Michelle Thompson – Summer Exhibition

If you ever want to see some of Michelle Thompson’s work you rarely have to look further than your local newsagents. Her work regularly adorns the pages of papers like Guardian and The Economist, covering every topic from the Theory of Evolution to revenge porn.

However, for anyone looking for a slightly more permanent fixture (or simply at a loose end after picking up their weekly groceries at Fortnum & Mason) a quick trip to the recent Royal Academy of Art’s Summer Exhibition would reveal a familiar name on the wall.

“The Journey” was originally submitted to the RA in February, after a friend of Michelle’s was suddenly forced to leave her home and family along with thousands of others.

The piece was created on the week that the Ukraine War started. A friend who I had met through NFTs was in Kiev and had to leave her husband with two small children - hence “The Journey” title.

 Michelle’s work is often responsive, and has her voice layered within her found and altered images - weaving narrative amongst the textures she is so well known for. When the assault on Ukraine began, for Michelle the personal connection made it impossible to separate from her work.

For the first time I knew people that were affected, all my personal work in the next couple of weeks seemed to be really dark.

“The Journey” isn’t Michelle’s first piece to be selected for the RA’s annual event - her collage “The Red Dress”, created on the back of one of her grandad's sketchbooks, was shown in 2020. If you missed the exhibition, never fear! You can get your very own limited edition print here

Michelle Thompson is represented by Handsome Frank Illustration Agency. To see more of her exceptional work you can view her portfolio at https://www.handsomefrank.com/illustrators/michelle-thompson

Dakarai Akil- New Signing

Dakarai Akil is a Los Angeles based collage artist, painter and illustrator hailing from Cleveland, Ohio.

(more…)

Sarah Perkins

James Taylor – The Go! Team ‘Rolling Blackouts’ 10th Anniversary Reissue

A decade old but still feels fresh. James Taylor created all art and type for The Go! Team’s 2011 album ‘Rolling Blackouts'. The album has been reissued as picture disc, worth it for the cover alone. The A0 size collage (the album cover features only a fraction of it) involved James cutting and sticking over 200 images.

More of James’s work can be found at https://www.debutart.com/artist/james-taylor

Ifan Bates – The Telegraph

On a Christmas theme Ifan created a beautiful collage for the Telegraph’s Family Christmas Gift Guide

(more…)

Laura Redburn for What Olivia Did

Phosphor Art's Laura Redburn recently created a set of illustrations for popular blogger and influencer Liv Purvis' website relaunch. Having previously worked on a collage portrait of Liv, Laura knew her style well and was thrilled to be asked to create two digital collage pieces for the new look What Olivia Did.

(more…)

Introducing Sarah Perkins

Artist Partners have recently recruited the very talented Sarah Perkins, who originally studied illustration  at Chelsea School of Art and Central St Martins. Sarah has already an established career in illustrating book covers, in the mass market, and also the literary fiction genres, including some brilliant classics.
(more…)

Laura Redburn’s Passengers Collage

Phosphor Art's Laura Redburn was approached by Wired Magazine to create this mini collage to accompany an article comparing Hollywood film Passengers with British novelist Katie Khan's debut Hold Back the Stars. Laura originally created a piece with her stash of vintage collage materials, but her and the team at Wired decided it needed a more futuristic sci-fi look, resulting in this stunning digital collage of film stars Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence.
(more…)

Vari Tellaria – You and Your Wedding

We love this illustration New Division artist Vari Telleria created for 'You and Your Wedding', in her signature collage style. Bouncy Castles and Gummy Bears don't often feature on the pages of bridal magazines, but Vari's fun filled artwork was the perfect accompaniment for the magazine's guide to avoiding a romance overload on the big day.

(more…)

Martin O’Neill / Luxembourg Ceiling Mural

Martin O'Neill was commissioned to create and install a 35m2 ceiling collage in Bar Amicale des Amis, an annexe to the Stayrooms Hotel in Luxembourg.

(more…)