The Multicultural City

This cityscape was commissioned by my parents (Woop! Woop! for parents supporting their struggling artist!). They wanted a city that would incorporate some styles and themes from their countries of origin. The results were a merge of Celtic, Germanic and Slavic architectural styles.

My mother, being Welsh, wanted certain parts of her homeland. These include the castle seen at the top left, which is based on Ogmore Castle, in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, as well as the industrial city of Port Talbot, where my grandma lives, seen in the valley behind the windmill.

The windmill itself is called De Ster (the Star), and can be found residing in Lombok, Utrecht, the place I was living while this drawing was conceived. This also explains the reason why there are several Amsterdam style row houses.

There were also other elements she wanted me to put in, like the Georgian terraced houses seen below the castle, which I am told is her favourite style of architecture.
I also included some London style buildings, as well as those ugly 'mock tudor' (otherwise known as 21 Century Tudor Revival)  terriced houses seen everywhere throughout the United Kingdom.

For my father I put in The Church of our Lady Before Týn, which is probably the most famous building in the Czech Republic, and can be found in Prague (where his mother came from).

The only thing missing would be the Greek-Cypriot style buildings, from where his father came from, but I felt they would possibly look way to out of place. That, and I had more or less finished the drawing before I realized d'oh.

And so concludes some boring blah blah. Hope y'all enjoyed it.

The Borderline

Why does mankind want to cut through its landscapes and divide itself? Why does on one side of the border equal freedom and the other war? Why are cultures so different across borderlines? Why separate ourselves from each other? Why do we identify within our own borderlines?

Borderlines can mean deep suffering and pain. We see constant examples throughout history and many are still occurring today. Here are some I find notable;
-The people of North Korea are culturally the same as the people of South Korea, but when a line was cut through the country after the Second World War, and different governments were implemented the outcome was disastrous for Korea. The people of Korea are still at war with themselves after over 50 years, and military service is compulsory due to this.
-Another example can be seen with Cyprus as the north of the country was cut by Turkey and remains their "property", leaving the city of Nicosia as a complete ghost town, hollow and empty. To go across the boarder people must show their passports. Both countries are still at war and also implement national military service on the youth of their countries.
-There is also the division of Palestine into Israel, one that has left what remains of the original country as just The Gaza Strip. Need I remind you that national service is also compulsory for Israelis...I am noticing a pattern here...
-The inspiration for the Borderline of this image came from the division between East and West Germany that was in place until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This wall divided the capital city in half, with families separated and a 'Death Strip' or Todesstreifen implemented to kill people trying to cross the border (both in the city of Berlin and on the deutsch-deutsche Grenze). This is why I chose to depict Germanic buildings, since the country has a long history of division despite being culturally the same country, speaking the same language.

Is there an obvious double meaning for the word borderline?  

The borderline between Cities, or Countries... Or Borderline Personality Disorder. Either way, both are self harming.

I can really see parallels between the borderlines of a state, town or country, with the borderline of BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). The disorder is characterized by unusual variability between depth of mood. These moods effect the personal relationships as well as the cognitive ability of the sufferer.  They are haunted by feelings of guilt and lack of self worth. The sufferer of BPD wants to hurt themselves because they feel hopeless and they hate themselves. They harm themselves physically and emotionally, feeling they deserve to be punished, abused and hurt, generally choosing a razor when all other self harming methods don't work. The scars that are left are reminders, showing the sufferer that their pain is real and physical, not just in their head. Just like the scars of borderlines on the planet that have resulted from history. They are difficult not to see and take years to heal, sometimes remaining for always.

The most difficult aspect of drawing this image was to create convincing dripping blood. In the end the use of Indian Ink mixed with thick water colours finally gave me the look I desired...

...well this was a dark post, hopefully the next will be all rainbows and smiles.

Tittikaka's Snappy Pancakes on Facebook

Yes yes, I have finnaly done it. I have created a new Facebook page, called Tittikaka's Snappy Pancakes. What the hell does Snappy Pancakes even mean? I have no idea. It could be because it sounds awesome to me when I say it. It just rolls of the toungue.... Snnnnapppy Pancakes. To me it means "Inherently Awesome" because who on this planet does not like their pancakes to arrive as quick as possible. "OK stop trying to make Snappy Pancakes happen Richard! It's never gonna happen...."

The page will feature old stuff, new stuff, whatever really. Expect the unexpected. Expect the expected. There will be random stuff, not articulate to put on this blog, but also my most proud pieces along for the ride.

Now lets get Snappy......

