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A Magazine for Sheffield
Business in brockley

Lamptissue Can I park here?

Colourful & quirky illustrator brings news from the south - and a shiny new website.

Neil Carribine aka Lamptissue has been a firm favourite at Now Then for many years, and it’s always nice when our former featured artists get in touch to tell us what they’ve been up to. So rather than keeping Neil’s news all to ourselves, we thought we’d share it with our readers, along with a marvellous selection of new artwork. Enjoy.

Hi Neil. It’s been at least several yonks since we last spoke in an artistic capacity. What have you been up to since then?

Hello! There’s been lots of changes since we last spoke. I moved to London roughly two years ago - just before the pandemic hit. Perfect timing right?! I was just starting to settle down and meet new people and then bam, lockdown! It’s a bit frustrating but I think like a lot of people, it was a good time to step back and reflect. I’ve been having lots of fun screen printing more often at a studio nearby called Sonsoles, and getting my portfolio ready for some new collaborations.

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You’ve recently updated your website. What snazzy new things can people look forward to seeing on there?

A lot of my latest pieces respond to a title or a theme. I’ve really enjoyed working this way, having a prompt really helps me come up with new ideas and try out things I hadn’t previously thought of. The rest is just me having fun with animations, comic strips and general silliness. The pandemic has been a great time for me to reassess what defines my work, and that’s why I wanted to update my website to reflect my humour and playfulness.

You’ve talked previously about your work being inspired by the everyday. What have you seen recently that’s inspired you to put pen to paper?

I’ve recently made a piece of work called ‘Business in Brockley’ which is loosely based on my local area - Brockley (sounds like the vegetable but tastes better). The area I drew is next to the station and about two minutes from my flat. It’s full of busy shops, cafes and a mish mash of different people and happenings, just like the rest of London!

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Faster than you

Your website reveals some interesting collaborations. Can you tell us more about the folks you’ve been working with?

I recently collaborated with Illustrated Tapes, which was super fun. Responding to the title of ‘Can I Park Here?’ I was asked to make an album cover and playlist. My immediate reaction was to create a piece about my first job in London, as a van driver. I’m not a confident driver. I hadn’t driven a van before, or driven since I passed my test which was eight or nine years ago at the time I was applying for the job. I don’t know how I got it in the first place! I was stressed out being surrounded by busy traffic and the not so friendly London drivers. I blasted out tunes every day to cope and ease the pain, and you can listen to some on the playlist.

Finally, what’s on the horizon for you in the coming months?

The next couple of months involve the run up to Christmas. I’ve got a couple of markets coming up which I’m busy preparing for. I’m at Peddler at the start of December if you want to come along and say hi!

by Felicity Jackson (she/her)

More Art

More Art