Friday 31 December 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!
It's been a great year, having started the MATT ARTPIX venture, I'm now looking forward to the new year.
Hoping to start up a new website and do even more fairs, so keep in touch for more news!!
See you all in 2011...

Friday 24 December 2010

HAVE A VINTAGE CHRISTMAS!

It's Christmas Eve at last and you can all finally relax, eat, drink and be merry!

So Matt ArtPix would like to wish you all a fantastic and vintage Christmas!!

Monday 13 December 2010

RETRO FOOTIE FEAST

As my retro football collages are proving so popular here's a shameless plug for them!!!


Inspired by the classic era of football from the 1950s to the 80s, these unique designs make a great present or an original addition to your own collections.
As you can see, they are now available as framed pictures, birthday cards and posters.
I can do any team you like, you only have to ask!
So if you want a Chelsea collage, a Jimmy Greaves birthday card or a Bobby Moore poster you know where to come...

Saturday 4 December 2010

WONDERFUL WINTERLAND!

It's been a Wonderful Winterland this week, with some amazing snowy scenes.
Although the commute to London has meant it was Woeful Winterland for me!!!
So while I was battling home it reminded me of the snow we had earlier this year...
Snowy scene near the Cliffs Pavilion
Sunset behind the Westcliff Cenotaph

Sunday 28 November 2010

WHAT A SHOW!

Wow, I had a great time at the Handmade and Vintage Fair in Leigh yesterday!!!
Only my second fair but another very successful one!

Thanks to all the people who came along and said hello. And thanks to all those who bought something!
It was a lovely venue with a great atmosphere and all my fellow stallholders were really friendly and talented aswell.
I was busy all day and met so many great people. It's brilliant to know Santa will be delivering some of my stuff to people on Christmas Day!
I'm now very inspired to carry on with more fairs and build up the Matt ArtPix empire!!
So look out for more news of future fairs very soon!!
The stall is finally set up!
Now the wait for some customers!
Mavis was the star of the show, handing out sweets all day!


A closer look at the vintage inspired delights on offer!
These retro football collages were my bestseller yet again, ding dong!
Lots of Christmas shopping going on here!

Monday 22 November 2010

SNEAK PREVIEW!

The Handmade and Vintage Fair in Leigh-on-Sea is nearly upon us!
And to get you all in the mood here is a sneak preview of just some of the new delights that I'll be selling there!!
Vintage inspired Christmas cards galore and pictures in outrageous coloured frames. Look no further for those pesky Christmas presents and all at very reasonable prices!
Or even better, treat yourself to something vintage and original...
A little selection of Christmas cards

Close up of the cards!
An even closer look!!
A selection of shiny new designs for the fair!
The football collages and Christmas cards
Even Mavis lent a hand with the new cards!

And here's a reminder of the fair!
 Hope to see you all there on Saturday, remember it's free to get in!!

Sunday 14 November 2010

KNOW THE SCORE!

Isn't it typical of football that just when I finish my retro Chelsea Football Club collage, today they go and get thrashed 3-0!!
Oh well, they are still top of the league so here it is...


It's part of an ongoing series of football collages, which have proved very popular so far. My best seller in fact!!

All plundered from my own archives, it features programmes, badges, team groups, match ticket, cigarette cards and even Top Trump cards, (remember those?!). Mostly from football's golden age, between the 1950s and 1980s, those far off pre-Premiership days seem long gone now. So Chelsea fans, wallow in the nostalgia of Ossie, Chopper and Bentley.

Today's Chelsea performance reminded me of a cartoon I found in a 1950s football annual.
Any football fan can relate to this terrible tale of the striker who can do anything but score...

Wednesday 10 November 2010

LEST WE FORGET

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month is nearly upon us and with it comes a time of remembering.
Recently it has become a symbol for modern conflicts but we should never forget those who died in the two world wars.
The picture here is of a lone poppy I found outside the Tyne Cot Military Cemetery in Belgium. 11,954 First World War soldiers are buried there and 33,783 are commemorated on Memorial walls, all of whom fought in the miserable Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. To tread anywhere in these fields is to tread where someone died. A humbling place.

The collage, which I did this week, represents the Unknown Soldier. The figure who could be anyone's son, brother or father.

I read today that the Imperial War Museum in London is to close early on Armistice Day so a Tory Lord can hold a party there. I shall leave it to the brilliant Siegfried Sassoon to sum it up for us. As wars are never fought by the Lords, politicians or Generals, but by us, the ordinary people. Have we learnt anything?

        “Good-morning; good-morning!” the General said
        When we met him last week on our way to the line.
        Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of ’em dead,
        And we’re cursing his staff for incompetent swine.
        “He’s a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack
        As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.

        But he did for them both by his plan of attack.


"The General" by Siegfried Sassoon 1917

LEST WE FORGET

Sunday 7 November 2010

A SAUNTER AT SAUNTON SANDS

Thought I would post a few pix of my recent saunter at the lovely Saunton Sands in north Devon...
Not only is it a great place to surf, walk the dog, fly a kite or clear the cobwebs but it's a great place to draw!
You have miles of blank canvas to draw on. My glamorous assistant Fabienne T did the lovely lady while I just did the shameless free advertising of Matt ArtPix!!!
Bringing a bit of Deco delight to Devon
Close up of Fabienne T's Deco masterpiece
Matt ArtPix is never one to miss a free advertising opportunity!
A lone surfer returns after a hard day at the waves

Sunday 31 October 2010

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Hello everyone and hope you are having spooky Sunday!!
Thought I would post a couple of Halloween horrors for you........

