Evening, just a quick post to show off todays printing.  These are samples that will be sent out to Teesside University tmrw for Societies within the Student Union to try out.

The two different designs here are the "Teesside University Real Ale Society" or TURAS for short and the University of "Teesside Student Union Horror Society"

The actual designs are pretty simple so there was no charge for setting up the logos for printing.  If you are interested in having your club or societies logo printed onto a garment then please get in touch and we will get you sorted.

Click here to fill out an enquiry form

Cheers, Ian

Transporter Bridge
An unusual depiction of the transporter bridge here! I like it! It's as though you're standing under the water and looking up at it. There are so many pictures of the bridge, both digital and painted - but i've never seen one done like this before. The bridge was built back in 1911 and celebrated being open for one hundred years last October. It has been featured in films and TV shows such as Billy Elliot, The Fast Show and Auf Wiedersehen Pet (one of the scenes was of them taking the bridge down and apparently loads of people were ringing up the council going mad and thinking it had really happened).

Marilyn Monroe
A canvas of Marilyn Monroe which has been designed with an abstract/ scribble effect. Quite arty I reckon. Such a beautiful woman inside and out. She was brought up in foster homes and began her career as a model, and it was from this that she was spotted and got her break as an actress. Because she was usually cast in the role of 'blonde bimbo', people assumed that she was a bit dim, but it's clear that most people who worked with her, either fell in love with her or respected her acting skills (or both). Director Joshua Logan said "I found Marilyn to be one of the greatest talents of all time. She struck me as being a much brighter person than I had ever imagined, and I think that was the first time I learned that intelligence and, yes, brilliance have nothing to do with education".

Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix on fire!
This guy was one of the best guitarists of all time. He taught himself to play the guitar and could play it behind his back as well as with his teeth (not at the same time mind). Jimi is a member  of the tragic 'Twenty-Seven Club' - Legendary artists who died at the age of 27. The 'club' (seems a bit wrong to call it that) includes artists such as Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Brian Jones. Jimi left behind three hundred un-released recordings! He was a left handed guitarist and used to buy right handed fender stratocasters, turn them upside down and re-string them for left handed playing. An eccentric fellow! He was also pretty flamoboyant with his clothing.

Audrey Hepburn
Again we have the scribble effect and in black and white, but with Audrey Hepburn this time. A stunning image of an icon best known for her role in Breakfast at Tiffany's and My Fair Lady. She had originally trained as a ballerina but was told that although she would be successful, she would not make it as a prima ballerina due to her height (5'7") and the fact she had been under nourished during the war years. So she decided to give acting a go. She spent fifteen years in the film industry and became a massive fashion icon - known for her grace and elegance (and big thick eyebrows). Every time I read one of her quotes, I think she is one wise lady . Here is one of my favourites: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

Well, that's all for today. Let us know what you think about the new designs! Have a good weekend :)

Kerry x

"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye."
 - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Nice quote that isn't it? So, following on from our 'valentines phase' here are a few T shirt ideas for you, you can just use them as a broad idea of what we do - you can make your own too...make it as personal as you like! Draw your own comic, get your girlfriend to pose like Kate Winslet in Titanic, or get an 'I love....' (what do you love?). For a tenner, you can't go wrong. Get creative people...it's going to be pretty cold this week so if you're not down the pub, get your crayons out.

Have a good one :)

Kerry x

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR CANVAS TODAY


Following my last post about valentines day, one of the suggestions was to put lyrics onto a t-shirt as a gift. Looks like that idea went down well (high five!) as a few people have already placed orders, but instead of the t-shirt - they want lyrics putting onto a canvas. We like this idea a lot, so I'm just going to give you a few more details about it. 

So, lyrics onto a canvas.This is a great idea for a present. Say, their favourite song, something that is special to them. Maybe a song that is special to the both of you? The first song you snogged to or the first song you made up to? (I feel queasy being so cheesy here, just so you know!) You could have any picture you want as the background too. A picture of the band? The album cover? A picture of the person or yourself...or why not go mental and have the two of you together? Could have a sunrise? (Just throwing it out there).

