Battles Passed - Large Limited Edition

From watching the earlier films as a family to making my Christmas list, writing down Argos catalogue codes whilst listening to Dire Straits and Eddie Grant - Star Wars evokes so many wonderful and vivid images of a brilliant childhood.

Taking on such a beast as this shouldn’t be under-estimated, anything must be done with authenticity, doing justice to an incredible narrative and to inspire a fan base like no other.

I would never confess to being an out-and-out die-hard Star Wars nerd, fair play to those who are but it is the earlier films that really appeal to me for the reasons above. This is why I feel comfortable and excited taking them on, and ultimately happier when doing so as I cherish my childhood and family more than ever now.

‘Battles Passed’ is my first landscape scene inspired by Star Wars and I am so proud of the end result. This is such an ultra-commercial and over saturated subject so anything I did would only ever run in line with what my work represents and offer something different, anything else doesn’t interest me and wouldn’t be authentic to my art.

The aim with this piece was to create something subtle, something with genuine class, where the real detail could actually be missed at first, instead taking it for simply a beautiful landscape scene. I didn’t intend to shout with this one, just to do it justice and I am so proud of the end result.

I loved the battles of Endor, it was the intensity of the fight set amongst such a rich forest setting that was such a contrast to those set within a ship for example. I wanted to suggest remnants of battles passed, to show how nature lives on, slowly taking back control against the harshness of the man-made objects. Continuing this concept of battles passed I felt it apt to include a subtle reference to those faced by the late Carrie Fisher. Less is more...

There is a message on the shopfront warning people that objects in the shop window appear larger in your head - playing on the fact that when you think back to getting a present the box was so much bigger than it actually was, castle greyskull for me was just that, the box seemed to be 10ft wide. There is a grabber placed in the window above the display, the idea here is that it represents your brain where it can grab an object and it’s memory and plant it in your head - the shop is exactly that - it represents your memories hence the sign saying the shop is always open.

It is these deep rooted memories that stay with us and are ageless regardless of everything outside that changes over time. To support the street scene there is also a hint of an old cinema and arcade that shows the overlaid posters to give that sense of time passing. There is so much to see, some blatant, some really subtle like the family photos that have been engrained into the wood. I have used maple leaves to add detail to the scene, these work nicely to interact with the objects and have featured green to red to further signify time passing. I will leave you to spot everything else.

This piece is more conceptual, it embraces the concept of dominance, sex and love from the original narratives but in a much more modern fashion. It explores the boundaries, the blurred lines that exist when things can go too far yet those actions are blinded by love.

This scene opens the door to bedroom that represents a couple who have an incredibly toxic, love hate relationship where each battles for control. The more you look, the darker it gets, possibly more confusing which is exactly the mindset of those who hold the pen there. When does confidence become bullying? When does sex become something much more damaging? Who is the real monster here?

Scrawled messages play out their taunts, spitting fire with every word. These words stain the heart, seeping deep under the surface. The cluttered room represents their minds and their emotions, look how genuine aggression comes to rest so closely to objects of genuine affection and innocence, is all hope not lost? There is beauty amongst the chaos, there is good within the toxicity, there is love, so much love.

This is a classic example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Who or what is hiding in the closet and for what reason?