I Wish To Be Free (Aladdin) - Original
- From the outset I had always intended to create a scene that was similar to the original Mermaid pieces from previous releases that featured the iconic Genie rising from the lamp and for it to be a vivid and quirky piece. However as this latest body of work has developed I have come at it from a different angle.
So many of the new pieces focus on the character through their silhouetted form and the embodiment of hope that resonates from them and I therefore became increasingly drawn to creating a piece that focused on Robin Williams rather than the Genie. I am sure many of us will agree that the Genie makes the Disney film and that was down to Robin Williams’ array of voices and personalities that he gave to the character.
So this piece, entitled ‘I Wish To Be Free’ is connected to Aladdin through the figure that rises upwards from the lamp that rests on the coral bed, a slight deviation to the film where the shackled Prince was cast into the ocean before being set free. However in this case the figure rising up to the surface, to the light is actually in human form.
This piece focuses on this brilliant actor’s death that was as a result of his demons growing so tall behind him that their shadows obscured the whitest of walls. The question so many had was ‘why?’. Why could someone so loved and with such a star-filled film career choose to end their life? It became apparent that Robin was deeply troubled and depressed and battling so much more than anyone knew, slowly becoming trapped within his own body and mind through paranoia and form of dementia that his wife described ad “the terrorist inside my husband’s brain”.
The pressure to perform for the benefit of others is so similar to his role as the Genie, living with such constraints only to have to grant wishes on demand before regressing back into the darkness. So I guess for Robin and sadly for so many others he had sunk to such a depth within his mind that the darkness and his demons erased the sunrise, they clouded the clear to the point where he only had one wish and one way to be free.
This image, I hope you will agree, is beautiful and honest and with the above in mind terribly sad whilst offering a calming sense of comfort through hope, seeing how the darkness falls away and all that surrounds the character is good. For me personally when you create a piece with a genuine meaning and when you strive to capture and portray a sense of emotion and feeling there is a point in each of them when it shines through, when what you see in front of you gives off everything that you hoped you could inject and it is quite something. In this instance it really was overwhelming, not just that I am confident that I have created a piece of art that does true justice to a wonderful human-being as Robin but something that will resonate to many for so many reasons.
Mental health is such a huge issue and looks to finally be starting to be tackled and talked about because the implications for not are terrifying. It is so easy to dismiss and to try and paper over the cracks for someone who is troubled, to genuinely try to do good through pointing out all of the good things that they do and all of the people that surround them. A line that resonates with me and is one that makes you work harder to understand a troubled persons state of mind and to not think that a positive talk will suffice is simply this, ‘how do you see the stars from so far down?’
It doesn’t matter how many stars shine and how bright, if you are that far down then you simply can’t see them. I also think that the line could offer comfort to someone who is battling to understand a persons’ decision, albeit sadly using a different tense it forms a gentle and silent acceptance of that persons mental state and ultimately their final wish. -
- Released: 2017
- Collection: Through Darkness & Light
- Specification: 1 of 1 original framed embellished canvas, hand signed by artist.
- Image Size: 48” x 36"
- Framed Size: 54” x 41"
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
'Freddy's Coming For You!' - Freddy Krueger Claw Statement Piece
£795.00
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Gepetto he is not, but this carved wooden plinth displays the stuff of nightmares!
This intoxicating piece is the first offering to sit within his 'Against The Grain' series, a body of work that will grow over time and represents Mark's intention to continue to do things differently. Mark has built up an incredible reputation for the level of craft that shines through his unique frames, and it is these details that you now see in this piece.
Everything about this is unique, from Mark hand selecting the piece of Elm at a local timber mill through to carving the claw marks that are soaked in blood red resin. No two will, or can be the same. What starts with a beautiful (and innocent!) piece of Elm, is then stained, blackened, bashed and burnt. The haunting Freddy Claw glove has it's metal blades set into the blood resin channels and is then subjected to the same level of customisation as the plinth.
Limited to what will be just 20 original variations and priced incredibly well considering the level of craftsmanship and hours needed to create each piece. This is something that needs to be seen close up to be truly appreciated, but how close do you dare get to that glove?!
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- Released: 2022
- Collection: Lost In Hollywood
- Edition Size: 20 Original Variations
- Specification:
- Hand selected locally sourced Elm (obviously!)
- Hand carved claw marks filled with blood red resin
- Blackened and burned
- Metal bladed claw glove
- Title and number plaque
- Hand signed by artist - Plinth Size (Approx): 19” x 9.5”
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- Get in touch for overseas delivery
- Please allow approximately 21 days for delivery, should you need delivery sooner please let us know.
'Grab Your Stick!' - Proton Wand Statement Piece
£995.00
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Now this is for the true obsessive GB fans! Whether you call it a Particle Thrower, Proton Blaster, Proton Gun, Positron Collider, Neutrona Wand, or Proton Wand, the result is the same! This piece looks like it’s been in a real battle and got slimed and fried AF!
I’m always striving to mix things up and look at ways of introducing my art in new formats and connecting with my collectors. Halloween 2022 saw me release something very different, and bloody dark! My Nightmare on Elm Street Claw plinth was the first piece that I have done that broke away from the traditional print editions and I loved every moment of it, and it has been so well received. It was a signal of my intentions to keep pushing and to deliver pieces that were true to my style but working with movie props to create something unique and special, whilst remaining true to my style of work. The aim was to offer a supporting piece that would complement a traditional print edition.So, my ‘RETROPLASM’ series has given me the opportunity to build on this and do something much less dark, although I couldn’t resist getting the blow torch out! ‘Grab Your Stick’ has transformed one of the coolest movie props that there has even been and made it, well I guess, funkier, and that’s before you turn the lights off – yep, the resin base glows in the dark whilst the neon paint also comes alive under lairy coloured light.
You are free to grab your stick, flick the switches and fire the sucker up! It will slam you right back to your childhood, just don’t cross the streams! Why not? Put simply, coz it’s bad, very bad! If you’re fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing, then maybe this will help. Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Oh, but don’t stress too much, batteries are included!
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- Released: 2023
- Collection: RETROPLASM
- Edition Size: 20 Original Variations
- Specification:
- Light up LED, sound effects and vibrations
- Blackened and burned
- Small parts to connect the stand to the wand - fragile - handle with care.
- Hand signed by artist - Baseh Size (Approx): 23.5” x 8”
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- Get in touch for overseas delivery
- Please allow approximately 21 days for delivery, should you need delivery sooner please let us know.
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88 & Out - Original
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- Released: 2019
- Collection: Lost In Hollywood 2
- Specification: 1 of 1 original framed embellished canvas, hand signed by artist.
- Image Size: 48” x 36"
- Framed Size: 54” x 41"