Fun at the Puttiki Art Show

Now that I have recovered from a weekend of rum and tiki, although this morning I drank some water and still tasted rum, I thought I should post some snaps of Hastings.

So I travelled down on the train and checked into the Phoenix Guest House, which turned out to be a lovely place that was run by a couple called Ed and Victoria. From discussions with Ed I discovered he'd once worked in the Barbers beneith the Hacienda Club in Manchester and had cut the hair of everyone from Mark E Smith, Genisis P'Orrige and the Smiths. Anybody heading to Hastings stay there its a great place.

(Picture by Trader Jim as I forgot to take picures)

This is Honey Lu Lu's a small but perfectly formed Tiki Barwhere we had the show, I was sent a picture txt by my friend Rarg of this place after it opened and I'd been keen to finally get inside.

My paintings just inside the door..

(Picture by Trader Tark as I forgot to take picures)

Then the other wall with fantastic run of great Tiki Art.

(Picture by Trader Jim as I forgot to take picures)

The Honey Lu Lu's Manager, who's name slips my mind at the moment but she made us all so welcome and served many many fine cocktails all weekend long.

This is Shanon aka Shananagan, she designs shoes for a living but creates pin-ups for pleasure.

Luckily with her coming all the way from America it saved me for once, on being the furthest travelled artist to attend the show.

And Los Furias Tiki aka Sam, who with his partner Kessie aka Lady K loves were my happy hosts for the weekend. Real good people and I hope the Puttiki Event goes from strength to strength.

(Picture by Trader Jim as I forgot to take picures)

A group shot of us all from the Friday night, you can spot Trader Jim and Sian on the left, it was great to see them again and more importantly finally get my "Bou'Hua" mug in Scrimshaw glaze.

But it wasn't all drinking and crazy golf, oh no I got out and explored Hastings. Didn't get to the Crowley death house but I did find other things...

No English seaside town is complete without a pier, sadly the Hastings pier is shut, what a waste.

Hasting going all Australian with their warning signs.

The net sheds down by the beach, full of tasty fresh seafood.

There are a couple of nice museums in Hastings and the exciting smugglers caves experience to entertain yourself outside of mini-golf and tiki artshows.

A lovely exhibit on "Biddy Champion tubman of Europe".

A suit covered in silver painted winkle shells.

A nice port lamp, Hastings has many fine antique stores so if you fancy a real one, go a wander up the old town and buy a real one.

..and finally some nice bits brought back by sailors, although I doubt many people would want a stuffed albatross for their bar, perhaps just on a stick.

Thanks to Kessie and Sam for being such wonderful hosts, the staff of Honey Lu Lus for letting us hang out and display our art and Shannon for coming all the way America and being such great company all weekend.

Its only a pity I can't go again next weekend and continue the fun.

Signs of Spring?

After the brief flurries of snow that crippled Britain snow last month its good to see some signs of spring coming.
The snowdrops pushing trough, sap rising and the return of migrating animals.


I was walking to work when I spotted the distinctive colouring of this fishy visitor and was lucky enough to snap some pictures of it.


Ah you know its spring when the giant pink plush sharks* swim upstream to spawn.



*(what's slightly worrying about this is that in the last six months two bodies have been found in this river, perhaps this ain't a toy but a fancy dress costume)

Another secret genre?

I was hunting for a book for a friend and went into a Waterstones near Glasgow Central Train Station and discovered another whole section of books I'd never heard of. I know romantic literature is popular with young ladies and they all love a vampire, so I guess it was an easy jump to create "Paranormal Romance".

Supermarket Archeology and Celebrity Shorts

The Waterways authority have been cleaning out a local burn and have dredged out this fantastically decayed shopping trolley.

As you can see by the handle it escaped from the long disappeared supermarket chain Presto. In biblical terms Templetons married Wm Lows who beget Presto who beget Safeways who beget Tesco who is arch enemies of Asda (but they be secretly Walmart).
Presto was named after the first town they opened in Prestonpans, which in turn gave its name to the best Scottish surf band named after a Sunday Day trip destinations, Preston Pfanz & the Seaton Sands.
While charity shopping I saw Cher's white lace cycling shorts for only 40 quid, guaranteed by a letter of authenticity to have come from her own privet wardrobe. Then in a mental health charity shop I saw a worlds best dad figurine, which was reading a newspaper, somebody had altered the figure by gluing segments of newspaper onto the figures sculpted newspaper. Each of those tiny scaps of newspaper were cut from articles on incest and child abuse, I think somebody might just have some issues with their father.

