Wednesday 28 December 2011

Street Art.

The street art seemed to grow over night, from tagging and Graffiti through to LED Throwies.
From what I have observed, I would say one of the largest single reasons for this type of arts growth is the internet. The relative ease in which to capture and publish this art to a media savvy youth has made superstars out of people like Banksy.
Keep your eyes peeled when you are out you may discover the next big thing, it may be you??

Eye bombing, creating caricatures from pretty much everything. Image from eyebombing.com.

Brazilian street art, creating ad-hoc exhibitions using graffiti and street furniture.

LED Throwies, 1xlithium battery, 1 x 10mm diffused LED and a rare-earth magnet, work it out.Image from Instructables.com.

A classic Banksy stencil.

Pixel art, image from Gothamist.

Little people instillation, using miniatures of people in street settings. image from little-people.blogspot.

Friday 23 December 2011

Merry Christmas.

It has been another difficult year in the hands of the worst recession for a generation.  But enough enough! best wishes to all of you out there.  I hope you all have a great festive season; eat to much, drink to much, generally have a good time........ and try not to fall out with family!


Photo by Wayne Maxwell.



Thursday 22 December 2011

Sculpture by nature.

I have two influences which come together in this little object, nature and tribal art.
Coming from Africa I was exposed to both and when I started traveling I found my self being drawn to third world countries to experience the cultures behind this art.
These cultures were more offten then not based between the tropics which provides for some of the best examples of nature on our planet.
The materials for this object were found in Devon and the Cotswold's.

I found this shell with the pebble lodged in the opening, natures art.Photo by Wayne Maxwell

The textures of the different materials work so well together. Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

I love feathers, this one is from a Pheasant.  Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Nature at its best. Photo by Wayne Maxwell.


Tuesday 20 December 2011

Graffiti artist or artist.

I met Jason Busk, looking for a graffiti artist to work on a large project in Kings Cross St Pancras  station.
The client required a large piece of graffiti style artwork for one of the main walls in the apartment.
Jason was short listed and went about the work with what I can only describe as passion.
The work was influenced by the work of Polish artist Tamara Lempicka, and Jason's love of nature.
The finished product is captivating and original.Setting the tone of the  apartment, which is a real testament to the owner.

Jason at work up the tower.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

The amount of detail that Jason achieves with a spray can is amazing.  Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

The work stretches the length of the main wall.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

More detailed work. Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Jason Busk. Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Graffiti cans litter the flat. Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

The finished Product. Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

More Cans please. Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Piet Hein Eek.

I recently watched a documentary on Piet Hein Eek a dutch designer whom I have followed for many years.
Hein Eek is a designer-manufacturer whom I admire both for his designs and for his business model, his style is widely copied especially by the green movement.
The interview also shed light on his motivation which portrayed a man who is happy in his work and direction with a strong work ethic and a real belief in his product, as well as an obsession with time.
Based in Geldrop in the Netherlands he mass produces all his own designs, keeping complete control of the whole process of his product and the production environment.
Purchasing an Hien Eek product you really purchase a part of the man, and his philosophy.
 Images sourced from Google images.
www.pietheineek.nl



Piet Hein Eek
Bespoke project, for a musician.


Lighting installation, Milan 2010.

Simplicity.

Monday 12 December 2011

More images on Flickr.

If the blog does catch your eye and you would like to have a look at more of my work and inspiration and of course you have some free time please go to www.flickr.com/photos/waymax/.


Photos by Wayne Maxwell.

Sunday 11 December 2011

Living and designing in the Cotswold's.

The contrast of the two environments could not be further apart, but as for inspiration it is a great contrast.  As I switch from one environment to the other I notice things that I have missed before, and see things from a different perspective.
I am also traveling to Poland on a regular basis which also adds to the mix of stimuli which is helping to keep my work fresh and interesting.

The Windrush winding is way through the Cotswold countryside.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Sunflowers in bloom, Snows Hill.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Lavender Snows Hill.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Beautiful gardens in the Cotswold's.  Photo by Wayne Maxwell.
Poppy's in bloom in the Cotswold's.  Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Old barn Stow on the wold the Cotswold's.  Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Friday 9 December 2011

Bespoke kitchens.


Kitchens are an area in the home that I really enjoy; one, as I love to cook and, two, they are complicated to design compared to other areas in the modern home. Kitchens require a knowledge of materials, hardware, mechanics of the home (plumbing and electrics) as well as great spacial awareness.

When I talk about bespoke kitchens I mean completely bespoke, as in unique and not a process where by you choose from a series of off-the-shelf products to create your own look although this does have its place.  I have attached a few of the kitchens we have worked on, by "we" I mean Andrea Felice, a good friend and great craftsman.
 


Traditional kitchen, hand painted with solid beach tops.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Modern kitchen, satin spray finish with sold Wenge worktops.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

A small modern kitchen, well planed with great appliances.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

This kitchen was designed to be sympathetic to a Span development by Eric Lyons, the building was built in 1956.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

A modern kitchen in Soho central London.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Bespoke Furniture.

We have just completed the installation of bespoke units in a property in Barns West London.  The property is going through an upgrade, which has been very well executed.
I was asked to design, build and install a bespoke unit in the new living area, as well as AV units on the ground and first floors.
The build and installation of the unit was undertaken by Andrea Felice and his team, with whom I have worked for many years.
The unit constructed from solid and veneered walnut, with toughened glass shelves and doors was given extra depth by the use of Led lighting with in the units.
I will hopefully be going back once the work is completed to get some better photographs.
Shelves lit by LED strip lighting, great effect.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

The glass and the Black Walnut work well together. Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Lighting in the cabinet are integrated into the homes Lutron system.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Simple detailing along the base unit.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Unit was designed to be wall hung as the room is not as large as it seems.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Simple and elegant.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Office at home.

After posting our home office project I thought I would take a few photos of my own home work space.
My space is small and compact and in these photos looks chaotic, but it really does work.  Positioned  in a small room I have made use of a one wall system which works well and was simple to build and install.
Making use of limited space is one of my favorite design problems I seem to thrive on the challenge that a lack of space offers, I have always admired Japanese designers for there ability to be able design around this reality of modern day living.
Single wall system, I have used this system before, it is really good value and can be easily installed and has limitless flexibility in terms of its layout.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Compact but ineradicably user friendly.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Inspiration everywhere, like Aladdin's cave .Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Think!!!Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Play shelf, a nightmare to dust.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Home Office.

Storage soloutions in an office space are important, as from my experience the home office is normally positioned in the smaller rooms of a home, in this design we have managed to give the user as much storage as possible.
It is also important to note that the user may be in this space for long periods so positioning of the layout is crucial, in this design we have position the user facing the windows.  This seems obvious but this was not necessary the simplest way to use the space.
The result is light, airy, practical and a great space to work.
With the choice we made in terms of the orientation of the room we did not have much width to play with, as a result we have the desk coming off the cupboard area allowing for an L-shape working area with space for printers scanners and other hardware in the cupboards below.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.
A trap door to the cellar also provided us with unwanted challenges.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Loads of flexible storage.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Using the oak veneer with a white finish has given the rather lineal design a great depth.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.

Many thanks to Andrea and his team for a great fitting and manufacturing job.Photo by Wayne Maxwell.