We are very jealous of Annika as she heads down to this years Glastonbury festival. For all of you heading down that way this weekend, have a brilliant time rain, hail or shine!
p.s - Annika - see you tired and muddy next week. xxx

With everybody so instantly available at the click of a button don't you miss regularly sending out a big handful of snail mail? Writing a letter is as relaxing as a nice long soak in the tub, and as satisfying as finishing a great book. There is definitely something to be said about the process of putting pen to paper. Jaime Zollars has made penning your loved ones a few lines even more unique. On her website (under the fun section) you can download a page of fold and mail stationary for free! Its colourful and cute, and fits on an A4 sheet. So the plan for tonight is putting my feet up with a nice glass of wine and non-digitally telling someone about my day.
xxx

For those of you who asked, here are some photos from Fridays Chorus Rising 'Wackness' inspired New York skyline which was tagged and sprayed by hundreds of street artists and excited kids. Looks like lots of fun!

The event of the weekend here in Edinburgh has to be the live performances taking place in the idyllic Royal Botanic Gardens tonight, June 21st. These exciting performances between plants and people kicks off in the gorgeous palmhouse at 7pm when experimental band FOUND exchange improvisations with Shanghai Jazz Project.

Whilst this is going on there will be a Thai bamboo percussion orchestra performing outside, and Tai-chi accompanied by cello, as well as dancers performing around Susie Maroons stunning 600 piece bamboo sculpture 'Natural Progression' (see image above).

Entry is via either gate of the Royal Botanical Gardens with all performances being free and running from 7-9pm. An amazing night so you should all head down and check it out!

For those of you based in Edinburgh, I am sure you are super excited about this years Edinburgh Film Festival. Here at The Red Door we have welcomed the festival move to June instead of hectic August. One film with we have jotted down as a must see is the hit of Sundance 'The Wackness; a hip, witty buddy comedy that follows its own rules', which shows on June 20th and 21st.

To promote this event, talented local design gurus 'Chorus Rising' are working on a massive canvas which depicts the New York skyline. They will be working away on this tomorrow (Friday 20th June) from 12.30-1.30pm in front of the Sheridan Hotel on Lothian Road.

All the fun begins from 1.30pm onwards when this canvas becomes open to the public to graffiti and tag. There will be a huge range of spray cans supplied by Plasti-Kote, so whether you are a seasoned tagger or someone wanting to express your inner artistic graffiti abilities then this is the event for you. There will be a bunch of local street artists with cans too, so its a great way to watch the pros at work and have a go yourself. Who said you need to be in New York to see some great street art!

Above is a selection of jigsaw badges which arrived from sunny Norwich this morning. These goodies are made lovingly by Megan Price. At the moment we only have a selection of 20 so first in first served.

DRINKS OF THE MONTH - with the gorgeous sunny weather we are having at the moment, gin seems like the perfect drink to relax in the sun with. Our favourite gin has to be 'Hendricks', which is a small batch gin distilled in Ayrshire, here in Scotland. It's oddly delicious infusions of juniper and cucumber yield a one-of-a-kind gin that is passionately loved by a tiny yet growing handful of individuals all over the world. Our favourites are the classic 'gin and tonic' (with a slice of cucumber), the 'quince and clover sour' and the minty 'strawberry jive'.

Another fresh batch of Kate Suttons hillarious plush goodies arrived on our doorstep this morning. We have a great mixture of pirate peas, pigeons and carrots. My personal favourite is 'the one that got away'; a semi eaten gingerbread man. Yum!

To carry on with the mixtape theme here at The Red Door (see previous posts in March and April), Chris MacFarlane has dropped off some of his latest screenprints. His obsession with tapes has meant he has churned out an impressive series of work all based around the much loved 80s icon, the mixtape. We have a small selection of these beauties by Chris, but to see the series in it's full glory, pop down to the 13th note cafe in Glasgow where you will be treated to a whole exhibition of his work. Time is a ticking as the exhibition 'Stop Play Rewind' finishes on the 22nd of June!

Mike Inglis 'Transmit' show opening went without a hitch on Friday. Its was so much fun seeing Mikes recently graduated students wear masks all night. To check out some photos from the opening, check out The Red Door facebook group.

I am still trying to decide which is my favourite piece from the show, but know that I love the characters he made for the window (above left and below right). Also for your perusal is a few images from around the space at the moment. Enjoy x

I just checked out wejetset, a clever, informative and super cool travel website founded by Taj Reid. It was his passion for design and travel that inspirted him to create a business that bridges form and function within the travel sector. Now, there are a lot of us out there that love to travel, so what better place on the web to prepare yourself with travel tips, stories and information on local culture than wejetset. As well as having some really interesting travel information from a wealth of writers, wejetset also has a brilliant online shop all geared up to supply us with the coolest travel neccesitites from sunglasses and watches to tools and gadgets. Finally we have no more excuses for not looking great whilst travelling.



Going green - I instantly fell in love with these baggu reuseable bags and according to wejetset, by using one Baggu for one year replaces 300 to 700 disposable bags. Wejetset also had some travel tips on being green whilst travelling so we can all start doing our wee bit to save the earth.

We had two special boxes arrive yesterday packed with wonderful prints from two very talented artists. The top images are a small selection of works by 'Zukzuk' or as her friends know her, Helen Acraman. Her daily observations communicate delightful facial expressions whilst being visually compelling. Our second new artists of the week is 'Mywireempire' (Melissa Bryant) who has sent us some striking prints, of which three of my personal favourites are below. I just love her 'club chair' piece which amazingly takes on almost human like expressions. I think that one will be added to my every growing personal collection.