Go onward into SNAPPY PANCAKES

Ouija.... Are You Game?

(Yes I know I ripped the slogan from the 1995 movie Jumanji, sue me...)

Yes the fascinating, and notorious Ouija Board. Introduced in the 1800s, and now marketed by Hasbro, and surprisingly is probably not the scariest thing they have marketed. It has been the fascination to occultists such as the notorious Aleister Crowley and weirdos like Bill Wilson (the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous). The name derives from both the French oui and German ja for 'yes'. Made famous in the paranormal obsessed Victorian era as well as the movie The Exorcist, where Linda Blair uses the board as a child to become possessed by the demon Pazuzu (whose name just makes me laugh out loud rather then quiver in fear). I have only tried it once, when I was around the age of 14, and to my disappointment, I did not meet Pazuzu, or any other demon. However it was a strange experience non the less, one I won't be repeating any time soon, but hey that's a story for another day...

Two variations on the Ouija board. Feel free to ask for a high quality print, (or dare I say rip them from my website - GO PIRACY!!) and use them for your own shamanistic pleasures. Just put them under some glass or perspex and grab a planchette. But, don't blame me if you start speaking in tongues and puking up blood though....

Silk Screen Tshirt "Problem, Reaction, Solution"

"Yes Mummy, I agree, Father is a terrible dishwasher, so this morning I put a detergent tablet in his coffee..."

A friend created some wonderful silk screen t-shirts from some of my designs. He commissioned one with the theme "Problem Reaction Solution" Not knowing what I should do I just went for a 1950s housewife holding a book titled Problem Reaction Solution. It was never printed with the caption above, saying he preferred it this way. I still think it doesn't make sense without the caption. Maybe my jokes are lame, who knows?

The Fab Four

If you don't know who these four people are, then get the fuck out. I'm serious, they have to be some of the most recognizable people on the planet. It is of course John, George, Paul and Ringo of the Beatles. I won't bore you with an analysis, because seriously, what is there to say about this band that hasn't already been said better by someone else? This picture was drawn in 2009, that's 4 years ago. Damn, that's almost as ancient as the Beatles themselves...

Edie is STILL awesome (and so is Nico from the Velvet Underground)

 "It's not that I'm rebelling. It's that I'm just trying to find another way..."  Edie Sedgwick

This is a continuation from my last entry about Edie, with more experimental drawings, looking at facial form from some of my two most favourite faces to draw, Edie Sedgwick and Christa Päffgen (Nico). 'It Girls' or '1960s Paris Hiltons' make of it what you will they are AWESOME (to me). 

Both ladies are deceased icons of the sixties, which is probably the decade I appreciate the most. 
Both have a connection to Andy Warhol's Factory scene, drug abuse, and self abusive behaviors, and their own kind of talent, what's there not to love?

Sometimes I feel we are all just like Edie, lost and frightened little animals. Yearning to be seen, heard and understood. We yearn for the love and acceptance of those around us.

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"Why do people stop developing? From being children to maybe stopping at a very adolescent age, and they stay there until they die. Physically die. I mean, they react adolescently. They don't change. They don't develop. They don't! It's that continual read, that process which is...is the total threat for the ego..." - Edie Sedgwick

Nico was famed from a modeling carrer in Paris and a brief but forceful appearance in the Velvet Underground

"It is better to be addicted to opium then to be addicted to money" - Nico

Ink with brush on cartridge paper

Her life was a roller coaster of sadness, death and extreme addiction to heroin for over fifteen years. Her artistic talents were never considered by the masses to be of the greatest. She was generally considered a freak, however she spent her life giving her very best effort to sing her mind...and that she did in a very deep man-like voice. She did it the way she wanted to, in her own unique style, despite mass criticism.

Graphite pencil sketch of Nico, drawn alongside a self portrait

"And if I seem to be afraid, 

to live the life that I have made in song, 

It's just I've been losing, 

So long"    

 -These days, from Nico's first album Chelsea Girls

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The Escher Drawing

This piece was inspired by the great (and dare I say one of my most favorite) artist, Escher, as was much of my work. The image works both the way presented and upside down, and could be hung either way. I prefer the way first shown. I feel there is almost too much detail, so I have tried to break it down and focus on things that may not be seen on first glance. The image was hand drawn with fine liner as is most of my work. It contains Dutch style elements such as canals and windmills to connect it to Escher himself, since he was from the Netherlands. You can click on each image to make it bigger, so it's easier to see the all details.

A freakish bird like gargoyle is seen, morphing out from the left of the clock tower. This freaky face is more or less the same when turned upside down. The clock tower itself retains its appearance as a clock tower in both perspectives.

