Soma is 10!

On the 6th June Soma turned the grand old age of 10. To mark this pretty remarkable achievement we created a limited edition box set of 10 prints by some of our favourite artists who we have worked with over the last 10 years.

The artists who created a print are Adam Bridgland & Lucy Gough, Graham Carter, Gemma Correll , Crispin Finn, HelloMarine, Alice Pattullo, Peskimo, Hazel Nicholls, Andy Smith and Spencer Wilson. 

All of the prints are available as singles for £30 each of the full set of 10 presented in a beautiful box for £275 here.

We had a very successful event on Saturday 7th in our shop and gallery space to launch the prints and to celebrate the anniversary. We had some amazing goodie bags with tape from Hazel Nicholls, Newspapers from Rob Ryan, badges, printed tea charts and posters from Peskimo and more contained in a printed cotton tote bag designed by Peskimo or Gemma Correll! There was a lucky dip with items generously donated by our amazing artists and other people we've worked with including Andy Smith, Peskimo, Graham Carter, Not Another Bill, No Place Like (To Dry For), Rob Ryan, Lesley Barnes and more!

You can view photos from the event on Flickr

View all the prints on our website here




Crispin Finn

Crispin Finn is a small, London based design partnership. Founded and run by Anna Fidalgo - a graphic designer and Roger Kelly - a fine artist, their shared love of screenprinting, stationery and vernacular design inspired them to collaborate and develop their trademark style. Working predominantly in red, white and blue, a restriction they initially set themselves in order to hand produce simple and affordable designs, the colour scheme has become part of the Crispin Finn identity.

View all work by Crispin Finn here



Andy Smith

Born and raised in Norfolk, Andy Smith studied illustration at the University of Brighton and the Royal College of Art, London. Graduating in 1998 he quickly established a client list of advertising, publishing and editorial clients including Orange, Mercedes, McDonalds, The Guardian, Expedia, Sony, Vodafone, Random House and Penguin Books, directing Run London, a commercial for Nike in 2000. He lives and works by the sea in Hastings, East Sussex.

View all work by Andy Smith here




Spencer Wilson

Spencer is a London based illustrator and co-founder of the illustration, design and animation company Peepshow Collective Ltd. He has been working to commission since 1998 in a world of neat piles of mess, coffee cups and ordered chaos. His work follows this theme with the creation of sketchy ideas and twisted thoughts, carried through into clean vectored, balanced images placed in dynamic flat colour compositions with the occasional introduction of texture.

View all work by Spencer Wilson here

Hazel Nicholls

Hazel Nicholls lives in South East London. 14 years ago she moved from Northern Ireland to attend Camberwell College of Arts. She left Camberwell with a degree in Illustration. Hazel loves Real Ale, the seaside, ten pin bowling and of course a good pun. Her work is mostly influenced by a longstanding love of cross stitch and an interest in old phrases. Her designs have found themselves on limited edition prints, ceramics, textiles, packaging and more recently a giant fibre glass egg (as part of the Faberge Big Egg Hunt, 2012). She learnt how to screenprint five years ago and I hasn’t looked back since.

View all work by Hazel Nicholls here





Graham Carter

Graham Carter is one of the most exciting illustrators currently working in the UK, and has worked at the forefront of his industry for the last 15 years. Graham's client list is extensive and he has enjoyed successful campaigns with Aviva, Bupa, Orange, Waterstones, Visa and Monster.co.uk. His illustrations can also be spotted in a wide variety of editorial publications such as The New Scientist, The Guardian and The Sunday Times.

View all work by Graham Carter here

HelloMarine

Marine was born in Paris, grew up in South of France and moved to Brighton to study Graphic Design. Now living and working in Brighton as an illustrator she divides her time between commissions for clients such as The Guardian, Penguin, Coca-Cola, TruThoughts, Amelia's Magazine, Jazeera Airways, and personal work that she exhibits regularly. Her work has been described as vivid, vibrant, sometimes retro or slightly surreal.