All of our canvas prints are hand-made and stretched over a solid wooden frame. Everything is done in-house here at our shop on Redcar High Street. Canvas printing prices start from as cheap as £20.00 including design work.  Also, you don't need to worry about where to hang it (particularly you posh geezers out there with glass houses) as the ink is guaranteed for 75 years - therefore, it won't be affected by sunlight. If you fall into it while you're drunk though...might not be so lucky. 

If you get orders in to us by the Thursday of any week, we can have your order ready for the Saturday of that very same week. If anyone comes in with a panic on....... because you've left things late - fear not, my boss can usually sort things out.

Our canvas prints are great value for money when you consider the materials and the time-scale we can have them ready in. And lets be honest, a canvas is a nicer present than a bunch of flowers. I reckon so anyway. I always feel guilty when I get flowers (ahem...twice in twenty eight years is twice too much for me thank you. Potted plants are the way forward, at least you're watching them grow instead of die...aaaaaand breath). 

I'd be well chuffed with a canvas print featuring my favourite song lyrics. I think it's thoughtful and there's a bit of effort gone into the gift. 

So, here's a little step by step guide of what you need to do when you place your order with us:

1. You tell us the song lyrics.
2. Either send us the picture you would like via email if it's a personal one or we can find a good image of the band in question.
3. Let us know what size canvas you want.
4. We'll work our magic (check out example above).

We can set a few different designs up for you to choose from and we won't go ahead anything with it until you're happy with it.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR CANVAS TODAY 

Well, that's all for now. Nearly the weekend! :)

Kerry x

So. I've been asked to write about Valentines Day. I'm not the greatest person to give an opinion on this subject as a) I'm single (no cats) and b) I don't have a great track record with the whole romance scene! Still, got a good fifty years in me yet mind :p 
.

First thing's first: Who invented Valentines Day?

Nobody really knows. There are a few theories though. One of them is about a fella called Valentine. He was a priest in Rome back in 270 AD. At the time, the Emperor, Claudious II was trying to round men up for his army but found that those with wives and children were no good as soldiers. So, he did what any decent emperor would do and outlawed marriage. Now, Valentine was pretty miffed about the whole thing, just did not agree with it AT ALL and so he continued to marry young lovers in secret. Claudious found out, went ballistic....and killed him....on the 14th February. Shocking eh?

Like I said, there are quite a few theories out there but this one  is most often mentioned by historians.

While we're on the whole romance history trip, it would be wrong not to mention Casanova, the greatest lover of all time! Some people assume that he was a total rat, but actually, he truly loved women and was a giver not a taker. He was also a philosopher and poet and loved the whole romance side of things. Here is a quote from Casanova himself (obviously, not himself standing in my shop as I type) 'I don't conquer, I submit' (I don't actually know why I chose that quote really...it's short and sweet though).  I'll leave Casanova there for now otherwise I'll go off on a tangent.

Another fact about Valentine's Day - is that the 14th of February is commonly known as the beginning of the mating season for birds. So, if you are single and want to feel even more bitter on this day - just get the old binoculars out and perv on the birds getting it on outside your window.

For all of you that are loved up and wish to show your soul mate/other half/partner in crime/knight in shining armour/little princess (delete as appropriate) just how special they are to you, I have a few suggestions:

You could write a love letter and then get it printed onto a canvas - how romantic is that? Or do you have a photo of when you first met? Or a place that is 'your special place'?

My boss said we're going to do five 16 x 16 canvases (which are usually £40) for half price. BARGAIN! So, twenty quid to give the love of your life something special that will last for seventy five years (other than a child ha). Who needs jewels when you have Redcar Urban Arts man?

Also, you know we do t-shirts? Well how about your lovers favourite band, quote or lyrics on a one? You could have a secret inscription printed on the inside too (which costs a mere £5.50).

Valentines Day doesn't have to be about your partner though. What about someone you secretly admire? Or what about your parents or grandparents? Might be nice to dig out an old photo of them.

All in all. Just spread the love.

And...If you're single and shy - I say treat yourself! One time, I was single and living in a different city, I took myself on a Valentines Day shopping spree and then went to a nice cafe for some dinner. I felt pretty smug until I poured the lot of my drink over myself :-( Ah well. A good looking Italian bloke helped me dry myself off so it wasn't all that bad :-)

On that note...Happy (nearly) Valentines Day.

If you want something personal and a bit different for a prezzie...we're your people.

Tata for now

Kerry x

What do you think of the T Shirts above? 

