Carmen Cicero and the Art of a Lifetime
I watched another film by Joshua Charow, this time about Carmen Cicero, an abstract expressionist painter whose work is in museums like MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Whitney. He has lived and worked in one of New York’s artist lofts for decades, creating paintings that are bold and full of life.
The film is part of Joshua’s Loft Law project, which looks at the last artists still living in these original lofts. The law, introduced in the eighties, gave protection to artists who had moved into old industrial spaces and turned them into homes and studios.
Carmen’s space feels like a time capsule, full of energy from years of painting and living in one place. What I liked most was his calm, focused approach. There is no rush, no need to follow trends, just steady work over a lifetime.
It made me think about my own art. My work is often quick and playful, using bold colour and simple shapes. Carmen’s paintings feel different, slower and more layered, yet they share that same commitment to finding a personal voice and sticking with it.
The lesson for me is simple. Take your time. Let your space and your art grow together. Keep showing up and trust that the work will add up over time.
Lessons From Steve Silver’s Loft
I watched a short film by Joshua Charow about Steve Silver, a painter from the Bronx who has lived and worked in a big loft in Williamsburg since 1979. The space is huge, five thousand square feet, and every wall is covered in his bright paintings. His home feels like a living gallery.
The film is part of Joshua’s book Loft Law, which looks at artists in New York who were allowed to stay in old industrial lofts in the eighties. These places gave artists the room to make work on their own terms. Steve’s loft shows what can happen when you have time and space to create.
What stood out to me was not where Steve has shown his work but how he lives inside it. His paintings are everywhere. His home and his art are the same thing.
It made me think about my own art. I often keep life and work separate but this film reminded me how good it can be to let creativity take up more space. Steve has spent decades in one place and let the work grow around him.
My work is different. I use bold colour and simple shapes and often work at a smaller scale, but I feel the same drive to keep exploring. Watching this has made me want to let my own space show more of what I make and where I am going.
The lesson for me is clear. Give your art space to breathe and let it shape the way you live.
Lost in the Sainsbury Archive
I’ve been lost in the Sainsbury Archive for a while now. It’s full of old packaging, adverts and photos from the early days of Sainsbury’s right through to more recent stuff.
What I love is how it captures everyday design. Tins, labels, shop signs. All with so much care in the details. You can see how things like colour and type changed over time.
It is not trying to be trendy or overdesigned. It just feels honest. A proper bit of British design history told through food and shopping.
If you like old graphics, packaging, or just looking at how things used to be made, it is well worth a browse.
Take a look:
Instagram
sainsburyarchive.org.uk
Why I Love Purveyors of Packaging
I found Purveyors of Packaging a while ago, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. It’s a website full of vintage tins, boxes and labels, all photographed in a really simple and beautiful way. No fuss, just great design.
It’s run by a couple who collect old packaging from markets and estate sales. Everything is shot on a plain white background, which lets the colour, type and layout do the talking.
As a designer, I find it properly inspiring. There’s something about the bold shapes, old typefaces and everyday charm that really connects with me. It reminds me how much care and craft used to go into the smallest things.
It’s one of those sites that makes you slow down and really look. And I love that.
