This small pen and ink drawing by the italian sounding english illustrator Edward Ardizzone hangs on the wall to the left of the TV at home and I often find my gaze being drawn away from the box to this little picture.
I like pictures that seem to hold a hidden story, what is this young girl (dressed like a maid) looking out from her attic window thinking ? Is she a prisoner ? Is she waiting or looking out for someone ? It's all a mystery but it seems somehow full of hope. And I like looking out of high windows because like the girl in the picture I'm a bit of a dreamer too.
The picture actually illustrates a story in Eleanor Farjeon's 'The little bookroom' It's a wonderful collection of stories, but I think this picture, like the best illustrations stands up as 'art' in its own right - whatever that is.

On the website blog we have posted a new hanky design we have just printed, go to New Stuff Blog

Hello, now the new website is up and running Misterrob.co.uk and the blog showcasing new stuff should be starting up on a regular basis,(I've just done the maddest starriest papercut ever - New Stuff Blog)
this blog is going to be as promised a bit more diverse.
I thought I might share with you some of the pictures that I own and have hanging on my wall at home. Pictures that I look at everyday and give me joy and fill me with inspiration.
This picture is by the American artist Maira Kalman. It is included in her brilliant book 'The Principles of Uncertainty'. She is fairly unknown in England but I discovered her many years ago in the old Zwemmer graphic design bookshop inn Charing X Rd where they stocked her childrens books with beguiling magical titles like "Hey Willie, see the pyramids", "Swami on Rye" and my favourite "Chicken, Soup, boots". These incredible books I always felt were my own little secret. I find it hard to say how great I think she is - THE WOMAN IS A GENIUS OF KINDNESS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
This picture of a man and woman walking in the rain is I believe set in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. When I was a student I did a 3 month exchange to an art school which was situated just across from this beautiful park and I walked through it on my own all the time. Living alone in a city where you can't speak the language and have no friends is a pretty solitary existence but I was always happy and can't remember a single sad day.
Last year I was in Paris for a couple of days with my wife and we had a nice morning in the gardens just strolling around, we sat down and watched people play tennis (being unsporty myself I enjoy, with an air of bemusement watching people throw themselves around needlessly), we watched children play with nice old sailing boats on the big round pond (not unlike the one in Central Park!) which you could hire from a punky looking boy sitting by his shed, and then it began to rain a little and we sheltered together under an umbrella not unlike the couple in this painting, contented and still in love.

Misterrob is now , I believe the term is - 'LIVE'.

Finally my website returns. We are still adding lots of old stuff to the back catalogue - but it will continue to grow and grow.
On this new website there will be a blog feature that will be similar to this one, just general latest stuff I am working on as it happens.
I am going to keep this blog up as well though it is going to change in style a little bit and become more of a working visual diary and maybe a way of looking at my work from a more personal viewpoint. I don't know quite how that will work out, time will tell !

I decided to do a red edition of the Valentines printed lasercut, it's now available online via Etsy