A pillar with an angel can be seen holding up a part of a building structure, to the right a waterfall powering a water wheel. Rotate 180 degrees and you see the angel pillar is now a person hunched over and weeping in despair. Behind the figure is another person trying to keep the pillar up under heavy weight and almost collapsing under the weight

Skyline of cathedral-like towers, masses of glass windows and a creature that resembles an airplane. When flipped around one of the towers become a rocket flying into space.

Probably my most favourite perception changes. A river flows next to some trees, passing by a stairway that leads up to a Victorian looking woman with a sun shade umbrella. She faces away from the Germanic style house and Dutch style windmill. When turned upside down, the image of the river remains, but in a new the perspective of a water canal. It flows into an Venice style water tunnel, complete with a row boat about to flow down a waterfall. The trees have now become pillars to hold up the water way

A close up of the water tunnel, below a German style timber house. The house over looks some sort of square garden to the right of the waterfall. A fencing match between to men can be seen next to a fir-like tree. The image makes less sense upside down, but still some structural features such as columns and pillars are of a correct perspective this way.

Some sort of cut-away view of the inside of some sort of row house structure. Rooms can be seen to the left, with a bed placed on the middle floor. To the right is a man holding hand with his two children. When rotated 180, the row house structures are now just one house with a hatched roof over-looking a Gothic clock tower.

Some parts of the roof to the Timber House was to become a stairway, but at the moment it still remains unfinished.

 This, like most of my work is available in high quality print format upon request.

Edie Sedgwick is Awesome

Edie looking super upset and pissed off (probably at Andy), or maybe just severe case of lude and alcohol intoxication

I really don't know why, but I have a total lady-crush on Edith Sedgwick. Something about her innocent face, her huge puppy-dog eyes, or even her intensely overt identity. Perhaps, because her appearance contrasts her life story, which seems to me, to be beyond fucked up. Poor little rich girl Edie, loved by all except her family.

I can see why she was a muse to Andy Warhol, her face is a joy to draw, there is something acutely 'boyish' about it.

Portrait of Edie done on Android based mobile phone with pen.

Portrait done in graphite pencil. Lots of mistakes, eyes are wrong, also nose need work.

I like to use Edie as a reference for female figures, including this Ketamine Angel

Berkwell Manor

Berkwell Manor is a late Second Empire Mansion with elements of Gothic Revival, constructed in the 1880s. It resides somewhere in the United States, most likely somewhere like New England or Virginia. It houses haunted tropes and idioms as far as the eye can see. There are elements from most American haunted houses, most notably reflecting the Psycho house and as well as a shout out to the Amityville Horror house. Basically the brainchild of a lack of the Sims 3 and a great love for the architecture of the macabre in general. There are 3 main floors, including a tower with a mansard style roof, and a storm cellar basement (which probably hides a dark secret).

The overhead floor plan of the entire house (excluding the basement)

Main Hallway/Entrance Hall showing stairs leading to second floor gallery (including suit of armor, grandmother clock, an evil looking fainting couch or chaise longue, beneath painted portraits; An image of Berkwell Manor, and portrait of a rather timid young lady)

The Dining Room, with a generous helping of creepy items added (including haunted grandfather clock, a portrait of a rather grumpy looking Victorian man,  a rotted corpse on the dining table, dusty draped curtains, and a carved pillar leading to a wall adorned decorative moulding archway, complete with creepy faces)

The Bedroom, situated on the second floor, overlooking the front facade of the house. More draped curtains and clocks, this time in the form of a demonic wind-up wall clock. Dead flowers. Small Dickensian style silhouette portraits. A destroyed lamp. A small four-poster bed with carved sculpting. A rather disturbing vanity table adorned by broken mirror...probably full of broken dreams

Sculpture depicting Death, or perhaps its not a sculpture...  I haven't decided yet. His right arm is holding a candle that represents one's life, which at this moment is snuffed out. His left hand carries an old pendulum clock. The clock depicts that time has run out, as the hands do not appear on its face, and the pendulum is still. The twelve candles adorning the draped menacing figure, oozing molten wax over his cloak, represent the months of the year, and the 4 candles above the clock's face represent the four seasons. The pendant depicting a single bee is used to represent the tirelessness of which death operates, and the burning wax is a metaphor for time.

2-(3-methoxyphenyl)-2-(ethylamino)cyclohexanone

One from the vaults, colour added half a year later...clearly inebriated.

