Bonfire’s Director Jason cycles 60 miles for Breakthrough Breast Cancer!

The Start[1]Following on from the success of Team Sky and Bradley Wiggins efforts in ‘le Tour de France’, on Sunday 22nd July, our Director, Jason and his friend Andy, set off to complete the 60 mile London to Cambridge bike ride to help raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The guys had put in “months of training” they assured us and were blessed with the weather, as Sunday was the hottest day of the year up to that point.

Starting at a gentle pace Jason and Andy soon got motoring, up to the point where Andy was unceremoniously dismounted from the saddle at 20mph. But, all in the name of charity, he got back on the pedals so nothing hurt to badly. Once motoring they managed to complete the 60 mile ride in just under 5 hours.

Jason said, “I won’t say it didn’t hurt at times (London to Cambridge is not flat!) but it really was a great day. It was great to ride the route with so many others, all for the one common and worthy cause. Some people were obviously out for a fast time on their road racing bikes, others were happy to complete it at any pace on BMX and shopping bikes, one or two crazy people even did the route on Roller Blades! I owe Andy a large drink for waiting for me as well, I really do need to work on riding up hills! A massive thank you to everyone who sponsored me for the ride. My target was to raise £250 and I managed to smash that target by raising over £600. Between Andy and myself we raise over £1,200 which makes every sore muscle worth it. Here’s to next year!”

Bonfire gets a googly eye from the art world!

BlogWe’ve been taking part in a special project, working alongside Bedford Creative Arts and 11 other visual arts organisations from around the East of England, known collectively as the Eastern Pavilions. Last year, each organisation commissioned a piece of artwork to build a portfolio of local prints.

The Eastern Pavilions Print Portfolio was created to promote local up-and-coming artists from around the East of England. All the pieces have now been turned into 144 boxed sets of 12 limited edition artists’ prints and are on sale at £1,000 each, providing buyers with a fantastic investment.

Last year we sponsored a print commission from Bedfordshire artist Andy Holden, www.andyholdenartist.com as part of the collection. His contribution to the portfolio is called ‘Untitled, Screenprint with Googly Eye.’

Andy makes objects, images, films and lectures that explore memory, duration, and our attachment to objects. He trained at Goldsmiths and is based in Bedford. Some of the Bonfire team were privileged enough to visit Andy’s studio to see his work.

On Friday 29th July, we were presented with the artist’s proofs at a special reception at Rock City Art Gallery in Bedford.  Dawn Giles from Bedford Creative Arts introduced short talks from Andy Holden about his work, and a representative from Collectors’ Collective, who shared his views on buying and collecting contemporary art from both the artist’s and the collector’s perspectives.

Other artists in the portfolio include Ryan Gander, Colin Self, Coco Crampton, and 2012 Turner Prize nominee Elizabeth Price. To find out more about the project, or to find out how to buy your own Eastern Pavilions Print Portfolio, visit www.easternpavilions.org.

Bonfire Ignites Design Spark for Sam

This week, we welcome Sam to the studio, a work experience student from Wootton Upper School, Bedford. Sam contacted us back in November to see if he could spend a week with us here at Bonfire, as he’s studying art at GCSE level. Sam wanted to find out about the whole design process and thought that working with our team would give him a valuable insight into his future career.  This week, Sam’s been using Apple Illustrator and has created his own branding for Xbox 360, including a logo, web page and packaging. Very impressive it is, too!

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Superhero Friday!

If you happen to be passing our office, or indeed Ampthill next Friday, don’t be surprised if you bump into Superman, Wonder Woman, or even Danger Mouse…!

As part of our commitment to support Keech Hospice Care, we are all dressing up as superheroes to raise money on Friday 25th May. Not only are the Bonfire team dressing up, we’ve also been busy inviting other businesses and shops to join in the fun, including Limelight, our local fancy dress shop, which is offering a discount for costume hire.

If you fancy being a superhero for the day to help us raise money, and you’d like a collection box, please get in touch on 01525 841079. We’re all meeting at Ampthill Market Square at 10 am on Friday for a big superhero photo!