Whoa, you found me here!

This is an old blog that I don't update anymore. There are still lots of posts going back many years to explore. If you want to see what I'm up to now, you can find me on Facebook or Instagram. That's where I post about my zines and prints:

pottery

furniture

and sometimes my plants

You can also visit my shop to see what I've got available for sale at the moment. 

The Man Called Uncle Tim #4 - Don

The fourth and final issue of The Man Called Uncle Tim has arrived back from the printer. This series has been an ongoing investigation into the life of my enigmatic uncle who lived in a queer, polyamorous household in rural Ohio and who died in 1995. The final issue features conversations with Don, one of only two surviving members from the J. Hartzelbuck household.

Aunt Judy, featured in issue #3, facilitated my introduction to Don and I've been talking to him by email since 2013 when I started this project. He still lives in Raven Rocks so when I went to scatter my grandma's ashes in the woods near my grandpa's ashes and Uncle Tim's grave, I was able to talk to him in real life.  

At the beginning of this project, I assumed I would be making five, six or more issues of the zine. When I started pulling together all the conversations Don and I had over the years though, it really felt like a conclusion to this story. He was able to provide so much insight into a portion of Uncle Tim's life that had remained largely hidden from the rest of my family. I also felt seriously relieved when this became clear. I'm ready to move onto new projects.

No doubt, there are many more potential perspectives to and opinions about his story. In fact, one of the things that has made me really happy about this project is the number of new conversations about Uncle Tim that have occurred in my family as a result. The impetus for starting this was to ensure that Uncle Tim's story doesn't get lost once the generation who knew him directly are not around anymore.

The fact that it became something so many people were interested in was a surprise to many of my family members who I collaborated with. But it is a fascinating story about alternative ways of living, risk taking and the unwavering conviction to be true to your own desires and values. So I'm not so surprised people have been able to find meaning in it even when they don't know the characters personally. 

Issue #4 is now available to buy in my shop. You can also buy the full set for yourself or as a gift and save some money.

Swords into Plowshares: Charlie

Many people who rent in London (and beyond) would love the opportunity to grow their own vegetables, fruit, herbs or just some flowers. For most of them though, that feels impossible because of the insecurity they experience in their rented homes. The people at fault for this are not tenants, it is landlords and their parasitic estate agents who are in the business of raising rents as much as they can, as often as they can.

Swords into Plowshares is a project that began in 2015 as part of an exhibition about housing in East London. After learning how to use a lathe, I decided I wanted to make dibbers out of the posts that hold estate agent signs. I saw the abundance of these as a symbol of how quickly my neighbourhood was changing and the anxiety/instability this creates that prevents people from putting down roots. Think of it as an oral history of estate agent fuckery.

Charlie used to be my neighbour. She had a pretty awful buy-to-let landlord when she lived down the road from me. But the story she chose to tell in exchange for her dibber was from before I knew her and is far more uplifting. I think it's a great introduction to this project. Have a listen.



Do you have a story of estate/letting agent woes? Maybe they stole your fees, or your deposit, or just engineered you out of your home because someone else was willing to pay more rent than you. Get in touch if you have a story to share in exchange for a little extra encouragement to grow something - even if you understandably decide to keep it in a pot. Write a comment below or contact me.

The Man Called Uncle Tim #3

The third issue in the series of zines about my uncle who lived in a queer polyamorous household is now published. Based on conversations I've had with my Aunt Judy, it is a further exploration into Uncle Tim's family/community and the values that influenced his life. To find out more about the project, you can read about issues #1 and #2.

Aunt Judy was there when I conducted the oral history interview with my Grandma that features in issue #1. In fact, it was Aunt Judy's suggestion that we talk about Uncle Tim in the first place because she was so proud of how her had mother supported him. Since that talk so many years ago, we've had a long and fascinating correspondence about Uncle Tim and about what this project has meant to our family. Any silence that might have existed around his life has been well and truly broken. 

Although I've obviously been itching to find out more detail about Uncle Tim's life in Raven Rocks and the make-up of his unique family, what I found most rewarding was hearing about Aunt Judy's relationship to him as a sister. It was especially interesting to hear about how that relationship evolved up until his death. 

This issue features plenty of new information that sheds light on Uncle Tim's life though, particularly about why it ended up being so separated from his biological family. Aunt Judy provides personal insights from her visits to Raven Rocks over the years as well as philosophical reflections on the life they chose to live. In this issue, I have made the choice to move the focus on from Quakerism and start looking into some of the other influential values embraced by the J. Hartzelbucks.

These will be available exclusively at DIY Cultures at the Rich Mix in London on Sunday the 24rd of May. After that, they will be available to buy through my store.

Princess Hijab: Shape and Situate #6

My submission to the latest issue of Shape and Situate: Posters of Inspirational Women in Europe. I have been in awe of the work of Princess Hijab for a while and excitedly looked for some of her work on the Metro while I was visiting Paris (sadly I didn't see any). If you are not familiar with her work, this is what it looks like and as you can see, it's not just images of women that get "hijabized":



When the latest call out for poster submissions arrived, I was right in the middle of a long-term, painful wrist injury that was stopping me from doing most things. The most upsetting thing was not being able to draw but using Princess Hijab's super fast, drippy style, I was able to draw this simple shape using my giant tagging marker, which was the only thing comfortable enough for me to hold. Creating something again helped pull me out of a worry-filled funk. I guess inspiration can mean lots of different things.

Order copies of the zine here and keep up to date about the zine by liking the Facebook page (or maybe even contribute a poster to the next issue yourself).

The Man Called Uncle Tim #2

This is the second issue in a series of zines about my uncle, who helped to found an intentional community in rural Ohio in 1970, where he lived in a queer polyamorous household until his death in 1995. I never got to know my uncle while he was alive so these zines are my attempt to understand how he lived and loved during his brief but extraordinary life. Issue #1 is based on oral history with my Grandma and this issue is based on conversations with my dad.