Beer Vs Biscuits

Having worked in various live music pubs and clubs, I consider myself to have been to one hell of a lot of gigs in my time, so its nice to contrast the two most recent gigs I've been too.


The Beer gig was at the Halt Bar, there was two bands, one was a white stripes style man and lady band who sounded like the Dead Kennedys meets the White Stripes singing in the Velvet Underground style or the "Dead White Velvets". The second band were a four piece all blokes who looked like hipster teachers and sounded like Magazine and the Buzzcocks.
Thanks to Beer I can't remember much more than that, oh and they were all from Leeds and the gig was organized by my mate Joe the Plumber (not the American one but real guy named joe who is a plumber and has been known as that for far longer than the other).

Last night was the Tea gig held at a tiny tea shop, "Tchai Ovna" hidden down a back lane. The shop is like someones living room and they do wide selection of teas, nice place reminds me of various squat bars from my youth.
So we were there to watch "Allo Darlin" an Australian Songstress on her Ukelele, and it were great, her best song was one called "Emma" which was all about a girl who'd nicked her boyfreind, by the way she put her heart into singing it you could tell it had actually happened but also it was still a touchy subject.
Very nice gig, small audience but since I've worked at nights where the barstaff have outnumbered the band and audience, so I know its all about whether people are enjoying themselves or not. The oddest part of the gig was comming home not drunk but over full of tea, like you've just been visiting your granny.

Xmas Shopping Blogging

Shouldn't have done it, but it had to be done, Xmas shopping is the anti-Christmas, no good cheer and some people seem to just go out to stand in the streams of people and cause stress.

But one of the joys of Xmas shopping is entering shops and looking at stuff you'd never normally look at and I'm always surprised at the thing that people will buy.
For instance a few years back I was in the ladies shop "Accessorize" to buy my wife some ear-rings and there I discovered grown women buying clothes for dogs. I gave the woman in question a withering man look and she came to her senses and put the dog dress back on the hanger.

So I was in Borders Books looking at the Biography section, my dad likes a biography and I was seeing if there was something up his street and discovered an entire section called "True Lives" which as far as I can tell are hideous true stories of child abuse and rape. They all have the same cover, sad child, hand written font for the authors name and a title like Ugly, A Child called it, Slapped Bairns or Please Daddy Don't. Apparently Waterstones has a similar section and its called "Damaged Lives", who new misery was such a big seller.

The Largest Pound Store in the UK

Do you know that visiting the largest pound store is like having the biggest penis in the UK but its made from marzipan, its no use for sex but its great for covering a Christmas cake but your allergic to marzipan.
Once you enter the store and see the isles of goods you can go a giddy at the though of the hundred of thousands of bargains to be had but once you actually look at the quality of the stuff then you soon realise its all a bunch of crap, which you may be able to buy it for a pound but you really don't need it.
I was almost suckered in by a big tub of Brylcream for a pound, but i hate the smell of it and its no good for pomping my hair, but it was about a pound and a half cheaper than normal.

The Barras

I love it when people photo blog an entire days tiki hunting or searching thrift stores. Today I went to the Barras in Glasgow and its just not the place to be waving a camera around. Its not just that some stalls have counterfeit goods, illicit tobacco, or support paramilitary organizations its more that its the experience is the thing.
I swear today I saw the banjo playing guy from Deliverance in a white shell-suit selling homemade happy hardcore cd's but I defiantly saw shaven headed family guy with his daughters and grandchild pass by, i do think his half face maori moko was a strange tattoo choice.
Some of the stall's are interesting stalls selling only tablet or dog chews or used pornography or Nazi uniforms or paint/Elvis memorabilia or the book seller who has that many books you can't look at them or move them without causing an avalanche.
The best thing i saw was three six foot tall religious paintings done in household paints by a divinely inspired outsider artist, they were so nuts.

A Big Basket of Yuck!!

Purple fluffy feathered winged unicorns, this is what fairies vomit would look like.