Twitter Ye Not - The Gunpowder Plot

Twitter Ye Not - The Gunpowder Plot

A regular piece for the Daily Mail Weekend magazine about how figures in history might have twittered or tweeted or whatever, had they the chance, inclination and technology.

In the early hours of the 5th November 1605, Guy Fawkes was discovered in the undercroft of the Palace of Westminster, guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder, intended to blow up the State Opening of Parliament later that day. Here, we imagine the Twitter feed for that turbulent night.

On he left-hand side we have Guy or Guido Fawkes, terrorist or free-fighter depending on your standpoint, some say the only man to ever enter Parliament with honest intentions, having a thoughtful smoke. A bad idea considering he is surrounded by powder kegs. Good thing most of them are too damp to ignite!

Opposite him is King James I of England (and James VI of Scotland), first of the Stuart line of British monarchs. The son of Mary, Queen of Scots, James is famous for several things - his ugliness, the Gunpowder Plot, his possible latent homosexuality, his poetic translation into English of the Bible (seen here under his arm) and his dislike of Smoking, which he described as 'a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless'! Not a fan then!

Restaurant Magazine - November 2011

Restaurant Magazine - November 2011

A piece for my regular Strets & the City slot (written by financial analyst Mark Stretton) in monthly trade publication, Restaurant magazine.

As usual with this particular client the idea was suggested to me by the Art Director. It concerns the changing fortunes of restaurant mega-group Paramount, which owns the chains Chez Gerard, LiveBait and Bertorelli. Too much debt and too few customers and the whole business is out of kilter. Even a financial dummkopf like myself can understand that much!

Not a large piece, so kept pretty simple.

Museum Journal - Part 17

Museum Journal - Part 17

Part 17 of the Director of the National Museum of Britsh History's Diary, for regular client Museum Journal (MJ).

This month our man attends the Museum Association's Annual Meeting in Brighton.

As always with MJ the final print size is minute (3 or 4 cm across tops) so its crucial to keep the design very simple and the detail to a minimum.

Wildman Life Drawing #2

These are a few more of my sketches from last night's life drawing class at the Horse Hospital in Bloomsbury for the event 'What is it?' Bigfoot Life Drawing Class

For the lesson the organisers had managed to capture a genuine Wildman o' the Woods, or Woodwose, controlled with great sensitivity, and, where necessary, sharp cruelty by master 'Nervous' Stephen Fowler.

A simple creature, the woodwose must be appeased with chocolate, pork pies and fruit, and hugs, and kept in check with caustic flicks of the malacca cane.

As you can perhaps tell I saw the Wildman with my medievalist eye...

Wildman Life Drawing

These are selection of my sketches from last night's life drawing class at the Horse Hospital in Bloomsbury for the event 'What is it?' Bigfoot Life Drawing Class

For the lesson the organisers had managed to capture a genuine Wildman o' the Woods, or Woodwose, controlled with great sensitivity, and, where necessary, sharp cruelty by master 'Nervous' Stephen Fowler.

A simple creature, the woodwose must be appeased with chocolate, pork pies and fruit, and hugs, and kept in check with caustic flicks of the malacca cane.

As you can perhaps tell I saw the Wildman with my medievalist eye...

Twitter Ye Not - The Wall Street Crash

Twitter Ye Not - The Wall Street Crash

A regular piece for the Daily Mail Weekend magazine about how figures in history might have twittered or tweeted or whatever, had they the chance, inclination and technology.

On 24th October 1929, the value of stocks on the New York Stock Exchange went into freefall. The volume traded on what was dubbed 'Black Tuesday' was a record that would not be broken for another 40 years - and made this the single most catastrophic day of the Wall Street Crash. Here, we imagine the twitter feed for that day.

I have shown on the one side uber-rich moneybags John D. Rockefeller, for whom the day was a bad one. On the opposite side of the street, Wall Street, stands gangster Al Capone, who did rather well out of it. Both pretty odious, Rockefeller thin and lizard-like, Capone fat and smug like a toad. Al holds a violin case - those mafiosi sure loved to fiddle!

Another case of history repeating itself and none of us learning our lesson me thinks...

Wunderkabinett - An Exhibition of Work by Paul Bommer

Wunderkabinett - An Exhibition of Work by Paul Bommer

The design for the reverse of the promo-invite postcard!

So much still to do!

Wunderkabinett - An Exhibition of Work by Paul Bommer

Wunderkabinett - An Exhibition of Work by Paul Bommer

My invite for my first solo show towards the end of November.

Wunderkabinett - An Exhibition of Work by Paul Bommer, including Images as yet unseen by the World.

Private View Friday 18 November 6 - 9 pm
Saturday 19 November 11 am - 6 pm
Sunday 20 November 11 am - 6 pm

15 Wilkes-street,
Spitalfields,
London
E1 6QF
map

NB; The Image is based on one of my new print designs.

Twitter Ye Not - The Battle of Edge Hill

Twitter Ye Not - The Battle of Edge Hill

A regular piece for the Daily Mail Weekend magazine about how figures in history might have twittered or tweeted or whatever, had they the chance, inclination and technology.

On Sunday 23 October 1642, King Charles I led his Royalist army (Cavaliers) against rebellious Parliamentary troops (Roundheads)at the Battle of Edge Hill (or Edgehill) in Warwickshire, the opening campaign of the Englsih Civil War. Here, we imagine the Twitter feed for that week-end.

I have shown on one side, 'warts and all', puritan leader Oliver Cromwell (one of history's big bastards in my opinion. Boo! Hiss!). Facing him across the battlefield stands weak and vain King Charles I (also Boo! Hiss!).

The Civil War raged for many years but eventually ended with the Parliamentary forces victorious, beginning the Commonwealth, in which taverns, theatres, drinking, even May-poles and Christmas, were banned! Not good. In the absence of any fun the Puritans amused themselves by prosecuting and executing a lot of witches! Nice.

Charles Stuart (Charles I) was beheaded on Tuesday, 30 January 1649 on a scaffold outside the Banqueting House on White-Hall, Westminster. His grandmother was Mary, Queen of Scots, who was also famously beheaded.

Cromwell died on 3 September 1658 and was briefly succeeded by his ineffectual son Richard, known to history as Tumble-Down Dick or even Queen Dick. Cromwell Jnr's reign was immediately followed by the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 when Charles I's son Charles II, known as the Merry Monarch, took the throne.