View all work by HelloMarine here





Alice Pattullo

Alice Pattullo is an illustrator and printmaker based in London. She graduated in 2010 with a First Class Honours in Illustration from Brighton University. Alice works predominantly in screen print producing limited edition prints for sale in various outlets across the UK and online. Research is at the heart of her practice and her work is often inspired by British folk tradition and superstition, 1930s American musicals and celebrity culture to name a few! She is inspired by mid-century design and strives to create a nostalgic aesthetic in her own work through colour choices and composition.

View all work by Alice here

Gemma Correll

Gemma Correll has qualifications in basic first aid, grade 5 flute and a first class degree in Illustration from the Norwich School of Art and Design (UK). These skills have enabled her to forge a career in freelance cartooning and illustration (and also help you out if you break your finger or something). She divides her time between commissioned work, producing illustrations for clients including The New York Times, TeNeues and Hallmark, and working on personal projects.

View all work by Gemma Correll here





Adam Bridgland & Lucy Gough

Born in 1979, Adam Bridgland studied printmaking at Norwich School of Art & Design and then studied at the Royal College of Art (MA Fine Art Printmaking). Since graduating in 2006, Bridgland has used a diverse range of materials and working methods to pursue an incisive and often witty exploration of distinctively British sentiments.

Lucy is currently living and working in Cambridgeshire and has been a practising artist since graduating from Norwich School of Art and Design in 2002. She has exhibited widely in the UK and Internationally as well as completing commissions for institutions including University College Hospital London and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Lucy’s prints use simple graphic lines and bold colour blocks.

View all work by Adam Bridgland here

View all work by Lucy Gough here





Peskimo

Peskimo is Jodie and David and they live in sunny Bristol in the south west of England. Their illustrations combine curious details and streamlined design with a generous pinch of nostalgia to create art that has won admirers far and wide. They find inspiration in cartoons, vintage graphic design and overhearing people in the post office queue. The pair has worked with a wide variety of clients including Sony, Barclays, BBC and Vodafone and has appeared in publications such as Monocle magazine and The Guardian. They hope one day to have their own ice cream van.

View all work by Peskimo here

Andy Smith New Exhibition at Soma

Four Fonts Walk Into a Bar...
An Exhibition of Silkscreen Prints by Andy Smith
Opens Saturday 1st March 2014

Our new exhibition by Andy Smith is now open in our first floor gallery space. All the prints and items from the exhibition are available to view and purchase online.

The artwork of Andy Smith has at its core a sense of optimism and humour. This new collection of work by the award winning illustrator revels in this and explores the theme of popular jokes, one liners, gags and puns.

He presents a set of images which experiment with hand drawn typography and silkscreen printing that are bold, colourful and eye popping- his most colourful work yet.

Complementing the prints on paper are some of his popular, large, wooden printed signs, books and objects all signed and numbered by Andy.

Come along and find out what happened when those four fonts went into that bar!

View all the prints on our website here

View photos of the exhibition on Flickr here

New Screenprinted Signs from Andy Smith

We've got some great new screenprinted signs in at the moment by Andy Smith. 'Eat Your Greens' above and 'Spill the Beans' below. Plus more 'It's All Downhill from Here' arrows pictured at the bottom. All are £100 and available on our website or in the Bristol gallery.







View all pieces by Andy Smith on our website here

Pick Me Up 2012

 

We are very pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at Pick Me Up at Somerset House this year with Andy Smith, Crispin Finn, Tom Frost, Gemma Correll and Peskimo.

The show runs from 22nd March until 1st April and is open from 11am - 8pm daily with late nights on Thursdays until 10pm.

We will post more info in the coming weeks. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook to find out more news.

2011: in Review

Well, what a busy year 2011 was! I feel like my Christmas rest could perhaps have done with being a little longer. 2011 was probably our biggest year at Soma in terms of events, exhibitions and projects. Some of the ideas that were in our heads were actually realised this year and we had our first ever events in our gallery space.

