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READINGS FROM THE BAROMETER OF LIFE

VIEW THE WORKS HERE

All artwork, text and images © James Straffon 2021.

Portfolio

FILM

WORKS

OVERVIEW

MODUS

READINGS FROM THE BAROMETER OF LIFE

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	Let's Stay Togther [The Mandarin] - a street art commission for Tottenham, London.
	Don't Be Koi - The tao of an ecosystem - where the flow of yang (light) is countered by yin (dark), the harmony of the natural world is threatened - as it chokes on dumped plastic and industrial toxins.
	URBAN FAUNA - a limited edition print series of endangered animals, placed on London walls.
	A Rhino in The Herb Garden - An ecology project in association with North Harringay Primary School, London.
	DECONSTRUCTED REGENERATION - a commission project with St Modwen, using abstract building blocks, cut from the negative spaces.
	Pantera pardus. - A big cat, raising awareness for the plight of all endangered species across the planet.
	Pride and the Peacock. - The national bird of India introduces a bold splash of colour to an urban side street in Tottenham.
	When The Fox met The Rooster. And Other Stories. - A special commission in partnership with The British Embassy, Luxembourg, celebrating the Tour de France.
	HARK - An urban art campaign commission for an east coast clothing boutique.
	Coastal Chic - a special commission for a boutique store in Southwold, Suffolk.
	An Objective Abstract - a special interior installation commissioned by Architecture and Design practice Coppin Dockray, invoking the work Kazimir Malevich.
	sKATE - Appropriating Peter Lindbergh’s iconic Kate Moss photograph within an urban street art context.
	54 - a skate deck portrait series commemorating New York's iconic Studio 54 nightclub.
	Keith. - A portrait of a Rolling Stone.
	COMMISSIONS - well-researched, contextually specific artistic solutions, for a broad array of clients. For enquiries click HERE
	Covfefe - A diptych exploring the socio-political unrest of a corrupt POTUS.
	Oh Yeah? Wham! - a set of unique spray paint artworks, as part of the Coastal Chic commission.
	LET US SPRAY - A print series to accompany HARK - the Angels of Southwold project.
	MITOLOGIA ITALIANA - An exploration of the Italian cultural landscape, from 1909 to 1960; a work of fiction.
	FABER - A commission featuring the 1909 Tour de France victor Francois Faber.
	People Have The Power - a portrait of singer-songwriter, poet, and visual artist Patti Smith fixed via an urban street culture context.
	Through the Palace Gates. - A short film set in a north London urban allotment, on a summer’s evening.
	Design and Illustration - Graphic design and illustration work samples, spanning both print and digital media, for a wide cross-section of clients.
	Photography and film - engaging an artist's eye for both still and moving imagery; visual exploits in both analogue and digital formats.
	Urban and Street Art - a variety of projects on walls, including specially commissioned installation pieces.
	36 VIEWS OF PENTIRE - A contemporary reappropriation of the iconic Under the Wave off Kanagawa, by Hokusai.
	The Kirkgate Triptych - A bold composition incorporating a variety of historical visual reference points sourced from around Kirkgate Market, Leeds.
	Verses On A Butterfly - A modern diptych, based on the poem by Joseph Warton - Verses On A Butterfly (1806).
	LE TOUR - a broad, and complete monogram; a major solo exhibition on the Tour de France, with an accompanying book published by Rapha.
	LE TOUR Book - to accompany the Tour de France London exhibition, this hardback book was published by Rapha Racing, with a forward by British cyclist David Millar. Available to buy HERE.
	100e - an allegorical monograph commemorating 100 editions of the Tour de France.Using Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost as a thematic schema, this series traces the evolution of universal ideas.
	Carbon, Sulphur and Paint - presented through one man's pursuit of the greatest race in the world - the Tour de France, these works celebrate the cinematic sporting vista, and its heros.
	FAB66 - created as a fifty-year celebration of iconic cultural figures from 1966, includes the then fifty-year anniversary of VOGUE magazine.
	English National Opera - three production campaigns for the UK's largest contemporary opera company.
	Citius. Altius. Fortius - in celebration of the Summer Olympics held in London, 2012, these works revisit the great and good of past medal winners.
	LUMO Series - an exploration of wearable technology through the medium of light painting.
	Logitech UE BOOM - Promoting the award winning UE BOOM bluetooth speakers, through commissioned customise speakers, and two Foffa bike frames. Live custom artworks created during a London launch event.
	Chroma and the Defining Moment - The ‘Chroma’ collection celebrates iconic moments from the world of sport, with Straffon collaborating with legendary sports photographer Gerry Cranham.
	Paris Match - This series of artworks exposes the polemic relationship between fantasy and reality. Here Paris Match presents a two-fold fabrication - with the glossy facade of the cinematic, overlaying the inner reality of the everyday.
	Pigment to Pixel - an exploration of digital process - application of traditional painting and drawing methods within a modern context.

