Bend and Snap @ The Bend

For those in Melbourne this weekend pop down to 1000 £ Bend in the heart of the city where you can catch us selling our illustrative art prints at the Bend & Snap Market. There will be a heap of great stalls and the market will be celebrating it's 1st Birthday, which promises to be a great celebration!

For those not in Melbourne, yes you can purchase from our online store - head here http://www.etsy.com/people/paintedstreet

Spring Has Sprung!

It is finally here... Spring has finally sprung! Each day a new little blossom arrives. This here is one of our favourite drawings (available in our store of course) that celebrates Springtime in all it's vibrant colour. We hope you like it too.

You can purchase this print here http://www.etsy.com/shop/paintedstreet

Where Do the Ducks Go - Winter Bliss

Couple of new little pics I've been working on, actually they are really old drawings that somehow made their way into photoshop for a bit of colour today!

I have found myself questioning how we can possibly be in Winter again, time just moves so swiftly,  and if I can really go through another one here in Melb's... it's awfully cold and I so long to live in a warmer year round climate but that's another story... I recently learned a new phrase 'the law of the farm' (I read it in Stephen Covey's 'First Things First') it refers to the process of life on a farm and how farmers must move in the cycles of nature or they cease to have their harvest. It's inevitable, Winter will always make it's way around it's just up to us how we choose to spend it! This Winter I'm getting back to painting, drawing and exploring new ideas cause that's what I do each Winter.

There is one question that I'll never stop asking though and that is 'where do the ducks go?' Thanks Holden!

Titles: 'Where Do The Ducks Go' and 'Oh Winter"
Artist: Jean-Louise

New Drawing Needs A Name?

Spent the whole day yesterday drawing and creating, oh what a pleasure it is to be able to sit down with my sketch book again! It has been a while indeed - far too long and let's hope it won't be that long again. 

Here's a little sketch that came out of yesterday's play, not quite sure why and even what it really means but I like it anyway and hope you do too. Hand drawn in pencil, scanned and coloured in photoshop. Oh if my patience would allow me to colour by hand too... in fact that might be the next exercise for this little drawing, might be nice to see a version in ink and watercolour too.

Anyway, it needs a name... suggestions?

Untitled by Jean-Louise

Brilliant Review... Brilliant Album!

We've just received a fantastic review of Human Veins by Tony Bates (Indigo FM). Thank you Tony! Tony was the first radio announcer to play my music way back on my very first EP he saw something worth while in what I was doing back then, so this review of my most recent album means a great deal to me, his appreciation of music is true and runs deep....

Here's the review:

Let this album, Human Veins, flow through you and feel its effects; Alex Hallahan is ready to surprise one with each new release and for an independent artist his work is amongst the most outstanding and is definitely of an international standard. One can feel the energy which has been put into the album as well as the energy it exudes; the musicianship is exemplary and having followed Alex from the early days, his musical growth and maturity has exceeded his years.

Orbiting has the classical influences of both Neil Young and Cat Stevens but is very much Alex's work - it has his stamp of authority on it and is very much a work of his own. I'll Be Walking By has some of the best guitar playing on it that I have heard for ages; Alex has this knack of moulding his music around his lyrics in a way no other can and the lyrics speak for themselves.

Throughout the album one is given good value as the majority of tracks are over 4 minutes long and yet their length holds one entranced with the content; at no time can one say, well this track could have been shortened.

Any Way You Look At It has to be one of the best songs about communication and everybody will be able to readily relate to it; some of it might appear a little tongue in cheek, but Alex gets away with this via the use of clever lyrics.

Morning's Sweet Song gives Alex and The Woodland Hunters time to display their musical tightness with a light instrumental number.

Not The Devil, Not The Nun is very much a neo-folk song with a great organ performance throughout giving a slightly free jazz feel to the number as well; on top of this Anna Struth's vocals neatly tie the whole package together. The genre of this number is hard to define (and doesn't deserve boxing in, anyhow) but if Pentangle were still about and performing, I would highly recommend this number to them.

Fire if You Want It has that laid back 'Southern' feel to it and I can well imagine this number drifting out of windows in downtown Memphis; the interplay between the organ and lead guitar is superb and makes one wonder if this is truly an Australian track. The bass comes tumbling through and the percussion is spot on whilst Alex's vocals weave in and out of the musical interplay.

Nothing Stops the Rain opens with some great brush playing on the drums and there is a slight crossover country feel to the track, which again highlights Alex's song writing abilities.

To me, this really is Alex's moment and the Woodland Hunters appear to have managed to adapt to his style and give a greater musical fluidity to the whole album - a bit like Bob Dylan when he first recorded with the Band. Quite a comparison I know, but every now and then an album leaps out at you demanding to be played and listened to; this is that album.

26 Letters 26 Drawings 26 Days - The Letter F

And the letter 'F'... F is for Flower, totally obvious this one but I really do love flowers, much more exciting to create in watercolour though, so will be fun when I get to the colour stage!

26 Letters 26 Drawings 26 Days - The Letter E

Finally have 'E'.... E is for Elephant.

Gotta love elephants, normally I can draw them but for some reason I just couldn't seem to find their form, it took a while but I got there in the end, sigh.

Move Over Poster Design, Alphabet Hiatus Is Over!

So my 26 Letters, 26 Drawings, 26 Days only got to Day 4 before having to go on hiatus... damn, I was really just getting into a nice habit too. But good reason shifted me from sitting down to draw with my own hands and got me sitting in front of Indesign instead and this here is the product of those hours...

The illustration by the way was originally done by hand by none other than the artist himself, Alex Hallahan.

Here's another version we workshopped, I love this one, and one day I'm sure we'll use it, we created it in black and white (to cut down on printing costs) but something about this launch show spoke colour... the illustration is also by Alex's own hand.

