The Wildman of Orford (print for sale)

The Wildman of Orford (print for sale)

One of the 6 new prints I created for my solo show Wunderkabinett last week-end.

This handsome fellow is the Wildman of Orford (aka the Mer-man of Orford).

This wonderful piece of East Anglian folklore was brought to my attention earlier this year by the poet Chrissie Gittins, for whom I illustrated a wonderful book of her poems, the Humpback's Wail, which included one about this strange and misunderstood creature.

Caught in fisherman's net off Orford Ness in 1167 the Wildman was described as bald on the top of his head, but otherwise covered, head to toe, in thick matted fur. He could speak no English and did not recognise the church as holy. He would eat anything offered him, so long as it was cold and he had squeezed all the juice from it. He was held captive at Orford Castle (shown in the print) for some time, where he was hung by his feet and beaten, but still he would not speak. Eventually the Wildman of Orford managed to escape when allowed to bathe in the sea where he swam away to his freedom, never to be seen again.

Printed for me by the talented Mr Yann Brien of Handwash Studios, the print measures 29.7 cm wide by 42 cm down (A3), and has 2 colours. It is a limited edition of 50 (although quite a few have sold already!) and is available from my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulBommer) at the very reasonable price of £45 plus P&P. Snatch him up whilst you may!

The King o' the Cats (print for sale)

The King o' the Cats (print for sale)

One of the 6 new prints I created for my solo show Wunderkabinett last week-end.

Gather 'round Ladies and Gentlemen, and I shall share with you the tale of the King o' the Cats.

A man one night was travelling to the house of a friend. Lost in the fog on the way there he espied a light ahead of him, which he followed to an old and gnarled hollow willow tree. Peering within he saw a tiny wooden coffin surrounded by feline mourners, each holding a candle between its paws. Startled by this sight, he ran on until he reached at last his friend’s door.

By the roaring hearth he recounted all he had just witnessed on his journey to his incredulous host and his wife. As he finished the tale the tom-cat asleep by the fireside sat suddenly bolt upright and declared aloud - ‘Then Old Peter is Dead. And I am King o’the Cats!’. With which, he disappeared up the chimney, never to be seen again.

The folktale is generally thought to be Scottish, but other regional versions exist across the country. In Oxford-shire the same tale is told, but this time with Tim Toldrum (and not Old Peter) as the name of the deceased cat!

Printed for me by the talented Mr Yann Brien of Handwash Studios, the print measures 29.7 cm wide by 42 cm down (A3), and has 2 colours. It is a limited edition of 50 (although quite a few have sold already!) and is available from my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulBommer) at the very reasonable price of £45 plus P&P. Snatch him up whilst you may!

Forzino the Strongman

Forzino the Strongman

One of the 6 new prints I created for my solo show Wunderkabinett last week-end.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you Forzino the Strongman.

Appearing nightly at the Winter Circus (le Cirque d'Hiver) in Paris, Forzino, was, in his youth a sailor, and also a soldier in north Africa, to which his tattoos allude. The designs are based on genuine french prisoner tattoos documented by criminalogist Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne of Lyon in the 1890s.

The french below translates, approximately, as 'The Strongest Tattooed Hercules in the World, and the Most Beautiful Physique in this Genre!"

Printed for me by the marvellous Suki Hayes at the Print Block in Whitstable, the print measures 29.7 cm wide by 42 cm down (A3), and has 2 colours. It is a limited edition of 50 (although quite a few have sold already!) and is available from my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulBommer) at the very reasonable price of £45 plus P&P. Snatch him up whilst you may!

(For I Will Consider) My Cat Jeoffry

(For I Will Consider) My Cat Jeoffry

My new screen print for sale, created especially for my Wunderkabinett exhibtion in Spitalfields last week-end.

It is based on (and features) a poem, commonly called 'For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry', by Christopher 'Kit' Smart. It is an excerpt from a longer piece entitled Jubilate Agno ('Rejoice in the Lamb'), written around 1760 whilst Smart was an inmate at St. Luke's Hospital for Lunatics on Old Street, Upper Moorfields, in London.

Printed in two colours on high quality Fabriano 5 paper by the Print Block in Whitstable, '(For I Will Consider) My Cat Jeoffry' is a limited edition of 50.

The print measures 50 cm wide by 70 cm high (a standard frame size, conveniently) and includes 80 vignettes and 89 cats!

The print is available to buy, through my website (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulBommer) and through other reputable outlets, for £120 plus P&P.

Twitter Ye Not - The Mary Celeste

Twitter Ye Not - The Mary Celeste

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 the 4th December 1872, the brigantine merchant ship Mary Celeste was found by another ship, the Dei Gratia, drifting under sail some 600 miles west of Portugal. All her passengers and crew were missing, and no trace of them was ever found. Here. we imagine the Twitter reaction to that mysterious event.