Nope, they weren't actually drawn by me, but by kids! And this is what they'd look like printed on a T Shirt.

What's my point? 

Well, you know how little kids like to draw you a picture and you end up shoving it in the kitchen drawer? (Hey...what are you supposed to do if you don't own a pin-board?!) Or how about when your niece or nephew has drawn a cracking portrait of you? (massive eyes, massive lips and a stick thin body)...Or check that one of a hand print above, priceless non? (that hand isn't always going to be so small) I think all of these things would be a great idea for a T Shirt / canvas. I especially like the squiggly one - I'd wear that with some jeans - it's cool. Honestly, think about how chuffed your kid would be if you got one of their pictures put on a T Shirt? They'd feel well pleased with themselves!

Another good idea (I reckon anyway) is, when it's a rainy day and they are bored, arguing or being nasty to the cat, sit them down and get them to draw a picture with the promise of getting it printed up. I don't know anyone (especially young people who need all the encouragement that they can get) that wouldn't be proud to have some of their artwork on show, do you? You could also get them to design one for their granny, their teacher...their doll, their dad, best friend or the tooth-fairy. 

All for a tenner!

You know what, if I had a kid I'd get him/her to design MY T Shirts (ha - that sounds like total exploitation actually)...because at least  I'd know it was original and meant something. Also, I'd be able to show the young'uns artistic skills off to all and sundry. If I had a whole brood of them, even better! I'd hold a T Shirt design competition every Sunday. Orrrrr maybe not....

I still think it's a great idea though :-)

Let me know what you think!

:-)

Ta ra for now!

Kerry x

If you would like to own this unique piece of artwork then you best snap it up quick as there has already been plenty of interest in it. It has been painted in acrylic and is 15 x 16 inches. The price is £175 (including postage and packaging) and is sold with the frame. Contact us via the website, our facebook account or on Tel: 01642-485343 if you want any further details or call into the shop if you would like a closer look!

While I'm here, I may as well talk a bit about Amy Winehouse!

I don't know an awful lot about her (apart from the fact she was a great singer and died last year) but I did a little google-quest earlier and after reading about 5 million websites, I think she comes across as troubled, but she was real, strong, vulnerable and genuine. I like her. For any of you people who like her too, I've pinched a few quotes from the internet from her interviews etc. Enjoy.

"There is no point in saying anything but the truth. Because, at the end of the day, I don't have to answer to you, or my ex, or ... I shouldn't say God ... or a man in a suit from the record company. I have to answer to myself."

"My music. It's the only thing I have real dignity in in my life. That's the one area in my life where I can hold my head up and say, "No one can touch me." 'Cos no one can touch me!"
 
"I don't ever want to do anything mediocre. I hear the music in the charts and I don't mean to be rude, but those people have no soul. Learning from music is like eating a meal - you have to pace yourself. You can't take everything from it all at once. I want to be different, definitely. I'm not a one trick pony. I'm at least a five-trick pony."
 
"I'm not religious at all. I think faith is something that gives you strength. I believe in fate and I believe that things happen for a reason but I don't think that there's a high power, necessarily. I believe in karma very much though."

"There are so many rude people around and they're the people that don't have any real friends. And relationships with people - with your mum, your nan, your dog - are what you get the most happiness in life from. Apart from shoes and bags. "
 
Her answer to the question "Are you going to turn into a diva?"---"I'm probably already one, if that means that you don't give a *** about people's opinions. I don't suffer fools gladly. I'm not here to make friends. I've learnt that the hard way - I used to not say things like "I really want to hold a guitar in my video", because I was trying to make everyone like me. But I don't give a *** now. At the end of the day I'm there to do my job, I'm not there to have picnics. So, if that's being a diva then yeah, I will be one."
 
"I don't listen to anyone except my ... inner child anyway."
 
"I say things in songs,I wouldn't even admit to myself,looking in the mirror"  

"Life happens. There is no point in being upset or down about things you can’t control or change."

"I'm not in this job to be a ****** role model."  

"I always said I never wanted to write about love, but then I went and did that anyway."  

"I write songs a lot when I can't get my head around a situation or I just can't get past it emotionally and then I write a song and I feel better because I've gotten something good out of something bad."  

" The minute I even start to think about what I'm doing I just lose it. I have to just shut my eyes and flow."