All artwork, text and images © James Straffon 2021.

Timeline

Date	Details
2020 >	Readings from The Barometer of Life. A contemporary tapestry, raising awareness for endangered species, climate change and the sixth mass extinction.
2021	Don't be Koi A print depicting the unbalanced tao of global water through dumped plastic and toxins.
2020	Let's Stay Togther [The Mandarin] A street art commission for Tottenham, London.
2020	URBAN FAUNA. A limited edition print series of endangered animal artworks placed in London.
2020	Banksy Most Wanted. Interviewed for inclusion in the Canal + documentary movie.
2020	The Pheasant Plucker. A special commission for a residence in Maidensgrove, England.
2019	Keith Haring: New Wave. A group show featuring Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Blek le Rat and Sir Peter Blake.
2019	Pantera pardus. A big cat, raising awareness for the plight of all endangered species across the planet.
2019	Keith. A portrait of a Rolling Stone.
2019	54. A skate deck portrait series commemorating New York's iconic Studio 54 nightclub.
2019	Pride and the Peacock. The national bird of India introduces a splash of colour to an urban side street.
2019	Coastal Chic A special commission for a boutique store in Southwold, Suffolk.
2019	Oh Yeah? Wham! A set of unique spray paint artworks, as part of the Coastal Chic commission.
2019	People Have The Power. A portrait of musician, artist & poet Patti Smith fixed via an urban street culture context.
2019	DECONSTRUCTED REGENERATION. A commission project with St Modwen.
2019	Ulysses. A commission piece featuring the tropical Ulysses butterfly.
2018	HARK An urban art campaign commission for an east coast clothing boutique.
2018	LET US SPRAY A special print series to accompany HARK - the Angels of Southwold project.
2018	FABER A special commission featuring the 1909 Tour de France victor Francois Faber.
2018	sKATE Appropriating Peter Lindbergh’s iconic Kate Moss photograph within an urban street art context.
2018	Through the Palace Gates. A short film set in a north London urban allotment, on a summer’s evening.
2018	A Rhino in The Herb Garden. An ecology project in association with North Harringay Primary School, London.
2018	36 VIEWS OF PENTIRE. Commission via RedHouse Originals.
2018	MITOLOGIA ITALIANA. An exploration of the Italian cultural landscape, from 1909 to 1960; a work of fiction.
2017	When The Fox met The Duchess. A special commission unveiled by the Duchess of Cambridge, in Luxembourg.
2017	When The Fox met The Rooster And Other Stories. In Association with The British Embassy Luxembourg.
2017	Mark Cavendish for Qhubeka A special portrait created for the Bicycles Change Lives Campaign.
2017	Tom Simpson Memorial artwork An artwork laid at the summit of Mont Ventoux by Joanne Simpson
2017	The Kirkgate Triptych. Commission via RedHouse Originals.
2017	Verses On A Butterfly. Commission via RedHouse Originals.
2016	Curator/Lead artist Bag of Tricks Exhibition. Turnpike Art Group. The Green Rooms. Station Road, London N22
2016	Exhibition - Spirit of 66. Redhouse Originals Gallery
2016	An Objective Abstract - a special commission by Coppin Dockray Architects
2015	Exhibition - Chroma. Redhouse Originals Gallery
2015	Upfest. Street Art Festival, Bristol.
2015	Curator Monarchy Exhibition. Turnpike Art Group. The Alex. Park Road, London N8
2014-2015	Campaign artist - English National Opera [Marriage of Figaro, Benvenuto Cellini, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg]
2014	Live painting - Logitech UE Boom launch event, London
2014	Join Velorution as freelance Art Director and writer - Velorution magazine
2014	Exhibition - Velocity. Velorution, Great Portland St, London
2014	Exhibition - Carbon, Sulphur & Paint. Redhouse Originals Gallery
2013	Exhibition - Paris Match. Showcase Gallery, Clerkenwell, London
2013	100e Exhibition. Snap Galleries. Piccadilly Arcade, London
2012	LE TOUR Book published by Rapha Racing, London
2012	LE TOUR Exhibition. Snap Galleries. Piccadilly Arcade, London
2012	Launch Turnpike Art Group, London
2011	Exhibition - Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road, London
2011	Exhibition - Pauls Smith Store, Floral St, London
2011	Exhibition - Gran Corsa. Frameless Gallery, Clerkenwell Green, London
2010	Solo Exhibition - Frameless Gallery, Clerkenwell Green, London
2010	Condor Collection. Exhibited with Condor Cycles, The Bike Show, Earls Court, London
2010	Exhibition - at Craft Central, Clerkenwell, in conjunction with London Design Festival
2010	Exhibition - Paul Smith Globe Store, Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport, London
2006 -	Freelance graphic designer, photographer, copywriter
2000-2006	Senior Designer, WPB Creative, Clere St, Shoreditch, London
1999-2000	In-house designer, EMI Classics, London
1993-1999	Senior Designer, Kee Scott Associates
1990-1993	In-house designer, The Royal Opera House, Floral Street, London
1986-1990	BA Hons Graphic Design, Middlesex Polytechnic, London
1985-1986	Art & Design Foundation course, Exeter College of Art & Design, Devon.
1977-1984	Barking Abbey Comprehensive. 2 A levels, 8 O levels

