Zizzi Camulodunum!

Roman inspired mural

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star mural

Zizzi Ristorante commission James Grover to create two murals for a refurbishment of their Colchester restaurant.
The first of the murals was inspired by Roman pottery and mosaics, James immersed himself in the history of Colchester (or Camulodunum as it was known in Roman times) to make this gorgeous decorative piece. The second appears on the stairway at the restaurant, a star in the night sky with “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” written around the edge of a diamond - originally written as “The Star” by English poet and former Colchester resident, Jane Taylor. Both works of art were painted using acrylic paint pens and emulsion, and surely transform the interior from restaurant to gallery!

Bar Nana

Fashion illustrator Gustabo is asked to create a contemporary face and persona for Bar Nana.
The exclusive lounge and restaurant located in the meat packing district of New York, takes its name from the French Nana made famous by the novelist Emile Zola and director Jean Renoir. Gustabo has used his sophisticated style to illustrate the iconic female, which is being used by the celebrity, model and fashion insider's 'hang out'.

Food Poisoning

Liam O'Farrell illustrates an article on food poisoning for Business Jet Interiors International.
The key point of the piece was how easy it is to think that only low grade produce such as van burgers and greasy kebabs are the foods that carry harmful bacteria and viruses. Liam chose to illustrate a delicious plate of food placed next to a menu listing some dreadful food poisons, showing that good quality foods can also be harmful if prepared or stored badly. Liam says "It was an interesting project and for me this was a great opportunity to buy some pretty top nosh and get it all on expenses, which indeed I did...the initial brief called for oysters to be shown on the plate. I bought six and sketched up a few. The client soon abandoned them as they would not fit with the other foods chosen. 'Fantastic' I thought, so I promptly ate them. Three hours later I was brutally sick and spent the evening with my head in the loo. It reminded me of 'Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected' and much amusement was had by all at my expense. I didn’t miss the deadline though."
The article can be seen here.
© 2013 UKIP Media & Events. All rights reserved.
Article published by kind permission of Business Jet Interiors International, January 2014

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Grover at Zizzi

port crane detail

suspended frames

James Grover creates a mural for Zizzi Ipswich.
Commissioned by the Design manager at Zizzi, James worked over a five day period to complete the different elements of the painting. Using a scaffold tower for the high parts, James has produced an awesome piece of art for the restaurant. He says "The mural is a map of Ipswich’s centre, showing the main attractions and significant buildings. There are also a few little bits of info about the town dotted around too. The frames are made to look like they are suspended by a port crane which I was also asked to draw. The designs were produced using acrylic paint pens and emulsion."

New Talent Alert: James Grover

We are excited to now represent James Grover who brings his rich, intricate hand drawn patterns to the agency. James's work can currently be seen over the walls of restaurants as well as on album artworks, gifts and homeware. Take a look...

Fishy Art

Fish For Sale In Salvador

Mussels Man

Marseille Fish Market

Grand Canal Fish Market

Christopher Corr exhibits his latest 'fish themed' paintings at Kensington Place.
This show at the Notting Hill restaurant 'features fish from the seven seas', referencing his time spent in Marseille and other world travels. The joyful nature of his work in this setting will be a feast for the eyes and the belly!
The artworks are hanging from today until January 2014.

Wendy's Hidden Message

Kathryn Rathke enlightens us on the talk recently of a hidden message in the Wendy's logo.
The Huffington Post observed that the word 'Mom' was written in the collar of the girl in the new Wendy's logo, which Kathryn created with the team at Tesser agency. She says "Although it was not indeed intentional, my mother noticed and remarked on it, way back at the unveiling last fall,.....when she pointed it out to me, I did let her think that I did it just for her."

The word 'Mom' can be seen clearer here

Pastai

the menu

Chrissy Lau creates several wonderful drawings for Pastai; 'an intimate artisan pasta bar located in Chelsea (NYC)'.
Commissioned to use her detailed lines to illustrate pasta & the Italian map, Chrissy's 'wholesome' drawings have been used beautifully for a restaurant 'that serves fresh handmade pasta paired with authentic sauces from southern Italy.'
Chrissy says "The illustrations captured the handmade quality of the pasta to help inform and educate the customers about the history and tradition of pasta making in Italy. Inspiration was taken from the engaging stories of the client's childhood in Sicily where she would watch her grandma Francesca make fresh pasta every day. The illustrations represented the brand’s personality, creating a distinct visual identity, print collateral and packaging."

Gigi Istanbul

Earlier this year Miminne completed a project for a large restaurant group in Turkey. Istanbul Doors have opened GIGI, and commissioned Miminne to produce six large images of female heads. She says "The restaurant interior was themed around the famous Turkish story of the nightingale and the rose. Since Istanbul in itself is a place where the East meets the West, I tried to draw women with different cultural backgrounds, trying to differentiate with accessories, make-up, hair styles and physical features. The colours are predominantly in the shades of different reds and pinks, to match to the designated area." The artworks are now on display, reproduced to fit the scale of the space, each measuring approximately 1.6m x 2.35m. Miminne also says "If you happen to be in Istanbul, why not enjoy a drink or two sitting in front of my artwork!"

Cafe Rouge Murals

 Cafe Rouge on The Strand has been decorated in style by Alyana Cazalet. Working with FutureBrand, Alyana spent the summer on this big and challenging art commission. The Cafe Rouge chain is in the process of re-designing the interiors of all it's restaurants in the UK and asked Alyana to design murals for their first new look. From the start the client was extremely pleased with Alyana's drawings and the 'idiosyncratic characters' on her first rough. From then she was given the 'green light' to create a slice of life in a French bistro, in London. Alyana says "I had positive comments from many other people friends/fellowartists/etc...who saw (the) murals since (the) Cafe Rouge opening in September........It was (a) challenging commission without any doubt, due to the scale ( 25 square meters), time pressure, public place (The Strand). ........ My inspiration came from French music and poetry as well as (the) streets of Paris and individual French cafe culture."