Martin L Kennedy

Street Art Before It Was Street Art

2012-01-04T22:51:00.000+11:00

Lovely original 1960's advertising above a shop in Sydney Rd, Coburg. They'd be called 'paste ups' now.

Goodbye to Myers Lonsdale Street

2011-11-20T22:01:00.001+11:00

Goodbye to the old Myers Lonsdale Street store. This is the view from the top floor of the new Bourke Street store looking out to the back of the Lonsdale St store. End of an era. Not sure if they are keeping the facade (not visible in the photo below). I hope they do.

My New Blog

2011-11-02T10:54:00.002+11:00

Because two blogs are not enough, I've started a new one in which for some unfathomable reason I will be posting hundreds of my newspaper movie clippings and also posting what is on the back of them which in many cases is far more interesting. Come and have a look

They Don't Do Birthdays Like This Anymore

2011-10-31T21:58:00.001+11:00

It was my 4th Birthday. They don't do birthdays like this anymore - no friends, no silly hats, no streamers, just a couple of bored looking kids and a cake!

Essendon Airport

2011-10-22T20:22:00.002+11:00

Essendon Airport in the 1970s when you could wander on to tarmac at your leisure and be sliced to pieces by planes if you weren't careful. My dad regularly took me there.

The Royal Melbourne Show

2011-09-27T20:19:00.001+10:00

My family has been visiting the Royal Melbourne Show for decades. It has changed a lot over the years, but if you are a kid you don't care what it looks like, you're just there for the fun, excitement and food. The black and white photos are from 1969 and the colour photos 2011.

Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy Strategy Meeting

2011-09-05T22:17:00.000+10:00

Kilbey Kennedy Drawings For Sale

2011-08-10T09:13:00.001+10:00

In an effort to raise money for the next Kilbey Kennedy album I've decided to sell my Kilbey Kennedy drawings. These are the originals - one of each only! Most drawings are between A5 and A4 size. Unframed. Price AUD$65 includes worldwide postage. Originally published between 2009 and 2010, these early ones were actually drawn and coloured by hand whereas later ones were pen sketches and coloured in photoshop.

See the drawings here

Last chance to see the Brunswick Brickworks as they were

2011-08-07T10:29:00.000+10:00

One last photo session at the old Brunswick brickworks today before they are pulled down. The kilns (the brick base of the building) and chimneys will be preserved apparently, but will eventually be surrounded by high density housing. Sad.

1970s Greeting cards

2011-08-02T20:39:00.004+10:00

This is probably slightly insane, but ever since 1970 when I received a fantastic 'spaceman' birthday card from my parents, I've religiously kept every birthday and Christmas card I've received up until this day. Here are a few of my early favourites:

2011-07-11T10:40:00.000+10:00

I painted this in 1991, aged 26. At first glance it may look like I had a few issues in my life to deal with, Mr Freud, but it was probably just general 20-something angst.

A Brand New Holden Gemini

2011-07-07T10:47:00.002+10:00

My grandfather was very proud of his brand new Holden Gemini. It followed his old Vanguard which I remember for it's horrible shiny plastic seat covers that would stick to your skin.

My Bad Student Art

2011-06-30T12:07:00.000+10:00

Every time I visit my mum’s house I discover more crap I’ve forgotten about. This time it was a folio of my school art from the early to mid 1980s. Some of it is OK, most of it bad:

Fujifilm X100 I Love You

2011-06-27T20:49:00.001+10:00

Ever since my dad let me play around his Pentax MX (a fantastically easy to use SLR) in the early 1980's, I've been waiting for a camera like the Fujifilm x100 to come along. It has full manual controls in the form of actual knobs and dials on the outside, not buried in menus, it is made of metal not plastic and it has the classic look of a 1960s rangefinder camera. And yet it is a modern, digital, and simple to use camera. If only my dad had lived to experience this beauty.

Instagram Disease

2011-06-25T23:25:00.000+10:00

I've finally succumbed to 'instagram' app disease and I like it. Everything new is old again. Or in my case everything old is er, even older looking! Here are some of my new photos and a few older ones given the instagram treatment. It's a weird thing making new photos look old and faded but it seems to suit subject matter that really is old and faded.

Blood and Bone

2011-06-25T17:14:00.000+10:00

One of my crappy 1980's cartoons. This was actually the storyboard for an even crappier short super-8 film I made called Blood and Bone.

Remnants of The 1950s

2011-05-31T20:36:00.000+10:00

Look at these lovely old garage doors. The square patterned ones were a popular style of the 1950's. They don't do colour like that anymore, especially on garage doors! I photographed these around Brunswick, Coburg and Pascoe Vale South in Melbourne. They are disappearing fast - the light blue and black (top photo) was recently replaced with a new roller door.

Starpeople

2011-05-28T12:28:00.000+10:00

I painted these in 2002/03. I have no explanation for the subject matter...they just happened. The top one became a Steve Kilbey/Martin Kennedy record cover

Starman, 2002 oil on canvas SOLD

Star Person 4, 2002 86cm x 86cm -oil on canvas

Star Person 2, 2002 126cm x 122cm -oil on canvas

Star Person 7, 2002 137cm x 142cm oil on canvas

Star Person 5, 2002 86cm x 86cm oil on canvas

Star Person 3, 2003 86cm x 86cm oil on canvas SOLD

The Life and Times of Steve Kilbey and Martin Kennedy

2011-05-23T15:30:00.000+10:00

Death of a Ghost, 1989

2011-04-29T22:49:00.001+10:00

Death of a Ghost, 1989 oil on board

I consider this painting the beginning of my artistic 'awakening,' as pretentious as that sounds. That doesn't make it any good, just significant. It reflected my new way of doing things - fast and furious and to hell with technique. As it happens, it is one of my favourites. It coincided with relationship upheavals, my father's slow health decline, and the start of my life as an angsty student on a three year long alcoholiday. Fun!

Cats These Days

2011-04-22T11:03:00.000+10:00

KK in the USA Chapter 24 - The End

2011-04-21T07:32:00.000+10:00

KK in the USA Chapter 23 - Koolbot

2011-04-19T20:17:00.000+10:00

KK in the USA Chapter 22 - Who's That Guy

2011-04-18T08:18:00.000+10:00

KK in the USA Chapter 21 - Hello Doctor

2011-04-17T09:34:00.000+10:00