A major factor that led me to start this project was the general silence about my uncle that existed throughout my childhood. To be honest, there was a lot of silence in my family when it came to anything that was difficult to talk about. But it wasn't just not knowing about how Uncle Tim lived, I had no idea what it felt like for my dad to lose his brother so young.

Talking to my dad openly about my uncle was revelatory. Not only did I learn about how close he and Uncle Tim were when they were growing up, it was the first time we'd had a real, profound conversation about things like death, sexuality and difficult emotions. It may have taken more than 35 years but it was also the first time we communicated about what it feels like to be the weird kid desperately searching for a different life, something Uncle Tim and I shared.

As important as anything was hearing how he felt about Uncle Tim's death, especially after such a long period of not being in contact. There is still so much more to learn about Uncle Tim's life from the other people who were close to him so the search continues. For now, pick up a copy of issue #2 in my shop.

New postcard (My Arse!)

I've got a brand new two-colour riso printed postcard based on my design for the last issue of Shape and Situate zine. These were printed by the lovely folks at Footprint Worker's Co-op in Leeds.

They will be available first to people who attend the London Radical Bookfair and Alternative Press Takeover at the Bishopsgate Institute on the 10th of May. Now available to buy online.

The Man Called Uncle Tim #1

My first zine in many years is finished.  Well, really this is half comic book, half zine. I posted the introduction back in November, which other than a few minor changes and the addition of color, is still the same. This first issue is based on oral history I did with my Grandma about 5 years ago. She died last year so it really was time to put the words she shared with me to use.

Anti-Valentine's comic

Because in real life, romance doesn't always triumph. Because just being in a relationship isn't the key to happiness. And because sometimes, the worst choice you can make for yourself is the one everyone else thinks is right. Inspired by this Belle and Sebastian song,  I present to you:

 

Shape and Situate: Rebellious women at the dawn of capitalism

So happy to have contributed another poster to the fantastic Shape and Situate zine - now on it's fifth issue! This time it was a collaborative effort with radical feminist historian Lady Stardust. About six months ago, I read her essay Burning Women: The European Witch Hunts, Enclosure and the Rise of Capitalism and was completely blown away. I immediately knew I wanted to make a poster about it. Of course, I have a well established love of Medieval art, as demonstrated here and here.

The man called Uncle Tim

I've started the epic task of uncovering the hidden life story of my Uncle Tim. For now, I thought I'd share the introduction to show what an important and exciting project this is for me.

This is personal

Every day on my ride to work, I witness people on paid 'street art' tours around Shoreditch. The tour guides are inevitably highlighting the work of famous (white male) street artists. As a result, I've increasingly turned toward making more art directly for the people I know and love rather than sticking it up on random walls. This 40th birthday book for my partner is an example of what I mean.

Remembering Who We Are zine

After our workshop at Leeds Zine Fair and our exhibition at Space Station 65, Melanie Maddison and I have collated all of the great contributions we received for our zine Remembering Who We into a brand new website. My contribution is based on an incredible woman I met many years ago but who I will never forget. 

There are already lots of contributions up on the site and more to come. And we are still open to more submissions so please find out more and contribute.

Ante 2013 - Day 1

This weekend was filled with more Yorkshire loveliness than you can shake a stick at, much like last year, which you can read about here and here. The Caged Bird Club worked with Melanie Maddison to put together an exhibition celebrating the labour movement and workers' struggles as well as those of us who are anti-work and reject the divisive workers vs. shirkers rhetoric.

Remembering who we are - the event

To celebrate the last of day of the Shape and Situate exhibition at Space Station Sixty-Five, Melanie Maddison and I put together this one day extravaganza showcasing art that seeks to address lost or hidden radical history and document current social movements.

Hazards banner and poster

I've often felt confused by the annoyance or outright contempt that so many working people express towards health and safety legislation. You don't hear the same tone when people talk about the 35-hour working week or overtime pay or the statutory right to paid holidays but it all comes from the same fight for workers' rights. But I guess not everyone has a friend like Mark who enthuses about H&S in the context of Anarcho-syndicalism.

For the uncaged birds

This is a project that has been in the works for well over a year. The Caged Bird Club's intent is to reclaim space in order to make cities more beautiful and livable and that means nature needs to be one of our beneficiaries. Every part of these bird boxes is made from someone else's waste; the wood was tossed out, the paint was returned to the hardware store by unhappy consumers and the bike inner tubes holding the roofs on were punctured beyond repair.

Leeds Zine Fair

I participated in a talk/workshop about art and social and political history along with Melanie Maddison at Leeds Zine Fair last weekend. There were lots of other things going on too. Here is my go at 'have a go' letterpress. I completely ruined the first one through over-eagerness and this one is full of fingerprints as a result of impatience. Still, I did it myself.

Helen Brook poster - Shape and Situate

I developed this poster about Helen Brook for the latest issue of the wonderful zine Shape and Situate: Posters of Inspirational European Women. If you're not sure who Helen Brook is, I'm not surprised as there is a complete dearth of information about her on the internet. This is despite being one of the founders of sexual health services for young people in the UK. The main young people's clinic still in existence is even named after her. 

Celebrate People's History posters

Although I made them years ago, I have never posted about the two designs I did for the wonderful Celebrate People's History poster series.

The most recent poster is about the Disney Animators' Strike of 1941. This strike took place after the massive success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. This poster is still waiting to be printed but is available in Celebrate People's History!: The Poster Book of Resistance and Revolution. While I'm interested in any successful challenge of workers against the bosses, what really excited me about this was what came after this strike.