A place for stories, satire, and the wonderfully absurd world behind the artwork.
Welcome to Jay Bird Notes — the creative heart of the Jay Bird Universe. This is where the ideas begin, the sketches take shape, and the satire finds its voice. If the shop is the gallery, this is the back room where the artist mutters, laughs, rants gently, and occasionally wonders how on earth Britain ended up like this.
Jay Bird Universe was born from one simple observation: the more complicated our systems become, the funnier they get. Not intentionally, of course. Bureaucracy never tries to be funny — that’s what makes it perfect. The humour comes from the seriousness, the formality, the endless procedures that lead nowhere, and the quiet, resigned acceptance that this is simply “how things are done”.
Here, in Jay Bird Notes, you’ll find the stories behind the artwork — from the Ministries of Futility to the Westminster Wonderland collection. You’ll meet the sheep who run the House of Commons, the clowns who run everything else, and the endless parade of departments that specialise in making life just a little more complicated than it needs to be.
This space is also where I share the creative process:
- how a sketch becomes a jigsaw
- how a cubist parliament ends up on a tote bag
- how satire can be colourful, gentle, and sharp all at once
- how humour helps us survive the strange machinery of modern life
Jay Bird Notes isn’t a traditional blog. It’s a notebook, a sketchbook, a commentary, and a quiet rebellion against the idea that everything must be serious. It’s a place for behind‑the‑scenes thoughts, new ideas, upcoming products, and the occasional eyebrow‑raised observation about the world we all navigate.
Whether you’re here for the art, the satire, the jigsaws, the mugs, or simply because you enjoy a good laugh at the absurdities of British bureaucracy — welcome. You’re in the right place.
Settle in. Explore. Smile. And remember: in the Jay Bird Universe, the paperwork is always optional.