my hero, he just does exactly what I want, the eerie thing is, he does it before I know I want it. I have no idea how he does it, but time after time he comes up with the goods, the first time I saw his work was at the old Lazarides Gallery on Charring Cross Road – it was a group show with all the “Outsider” artists Mr Lazarides had assembled as a group under that moniker – all the names were there, Banksy, Insect, Micallef, Mode2, Faile etc, these guys are all superstars in the world of modern (street scented) art. But, somehow Ian Francis managed to stand out, he wasn’t as (pointedly) obvious as Banksy, or (brilliantly) deliberate as Paul Insect and certainly not as (expertly) immersed in a particular genre as the Faile guys. The only other artist that almost didn’t belong was Antony Micallef, the two painters have very different influences at times, but both are on an crucial artistic journey, but, alas, Micallef’s work is like a fine aged rum and should never to...

Ok, you know when you see something around and go “cool” but didn’t take the time to really check it out? Maybe it’s a tune you hear, or something in a shop window, and you forget to go back and check it? Well Usugrow has unknowingly fallen in to that category too many times for me to ignore. I have seen his work on limited edition vans shoes and shirts – plus on skateboards by Consolidated. So when the more observant people at the Stolen Space put on a solo show for Usugrow, the time has come to sit up, take notes and pay attention! Usugrow has a darkside, well, perhaps not dark in a sinister sense, but you know those places where we lose ourselves in thought late night? Imagine that drifting feeling allowing the rise to a productive, creative, alter ego, in this case, it has a name, Hasadhu. This spirit could best be described as the manifestation of Usogrows influences forcing their way out, evident in his work is a disciplined love of calligraphy, japan, travelling, cholo tat...

2010 has been a crappy year for art shows in London so far, Ive seen about a dozen shows, but nothing has made me feel good about "art" until Eelus booked the plush Blackhall gallery space in Shoreditch. Eelus has been blessing us with quality prints and pieces for a few years now, and his piece at Mutate Britains "One foot in the Grove" show for me was one of the standouts. Colour dominates this show as you would expect, and the next few print drops are going to be stunning and definitely one for the walls and not the ebay flips.

Mr Lazarides put on a follow up to last years excellent "Lost in the Glimmering Shadows" show to showcase a decade of Failes work - The Greek Street gallery was transformed in to an arcade, while the plsuher Rathbone Gallery had some of the highlights from their older shows........

This month we are proud to welcome Andy Seize to the Temple with the introduction of his ‘War Games!’ print. Mr Seize has been the perpetrator of some of the most colourful and imaginative graff’ pieces seen on Londons walls over 20 years. Fresh off the back of the excellent ‘Size Matters’ solo show, Andy has given Mickey a ticket to ride his hotrod though a chemical splattered, missile toting wonderland of star spangled chaos! As ever, in stock and ready to ship. So rewind to summer - Bash St Studios over East London to be exact and Andys major solo show explodes on to a white wall space with a mix of canvas and glass mounted action - 'Size Matters' had a great feeling of true street art evolved to canvas, only an overly creative mind with extensive spray-can-ology can come up with these layered gems - these pics were too fresh not to see the light of day - so have a peep and check out the burner on the outside wall.........siiiiiiick! For more info on this artists check out...

Conor Harringtons latest solo show titled "Headless Heroes" at the Lazarides Rathbone gallery has just come to a close today - I have pasted up a few images I shot at the gallery just to show some of the hightlights in case you missed it. Lazarides has his book in stock for £25 called Weekend Warriors which is well worth the cash as it shows him at work, and this guy is one messy worked, but you have to agree the results of the piles of paint and spray cans are more than worth the mess.