So on to the Letter 'E'...

xx Lou

26 Letters 26 Drawings 26 Days - The Letter D

Had so much fun with D... I love drawing ducks - have got pages and pages full of them in my sketch book but I couldn't resist drawing a few new ones!

D is for Duck.

26 Letters 26 Drawings 26 Days - The Letter C

C is for Coat. C is for Clock. C is for Cat.

26 Letters 26 Drawings 26 Days - The Letter B

Tried my hand at B for Bear... never been able to draw bears well and the temptation to take the easy way out and opt for bird, beetle, button or boat was ever present, but I stuck to my challenge, committed to the bear and completed B!! Now on to C... hmmm....

Lou xx

26 Letters 26 Drawings 26 Days - The Letter A

With both my 2 year old niece and 4 year old nephew learning their ABC's (and doing a fantastic job at it too) I've been inspired to create an 'alphabet poster'... well I've been wanting to make one for some time now, what with the chance to illustrate both the text and the image, I didn't really need the excuse... but anyway it's pushed me to finally get into gear and get this started!

So I've commenced a 'letter a day' challenge for myself and to make sure I don't over-endulge on favourite letters or procrastinate on the tough ones, I'm going to post a line drawing each day. Here we go... the letter A for Acorn.

Lou

xx

'Human Veins' Released Today!

Well it is finally here! Only a year ago did we commence our fundraising for this project and here we are on release day with an incredible piece of work by Alex, The Woodland Hunters and Craig Pilkington; a beautiful CD package; a huge buzz from all who are hearing it; a launch show booked at an iconic Melbourne venue; a hell of a lot of press packs out there waiting for eager ears... and a lot of sleep catching up to do!

THANK YOU so much for all those who have supported us along the way, whether it be a contribution to the fundraising, sharing the songs on Facebook, listening to and loving the tunes, coming to the live shows, asking when it's 'gonna be released', playing the songs on radio, in your car, on your ipod, on your stereo, giving us your feedback, appreciating the quality of the work, loving the cover art and most of all just being here on this adventure with us.

So here it is, take a listen!

iTunes alexhallahan.com bandcamp

'Human Veins' CD's Have Arrived!

Just got the 'Human Veins' CD's back from the manufacturers and might I say they look bloody amazing! After the week I've had with printing dilemmas, to receive the album this morning in all it's glory has restored my faith in my ability as a conceptual artist! Thank God for the awesome team at MAD CD's who reproduced the cover art/design for us with such colour accuracy, detail and quality. MAD, you have made my day.

So here I am putting the CD into their press and pre-order packs while listening to the actual 'Human Veins' album... perfect accompaniment, tis making me more and more excited to get this ripper of an album out there!!! ...and that's not me being bias, anyone who knows me knows how opinionated I am when it comes to good music and this truly is - it's just lucky I happen to be a fan of Alex's songs, next I think I'll put on my other favourite album at the moment, 'Earnest' by The Stillsons.

Get back to work Lou

xx Sleepy Jean

Here it is... 'Human Veins' Cover Art, Finally Unleashed

So excited to be finally sharing the cover art for Alex's new album 'Human Veins'! Plus we've set a release date - October 14th, 2011. Pre-orders are now available from Alex's shop too.

We've uploaded a sneaky peak onto youtube of one the songs, check it out!

Dark and sultry, a powerfully emotive story - songwriting at it's greatest. Alex Hallahan wrote 'Not the Devil, Not the Nun' after reading Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar'. The track features superb vocalist Anna Struth, who embodies this tormented character, alongside Alex's careful narration.

From the forthcoming album 'Human Veins' (release: 14 Oct 2011)
Performed by Alex Hallahan & The Woodland Hunters with additional vocals by Anna Struth

Cover Art & Design by Jean-Louise (aka Sleepy Jean)

London, Not So Far Away...

London's hottest independent High Street clothing label Jarlo have used (with permission of course) Alex's song Far Away for their new Autumn/Winter Collection video... check it out!

Jarlo also have a really cool competition to win one of their gorgeous frocks, click here for details

Jarlo AW11 Campaign Video
Music 'Far Away' by Alex Hallahan from 'The Turning Wheel' LP
www.jarlolondon.com
www.alexhallahan.com

'Human Veins' - Essential Album of the Week!

Alex's new album 'Human Veins' (due out oh so soon!) had itself a little sneak peak airing tonight on PBSfm. Announcer John Carver featured 4 of the album's tracks on his show 'Across The Tracks'. 

1. 'Midnight Radio'

2. 'Not the Devil, Not the Nun' (featuring Anna Struth)

3. 'Fire If You Want It'

4. 'Orbiting'

Alex is joined by his most awesome band The Woodland Hunters on this album, here's some pics of Al and the guys in the studio with producer Craig Pilkington.

Ross Richard - Electric Guitar, Dobro, Lap Steel

Cam Prestipino on bass (left) Laclan McLeod - additional vocals

Ben Smart - Congas, Drums, Percussion

Alex Hallahan (left) and Craig Pilkington (right)

If you did tune in (or would like to later at PBSfm) and LOVE the tunes so much you just have to have a copy of the album when it comes out, then send us a message or join Alex's mailing list at www.alexhallahan.com and we'll let you know when the album's released.

Noble Little Bird, I Hear

Prose by Alex Hallahan, Illustration by Jean-Louise

giclee print 310gsm 100% cotton archival paper

visit our shop on etsy

Alex at Pure Pop Records (instore performance)

A Little Winter...

Little Winter leaves the woods for home. 

Inspired by my beautiful niece Bella, who I'm about to visit and can't wait to dance, paint, read, play and giggle with!

Painted Street Artist: Jean-Louise       www.etsy.com/shop/paintedstreet