Clouds over Factoryroad.

For our second ever show Carl Rosati from Newcastle, aka The Cloud Commission, came to install his unique brand of gentle stories of love and loss, told through the tiny expressive eyes of his myriad, exquisitely-drawn people.

We've already told you about the way Carl sees the world, but we weren't prepared for such immediate bonding between visitors and pictures. From his large and perfectly-painted 'Death' tableau on The Big Wall to his tiny pencil-drawn image of a pair who'd rather starve at sea than be parted on land, guests paused to blink and acknowledge the little pain in the heart valves his work generates with such brutal casualness.

Work begins.

The perfect outline (finally...)


Scribble me purple.

Carl's work can look very 'vector' but there isn't one artwork made of pixels. He thinks nothing of creating a 15mm thick, perfectly consistent line with a 0.5mm Rotring, his historical involvement in architecture presenting itself in all of his current pieces, and his pencil sketches, though appearing simple and undemanding, can take more than a day. (We know, we watched). Eyes - the windows to a rainy or overcast soul - go in last, and mouths don't even need to be present. It was argued that the solid, stubby-fingered hands of his characters express more than their dotty eyes, but the jury's still out on that one.

Dance City.

Work for Idle Hands.

He brought with him not only a specially-created print of Bret 'The Hit Man' Hart the 90s wrestler (which we have for sale, prices are here.) but a pair of paintings on canvas, a new medium for him and not one he felt immediately comfortable with - though it was noted that this was the pair of images in front of which people spent the longest time. She's extracting her own tooth to stop whatever it is from hurting ('Better'), and he's accidentally shaved off a strip of his hair ('Broken') - every single follicle hand-rendered. Apart they'd be lost causes; together, they might just sort each other out.

Bret 'the Hit Man' Hart.



From our own collection of Cloud Commission works.

As well as a quartet of brightly-coloured screen prints, framed drawings, a trio of mini-screen prints and a brand new large scale print created just for our show, Carl brought his signature laser-cut diamond jewellery pieces with him. You can buy his 'Old Man' bolos, Diamond brooches, rings and cufflinks, along with his available prints, in our shop.




Guests in the form of clients, colleagues, friends, fellow illustrators and artists came from up and down the UK to cast curious eyes over our freshly-clouded space... and left with slightly damp sparkly ones. His work looks bright and character-driven - which it is - but it's also beguilingly personal and poignant.

If you want more, go to Carl's website.

If you're interesting in purchasing any of his work, then here's a price list.

Since Carl's the descendent of an Italian ice cream empire, refreshments for the night were by Booja Booja the finest ice cream in the known universe.

Real ale was Goat's Milks 3.8%, supplied by Ridge Lane's Church End Brewery.

and fresh juices from Naturally Good Food in Cotesbach.







Guests Cory from Truth Marketing and Mark Sperry, moved to tears by it all.

Carl and rapt visitor Chrissie, the night before.

Carl, the morning after.

Upcoming in April: The Cloud Commission

Opening Friday 15th April at 6.30pm, and open through to Friday 29th April, our space will be home to the work of Newcastle's Carl Rosati, aka The Cloud Commission.

Carl Rosati, aka The Cloud Commission, likes to play with pseudonyms - first coming to our attention as Cassette Club the Myspacer a few years back - but is really still the beach-grown boy who left the seaside to curl his magic fingers around a pencil.

He’s got a chest-swelling ability to capture gentle souls on paper, their little eyes, expressive hands and button nips communicating everything you need to know about them. Stories abound. But he’d never tell you that. Descended from an Italian ice-cream empire, his modest seaside ways belie the touching power of his stripped-down illustrations and swirling pistachio-and-vanilla colours.

He says it takes him longer to create on paper than it does walls. We’ll see. But we absolutely had to show him to you, because as collectors and commissioners of his art already, we know this diamond in the rough has more to offer the world than he thinks.
His pictures make our chests ache and our eyes sparkle.

Roll up, roll up; come and see for yourself...pictures, stories and little manufacturings...all the fun of the fair!