"If you don't throw yourself into something, you'll never know what you could have had."

Well, that's enough quotes for now, there was some other good ones but they were a bit head cracking for a Saturday afternoon.

Bye for now

Kerry :)

A Boro taxi driver who is a poet in his spare time? I like him already!

Duggy Verrill is fifty two years old and after trying out twenty nine different jobs (including being a toilet attendant and a court usher) he eventually became a taxi driver and has been for 17 years now. I was looking forward to having a read of his book because I'm used to reading poets like William Wordsworth and T.S Eliot and I gotta say...sometimes they can be right wafflers. Anyway...back to Duggy.  I've read the book in one sitting today and I was laughing out loud. I must  have looked a right pleb to passers-by sitting at the counter wearing my woolley hat and grinning away to myself. Ah well.

I don't think it would be the 'done thing' to quote Duggy's poetry word for word here, but I don't think he would mind if I copied a few verses - just to give you a glimpse of his work so that you can make your own mind up. If I'm honest, I don't feel that his website does his work justice as there is just one poem on it and you don't get a true feel about his voice as a poet, so when it came to reading his book I was surprised at how engaging it was, I couldn't put it down! He talks about real life, raw subjects such as death, love (inevitably going sour), ageing and what people really say when you try to strike up a conversation in a Middlesbrough park.

An extract from 'Albert Park':

I sat down on the first bench
A smart young lady was reading a book
I smiled, she gave me a nasty stare
She said 'piss off perve and sling yer hook'

[and...]

I strolled towards the fountain
Two Rotties were off the lead
After meeting Hitler's daughter
This is something I don't need

An extract from 'Bitter'  (which is all about love and how he is so proud
of the sexy lady on his arm...but then later...)

Hairs gone grey, wrinkly face
Figure only a dog would chase
Got the smell of stilton cheese
Plastic hip and wobbly knees

An extract from 'Suicide':

I put my head in the oven
I thought this can't be that hard
The gas stopped after a minute
There was nowt left on the card

Another one here is from his poem 'The Graveyard':

I started thinking of all my friends
Laying in their plots
And the money I'd have saved up on birthday cards
Adds up to quite a lot!

As well as being funny though, Duggy makes some really heartfelt points throughout the book, here is an extract from the poem 'Grace' which is about his friend who is in a wheelchair:

We bump into Joe he asks "is she alright?"
I say, "Ask her yourself Joe, she's really quite bright,
Just because she's sat in the chair
Doesn't mean she isn't all there"

There are so many more bits that I want to quote but I think I'll leave it there, otherwise I'll be practically typing the book out myself. Plus, just reading the extracts without knowing the context of the verse doesn't really do his work justice. I really enjoyed it though and I find his dark humour and dry wit appealing. Duggy Verrill is my kind of poet because he says what he feels, he isn't pretentious (or cheesy) and he mixes the dark and depressing stuff with humour and a good rhyme. I'm no literary critic by a long shot, but in my opinion this book is definitely worth buying. It is just £5.00 and for every book sold, £1 goes to the NSPCC! Good one that. Duggy has a website you can check out too, just click HERE. He will be publishing a new set of poems in the springtime.

Thanks for reading :)

Kerry x

You have a lovely romantic picture but there's some idiot pulling a moonie in the background. There's a picture of you all bronzed and beautiful in St. Tropez but you have a massive zit on your nose. You want a picture of you with all of your family, but your dad insists on pulling monkey faces and your siblings end up in a wrestling match when they all get together.  Fear not!

We can iron out all of this stuff (not literarily mind, sorry). You've heard of celebrities being air-brushed for magazine shots? Yah? Well, whether you agree with this technique or not, we do it. We can erase anything that you consider 'undesirable' and we can also add a few discrete things here and there (my lips are sealed about what we have 'tweaked' in the past though, I'm all about customer confidentiality). It's sods law that you have a great picture but there's something ridiculous spoiling the whole thing, like bird crap on your shoulder or a black bit on your front tooth.

Another service we offer is what I'll call the 'drama-free-group-shot' which translates to: If you want a picture of all of your loved ones together but can never seem to get them all in one room, we are able to incorporate separate images to make it look like a genuine picture. I'm not saying things should always be done this way...as you would miss out on some cool (and hilarious/traumatizing) experiences, but it's worth thinking about if you'd like to give someone a nice present. There is another variation of this, which is to add a loved one who has passed away into a recent family picture. Often when the customer comes in to collect the finished canvas, it's moving because they get emotional. If we ever get a crier in here, I end up in bits too. All happy tears mind.

