1. How did you come to be an artist?
I don’t think I ‘became’ an artist, I feel it fought its way out from inside, from childhood the persistent drawing and doodling found another outlet in my teens through Graffiti culture and onwards into murals and custom vehicle graphics, the move to canvas was just another step on the path.
2. Describe your work in three words
I have always focused on three attributes in my work, so the first word is AUTHENTIC, that it is identifiable as firmly rooted in Graffiti and the culture, I don’t exactly paint raw graffiti on canvas but I do want it to be an evolution of that.
The second word is ORIGINAL, my line work is ALWAYS original, I love Lichtenstein’s work but the constant regurgitation of ‘Pop Art’ tropes is not ‘art’ to me, to me Micky Mouse is a by-word for ‘unprofessional’ I prefer to create not reproduce, its obvious I am influenced by Lichtenstein’s STYLE in some of my works but I draw my own characters.
And the third word is QUALITY, ALL my experience goes into EVERY painting, years of Graffiti, years of scalpel work, years from commercial graphics, clean lines, bold colour choices, the order of the line art vs the chaos of abstract graffiti, my biggest influence may be street but my training and experience is all about quality and presentation.
3. What medium do you prefer to work in and why?
My preference is SprayPaint for obvious reasons, it gives the authenticity I require, but I also use acrylic paints and markers.
4. Does where you are from or where you live influence your work?
Manchester has a strong graffiti culture, a trip into the city is all it takes to see that, I strongly believe graffiti is a symptom of a failing society, when a place loses its connection with its people, when they feel detached from their home town, graffiti is literally a way of staking your claim, marking your territory, planting your flag, one look at Manchester today and you can see the city is detached from its youth as it embraces its metropolis skylines and outside investment. And that culture is ingrained in my work.
5. Where do you draw inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from pop culture mostly, I don’t consume as much of that these days so most of the inspiration are seeds long planted that sprout with the right catalyst which could be literally anything, a chat, a scene, an ad, a colour, a previous painting….
6. Do you listen to any favourite music, radio or podcasts whilst working in the studio?
In studio it can be Hip Hop or Classical, book narrations or interviews, abstract Graffiti and Hip Hop go hand in hand but line work requires a gentle hand so a little Florence Scoval Shinn may be called for.
7. Which artists/creative individuals are your biggest influencers?
Lichtenstein obviously, comic books have been a huge influence on me and many Graffiti writers have drawn from that, artists such as Seen, Crash, Sen2, Mode2, Does, Greg Mike, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Milo Manara, J Scott Campbell are the biggest I would say, but many others also.
8. What drew you to exhibit at Vermilion Gallery – do you have a criteria for choosing the galleries where you would like to show your work?
I like REAL Art galleries, REAL art, not endless ‘limited editions’, people interested in Art, people who can actually have a real conversation, originality and presentation. Vermilion ticks all those boxes.
9. What are you most excited about artistically in 2024
In 24 I am experimenting with digital print methods to utilise my extensive commercial graphics experience, using NEW and exciting technologies to add a different experience to my ‘visions’ whilst continuing the original paintings which is the core of my creativity.
machONE.