Going backwards a little bit... In August 2010 we moved to our new building, which really kick started things with actual storage space (instead of none!) and a lovely big light filled gallery space. Following this in November came our new, easy to operate website to replace the one I had designed and built (poorly by current standards) way back in 2005 and was on its last legs as well as being a pain to keep updated. So we had a good platform to kick 2011 off from.

Some of the great things we've done this year are highlighted below.


Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration at Soma

We started in May with our first event, the Bristol leg of Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration book tour. Amelia gave a talk and signed copies of the book whilst Lahloo Tea, Juiceology and Harts Bakery provided the refreshments.



You can read about it on our blog here
And again after the event on the blog here
Or see photos on Flickr here
And view the book online here 


Lesley Barnes Tote for Soma

Also in May, we comissioned Lesley Barnes (who we worked with a few times in 2011 - more to come!) to design an exclusive promotional Soma tote bag. She came up with this fabulous dancing bear design. Lesley designed loads of other little characters for us which we have on badges for online orders.



You can buy the tote on our website for £5 here.


Andy Smith's Sunny Side Up Exhibition

The next event was Andy Smith's fantastic 'Sunny Side Up' solo exhibition. This show featured brand new silkscreen prints on both paper and wood plus hand painted pieces from Andy. This was the first time a solo artist had shown in the first floor space and fortunately Andy is quite prolific as there was a lot of space to fill!



This show ran from 24th June and was due to end on 20th August but by popular demand was extended!



Most pieces from the show are now sold out or are just about to sell out. You can view Andy's page on our website here.

You can read about it on the blog here
And a review of the show and private view on the blog here
And see the photoset of the show on Flickr here


Gemma Correll Exclusive Tote Design

In August we comissioned Gemma Correll to design a tote for us. She came up with this great cat on a scooter design 'Au Revoir'.



You can buy this tote for £10 here


Crispin Finn's Pack Rat Exhibition

The next exhibition was 'Pack Rat' from the fantastic Crispin Finn which opened at the end of September.



You can read about the show on the blog here
And more on the blog here
And see the Flickr photos here


Soma for Not Another Bill

We put together the October Mailout for Not Another Bill which was released at the start of the month.



Bristol based Peskimo and Tom Frost created exclusive prints and badges for this and Lesley Barnes designed an exclusive tote bag.

You can read a bit more on the blog here
And see photos on Flickr here


Tatty Devine Workshop and Book Signing

Then in November Tatty Devine came to Soma to host a workshop and book signing for their new book 'How to Make Jewellery with Tatty Devine'. They taught people how to make a tape measure rosette, one of the projects in the book. Lahloo Tea also were there to provide delicious refreshments once again.



Read about this on the blog here
And here
And see the photos here


Lesley Barnes Wrapping Paper Design

Also in November we launched this beautiful wrapping paper by (yes, her again!) Lesley Barnes. We sell this wrap in sheets and use it for gift wrapping online orders.



You can view this wrapping paper online here.


Christmas Exhibition

And finally at the end of November we had our annual Christmas Exhibition which went down really well, with original pieces from Andy Smith and Gemma Correll selling out as soon as they went on sale!

Extended! - Andy Smith Sunny Side Up Exhibition

We've extended the Andy Smith show until the end of the month as it's been such a popular show and we're getting loads of people wanting to come and see it before it comes down.

So instead of finishing this Saturday, it will run to Wednesday 31st August. We may extend it a little longer but if you haven't come to see it yet and plan to, there's a little more time to do so!

View Andy Smith work at Soma here

View photos of the show on Flickr here

Sunny Side Up by Andy Smith exhibiton preview evening

Last Friday evening we held the private view of our new exhibition, 'Sunny Side Up' by Andy Smith. It's no mean feat filling the entire first floor gallery space, especially for a single artist! We've been selling Andy's work for quite a few years now and he's been involved in the last couple of Christmas Shows so it's great to finally have the space to have a big show of his work. And almost everything was created for this show!

Although the weather wasn't on our side, those who braved the rain were treated to a great show and refreshments including Juiceology juices (who we loved at the ACOFI book tour!).


