The Sex Pistols have announced a concert to mark the 30th anniversary of the release of their controversial album Never Mind the Bollocks. Original members John Lydon, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock will play at the Brixton Academy in London on November 8th. The group, who split in 1978, first reformed for a world tour in 1996 and last performed together in 2003.

Gorgeous fashion illustrations by the very talented artist, Cecilia Carlstedt.

When a British artist was denied US backing to paint a portrait of President George Bush he decided to make an ‘alternative’ version - from images of porn.

From time to time I’ll be offering free downloads to our readers of hi-res photos and designs to use for desktop backgrounds or whatever you like. They will always be original artworks or photos by me, Kat, and I’m happy to share with everyone. The only thing I kindly ask is to please not sell or distribute any of these for profit. Feel free to comment and let me know how you’ve used them.
These first two have a botanical theme. Click on images to view the larger download size.

Ian Johnson is a self–professed agoraphobe and portrait painter living in San Francisco, whose work features predominantly 1950’s and 1960’s jazz musicians like Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Bill Evans and Charlie Parker, to name a few. Intentionally or not, the subjects he chooses often had difficult lives in spite of their talents. When his subjects are creating music, the entire piece is full of energy, yet in many of his pieces a sense of solitude remains. Working as art director for Western Edition Skateboard Company, it isn’t surprising that many of his jazz portraits end up on skateboard decks. This makes sense as both jazz and skateboarding are rooted in movement and improvisation.

Here is Johnson’s stance on painting modern day musicians…

“I don’t really like that many new musicians. What they’re doing is not that exciting to me as something you hear from the ‘50s when people were breaking new ground. There was a kind of energy back then that isn’t in jazz now, even though they try to do the same thing. They’re just rehashing shit. Plus, they just don’t look as cool. People don’t dress good anymore. Their faces just look hollow to me. So many of them back in the day, maybe it was the heroin, but they had really cut features and really angular faces and I like drawing that kind of stuff. They all had their preppy style. I like drawing people in suits and ties. Eventually I’d like to do some more modern people, but I’m not in a rush.”

Matt Petty shot this cool little video and interview of Johnson during one of his solo shows in the Bay Area.

These tiny handmade cardboard miniatures of old analog audio equipment by Daniel McPharlin have to be the cutest things I’ve seen in a long time. The fine details of these vintage machines that he has recreated into miniatures exhibit an amazing craftsmanship. According to Dan they are “an interesting experiment to render hi tech objects in a low tech medium such as paper or cardboard.”