We also specialise in restoring old or damaged pictures, so we're talking creases, scratches, that sort of thing...we (well, I say 'we' but really it's my boss who does all the work! I am simply the mouthpiece ha) can clean up anything so that it's as good as new.

That's all for today...have a good weekend!

Kerry x

Yes, it's all excellent while it's happening, but if your hangover is stretching into a third day  you are either old or you severely overdid it (both for me. Not only did I make an absolute moron of myself, but can remember all of about twelve hours from the whole festive period). I'm not writing this to make us all feel worse though, I am in fact going to try to make it all better. 

Okay...Here are ten reasons to feel great - no matter what happened over the last seven days 
(exceptions to be made if you lost any limbs - it's highly unlikely that a list of feel good factors will perk you up / you became bankrupt / or any other seriously shocking things. The following list may be of no help at all, apart from number 2 and the quote on number 10)

1. God. I've just realised I have ten positive statements to come up with and have gone blank. 

2. Okay...Here is one. At Redcar Urban Arts, we are doing a Buy One Get One Free offer on 10 x 10 canvases. This means, that for just twenty five pounds (the reason I typed out the whole number in text, is because for some stinking reason the pound sign doesn't work on this keyboard) you can get TWO canvases!! The only catch is, the offer stops at 30 people! To make this easier for you, you can tag an image from your facebook account to ours and we'll get it printed up for you within a couple of days. I'm sure you all have some cracking photos from over Christmas?! It's a good deal so grab it quick.

[That was supposed to be my grand finale of this post, but I got writers block. I really do want to share some feel good things too though...]

3. If the world is really going to end in 2012 - what's the point in worrying about anything AT ALL? Hell, let's all go mental! Who cares if you want to do your shopping naked or eat rice crispies all day? Tell people what you truly think about them and sing out loud to Jimmy Nails Crocodile Shoes. [If the world doesn't end, you may always be known as that freak that went mental back in 2012 - and you may have no friends left...but at least you were being true to yourself].

4. We have the new year to look forward to. I love a new year me. You can have a fresh start, set new goals and hibernate until spring time. Spring time is great. 

5. Now is a good time to think about where you might go on holiday. Even if you're short on cash there are some good alternatives such as camping, hitch-hiking around Europe, being a stowaway on a royal mail train or you could just become enlightened and travel far and wide in spiritual realms. The world's your oyster. (I actually don't get that? what does an oyster have to do with it? And why would you want to be trapped in a shell anyway? Answers most welcome).

6. All them smellies you got for Christmas? Pour the lot of them in the bath and get off your head. (Right, I'm clearly clutching at straws here. I think I need ten minutes and then I'll come back to it).

7. January. Do one crazy thing in the month of January. Why? Because it's dull and it'll inject a bit of je ne sais quoi back into your life. Me and my brother are thinking of re-creating a scene from Monty Pythons Holy Grail: you know the horse and the coconut thing? We might do that through the town one day. I'll let you know if we come up with something better. 

8. Look back over the past year and think about all the cool things that have happened. Yeah, I'm sure we all cringe at a few unsavoury situations we've been in, but what's wrong with giving yourself a pat on the back for all the things that DID go well? If nothing else, a few lessons have been learned, you're older and wiser and you can do everything better this time around. 

9. Festivals! Yep, we have summer to look forward to all over again. I have a confession. I ran out of 'feel-good' things and googled 'what to look forward to in 2012' and festivals was one of them. I wonder if they'll be doing Redcar Rocks again this year? It would be brilliant if they brought that tomato throwing one they have in Spain to Redcar High Street!

10. You're going to see some cool changes to Redcar Urban Arts in the new year, but more on that later! (this wasn't a cop out, there really is going to be some good things happening) but just to leave you with one final thought of goodness for the day: "Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive."- Elbert Hubbard 

Happy New Year to you all and I hope that 2012 is a good one for you. Oh, one more thing, if you don't want to tag your picture to our page, you can email it to  urbanarts@virginmedia.com 


Kerry x