Child's Play! - Large Limited Edition
£545.00
- My portfolio is as diverse as it is huge but one thing that is for sure is that you thundering lunatics seem to consistently go nuts for how I portray the retro toys and games within my ‘Retrospective’ works. So, in the spirit of Christmas, feast your eyeballs on this chaotic beast!
What’s that saying? Go big or go home? Well home is no place to get ideas for your Christmas list, is it? My insanely popular ‘The Memory Remains’ series featured a quaint little toy shop that then opened out into a vast cave of wonderment. The architects and structural engineers amongst my collectors would easily have thought how the heck was that possible from the exterior but it’s all in your head as a kid, it was always bigger and brighter in your imagination than reality and I have embraced that time and time again.
It's 2023 and I intend to embrace this Christmas, so I have gone big for this piece, bigger than BIG Ken’s Bell! Eh? Sorry, welcome to how my mind works! If you get it, I love you. Whilst so many of us have those memories of visiting the local toy shop and all of it’s charm, some will always favour the sheer magic and scale of the one and only ‘HAMLEYS’ on the iconic Regents street in London. Does it get better than that? Don’t spoil it and say ‘Duncan’s Toy Chest’, oh hang on – talking of spoilers ;) And don’t you dare say ‘Argos’, or ‘Toys R Us’! Those pens were crap, and that blasted giraffe was a bit creepy.
So yes, I have gone big, bright and quite brilliant if you don’t mind me giving my trumpet a quick tootie toot toot! ‘Child’s Play!’ was a genuine joy to work on, one that embodies why I don’t start off with a regimented list of what to include, it just evolves, swells and explodes out everywhere – just like those grotty bottied pigeons! This is as much an opportunity to look within the toy shop as within my peculiar mind! There is so much to see and decipher, I won’t attempt to list out or to even explain, I will just let you enjoy the madness and magic!
Art to me is everything, it is my escape and my time machine. I was going to drop in a line from ‘Back to the Future’ about not needing roads but it’s late and my bulldog wants his dinner, and his arse is my enemy. However, speaking of roads it reminds me of this ability to escape. It’s cool, you can keep the violins locked away but at the time I was creating ‘Child’s Play!’ my car had a cracked wheel from a pothole the size of the cave from ‘The Goonies’. I remember getting a lift from a good friend back to the studio and trying to explain what the hell I was doing that day. Have a good look inside Boba Fett’s cab and try and detail that to someone! Welcome to my world, I love it and I am so proud that you lot love it too!
Thank you for giving me the platform to look back to leap forward.
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- Released: 2023
- Collection: KIDULTS!
- Edition Size: 40 + 5AP
- Specification: Limited edition fine art print, hand signed by artist.
- Image Size: 32” x 24"
- Framed Size (Approx): 49.5” x 35"
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- Get in touch for overseas delivery
- Please allow approximately 14 days for delivery, should you need delivery sooner please let us know.
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
Dont F*ck! (Home Alone) - Standard Limited Edition
£395.00
- What a movie, what a house! What a pair of clowns!
I loved Christmas as a kid, I absolutely bloody loved it! I know we say it so often, but it was different back then. Every present was so special and magical because not only did we believe, but we cherished everything. I remember getting ‘Home Alone’ on VHS in my stocking and seeing it shoehorned into the furry sock that looked like it had the worst case of hemorrhoids ever seen! I have vivid memories of watching it in my bedroom with the glow of the Christmas tree on my little TV that I bought from the Littlewoods catalogue over a period of 3520 weeks!
I love what I do, seriously I absolutely bloody love it! What an amazing way to provide for my family and bring mine and your memories back to life in such a magical way. This was epitomised just under two years ago when I had the pleasure in working with the brilliant and inspiring Alex Brooker to create a piece of original art that captured his genuine love for ‘Home Alone’! So many people have been desperate for this to be released as an edition, as not only do they love the movie too but for how it’s captured the pure magic of Christmas, it’s real and authentic, a collaboration between two who share a genuine love of the film. It will stay exactly as it was, a commissioned piece and I respect that.
However! As part of my ‘KIDULTS’ collection, ‘Don’t F*ck!’ is an epic continuation from this piece here but in no way a rehash of my first image. That wouldn’t be cool, would it? This piece tells the tale of the good little boy who took on the cowboys who rob a living and make them look a bit stupid, well they did that themselves. They’re what the French call ‘Les Incompétents! Not all battle plans need a tarantula and micro machines, just the desire to win, to bust your arse and fight with everything you have whilst remaining calm and collected with a thin grin. Authenticity, talent, humility, and integrity. Always integrity.
Alex’s vision was all about the house, and why wouldn’t it be? It’s magical. What you see here however, supersedes this. It is all about Kevin’s masterplan, when there was no time for a plan B, it had to work, and it did! Set in front of the grand façade of the house and its twinkling lights, Kevin stands proud, with his weapons laid out – like he’s just emptied his pockets out into the snow. For such a baby-faced kid, it’s the look in his eyes and that thin grin that fuelled the title of the piece. My Mum loves the image but begged me not to call it that! Whoops, I guess that’s me on the naughty list, coal for Christmas!
