WE'RE SUPPORTING

Portraiture and realism have always been my cup-of-tea, so to speak. I love realism in artwork. Stephen Earl Rogers is a young British artist who works in realism and is becoming well known for his portraits. He has a unique way of capturing a person’s character and his works are technically stunning with just the right level of realism whilst not trying to be photographic. He has exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London, amongst other places.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Ok, so I’m a big fan of any show that features sparkles, feathers and nipple tassels. Which explains why I’m so excited about the London Burlesque Festival. Come April, the city will be taken over by scantily clad women, vaudeville acts, dimly lit evening burlesque performances, and more outright wackiness than you can poke an ostrich-feather tickler at. If you’ve never been to a burlesque show before, and are a sucker for a suspender belt flicking or two, get ready for some heavy handed glamour and an experience you’ll never forget. And if you, like me, love an excuse to dress up in full costume and then take it off again to crowds of appreciative fans – raid the London vintage stores now for a costume and apply through the website to put yourself on stage. Applications close 31st December. [photo by Lisa Kereszi]

WE'RE WEARING

Derrick R. Cruz has channeled his talent for creating densely detailed works into the creation of the brand Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons. Fuelled by the New York city art and fashion scene, Cruz’s pieces are timeless but relevant, and beautifully detailed in their imperfections. They combine gold, silver, resin and bronze to create dark but wearable art.

WE'RE THINKING

Everything about illustrator Bradford Haubrich’s work feels charmingly handmade. Even his website has a lovely sketched feel to it. My sense is that this is a guy who just loves to sketch and doodle and who can’t resist a single surface in his path because it’s just what he does.

WE'RE READING

Breathing Earth is a morbid reference website that’s simply a flash map that tells you a country’s population, birth and death rates, and how much CO2 it emits. Read more

‘Lost’ is the most recent film production in the urban art series produced by Tokyo-based art crew Rinpa Eshidan. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

In an over-saturated Swedish music scene, The Tough Alliance have delivered glistening electronic dance pop on their new album, A New Chance. Read more