Almost the whole show!


Wooden Blue Moose head, prints, Push to Quit wooden butons, Everyone Gets Lonely totes, They Went That Way arrows, Warning blocks


Hand painted wooden goldfish bowl, This Way & That Way birds, other prints by Andy Smith in browser


They Went That Way arrows


Andy Smith at the private view


Some guests at the private view enjoying the Juiceology drinks


Stickers and postcards for the private view guests

All the artwork in the show is available to view and purchase on our website here

You can see more photos of the show on Flickr here

To read more about the show read post here

Creative Review featured the show on their blog here

Visit Juiceology's wesite here

More Sunny Side Up Teasers!

Here's a handfull of teasers for the Andy Smith show which opens this Saturday with the private view on Friday evening 6-9pm.


The Lonely Goldfish, enamel paint on wood


Push to Quit, silkscreen on wood and varnished


This Way, enamel paint on wood


That Way, enamel paint on wood


They Went That Way, hanging sign, screenprinted and varnished


Shoot The Breeze, silkscreen print

Sunny Side Up by Andy Smith Private View Friday 24th June

‘Sunny Side Up’
Exhibition by Andy Smith at Soma Gallery, Bristol
25th June 2011 – 20th August 2011

Private View Friday 24th June 6-9pm

Next Friday we will be hosting the private view for our new exhibition by Andy Smith. Our customers (and those of you reading this!) are invited to this preview for a browse of the work, to meet Andy in person and to have a few drinks and nibbles.

The artwork will be available to view and buy on the website over the weekend for those of you not able to get to Bristol.

Hastings based illustrator Andy Smith studied at Brighton University and the Royal College of Art. When not busy working for clients such as Orange, Nike, McDonalds, The Guardian and Faber and Faber he can be found in his studio by the sea in Hastings printing books and posters which he has exhibited in the UK, France, USA and Australia. Specialising in silkscreen printing Andy’s work combines illustration and typography to create images with humour, energy and optimism, executed with a handmade tactile feel. Illustrating for 12 years, his work has won D&AD, Creative Circle and AOI awards and been featured in numerous books and publications.

His summer show at Soma Gallery in Bristol will include a set of 12 new large artworks, hand screenprinted by Andy and featuring his distinct hand lettering and visuals. They deal with bold statements, strange visitors, warnings from gurus, the thoughts of Captain Scott and other random themes. Accompanying these prints will be an eclectic collection of new 3D arrows and moose heads, totes, stickers and one sad lonely, goldfish.





There's a couple more teaser images on our flickr page here.

View all prints by Andy Smith at Soma Gallery.

Next Exhibition: Andy Smith

‘Sunny Side Up’
Exhibition by Andy Smith at Soma Gallery, Bristol
25th June 2011 – 20th August 2011

Hastings based illustrator Andy Smith studied at Brighton University and the Royal College of Art. When not busy working for clients such as Orange, Nike, McDonalds, The Guardian and Faber and Faber he can be found in his studio by the sea in Hastings printing books and posters which he has exhibited in the UK, France, USA and Australia. Specialising in silkscreen printing Andy’s work combines illustration and typography to create images with humour, energy and optimism, executed with a handmade tactile feel. Illustrating for 12 years, his work has won D&AD, Creative Circle and AOI awards and been featured in numerous books and publications.

His summer show at Soma Gallery in Bristol will include a set of 12 new large artworks, hand screenprinted by Andy and featuring his distinct hand lettering and visuals. They deal with bold statements, strange visitors, warnings from gurus, the thoughts of Captain Scott and other random themes. Accompanying these prints will be an eclectic collection of new 3D arrows and moose heads, totes, stickers and one sad lonely, goldfish.

We're really looking forward to this exhibition. It will be the first time a single artist has made up of the entire first floor gallery space in the new Soma! Keep an eye out for more information in the coming weeks.



There's a couple more teaser images on our flickr page here.

View all prints by Andy Smith at Soma Gallery.