“Is there a reason why these things are usually written in 3rd person?”
F1's portrait artist and sculptor, is my short and sweet elevator pitch, and self-styled reason for being. But simpler than that, I just create artwork around everything that I love in the world, celebrating passions from my childhood onwards, toys, movies, animals, sports... and it's truly ridiculous where my career has taken me just because of this. But it's the F1 side of things which has gained the most momentum, and in recent years I've been progressively immersed into the high-speed circus to the point of which it's now reached of dominating my studio, event and travel time, working with most teams on the grid (sponsor activation, for its official terminology) showing at every circuit on the calendar, and creating bronze monuments of the sports’ icons which will be around for far longer than I will be. Sure, it helps if it 'looks nice', but eliciting human emotion is the dominant reason for art... that's not the arty pretentiousness it may initially appear. Indeed, it's the only reason you might ever feel a connection with what I create – although through your own interpretations and memories, not mine. And so I make sure that it's the only reason I create anything too, to tell my own story, celebrate my own heroes, and if some of my memories strike a chord with yours, then I’m here for it.
It's been an absolute honour in this regard to create artwork commissioned by F1 world champions Lewis, Jenson and Max to mark their own journeys, to partner with the Senna and Hunt families to celebrate their inspirational relatives, and with the likes of McLaren and F1 themselves to recreate their history through both painting and sculpture. I couldn’t even have dreamt that ‘this’ might be possible, but the inspiration that that level of trust elicits is my greatest motivation. My painting style is impressionist perhaps even aggressive, exclusively really thick oil paint applied with a pallet knife... I paint wrinkly old men far better than I paint beauty. Which, incidentally, is the official reason I have never painted my wife... maybe one day.
Conversely, Lego mini-figs have been regular muses, and are one of the trickiest things I ever paint – you all know their proportions inherently! My focus is on energy, movement and maximum 3D effect, several techniques from decades of trial and error combining for the overall effect. I'm pretty much self-taught – my grades weren't quite good enough to go to art college at 16, I was nudged down a more academic path into aerospace engineering instead... perhaps evidence there of a three-dimensional sculptural mindset. Whatever the reason, we are all manifestations of our journey through life, and sculpture is where my mind now stretches to most - celebrating F1's history in hyper-realistic bronze.
Commissions
Limited editions are created of most artworks, be it in bronze or paint. There are rarely original paintings available, but can be commissioned, no problem, given time.
Hand-embellished canvases are available of most previous pieces, with so much paint on top that they're almost back to an original painting again.
Don't be shy – please email in with any questions, I respond personally for anything that I should do.
