Award-winning illustrator Jonny Hannah has been announced as the cover artist for the 2014 Artists Open Houses festival brochure.
A new exhibition of Jonny’s work, entitled The Road to Darktown, will be exhibited at The Old Market in Hove as part of the Artists Open Houses festival 2014. The Road to Darktown, described by Jonny as “a leisurely flaneur to the heart of a nonsense town, filled with junk & treats” will feature work set in an imaginary peninsula featuring a cast of well-known characters from the past, such as inventor George Bennie and American minstrel show performer Emmett Miller and shops such as The Unquiet Grave, to The Black Shuck Bookshop. The illustrations will also feature in a new book, Greetings From Darktown, to be published in September by Merrell Books.
Festival Director Judy Stevenes, says: “Artist Open Houses is immensely honored to announce the amazing and quite unique Jonny Hannah as brochure cover artist for the 2014 AOH festival. Hannah’s exhibition at The Old Market is a must see, featuring not only his much-collected cardboard cutouts, but cabinets of memorabilia relating to Dark Town, his extraordinary imagined neighbourhood. More of Hannah’s work can be seen at Ravenswood Open House, in Florence Road – which offers an extraordinary collection of some of the most illustrious contemporary British illustrators. “
Jonny Hannah added: “It was indeed a treat to be asked to do the cover for the Artists Open Houses brochure this year. I’ve been involved with a couple of Open Houses over the years and it’s always been great fun to do. For the 2014 cover I chose to focus on Brighton and what it means to me. I’ve always loved the Helter Skelter on the pier – partly because it’s terrifying to whizz down there! And at one particular Open House, a long time ago, I played a very informal set of songs on ukulele, alongside two other ukuleles, one of them being the wonderful Peter Chrisp, so the ukulele had to be part of the image too. Then there are messages in bottles, pretty girls and a smattering of the fun fair. So I hope it all makes sense, as it was great fun to do!”
Since studying at Liverpool Art School and Royal College of Art, Jonny Hannah’s work has graced the pages of Vogue The New York Times, book covers and also done design work for clients such as English National Opera.
The 2014 Artists Open Houses festival will take place in Brighton, Hove and beyond over the four weekends of May. The largest event of its kind in the UK, around 200 houses and studio spaces across the city will be opening their doors to exhibit the work of over 1,000 artists and makers.
The houses are grouped into one of 14 trails around different areas of the city, each with its’ own unique character and atmosphere – from the fisherman’s houses of Hanover to the urban warehouse spaces of the North Laine and the cottages of the South Downs village of Ditchling.
The Artists Open Houses offer the chance to buy artworks directly from the artists and makers themselves. There is hugely diverse selection of art works on show; from original paintings, prints, graffiti arts, ceramics, textiles to photography, sculpture, crafts and jewellery and many other media.
Entry to the Artists Open Houses is free.
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