A departure this time - No people. Just the empty ship and laden breakfast table, with still-steaming cups of tea (apparently invented by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as was his more fanciful name for the vessel, the Marie Celeste)! The portrait of vanished Captain Briggs looks down forlornly from an oxford frame upon the wall. Through the port-hole the Dei Gratia, under the command of Captain Morehouse, can be seen approaching.

Museum Journal - Part 18

Museum Journal - Part 18

Part 18 of the Director of the National Museum of Britsh History's Diary, for regular client Museum Journal (MJ).

This month our man attends a meeting to assign Scotland with satellite English Museums. The campaign was christened 'Lebensraum' after the Nazi regime's term for colonisation. In keeping with that WWII flavour I drew a map of northern Britain recalling the opening credits for Dad's Army.

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.

'Delftware' Tile - The Wit To Woo

'Delftware' Tile - The Wit To Woo

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

The Owl is a symbol of the Norfolk town of Holt, where our friends, Will & Marie, have a wonderful shop, Old Town. Apparently the town was plagued by a particularly noisy one back in the mists of time and tried to drown it by sticking said bird up the church drain pipe. Fortunately the wise owl outwitted the townsfolk and escaped to hoot another day...

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - Apples & Pears

'Delftware' Tile - Apples & Pears

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

Apples & Pears is the best-known Cockney rhyming slang expression, meaning Stairs. Followed closely by Frog & Toad, for Road. Up the Apples, down the Toad..

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - Hello Sailor

'Delftware' Tile - Hello Sailor

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

This inked matelot is a handsome chap. Franco-phone/phile Miles Kingston once said that the french navy took as its motto 'To the Water! Its the Hour!'. But of course, it was said in french...

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - The Gentle Author

'Delftware' Tile - The Gentle Author

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

GA is a reference to the Gentle Author, the mysterious pen behind the astonishing Spitalfields Life blog. http://spitalfieldslife.com/

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - Mr. Pussy

'Delftware' Tile - Mr. Pussy

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

Mr. Pussy is the feline friend of the Gentle Author, the mysterious pen behind the wonderful Spitalfields Life blog. http://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/11/14/paul-bommers-wunderkabinett/

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - W.B.

'Delftware' Tile - W.B.

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

This is supposed to be my friend Will Brown. Alas the likeness is not the Mae West. But the Drink More Gin framed poster, playful cats and pint of stout are bang on!

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - Mister Frederick Adams

'Delftware' Tile - Mister Frederick Adams

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

Mr F.A. is the husband of the infamous (but sweet) Fanny Adams. Neither do nor think nor know very much. And they're happy with that.

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - Alfino

'Delftware' Tile - Alfino

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

This perky little fella is my pal Angela Hartnett's jack russell Alfie (known as Alfino in cod italian)

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - The Golden Heart

'Delftware' Tile - The Golden Heart

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

This represents the Golden Heart pub, just around the corner on Commercial-street. It is run by the amazing Sandra Esqulant and has a beautiful panelled back-bar. The name is a reference to the Golden Heart of Our Lady - an appropriately Catholic name for devout Catholic Sandra!

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - The Ten Bells

'Delftware' Tile - The Ten Bells

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

This represents the Ten Bell pub, just around the corner on Commercial-street. It has a fab restaurant upstairs (I'm told). The name is a reference to Hawksmoor's Christchurch, Spitalfields, which stands opposite.

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - Cycliste Parisien

'Delftware' Tile - Cycliste Parisien

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

This mutton-chopped bonhomme is on his way to this Saturday's London Tweed Run. A little Gallic charm is always welcome!

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - London Cyclist

'Delftware' Tile - London Cyclist

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

This moustachioed fellow is dressed in his finest tweeds and heading back home from this Saturday's London Tweed Run. Hope he hasn't drunk both those bottles!

SOLD OUT

'Delftware' Tile - The Bommer Pig

'Delftware' Tile - The Bommer Pig

One of the 13 faux Delft tiles (actually acrylic on panel) I created last week especially for my Wunderkabinett solo exhibition at the week-end. The Show was in a Georgian period townhouse, which not untypically have blue & white Delftware tiles surrounding the hearths.

This porky pig with the butcher's chop-marks (and my tragicomic surname above him) is a reference to St. John's Bread & Wine, a nose-to-tail eaterie, just around the corner.

SOLD OUT

Wunderkabinett - Poster

Wunderkabinett - Poster

The Poster form of my Wunderkabinett solo show invitation, with all t'information cunningly placed on the one same side for your ease and convenience!

