Designer Desire: Oskar with a K

I’ve just realised that it’s not very often that we’ve featured a graffiti artist in our Designer Desire series. As luck would have it, I’m very familiar with – if not the work itself, then – some of the locations of work by Oskar with a K.

In a past life, I worked in a few different arts organisations in Manchester city centre, one of which was directly opposite the Ritz where his Ooh Child work is situated. At a later date, I worked in the city’s Northern Quarter, and I walked past the former public toilet where his Hello work now lives on a twice-daily basis.

Here’s what Oskar with a K says about himself:

I would describe my work as graphic design unhindered by scale. I love working in public space, engaging fully with the environment I’m in and contributing to a world in which art and design is implicit to our cityscapes.

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Designer Desire: John Cleal

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The recent image above from our friend Alistair at West Wales Antiques took us on a journey of discovery to find out more about John Cleal and his art.

South African-born John Cleal (1929-2007) worked as an illustrator and cartoonist in the newspaper industry during the 1950s and 1960s. He was, at one time, a partner in the London-based Henrion Design Associates.

In 1962, Cleal and his family settled in Fishguard eventually founding the Workshop Wales Gallery in Lower Town, Fishguard in 1970. It offered free studio, exhibition and retail space to up to 15 artists. In the 1990s, the gallery relocated to Manorowen and is currently being run by his son, Mitchell, also an artist.

In 2006, he gifted ‘Looking Up‘ (shown below) to Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest where he had earlier received care as a patient. It was one of many donations that he made to the Welsh health service.

We’ve embedded a few other examples of his work below that we’ve found online.

The magic of carving a solid block of stone or wood never ceases to amaze and excite me, I know the block contains the image but realising it is the magic and the mystery.

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_{‘Looking Up‘ at Withybush Hospital}

_‘Juno‘

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Additional image credits:
Geograph | MutualArt

Designer Desire: Yinka Ilori

Here’s an uplifting riot of colour to brighten your mood! It’s all brought to you courtesy of the British Nigerian artist and designer, Yinka Ilori.

He has collaborated widely – on outdoor public art, indoor décor, fashion, sport and homeware projects; working with numerous partners including Meta, The Conran Shop, Selfridges the V&A, the Red Cross and Lick. He’s been very busy of late.

Ilori is currently the official Artist in Residence for Heart of Hale, a new mixed use property project in London. During his residency, he’ll create a range of designs from permanent street furniture to temporary wall art. He has an upcoming exhibition at the Design Museum in summer 2022. A range of Fitflop footwear decorated with his signature designs is being launched in the summer. He received an MBE in 2021.

Shop his work on his web shop and check out more of his eye-popping work on his Insta.

(Nigeria) influences my work through my colour palette, my love of patterns and traditional Nigerian embellishments. It also influences my work through my use of traditional Nigerian folklore, which turns into words of wisdom that’s embedded within my design. My British heritage is also mixed in with my use of minimalistic lines and silhouettes, which is then mixed with my very loud and expressive use of colour, which comes from my Nigerian heritage. There’s a mixture of different influences that shaped me and made me the designer I am today. _{via Luxury London}

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Designer Desire: Tom Hare

Tom Hare is a British sculptor, working primarily with willow; he creates giant, mainly outdoor, woven pieces.

The natural world is often the subject of his work; fruit, animals, seed pods. I’m especially drawn to his magical oversized mushrooms; morels, chanterelles and boletus.

His site-specific work has been commissioned internationally; for places such as Kew Gardens, the Chelsea Flower Show, Chelsea Physic Garden, Naturhistorisk museum in Oslo, RHS Garden, Wisley, the kitchen gardens at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’saisons and a Fortnum & Mason’s autumn window display. Tom Hare explains:

I was first introduced to willow on a weekend course when my imagination was captured by the endless possibilities of this truly amazing plant. Willow is the perfect example of a sustainable material, which can be woven into forms with such spontaneity.

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Additional image credit

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: public art

Designer Desire: Oskar with a K

Designer Desire: John Cleal

Designer Desire: Yinka Ilori

Designer Desire: Tom Hare