Have a look: purveyorsofpackaging.com
The Hive Architect | Saving Britain's Wild Bees
There is a widely held theory that our British honey bee couldn’t exist without being domesticated by beekeepers. However, for bee conservationists like Matt Somerville, this theory is ludicrous. He has spent decades admiring free-living honey bees nesting in tree cavities and they are under increasing threats from commercial beekeeping, loss of habitat and other violences of the modern world. So Matt decided to do something about it. For the last 14 years he has spent the winters creating his log hives before driving around all of England in the summer, erecting them as minimal intervention homes for wild honey bees. Under Fera's Wild Share Initiative we have set up Matt's hives in two different locations and produced this documentary highlighting his work. Director: Max Weston AC & 2nd Cam: Josh Tucker Editors: Max Weston & Kyri Paris Audio Post Production: Got Moves Creative Director: Sidney Hiscox Producer: Declan Morrison
Bolivia’s Cholita skaters ImillaSkate fight for gender equality and indigenous pride with clothing
Reconnecting with their ancestry while finding sisterhood through skateboarding, Imillaskate is an indigenous female skate collective based in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba – bonded through clothing as a symbol of cultural pride. Finding their feet in the foothills of the Bolivian Andes, the young women join a rising number of cholitas, adopting the traditional pollera as a reclamation of indigenous heritage and the female strength carried through Aymara or Quechua traditions. Travelling to Cochabamba, directors Rebecca Basaure and Mariano Carranza centre the collective and their role in the community for the short documentary ImillaSkate - The Cholita Skaters of Bolivia. Challenging gender stereotypes through their contradictions, while making space for indigenous pride, the young women carve out a story of rebellion, reclamation, and radical joy against a landscape where racial prejudice and gender violence remain ever-present concerns. ...read more at nowness.com
A Kaleidoscope of Football: Why I’m Loving the New World Cup Look
As someone who’s grown up obsessed with football, the World Cup has always been more than just a tournament. It's a proper summer moment. That feeling of being outside in a sunny beer garden, surrounded by mates, flags waving, pints clinking, and the world sort of stopping for 90 minutes. There’s nothing like it. It’s pure joy.
So when I saw the new branding for the 2026 World Cup, it hit me in a big way. It’s bold. It’s bright. It feels alive. And more than anything, it captures that buzz I always associate with the World Cup.
This time, FIFA have done something different. They've kept the design simple but powerful. The core logo is a strong “26” with a photo of the actual World Cup trophy set into it. It’s the first time they’ve used the real trophy image in the branding, and it gives it a solid, iconic feel.
What I love most though is how the design expands beyond that. Each host city across the US, Canada, and Mexico gets its own colourful version of the logo, with patterns and graphics inspired by local culture. It’s clever, but not fussy. It lets the artwork flex and change while still being recognisably part of something bigger.
As a designer and image maker myself, this really resonates. I’ve always been drawn to big shapes, bold colours, movement and repetition, and this system is full of that energy. The animated shapes, the overlapping layers, the joyful palette — there are so many crossovers with how I think and work visually. It feels celebratory and modern, but also rooted in something familiar.
For me, football has always been about connection. Whether that’s in a park, a pub, or in front of a screen with a bunch of strangers who all suddenly feel like your best mates. And this identity captures that spirit beautifully. It’s vibrant, inclusive, and full of possibility. Just like the game.
Amalgamating visual styles to create larger-than-life paintings | Cato
London-based multimedia artist Toby Grant, aka Cato, takes the Nicer Tuesdays crowd through the development of his meticulously layered painting style, from early creative influences to the different materials and methods he uses to create cinematic scenes with theatrical dynamics.
https://catoink.store/
https://www.itsnicethat.com/nicer-tue...
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk
Olivier Mosset
What I Learned from Olivier Mosset’s Art Practice
I’ve been looking into Olivier Mosset, a Swiss artist known for his bold, minimalist work — think simple shapes, clean lines, and a focus on the basics of painting. What really struck me is how his approach can feed into my own creative practice.
Here’s what I’m taking away:
Simplicity speaks volumes: Mosset strips things right back, letting the shapes and colours do the talking. It’s a reminder that sometimes less really is more.
Question the rules: He challenges ideas about originality and authorship, which makes me think about how I can push my own boundaries and explore more collaborative ways of working.
Materials matter: His use of industrial materials highlights how the stuff we create with is just as important as the design itself. It’s got me thinking about experimenting with new textures and tools.
Stick with an idea: Mosset revisits the same concepts over and over, which shows the value in digging deep into a theme rather than moving on too quickly.
It’s a solid reminder that art doesn’t have to be complicated to be powerful. Definitely check out his work if you’re into bold, concept-driven design.