Twitter Ye Not - Tutankhamun's Tomb

Twitter Ye Not - Tutankhamun's Tomb

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 November 22nd 1922, Lord Carnarvon and archaeologist Howard Carter first entered the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Here we imagine the Twitter feed excavated from that day.

I have show Howard Carter, in his linen suit and remarkable white shoes, and Lord Carnarvon, his aristocratic sponsor, both flanking a selection of the treasures found in Tutankhamun's tomb. Above the hoard floats a cartouche containing one of King Tut's names (he had several, including a 'throne' name) in hieroglyphics. Behind Carnarvon are two of the three Great Pyramids at Giza, and a date palm. Near his ear buzzes the mosquito that bit his cheek the following Spring, and which led to his unfortunate death and the notion, popular in the Press at the time, of a Curse of the Pharoah.

I saw the treasures of Tutankhamun's tomb as a small child, at the British Museum in 1972, a-top my father's shoulders. I remember being much taken with the animorphic bed I have shown and the chair with lions' feet. My mum tells me that I admonished the guard who kindly asked me if I liked 'Toot'n'karmen' by telling him it was pronounced ' Toot-ankk-ar-Mooon' (a pronunciation I recently and gratifyingly heard to be correct by a scholar on Radio 3!). What a precocious little toad I was (am).

My partner Nick and I have a secret and unprovable belief that we espied each other for the first time at that exhibition, me upon Dad's shoulders and he a school-boy a little older. I am quite certain it did happen!

Wunderkabinett - Signing new prints

Here I am signing and numbering two of the new prints for my forthcoming Wunderkabinett show in a fortnight's time.

John Barleycorn Must Die is based on a poem by Rabbie Burns, about the embodiment of grain and the drinks made thereof.

The Wildman of Orford is based on a medieval legend of a woodwose caught in a Suffolk fisherman's net!

Wunderkabinett - Invites & Rubber-stamp

Wunderkabinett - The Invite/ Postcard, printed for me by RCS.

Mostly posted out, delivered and flying off local gallery, shop and café counter-tops!

Plus the By Hand rubber stamp I had made up by Blade Rubbers.

Twitter Ye Not - The Mayflower

Twitter Ye Not - The Mayflower.

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 what is in the modern Gregorian calendar 21 November 1620, The Mayflower dropped anchor in Cape Cod Bay, at the end of a 66 day journey across the Atlantic from Plymouth. Here, we imagine the Twitter feed of that fateful time.

In April 1621 the Mayflower, a privately commissioned vessel, returned to England. In 1623, a year after the death of Captain Christopher Jones, the ship was dismantled for scrap timber at Rotherhithe, London. There is a barn in the village of Jordans, near Chalfont St Giles in Buckingham-shire, also the final resting place of William Penn (as in Pennsylvania), said to be made of the Mayflower's wood!

On the left is William Bradford, leader of the new community, and credited with inventing Thanksgiving - Turkeys, pumpkin pie, all that stuff.

Opposite him stands Tisquantum, more commonly known as Squanto, the Patuxet indian who assisted the pilgrims after their first winter in the New World, and who was integral to their survival. Behind him stands an alarmed turkey.

Between them stands the famous ship.

It is commonly believed that the pilgrim fathers left England for the New World to escape religious persecution, but in fact they received little in a time when puritanism was steadily gaining ground. No, the reason they set up home in Americky was so that they were free themselves to religiously persecute! (Discuss).

Twitter Ye Not - The Loch Ness Monster

Twitter Ye Not - The Loch Ness Monster

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 November 12 1933, a British Aluminium Company worker named Hugh Gray was walking home from church when he saw an object rise from the waters of the lake beside him. The image he captured on his box camera was the first to purport to offer proof of the existence of the Loch Ness monster. Here, we imagine the reaction on Twitter to that iconic photograph.

As I was unable to track down any images of Hugh Gray (or at least, be certain I had the right Hugh Gray) I chose to show a more generic Scot, be-kilted with a tam o'shanter hat, hip-flask and crafty smile.

Opposite him stands British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, also mentioned in the article and on the ascendency at that time. All very scathing, and rightly so, but I did point out to the commissioner that, if memory serves me well, the Daily Mail were firm supporters of Mosley's movement before the War. No comment... ;-). Their version of the swastika was the Lightning Bolt badge, which Ossie wears on his ridiculously high belt.

He was married to Diana Mitford, and both spent years in gaol during WWII. Diana and her sister Unity were both dyed-in-the-wool fascists, but their younger sister Jessica (known as Decca) moved to America and became an ardent communist.
She was unbending about Diana's steely and unrepentant Fascist history. Visiting London with her son, Benjamin Treuhaft, who was half Jewish, she noted Diana's offer of a meeting: "I thought better not, as I didn't want Benj turned into a lampshade."

Between these men Nessie, the monster herself, rises from the murky depths of the vast loch.