Countdown to Website Launch: 1 ‘What is a Neuro-mitter?’

The new website is about to be launched! I haven’t been this excited about a website for many a year, which reminds me I am often asked, “What is a Neuro-mitter?” well allow me to explain…  Back in 1998 I was a Graphic Design student at Parc Menai, Bangor and I realised that the Internet was the future so as my final year project I created a promotional website to showcase my work that could also be displayed at the college open day. Being 1998 a web site was still regarded as a novelty because promotional CD’s were the ‘in’ thing at the time. So after several weeks of teaching myself how to use html a site was created and it was called ‘Arfon’s Brain Online’ (Or “on the line” as one journalist unfamiliar with the Internet wrote). Hosted by Yahoo! GeoCities’ SouthBeach the site even came with a back-story,
 ‘Attached to the cerebrum the Neuro-Mitter© filters the bio-electric energy pulses from my brain and translates them into radio waves beaming them directly to the electromagnetic receiver. My thoughts are then translated into images that are uploaded onto the Internet.’
In other words the Neuro-mitter was a device attached to my brain that supposedly uploadeds my thoughts to the Internet. The ‘surfer’ had the ability to navigate their way through my thoughts and memories, share news and ideas but more importantly they could view my artwork via an online gallery! The website was crude, but it served me well and during the college open day it was displayed to the public accompanied by a brain in a jar for effect.
As the years passed the site continued to exist in some form or another eventually becoming the subject of this blog in 2009 once again following the original Neuro-mitter premise, which was to share my thoughts, memories, news and work with the world.
So today www.arfon.net will be launched and much like my logo is actually a reimagining of an original. 

Respectively dedicated to Mr Phil Brown and Mr Tom Pollock



© Arfon Jones 2012. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Countdown to Website Launch: 2 ‘The Hall of Fame’

With most of us on social networking sites these days “Word of mouth” has proved to be a major part of what we do within the creative industry. The recommendation of another helps spread the word and assures the work receives world-wide exposure but what’s in it for you? Why should you promote my work? Well, I have devised a system that rewards you for your efforts!
It works like this, promote my work and you will receive Arfon’s ARTillery Force ‘points’ achieve 100 points and I will capture your likeness in a portrait* that will be added to the Arfon’s ARTillery Force Hall of Fame! The more creative and successful the promotion the more points you are awarded. So join the facebook page, get your friends to do the same, promote my web site (launched on the 20th of October) 

*The portrait can be sent to you via email or post (postage costs apply).


© Arfon Jones 2012. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.   

Countdown to Website Launch: 3 ‘Save the Date!’

Two weeks ago I posted a video and a photograph on Facebook and Youtube that may have been a little too cryptic as to its actual meaning… My web site has been a long time in the making, in fact many doubted it’s actual existence but I can now reveal that on the 20th of this month arfon.net will be launched! It will be live, active and open for business for everyone around the world to log on and find out more about my work.

So what is the meaning of the video and photo? Well it relates to something else that has a reputation for being elusive that has many questioning its very existence, Bigfoot!  On the 20th of October 2012 the famous Patterson-Gimlin film, a short film purported to prove the existence of Sasquatch celebrates its 45th anniversary. Seeing this footage for the first time as a child opened my eyes to a sense of wonder that I carry to this very day, it fascinated me and made me ponder the possibilities so I celebrate its existence the same day as my site goes active!




© Arfon Jones 2012. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

S4C Television Interview 'Y Lle' 15/11/2012

Not long after my interview with the Ladies of Steampunk Magazine I was also interviewed for television! Purveyors of excellent television Ryan Kift and Sian Davies came round to record a segment with me at my studio for S4C’s ‘Y Lle’ programme. The interview will feature some examples of my work as I witter on about my projects. To see the segment tune in to Y Lle on Thursday 15th of November at 10:00pm on channel S4C/SKY 134 (outside Wales).

 

November 2012 UPDATE: The item on myself and the studio which was written and produced by Ryan Kift and Sian Davies can now be found on Y Lle's Youtube channel. Non Welsh speakers take note…it’s in Welsh, So I transcribed it for you, because I'm like that...

