Birds, Bunnies and Bikes at Elphick's

I've just discovered the work of Russell Loughlan and I'm smitten! Loughlan exhibited recently at the interesting"Tales From a Park Bench" installation in Camden and seems to be acquiring quite a following in the UK. His work, a celebration of the arbitrary nature of living in a city, combines illustration, found, unwanted imagery, postcards and stamps and is housed in recycled frames from markets and charity shops.

The wonderful Columbia Road gallery/shop/studio Elphick's will be selling Loughlan's art shortly. If you've never had the chance to go there in person, they also have an online shop where you can purchase prints by owner Sharon Elphick and a fine selection of artists (Charley Harper, Lisa Jones, Helen Musselwhite, Karin Akesson, David Weidman...)

Bird in Bloom - Sharon Elphick

My First Alphabet - Marcus Walters

Eastway - James Brown (love it!)

Semaphore - James Brown (love it!)

Mid-Summer Spectacle - Sally Elford

Found via Alex at Papergrain.

Alice Tait

Here's some more cheerful London-inspired artwork by Alice Tait. Alice loves drawing and works from one of London's most creative spaces, the Great Western Studios. She boasts an impressive illustration portfolio and client base with names such as the FT, The Guardian, Jamie Oliver, Vogue and Waitrose on her CV. I wouldn't mind a set of these dashing fellows, would you?



A big thanks to Alex at Papergrain for this find!

London Town

I've been reminiscing about my student days in London a lot lately. Of course, I'm just back from a holiday in the UK but we didn't manage to go down and see the bright lights this time, unfortunately. I've promised Dylan a weekend away in the autumn, if he gets his brain back in gear and concentrates at school - those difficult teenage years - so until then I'll have to make do with my city-in-a-bag from Muji's and dreams of buying just one teeny, weeny roll of Lizzie Allen's fabulous hand-screenprinted wallpaper for the kids' bedroom (if you're seriously interested Pedlars has a great sale on). The good news, however, is that Famille Summerbelle's next London print will be in Ladybird red - hurray! I know what my family will be getting for Christmas!
I'm not going to start getting patriotic (Union Jack's seem to everywhere although I do like these paper chains from Creative Flourish) but once you start delving you realise just how much fantastic artwork London has inspired. Take M. Sasek, for example, his fabulous books are enjoying a revival and he even has his own new website.
Binth's colourful London city cards and prints would look great in a nursery or child's bedroom.



Papergrain, one of my favourite UK addresses for stationery, also has some beautiful writing sets, notebooks and greetings cards, my favourite being the Greenwich Observatory having lived in Blackheath and Greenwich for three years.





The London Transport Museum's online shop has an amazing range of London-themed products, including clothes, homeware, books, maps, toys and posters. I could write several posts on their poster collection alone. UK linocut printmaker Paul Catherall's Four Seasons are among my favourites, and elsewhere work by Gail Brodholt.








My very special London find comes from Verandah, a collective of designers and craftmakers based in Norwich in the UK. These soldier concertina cards are just perfect!


* London Calling print by Inkspotts