Following your fascinations is the true antidote to trend-led design | From Form
At February’s Nicer Tuesdays, the Dutch design studio joined us to share the origins of their playful, analogue approach. Giving us a peek behind the scenes into the objects and ideas that have influenced their annual creative campaigns for Amsterdam’s Museum Night, From Form’s founders demonstrated that creative inspiration can be found in the most unusual of places. https://fromform.nl/ https://www.itsnicethat.com/nicer-tue... https://www.mpb.com/en-uk
From Form’s Museum Night: A Flipbook of Colour
I recently watched a Nicer Tuesdays talk on YouTube with From Form, a Dutch design studio known for mixing graphic design, film, and set design in really playful ways. One project that stuck with me was their work for Museum Night Amsterdam.
They created a flipbook-style animation filled with bold colours and shifting shapes — a clever way to reflect the huge range of museums and experiences people could explore that night. Each frame felt like turning a page, capturing that sense of moving from one exhibition to the next.
What I loved was how simple but smart it was — the design wasn’t just eye-catching, it told a story about choice, movement, and spontaneity. It’s a great reminder that good design doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.
If you're into design that’s fun, thoughtful, and full of character, I’d definitely recommend watching their talk here and checking out their work at fromform.nl.
Norma Listman & Saqib Keval
At Masala y Maíz, chef-owners Norma Listman and Saqib Keval weave their distinct cultural backgrounds into a pioneering dining experience in Mexico City.
Stumbling across the Chef's Table episode featuring Norma Listman and Saqib Keval was a revelation. Their restaurant, Masala y Maíz, based in Mexico City, is a bold expression of culinary innovation and activism. It masterfully weaves together Mexican, Indian, and East African flavours — a reflection of the founders’ rich cultural backgrounds. Dishes like esquites makai pakka blend Mexican corn with coconut milk and masala, creating a vibrant fusion of traditions.
But Masala y Maíz is more than just a restaurant. Listman and Keval have reimagined the dining experience by intertwining their political beliefs with their food. They challenge traditional kitchen hierarchies, advocating for fair labour practices and staff empowerment. Their kitchen isn’t just a place for cooking — it’s a platform for activism, addressing issues like workers' rights, sustainability, and the decolonisation of food.
What makes their approach so impactful is how seamlessly they link flavour with purpose. It’s not about shouting slogans but sparking conversations over shared plates. They’ve shown that a restaurant can be both a space for outstanding cuisine and a catalyst for change.
Masala y Maíz has redefined what it means to eat out — proving that food can feed both the body and the mind.
Imi Knoebel
Imi Knoebel’s work is a masterclass in simplicity and vibrancy. His bold, geometric forms and dynamic colour choices push the boundaries of minimalism, reminding me that even the most basic shapes can create powerful visual impact. I admire how he strips design down to its core elements, something I aim to reflect in my own art.
Max Cooper - Live at the Acropolis
Max Cooper's performance at the Acropolis on 6 July 2021 was filmed during Athens Epidaurus Festival in association with Plissken Festival and produced by Stabal TV. Max was the first techno/electronic artist to perform at the 2000-year-old Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the UNESCO-protected site of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Built in 161 AD on the site regarded as the birthplace of modern thought, yielding ideas that have inspired much of Cooper’s work, his hypnotic optics were be projected on the walls of the ancient monument. Max Cooper says, “Over the years I have developed my live visual to show to work with spaces, rather than just, in spaces, so that the architecture and beauty, history of the place becomes as much a part of the show as my music and visual collaborations. I'm aiming to make a spectacle of the theatre, and to complement it with my work as best I can.”
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
From Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson, the Oscar-Winning Director of Summer of Soul, SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) examines the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone, the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Sly Stone. This film captures the rise, reign and subsequent fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists, but also shines a light on how Black artists in America navigate the unseen burden that comes with their success. Drawing from his own personal experience and relationships, Questlove tells an empathetic human story about the cost of genius, reframing the way we all engage with pop culture. Stream SLY LIVES! (Aka the Burden of Black Genius) on February 13 on Hulu and Disney+.
What Are You Looking At?
‘What Are You Looking At?’
Angela Charles shares the challenges of losing her sight as a visual artist, and her experience of ‘coming out’ to everyone after years of hiding it. Multiple voices weave narration and description: Angela’s iPhone, a philosophising Audio Describer, and her mentor, the artist Bedwyr Williams.
The film explores ideas of seeing, and questions our preconceptions in asking us, What are you looking at?