Introdcution “Arfon Jones, Artist, Illustrator -Uber Geek explains to us mere mortals what SteamPunk is. What ho!”
Arfon:”Its a “what if” What if the Victorians had been more advanced? What if they had mobile phones, computers or the internet? This has inspired people to come together and create unique things because of it. It refers to the “cyber punk” term coined in the 1980's and “punk”, well that relates to people doing what they want to do and not following the norm. Steam just relates to the steam- Victorian era.” “This is 'Mus Digitatus' the Finger Mouse and is based on the Victorian aesthetic of taxidermy and also the old Victorian Sideshows would show off mummified hands.” “ 'Womblus Wimbledon Vulgaris’ is a little something I recently picked up on Wimbledon Common. Complete with his pocket watch, bottle of Cribbins Cough Syrup and a few bits of rubbish he had found out in the wild.” “Well, this is the ‘The Cellular Condenser Ray’ and the idea is that you point it at the dinosaur... as it charges and it shrinks it down to a size you can cage it.... then you can take it home with you. But once you've caught them you can also freeze them in their tracks using the 'The Glaciation Ray’ and then keep them chilled in the 'The Patented Cryo-preservation Curiosity Cabinet’ “
Sexy Female Voice over: “Tell us about the eight incher Arfon!”
Arfon: “This is my 8inch refractor telescope and this is what I use to observe the moon and planets. Specificity Jupiter.”
Ryan Kift Voice Over: “Here is Orion the cat.”
Arfon: “I named her after my favourite constellation.”
Ryan Kift Voice Over: “ah! Of course.”
Arfon:” Ten years ago I had an idea of getting one hundred bath ducks and placing them in the sea with my contact details on them... in the hope that whoever found them would get back to me and let me know that they had found it. That's what I was going to do, but as I was preping them I was told by one company (ferrying company) that I wasn't allowed because they said I was dumping plastic in the sea and another actually thought I wanted to use live ducks....”
Ryan Kift Voice Over: “Quack -Quack!”
Arfon:”Each person that has found a duck has had their own story to tell. Sometimes you might get a photo taken of the duck in their front room, other times a glimpse into their lives or the duck has been made a part of their lives.”
Arfon:” Many people collect models of Minis that show off the development the car has had over the years... personally I felt that the Dalek was just as much an (iconic) style from the 1960's. Starting here, the 60's the first one (Doctor) and then the second. Then we have these from the Peter Cushing movies. Then here in the 1970's. Jon Petwee. Tom Baker... Then onwards to the 1980's. Then starting with the new series...”
Ryan Kift Voice Over: “Uber Geek!”
Arfon: ”... varying styles and colours. We also have Davros and the Emperor (I mean supreme- I was nervous!) from the new series.” “Well, I am proud to say that when I was online looking for a Cyberman there were only six pages on eBay devoted to them so it was fairly easy to find,. But now there are millions of pages because everyone wants a Cyberman... But I had to have this one in particular because it was my favourite growing up, I prefer these to the Daleks.” “This is my painting called 'Time Gentlemen' I started it nine years ago to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who. It originally finished here at Paul McGann, but they announced that the series was coming back the week I finished painting it, so, I added an extra section and left plenty of room for future incarnations... its been signed by Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann....”
Ryan Kift Voice Over: “Now its time for a cuppa and a cigarette and enjoy the gallery!”
Arfon:” Well there we go that was the studio, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time, good bye!”



© Arfon Jones 2012. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

The Abandoned Jimmy Savile Project

 It’s nothing new for me to put my own projects on hold when a commission comes in, I set it to one side and return to it at a later date. I almost never abandon a project. Unfortunately it happened this week in light of rather unsettling news regarding the subject of the piece, which I started on last November.
I have been so busy here in the studio this last year that the piece had spent most of its time propped up in the corner waiting to be finished. The piece in question was to be a tribute to the late Sir Jimmy Savile who died in October 2011 aged 85. He was an iconic television personality to the British public, to millions he was a man that made things happen with his show Jim’ll Fix It and he raised £40 million for charity in his lifetime. The British public held Sir Jimmy in high regard and I had hoped to capture this in this piece. But in light of a recent documentary revealing some rather upsetting reports of his past I have had to abandon the project. Although I question the programme’s motives for making these ‘allegations’ after the man’s death, to anyone that viewed it- it seems pretty conclusive. Either way, you can not sway public opinion the piece and the mood I had hoped to capture with it no longer works. I was going to simply destroy it and move on but I thought I would mention it on here first because it provides an interesting lesson when working with ‘current’ subject matters in that opinions and ‘truths’ can change before the paint is allowed to dry.

© Arfon Jones 2012 All images are copyrighted throughout the world.