Here is Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon, reputedly one of the most haunted castles in Britain.
There are many ghostly tales told about this place and it certainly has a strange atmosphere.

And here is a collage of more spooky places I've ventured to. Including Highgate Cemetery and Edinburgh. The arch comes from the abandoned church at the end of my road, which can look pretty scary at night!

Sunday 17 October 2010

MEET MAVIS...

I'd like to introduce you all to the latest acquisition to the Matt Artpix empire – Mavis the Waitress!

I found her wandering around the fabulous Battlesbridge Antique Centre and thought I would find her a new home.

The good news is that you can meet her at the upcoming HANDMADE AND VINTAGE FAIR at Leigh-on-Sea Community Centre on November 27th.
She will be at the Matt ArtPix stall handing out sweets and sugary delights. Come and say hello!



Sunday 10 October 2010

AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

GREAT NEWS!!
Matt ArtPix is proud to announce that I will be at the next HANDMADE AND VINTAGE FAIR at Leigh-on-Sea Community Centre on 27th November.

Of course it's perfect timing to get those pesky Christmas presents, or even better, buy yourself something... safe in the knowledge that you will be getting something original and vintage inspired!

Hope to see you all there!!!

Saturday 9 October 2010

VICTORIAN PHOTOSHOPPER

Just been to the Camille Silvy exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
He was an innovative 19th century photographer who was a marvel at manipulating pictures.

Ever tried taking a photo as it's getting dark? Then have a look at this photograph of a man buying his evening paper, and remember, it was taken using a primitive camera in 1859.


Camille Silvy's Studies on Light: Twilight, 1859.
Camille achieved the effect of early evening using four different negatives when printing. Basically, he took the photo four times at different times of the day and put them together.
In today's world we would use Photoshop to do that. Every pic you see in every magazine or advert has had some Photoshop done on it.

I'm no stranger to it myself, both at work and play. Take a look at these and see what you can do to a simple photo...
Deckchairs on Southend seafront before the Photoshop!!

Spot the difference! Now with different colours and without the fussy background.

So hats off to Monsieur Silvy, he really was the original Victorian Photoshopper. Amazing to think he was doing it 150 years ago.

Monday 27 September 2010

EDWARDIAN ELEGANCE

Did anyone see Downton Abbey on TV?? It was a sumptuous affair, set in Edwardian England.
Well, to celebrate the era of sophistication as shown last night, here is my own little tribute to Edwardian elegance. The ladies featured here were all theatre actresses of the time and are taken from vintage postcards.

Sunday 26 September 2010

A DAY AT VILLAGE GREEN

Welcome to the Marketplace!
The stall is finally set up...
Here it all is!
This is me trying not to look too cold from the bracing wind!
Quick, back to the stall, I've got customers!
Don't forget to pick up a card!
...and help yourselves to a sweet!
Wow, Village Green was brilliant, what a day!

Thank you to all the people who visited the stall and for all the positive things you said.
Also, a big thank you to all those who bought something, what great taste you have!

Having got up at 5-30am and got to Chalkwell Park at 7am, greeted with a glorious sunrise, it was a great day from start to finish. Even the weather behaved itself, despite a pesky, biting wind that played havoc with the stall!

I was sharing the stall with Sabine and we were busy all day, so I didn't see all the events going on around the park. My trusted assistant and official photographer, FabienneT, assured me it was great and packed everywhere! Over 20,000 people were there, so that's why we kept running out of sweets, they proved very popular, and not just with the kids!

After meeting so many great people I feel very inspired and can't wait to do more fairs. Keep in touch to see my latest work.
Bye for now!

Monday 20 September 2010

NOT LONG UNTIL VILLAGE GREEN!!

Only 5 days until Village Green!!!
........and dare I say it........only 3 months until Christmas.......
There, I said it.........

So come along and have a look at our stall, where rumour has it there will be FREE sweets!

See you there!


Sunday 12 September 2010

SEE YOU AT VILLAGE GREEN!

VILLAGE GREEN
CHALKWELL PARK, SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
SATURDAY 25th SEPTEMBER
11am-10pm
ENTRANCE IS FREE!!!

I'll have a stall at the Village Green in Chalkwell Park selling my work.
This is a massive all-day extravaganza of music, art, dance, film, comedy, performance and workshops, all set in a beautiful park and it's free to get in!!!

Find me in the Village Green Marketplace, where you will discover mounted prints, framed collages and unique one-off pieces of artwork all at reasonable prices!
I'll be sharing the stall with Sabine T, a London artist and photographer. Check out her website here!: www.wix.com/sabine_t/art-and-illustration and Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Sabinet-Art/365945801234

To find out the full run-down of the events on offer look here:

Saturday 11 September 2010

WELCOME TO MATT ARTPIX!


Thank you for visiting!!
This brand new, shiny blog is jam-packed with pictures, collages and artwork.
Have a look and see what you think. There’s something for everyone!

My stuff is a mixture of styles and inspirations. All the images are either my own photographs or vintage pictures taken from my own collections, trawled from many visits to antique markets and junk shops.

There will be regular updates displaying all my latest work, places I’ve been to or things I’ve found. 

Flower Power


Nicely Nouveau

Deco Delight
Tollesbury Lightship, Essex

Retro Southend United Football Club

A Southend Sky

Noirlac Abbey, France

Bruxelles

Naughty Noir

Shoebury Beach Huts

2CV, France


Bexhill Beach
Berry Pomeroy Castle
Boulangerie, France
Petrified Oak, Mundon, Essex
Awfully Audley

Bruxelles Dessiné

Wonderful Woolacombe