All artwork, text and images © James Straffon 2021.

Readings From The Barometer Of Life - FILM

Running time: 30 mins.

WITH THANKS TO

Greta Thunberg

Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist, internationally recognised for challenging world leaders over their failure to address climate change.

Paul Smith

British fashion designer, who in 2020 celebrated fifty years in business.

The IUCN Red List

The IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.

Scott Buckley

An Australian composer and arranger, and a soil researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Wangarĩ Muta Maathai

Founder of the Green Belt Movement and the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

Paul R. Ehrlich

An American biologist, whose 1968 best-seller 'The Population Bomb' warned of the perils of overpopulation, and the subsequent societal upheaval, and environmental deterioration.

Dr. Jane Goodall

An English primatologist and anthropologist, and one of the world's foremost experts on chimpanzees.

WWF

An international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment.

The Green Rooms

Additional material

Shot on a Fujifilm X-T3 using vintage Minolta lenses.

All artwork, text and images © James Straffon 2021.

Press

Explore the links below for a variety of press articles.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2012/jun/26/art-exhibition-tour-de-france

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2013/jul/02/beautiful-games-paradise-lost-tour

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/general-view-of-a-portrait-painted-by-artist-james-straffon-news-photo/807667768

https://delano.lu/d/detail/news/tour-de-france-legends-told-through-art/149498

https://chronicle.lu/category/embassies-consulates/22436-22436-british-ambassador-hosts-vernissage-for-james-straffon-tour-de-france-bike-art-project-in-luxembourg

https://delano.lu/d/detail/news/tour-de-france-legends-told-through-art/149498

http://luxherald.com/0914-james-straffon-live-art-installation-paul-smith-store-luxembourg-city-centre.html

https://delano.lu/d/detail/snapshots/celebrations-fit-queen/149018#pid=14

https://road.cc/content/news/45839-cycling-art-le-baiser-de-sa-femme-janine-james-straffon

https://road.cc/content/news/149112-harrogates-tour-de-france-stencils-raise-%C2%A350000-charity

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/cycling/tour-de-france-stage-host-exhibits-its-cycling-heritage-1-6551693

https://road.cc/content/news/54033-artists-customised-shoes-bradley-wiggins-david-millar

https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/gallery/2017051169517/kate-middleton-luxembourg-visit-highlights/1/

https://www.rtl.lu/sport/news/a/1052841.html

http://centmagazine.co.uk/ruby-beautiful-design-led-collaborations/

https://www.banquehavilland.com/en/news/banque-havilland-sponsors-a-unique-cycling-art-project

http://www.eyemagazine.com/blog/post/graphic-cycle

https://www.coppindockray.co.uk/project/highpoint-ii-apartment

All artwork, text and images © James Straffon 2021.

James Straffon

James Straffon is an acclaimed British artist, who lives and works in London.

He works across a wide range of media, creating large-scale public art installations,

private commissions and gallery exhibitions.

CONTACT

info@james-straffon.co.uk

He is co-founder, and lead artist of the Turnpike Art Group.

For a miscellany of press links and articles, click HERE

All artwork, text and images © James Straffon 2021.

Studio 54

[spray paint and graffiti marker on vintage skateboards]

£750

FOUR DECKS REMAINING. EMAIL shop@james-straffon.co.uk FOR BUYING INQUIRES.

This collection features a series of skate deck portraits, commemorating the famous New York nightclub - Studio 54, located at 254 West 54th Street, between Eighth Avenue and Broadway in Midtown Manhattan.

An interrelated quintet of iconic artists were frequent patrons - Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Jean-michel Basquiat, Grace Jones and Debbie Harry.