FESTIVALS
Official Selection: Hot Docs, DOC NYC, Ann Arbor, Hot Springs, Original Thinkers
Semi Finalist: Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF)
Commended: WOFFF – UK
Honourable Mention: LA Independent Women Film Awards, FilmHaus Berlin
CREDITS
Featuring : Angela Charles
Directed by : Liberty Smith
Produced by : Liberty Smith / Angela Charles / OSR Projects
Cinematographer / Editor : Liberty Smith
Narrated by : Christopher Flowers
Funded by : Arts Council England
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BIO
Liberty Smith is a British filmmaker, born and raised in London then Cornwall, now based in Bristol.
After a decade with independent production companies creating broadcast documentaries for a range of channels including the BBC, Channel 4, SKY and National Geographic, as well as commercial work, Liberty became a freelance filmmaker.
Making ‘What Are You Looking At?’ with Angela was a turning point in the way Liberty worked and her approach to creative documentary filmmaking.
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FOLLOW : instagram.com/_liberty_smith_
WEBSITE : www.libertysmithfilm.com
OSR PROJECTS : osrprojects.co.uk
ANGELA CHARLES : angelacharles.com
David Hockney - Sky Arts
A collection of Sky Arts programmes unpacking the life and career of acclaimed British artist David Hockney, providing an unrivalled exploration and celebration of the many eras of his work.
Ep 1. A Celebration: David Hockney: An intimate portrait of David Hockney, featuring interviews with the beloved British artist in London and Normandy, and new footage of a master at work.
Ep 2. In Normandy: David Hockney: The celebrated artist discusses his life and work with Melvyn Bragg in his Normandy studio, revealing his influences, inspirations and plans to keep on painting.
Ep 3. 50 Years On Film: David Hockney: Using over 50 years of archive footage, this film looks back at the life and career of David Hockney, one of Britain's greatest artists.
Ep 4. In London: David Hockney: In his London studio, David Hockney sits down to discuss his remarkable life and career, illustrated by a wide range of his vibrant and joyous artworks.
Link here to watch on Now TV
I Am Martin Parr
Since the 1970s, English photographer Martin Parr has held up a sometimes tender, sometimes critical and always mischievous mirror to our times, forcing us to take a hard look at how consumer society has shaped our lives. Discover the maverick behind some of the most iconic images of the past century on an intimate and exclusive road trip across England with the uncompromising Parr, whose subjects, frames and colours have revolutionised contemporary photography.
In UK/IRE cinemas from 21 February 2025.
Tickets at: www.martinparr.film
My sketchbook: sculpture drawings by Antony Gormley RA
Take a look inside the sketchbook of Antony Gormley RA.
“Art is such an important, fundamental way in which we are all agents in making a world”
Antony Gormley never leaves the house without one of his sketchbooks, or workbooks, as he calls them. Most of his works begin in one of these, and the interpretations of these drawings then take place in the studio.
People Like Us presents #NameTheBias
People Like Us’ Name The Bias campaign aims to highlight the stark inequity faced by ethnic minority workers in the UK. It features a powerful short film from award-winning director Naghmeh Pour and production company New Land. It features spoken word artist Yasmin Ali who performs an original piece, highlighting the need for change in the workplace. The film was inspired by an Oxford University study that found applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds had to send 60% more applications to get a response from an employer, compared with an applicant with white British origin. The campaign urges urgent action from the government in creating a timeline for the ethnicity pay gap reporting bill. It provides guidance from legal and EDI experts, providing advice on best practices when talking about money in the workplace. More information: www.plu.org.uk
At Suffolk’s Pump Street Bakery, chef Hugo Harrison talks family and finding understanding in food
Against the farmlands of Suffolk as a hotbed of produce, British chef Hugo Harrison has forged a path in the food industry in spite of its pressures – caught between the humble lifestyle allowed by his environment, and the ambition and perfectionism that underscores his profession. Growing up to a cheffing father, and seeing his dedication to the kitchen contribute to his absence, the former head chef of Pump Street Bakery explores his relationship with food through the lens of family for short documentary Hugo, directed by George Foote.…read more at nowness.com