Painting my Nightmares

I suffer from sleep paralasys from time to time, and the best way to deal with it for me is to get it out into the open. Sometimes the nightmares are so vivid, that they are easily remembered and can be painted to some degree of accuracy.

Some sort of hybrid insect like creature I encounter regularly in my nightmares. Despite their grotesque appearance, they are usually quite harmless and leave me alone.

One of the worst sleep paralysis I have ever had became a painting. It still, to this very day, remains unfinished. I just couldn't. It remains incomplete, gathering dust at my parents house (and facing the wall). It's probably the only painting that my mother refuses to hang, and trust me, she hangs EVERYTHING I do. It freaks her out too much.

The story goes like this, taken from a dream diary just after the experience, however, I made it a little more coherent for the reader.

"Scariest dream of my life: an oldish bearded man arrives outside my house in a big Daimler like car. He gets out, wearing a huge fur-like overcoat and holding an antique cane. looks at me deeply in the eyes and proclaims in a soft and deep voice....

"Aren't you gonna let me IN?" to which I scream "NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

I then suddenly look into the nearby mirror. I am shocked to see my glasses are off and my eyes are fucked up looking in obscure directions. They bright red with heavy black in the middle, somewhat like Sadako from Ringu.

Suddenly I notice the creepy man is standing behind me in the mirror! I turn round to find he is not there....."

Up to this point I am sure I am wide awake.

  
The presence of this entity felt demonic more than anything. I was too scared to go back to sleep.
He was a really evil and sinister looking man, somewhat resembling Derren Brown possessed by Satan or Jahbulon or Baal or something of that nature. It gave a completely haunting and unpleasant vibe, like my life became a Steven King novella, only WORSE!

The fact that I thought I was wide awake increased the fear tremendously... I eventually was able to move (I was frozen throughout the experience) and then I burst into awakened reality.

Awakening into reality felt like breaking through the surface of a dark ocean.

I waited for ages to make sure I was actually awake. I didn't dare to leave my bed for many hours in the dark, I just couldn't be certain if I was awake. You can never tell with paralysis.....NEVER!

Here is the progression of the painting.

"Aren't you gonna let me in?"

My face in the mirror

Please.... Let me IN!

My start to eyes freak me out, and he now stands behind me....

Up until this point I had to put my brush down. I was too scared to continue... I am still too scared to continue one year later.... I think this piece will never be finished. Too much pain. Too much fear.

Tittikaka joins forces with gay.edge.liberation showcasing 'Homo' inspired artwork

HENRY's Gallery Modern & Contemporary Art is dedicated to the theme of homosexuality, with their third exhibition QUEER. It draws a line between aesthetics, irony and social criticism. In this context, the gallery premiers works by a gay street artist from Germany and a London artist. The opening of the exhibition will take place on Saturday 11.08.2012 from 15.00 to 17.00 with a possibility to talk with the artists, music and a champagne reception.

QUEER as a term for gay has been well established by society.  

The question of its acceptance remains unanswered, which is why the question of acceptance was not necessary for this exhibition. The only thing that's certain is that each observer and artist has their own opinion and association with the word 'queer'.

ARTIST
Petra Arnold
Richard Kyriakides
Li Haibin
gay.edge.liberation
Falk Kästle

MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY, House 2
Mon - Fri 09.00 - 19.00
Sat 09.00 - 17.00

gay.edge.liberation, preferring to remain anonymous, could be described as a 'gay Banksy' of sorts. He mostly chooses to portray provocative and edgy homoerotic themed imagery. 

Check out and like his Facebook Page here

 

Some of the work on display from gay.edge,liberation

I chose a less provocative approach to my images, and even found a way to incorporate a skyline into the project. I wasn't given a lot of time, and I wanted the viewer to see that homosexuality is everywhere whether they like it or not, and it's here to stay. 

I chose three styles of cities, an American San Fransisco style, a European style and an Emirates style Middle Eastern city. 

The windows would be lit mostly in white, with some of the windows lit up as the Pride Flag Rainbow.

from left to right, Red Light by Night, Tourist's Delight, Homosexuality is Everywhere (in Europe) and Homosexuality is Everywhere (in the Middle East)

 

 

Homosexuality is Everywhere (in America)

left to right: On the Prowl, Stages of Erection, and Rainbow Cum

...on second thought, perhaps some of my work was rather provocative ...

Here is an article for the exhibition, in German. It describes my work "the rather nice looking drawings of metropolitan areas from all around the world, come from the London artist Richard Kyriakides - he wants to show that homosexuality occurs in every place on earth even if they are not allowed to show it."

 

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