Mike Inglis is busy cutting, sticking, sewing and printing last minute goodies for his solo show 'Transmit' which opens here at The Red Door tomorrow night. We are really excited and can't wait for him to show up laden with all his wonderful work. For all of you who are around Edinburgh tomorrow evening and would love to check out his work then swing past between 6-8pm. We hope to see you all then!

Today I had the pleasure of opening a delightful box of goodies from Norwich based illustrator Kate Seaward. Her label, I like pens (a sentiment shared by us all here) produces sketchbooks, badges, gift tags and cards all adorned with her beautifully quirky and colourful style of illustration. The single badges would have to be a favourite, each mounted on card with a sweet polka dot and sausage dog background, they would make a great gift, even if its just for you!

The hungry girls here at The Red Door are drooling over the latest edition of 'The Hungry Girls Cookbook' which is coming our way in the next couple of weeks. Leah Holscher is the photographer, the recipes are by Rachel Pitts, and the design and illustrations are by Katherine Bird who all hail from the sunny shores of Melbourne, Australia.

Each copy is bound with cloth, stamped and hand sewn and has been printed on 100% recycled paper. A perfect gift for yourself or another hungry pal, we think these are great and know you will too. I can hear my stomach rumbling already!

Artist Lucy Gough has shown her work here at The Red Door for the last three years and yesterday we recieved an email letting us know that her blog is now up and running. Lucy will be using her blog to keep you all up to date with her current projects, new pieces and inspirations. Go and check it out.

'Make your Own Monster' kits from Donna Wilson, are the newest thing to grace our shelves. These super fun packs are filled with a pre stitched creature shape, stuffing and felt bits and bobs as well as step by step instructions to help make your own unique friend. No sewing skills are required. Donna recommends that the packs are not for young children unless accompanied by an adult, but if you are an adult that's ok too!

Mike Inglis solo show 'Transmit' opens here at The Red Door on Friday the 6th June. To give you all a little bit more information on Mike, we thought you might like to check out a few question we asked him.

Q - So that we get to know a bit about you - tell us some of the things that inspire you?

A - Comic books (but not superhero stuff), graffiti, cities, travel, cinema (I devour films), type, music, architecture (particularly the avante garde genius Daniel Libenskind), artists books, flea markets (althought I never bought a flea yet). Any kind of type - signage, printed, installation, motion type, I just love a nice bit of typo. William Burroughs and William Eggleston are my two favourite Williams. There are so many other artists that the list is endless.

Q - How long have you been a practicing artist?

A - It's only in the last couple of years that I've begun working seriously for myself. Not necessarily for a gallery space, but certainly not for a client or to a brief. The transition between graphic designer and artist has been a very long, evolving process. Working with a lot of clients who were artists on show concept and the resulting promotional work they required kind of blurred the boundaries of my graphic practice and my postition relative the either discipline.




Q - You work mostly with screenprinting. Do you have plans for any other mediums to creep into your work?

A - I work with screenprinting at the moment because I was producing a lot of work which was very graphic and quite illustrative and needed an output that suited those ideas. Screenprinting was an obvious route to realise these images. The process is so similar to graffiti and its immediacy appeals for those reasons. I am planning a new body of work at the moment which has more of a mixed media response involving a cabinet installation and a moving image piece utilising old super8 film loops. There will still be a large printed element to the project but it is really about executing the idea in the best possible way. In the past I have produced books which used found flyers, polaroid photos and deconstructed novels as well as one off personal collage pieces.

Q - Do you start with an idea or story and build around this as you go or do you always have a clear idea how a finished piece will look?

A - I don't consciously pick something; I just get hooked on something and begin to document it. The more I begin to collect the more the theme of an idea begins to emerge. I never really understand it fully until it's almost complete. There is an intuitive, sub-conscious flow that feeds my process and I never question this. I had a dream the other night that I made the most amazing little book. When I woke up I couldnt remember it, but I know it will come out somewhere along the line. Finding it will drive me on.

Q - What doe the future hold for Mike Inglis? Is there anything we can call look forward to?

A - I am keen to move on with my next project that I've been researching whilst finishing off this body of work. I have become fascinated by a great Aunt (who was a spiritualist) and her connection to me grandmother who lost her first child at a very young age. The new project has an installation centrered around a piece of furniture my grandmother had. I am hunting for a venue and playing around with old cine film. I'm enjoying the process and it all still links to belief systems in a way.

Please contact us to get a copy of the full interview with Mike Inglis.
'Transmit' opens with an exhibition preview and opening night on Friday 6th June from 6-8pm. Please come along and join us. x

SNEAK PEAK - for those of you who have been asking, here is a sneak preview of the Seymour exhibition flyer for his July show 'Under the Looking Glass' which runs from the 11th July - 3rd August. More information shortly.

Postable jewellery is a flat-packed, plywood cut-out ring that can be sent by post like a postcard or a letter. Just like other mail items, Postable Jewellery will bear the evidence of the journey; marks, stamps, stain or scratches, adding to the romance and uniqueness of them. This great product comes from London based designer Nutre Arayavanish and we are in the middle of choosing some designs to stock in the shop - not an easy task.