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Wednesday, April 27, 2022

New Poems: John D. Robinson



 SHE KNEW

For some reason

she disliked me

with venom and

when she was

drunk, she’d hunt

the bars looking

for me to scream:

‘You, you’re a

drunken womaniser!

watch him!

he’s nothing!

he’s a 

drunken womaniser!’                                                                   

my love would

look at me,

grinning,

she knew.

 

 

  

 

NERVOUS

‘Read it silently, please’

I asked

as she read the risks of

the surgery she was to

shortly have:

the sip of wine tasted

smooth as pink

and white April

blossom:

‘You’re going to be

just fine’ I say:

a smile ease’s across

her face and then she

said:

‘I feel nervous’:

it became quiet and

not too far away a 

neighbour felt the

sounds of horror

splitting the skies

asunder with

hatred.

 

 

 

 

SCHOOL

was 6 or 7 years old,

just heading to cross

the road into school

with my mama

when the sudden

harsh sounds of a 

car’s breaks hit

the world and I

looked into the road

and saw a small 

black dog, rolling,

squealing and 

whelping beneath

the undercarriage

of the car that in a

cloud of burnt

rubber came to a

stop and the little

creature shook itself

and then quickly

made off and I

stood rigid,

my heart booming,

gripping my ma’s

hand as voices 

were raised

as the little dog

disappeared from

eyesight, 

forever.

leaving,

behind a scar

on many.

 

 

 

 

 

HACKED OFF

Although Mother sun was 

high and blazing in blue

and white,

I felt pissed

I felt pissed off

with a lot of things,

with

the horrors of Ukraine

and conflicts around the

world

with

global politics

theology

philosophy

history

art

literature

but I wasn’t pissed

at music

or with my

lover

but I was

really pissed off

with

poverty

hunger

homelessness

injustice

with

the seemingly

hopelessness of

getting it right,

with

the bullshit of

talentless millionaires

called celebrities

with

the shadows that cloak

me with the chimes of

sorrow that taint my

soul with kisses of

sweet betrayal,

I felt pissed

not with Mother sun

or even my neighbours,

but finally, I realised, I

was pissed off

with myself

and gave up looking

for the answer to

the songs in

my head.


Saturday, April 2, 2022

A Conversation With Danny D. Ford


When did you first develop a serious interest in art?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly, as an interest in art wasn’t something to shout about where I grew up. I think I probably internalized my artistic interests a lot of the time, for fear of being judged, or simply because it held little social value at home or at school. I suppose my first artistic interest was film. Having older brothers offered many opportunities, and the amount of good VHS cassettes lying around the house was a real blessing. Later on film crit and photography were two subjects I studied from the age of sixteen. Poetry came out of keeping a diary when backpacking, and it’s been a daily habit ever since. 

Apart from Raymond Pettibon, who do you really dig and who have others  influenced your work? 

The Ren & Stimpy Show’ and Garbage Pail Kids both made a big impression on me as a child.  As did Quentin Blake’s illustrations. The extreme close ups in Ren & Stimpy and the fear I felt looking at the Pail Kids, all covered in spiders & gunk, gave me a nice sort of jump. It intrigued me. Blake was different, thinking about it, his drawings are probably part of why I have been drawn to watercolours. Ralph Steadman was probably the first artist whose name I could remember. I adore ‘The Curse of Lono’ and always go back to it. The way he portrays power and movement is truly amazing. I admire Aubrey Beardsley’s work, the way he uses patterns and block black is something to behold. Robert Crumb’s artwork blows my mind and I particularly like the way he draws clothing. James Ensor is another I really like, especially the faces and Otto Dix too, in particular ‘The War’ drawings. And Goya’s ‘Black Paintings’ have stayed with me since seeing them a few years ago. I saw Ruben’s ‘Saturn’ the same day and it’s possibly my all-time favourite painting. 

How did you go about developing your illustration for George Anderson's chapbook 'The Beast With Three Legs'? 

When I read something I know I am going to illustrate, I make short-hand notes; a mixture of physical details, inanimate objects, screenplay-type descriptions. It’s important to me that I am able to verbalize my immediate feelings about the manuscript. There is always a key element that will dominate my thoughts and that thing is my starting point - for The Beast with Three Legs, it was a tomato. 

It’s really about how that starting point interacts with ideas that come up during further readings - and of course how that all fits with the author’s opinion. I sketch out a rough draft, often adding cut outs from print media. I then scan the sketch and work on it digitally, sometimes adding photographic details or messing with the balances etc. 

For ‘Tomato Head’ I knew early on I wanted to use a dotwork effect. I feel that black marker pen has a combativeness to it. I am a big admirer of Raymond Pettibon’s artwork, and I think most people would agree, fat markers are just nice to write with. I use two different sizes and I begin with the smaller of the two. Once I have the outline and the main areas marked out, I use the larger nib to add heavier shading. I first began experimenting with this style while producing screen print designs, and then later adding them to acrylic backgrounds. 

Are you largely self taught or have you studied elsewhere?

Yes, I am an autodidact. I have no formal training in drawing or painting. I am a magpie, I spend many hours studying the things I like and I really try to understand, dig into the why & how of it. My wife & friends tell me I am a weirdo. Fair enough. Ten years ago I was doodling on post-it notes, passing empty hours as a temp in a government transport department. Those sketches were shit, but some of them would make my colleagues die laughing, which naturally encouraged me. I think I’m mostly interested in comedy deep down. 

Can you show us further examples of your work? 

https://www.theunfoldinghead.com/

https://www.theunfoldinghead.com/neverkillarainbow - screen print designs

attached images ‘Raspberry Rabbit’ & ‘Coronation’  first published in Obscure Quarterly II (Dec ’21) https://clairobscurzine.bigcartel.com/product/obscure-quarterly-issue-2:



‘Sunshine Junkie’ cover artwork, first published by Between Shadows Press (Oct ’21):

https://betweenshadowspress.bigcartel.com/product/sunshine-junkie-by-danny-d-ford 

You have been living in Italy for about a decade. What do you like most about the culture?

I like the way people just say it. They tell you straight up. There’s little sense of shame or embarrassment when disagreeing or discussing difficult subjects. Italy has taught me how to speak up and be honest about how I feel. It’s not about waving your hands and shouting (it totally is) it’s about saying ‘hey, I’m here and I have an independent voice’. People make time to listen to one another, and as you would imagine, take time to eat well and eat in company. When you walk into a bar here, you get involved in the conversations around you, every time. It would feel more awkward not to.  

 What's next in the pipeline?

More poems and more drawings. I want to keep mucking around with different materials.  Hopefully work on more collaborations, cover designs and put more poems out. I have an illustrated poetry chapbook ('Seven Letter Cities') coming out with Between Shadows Press in April, and one with River Dog Press in August, with a further collaboration with Analog Submission Press currently under construction. I want to continue making absurd & abstract short films, in particular I want to make more episodes of Walrus Lady, and of course I want to continue screen printing with Never Kill a Rainbow. I am also working on the feature length Gavin Fennelgrip comic. He’s a cartoon character I’ve been getting to know. He’s a proper cunt, but very loveable.   

New Release: George Douglas Anderson THE BEAST WITH THREE LEGS (Between Shadows Press) 20 pages

 


Thanks to Tohm Bakelas of Between Shadows Press for publishing this chapbook. Cover by Danny D. Ford. Limited edition: 25 copies only. Release date 1 April 2022.

Buy the chapbook at Between Shadows Press: https://betweenshadowspress.bigcartel.com


Update: 8 April 2022


Thanks for your support!




Promo poster: Danny D. Ford (click to enlarge)