Please come and enjoy the locally-microbrewed ale and food with us on Friday night.

RSVP and further info:
gallery@factoryroad.net
(please let us know you’re coming - space is limited!)
And we're at: 71 Factory Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 0DW.
07941 279374

The Cloud Commission's website

Is four Christmas trees greedy?

As you might know if you read the Inkymole blog fairly often, 2010 was largely dominated by the building of a new studio and gallery space at Inkymole/Factoryroad HQ. Although still with some work to do, the new space is restful and makes practical use of what was already here, while incorporating land that hitherto lay unused.

The first show in the little gallery was Witches, a third and final showing (in October) of the project exploring the confessions of the Pendle witches. We were very taken with the trees that Tom Hare had built for this new installation of the show, using Ash to create three trees which looked for all the world as if they had thrust themselves up through the floor overnight. We liked them so much we decided to leave two of them in place for Christmas, and make them our Christmas trees.

Grandma's tree dominates the far left corner, and the usual modest-but-loyal Christmas tree will come out in a couple of days to sit out the rest of the holiday with the smaller baubles in the box (I'm a bit uncomfortable leaving it shut away in the loft...). So that's four. Too many? Never!

It's a shame it can't stay full-time, and I always get teary when it's time to un-decorate, but on twelfth night they'll come down in readiness for the series of shows we've got planned for 2011, and be thrown joyously onto the woodburner. See? Nothing wasted.

13 Witches at 71

Saturday 6th saw the inaugural show in the Factory Road gallery - a new venture which gets its own blog from 2011!

For the last time me, Tom Hare, Ed Garland and Anthony Saint James resurrected The Witches, the body of work created originally for TBWA's Hallowe'en show in Manchester, and expanded on for its own show last October at the East Gallery, Brick Lane, London. Neither Anthony nor Ed could be present since they're in different parts of the world, but Tom came to dress the space with trees and help paint the faux-shadows behind them...of which one guest said he was 'taken apart' on noticing a crow without any obvious physical origin...

The space works exceptionally well as the gallery we intended it to be when we started planning a couple of years ago but, as with every show we've ever done, erecting it was a far more complex matter than just lining up a few framed bits and some foamboard labels. A week was spent plotting where things should sit, hang and be lit, the end result eased supernaturally into its space by Tom's trees, which appeared for all the world to emerge from the floor as if they'd forced their way through in the middle of the night. The soundtrack couldn't be live this time (we had Demdike Stare play live at the London show), but was a nonetheless murky compilation of Demdike, Boards of Canada, Marcus Fjellstrom and assorted grainy voodoo songs of bedevilment and woe.

Guests were treated to locally-brewed ale and home-made breads, made by Bob who installed himself in the kitchen for most of the evening. Danielle, who shall shortly make an appearance in another blog, worked tirelessly to keep the tea going and produced bowls of dal and piles of chappatis. There were many others involved in the smooth running of the evening, which was overall a very satisfying experience despite contrary weather and the dazzling rival charms of the many fireworks popping outside.

There's a sequence of shows planned for 2011 and beyond, so keep your eyeballs peeled for news and invites. We're excited.

The witches' poppets dangle asphyxiatedly from Tom's branches, Ed's stories and Mole's interpretations behind.

A long view of one half of the space.

This fella carved by Simon Wood greeted anyone reaching for food.

...and this is said carver, Mr Wood. Mr Wood, meet Chattox, who is made of wood.

Much discussion.

...questions were asked.

Here's a close up of the missing crow.

And the emerging human hand branches.

Nesting in front of work in progress.
Anthony's photographic pieces - Witches Chattox, Alice Grey, Anne Redferne, James Device.

The evil Chattox, head of the most heinous family and arch enemy of Demdike, here re-envisoned by Anthony as an inked up self-carving young haggard.

And ponderment - the talented Mrs Tranter, who also shares a special relationship with the trees and whose work is starting to grace our home.

Bob's bakery.

This shawl, in constant use in winter months, was crocheted by my mum in 1979.
Top Shop Vintage can bugger off: this is an ORIGINAL!