Bollocks to Bedtime! - The Original
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Is there a more versatile or brilliant word that exists than ‘BOLLOCKS!’?! If there is then please share it. It’s funny, sometimes I feel choosing a title for a piece can be as hard as conceiving the concept for it. It’s the same for a song or movie title, it has to capture the mood and very essence of what has been created.
‘The Memory Remains’ was taken from a Metallica track that was on at the time yet was so perfect and has since been mentioned a few times! Sometimes the title becomes clear midway through the project, very rarely at the start. Yet this one was not until the very end, not that it was a bad thing.
The plan was always to create a nostalgia loaded image that pulled on the heart strings and was as cute as it was fun. The positioning of what you now see was always going to sit alongside ‘The Memory Remains’ series just like ‘Skool’s Out! 1 and 2 do, as they are all linked mainly through that initial day out to the toy shop, arcade, or cinema. However, the title couldn’t link to ‘The Memory Remains’ pieces as I wanted it to be able to viewed in its own right.
So, what started out as a challenge to find the perfect title moved away from something that could have been whimsical and warm to something so perfect as more and more toys were added to the bedroom. So, if those words were ever uttered by a child of that age, it without a doubt would have resulted in being sent straight to their room, but is that such a bad thing?! Just look at that room!
I know so many of you loved ‘The Memory Remains 2’ because of your affiliation with so many of the toys for sale within the toy shop and I hope you will fall in love with this piece just as much. So many of those toys have been bought and are laid out within the bedroom as well as so many cracking new additions that you may have forgotten about until now. ‘Bollocks to Bedtime’ is every big kids dream and is full to bursting with references that guarantees you will be saying ‘oh yeah I had one of those!’.
I wanted to capture that wonderful excitement that we had as a kid when we had so many toys that we truly loved, nothing compares to that era, our kids live in a very different world now. Not all bad of course but nothing will ever come close to the magic back then, amplified as I sit here with thoughts turning to Christmas and the utter brilliance of my memories as a kid around that time. You cherished every toy and immersed yourself in your imagination that grew from that interaction.
What we see is a room that is full to bursting with fun at that point where the kids have scarpered into their hiding places as the door opens, shining a warm light onto their toys and games. Can you really blame them? It’s impossible to sleep when you are wide awake with excitement. The longer that I worked on this piece, the more references that I added from being consumed with my memories as well as wanting to create the connection for you guys. It was about twelve hours into a very long day here and my bulldog George was sending me evils, when at the point of thinking I was finished, the title popped into my head. I was so pleased that it was so perfect, but it then amplified the concept of it being impossible to go to sleep and they were determined to stay up all night. This is where I then thought of the final random addition, a flat out ‘Alf’ soft toy being carried to bed by ‘Big Trak’! Random yes, fuelled by delirium in the studio and their bedroom but just demonstrates the annoying staying power of kids!
Have the batteries run out? Have they bollocks!
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- Released: 2022
- Collection: Retrospective 4
- Edition Size: 1 of 1
- Specification:
- Hand embellished and heavily painted heavyweight canvas
- Custom Frame
- Hand signed by artist
- Image Size: 48” x 36"
- Framed Size (Approx): 54” x 41”
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- Get in touch for overseas delivery
- Available for immediate despatch!
Commissions
When workload allows Mark embraces client commissions and has enjoyed amazing success to date. If you have been inspired by the work that you have seen and have a specific idea or simply a seed then please do get in touch.
Commission EnquiriesRelated Items
Batman Playing Card - MDV
£1,995.00
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I first introduced ‘Lunatics and Legends’ in 2020 as an exciting alternative to my intense, narrative-driven scene pieces. A much more blatant, ‘in your face’ abstract style of mixed media work that was all about the texture and embraced my blurred ‘push and pull’ method of creating a digital image. I had used the style long before this for much more niche subjects, so it was great to go to town on big superheroes and twisted villains. Despite these pieces not relying on a multi-layered narrative to solve what you see, there is still that element to them where the lines between who is the hero and who is the villain are as blurred as parts of the image itself.
So, for something new and another pun, I’ve been keeping my cards close to my chest recently, teasing you lot on what I had ready to reveal. Well, it’s time to show my hand, I am proud to introduce the playing card editions!
So, what do you think? Suit you?!
-
- Released: 2022
- Collection: Retrospective 4
- Edition Size: 5 Original Variations
- Specification:
- Hand embellished and heavily painted heavyweight canvas
- Custom Frame
- Hand signed by artist
- Image Size: 32” x 24"
- Framed Size (Approx): 38” x 32”
-
- Get in touch for overseas delivery
- Please allow approximately 21 days for delivery, should you need delivery sooner please let us know.
Batman Playing Card - MDV #1/5
£1,995.00
-
I first introduced ‘Lunatics and Legends’ in 2020 as an exciting alternative to my intense, narrative-driven scene pieces. A much more blatant, ‘in your face’ abstract style of mixed media work that was all about the texture and embraced my blurred ‘push and pull’ method of creating a digital image. I had used the style long before this for much more niche subjects, so it was great to go to town on big superheroes and twisted villains. Despite these pieces not relying on a multi-layered narrative to solve what you see, there is still that element to them where the lines between who is the hero and who is the villain are as blurred as parts of the image itself.
So, for something new and another pun, I’ve been keeping my cards close to my chest recently, teasing you lot on what I had ready to reveal. Well, it’s time to show my hand, I am proud to introduce the playing card editions!
So, what do you think? Suit you?!
-
- Released: 2022
- Collection: Retrospective 4
- Edition Size: 5 Original Variations
- Specification:
- Hand embellished and heavily painted heavyweight canvas
- Custom Frame
- Hand signed by artist
- Image Size: 32” x 24"
- Framed Size (Approx): 38” x 32”
-
- Get in touch for overseas delivery
- Please allow approximately 21 days for delivery, should you need delivery sooner please let us know.
Catwoman Playing Card - MDV
£1,995.00
-
I first introduced ‘Lunatics and Legends’ in 2020 as an exciting alternative to my intense, narrative-driven scene pieces. A much more blatant, ‘in your face’ abstract style of mixed media work that was all about the texture and embraced my blurred ‘push and pull’ method of creating a digital image. I had used the style long before this for much more niche subjects, so it was great to go to town on big superheroes and twisted villains. Despite these pieces not relying on a multi-layered narrative to solve what you see, there is still that element to them where the lines between who is the hero and who is the villain are as blurred as parts of the image itself.
So, for something new and another pun, I’ve been keeping my cards close to my chest recently, teasing you lot on what I had ready to reveal. Well, it’s time to show my hand, I am proud to introduce the playing card editions!
So, what do you think? Suit you?!
-
- Released: 2022
- Collection: Retrospective 4
- Edition Size: 5 Original Variations
- Specification:
- Hand embellished and heavily painted heavyweight canvas
- Custom Frame
- Hand signed by artist
- Image Size: 32” x 24"
- Framed Size (Approx): 38” x 32”
-
- Get in touch for overseas delivery
- Please allow approximately 21 days for delivery, should you need delivery sooner please let us know.