What I love is being so engrossed in the pieces that I work on that random details work their way into the scene, ones that make sense when you know how my mind works. And this is the thing, this is what makes one artist different to another – it’s their mind, yes you can work from a list and get it all in but it’s these random deviations that gives you an insight into what makes the artist truly unique and the piece genuinely authentic. I love how my imagination goes haywire and it seems you filthy animals do too!
This year (2023) I had the pleasure of going to New York for the first time and it was incredible, so special and I made a point of watching ‘Home Alone 2’ recently as not only did I want to kick start the Christmas spirit, but I wanted to feel close to the city again. Is the sequel as good as the first? That is a tricky one isn’t it. One thing that is certain is that there will be a follow up to this piece, just getting that out there ;)
So, I’m going to give you to the count of ten to get this piece hanging on your wall!
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- Released: 2023
- Collection: KIDULTS!
- Edition Size: 45 + 5AP
- Specification: Limited edition fine art print, hand signed by artist.
- Image Size: 25” x 18.5"
- Framed Size (Approx): 33.5” x 26"
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- Get in touch for overseas delivery
- Please allow approximately 14 days for delivery, should you need delivery sooner please let us know.
GIZMO (Gremlins) - Magazine Limited Edition
£645.00
- I loved every single minute of working on this fantastic piece! I loved Gremlins as a kid and that hasn’t changed one bit. A few years back, I created ‘Midnight At The Mall’ which was brilliant from start to finish as it brought back so many great memories – I mean just the tune itself gets your head wobbling about and pulls on your heartstrings!
So, just like with my latest E.T. piece, I have chosen to create this new offering in a different format, and a brand-new one at that! A battered 1984 collector’s edition magazine cover that has been dusted off and framed to enjoy for many years to come. Well, if you follow these 3 rules…
1. Do NOT read after midnight
2. Do NOT get magazine wet
3. Do NOT expose cover to bright light Follow those guidelines and all good!
To date, I have VHS, Billboard, Vinyl LP, Playing Card, Cassette Tape and Story Book formats, so I thought it was time to introduce another, the magazine cover! Now, I’m not the first to do this, heck no! Yet this just makes sense and is a great link back to my formulative years when I was a graphic designer working on various publications. However, I didn’t want to fall into the trap of simply adding an image behind a masthead and offer a couple of subheadings – I wanted it to have genuine context and a real purpose and look truly authentic. The aspiration here was to conceive a magazine for the ‘KIDULT’ residents of Echo Falls, and beyond and position it immediately after the events of the movie, to make it real.
So, what we see is the first edition that follows the town’s chainsaw massacre and shines a bright light onto the one and only ‘Stripe’! There is a nice element to this feature where it raises the question of whether he was born bad or a man-made monster. I love that. You know I love to write a few lines and am a little random at times, I have embraced this within the copywriting on the magazine cover, it’s just pure good fun and makes for a great read! Not only were free 3-D glasses provided back then, but you also got a centrefold pull out poster of the green haired busty beast that is GRETA! Hubba Hubba! That saying hasn’t aged well has it, worse than the Smokeless Ashtray?
Did you know that the set for Gremlins was the same as for Back to the Future? The town hall building is there in both, I love that. I referenced this within ‘Midnight At The Mall’ and I have done again here to further make the magazine authentic. Doc and Marty hit the screens in 1985, whereas Gremlins was 1984, so the film preview spot not only links the two movies but makes perfect sense.
The style of both the original and limited editions allow me to really go for it with the mixed media elements and sees me laying down abstract paint detail as well as anything else that is within arm’s reach at the time! It’s perfect as it epitomises the chaos of the movie and the screeching whirl when that chainsaw fires up!
A final piece of advice, if I may. So, if your PlayStation goes on the fritz or your video doorbell blows up or your Nespresso machine conks out, before you call the repairman, turn on all the lights, check behind the picture, cause you never can tell – there just might be a gremlin in your house.
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- Released: 2023
- Collection: KIDULTS
- Edition Size: 20 + 5AP
- Specification:
- Hand embellished
- Floated Magazine and double mount
- Custom spray-painted frame
- Hand signed by artist
- Image Size: 11.5” x 15.5"
- Framed Size (Approx): 16” x 21”
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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.
I’ll Be Right Here, Always (E.T.) - VHS Limited Edition
£595.00
- Who doesn’t love E.T.?! What a movie, what an era!
2016 was the year when I first released ‘Lost in Hollywood’ and I created a wonderful piece on this movie entitled ‘I’ll Be Right Here’. It was subtle but equally blatant. The forest, the bikes and the lights from the spaceship drew you in, it’s intriguing and captivating. It was only when you looked closer, into the darkness that you could then spot the glow of our little alien’s heart. It is funny how many people who own this piece never realised until I pointed out at subsequent gallery shows. I love that!
There then followed a second piece – entitled ‘I Never Left’ but this was part of my ‘Love Knows No Bounds’ body of work as you saw the little man stood there on the rock looking towards Elliott, who you couldn’t see but knew he was there as the front of his BMX tyre had just come into view. The purpose of that piece and the body of work was to focus in on the bond between two individuals and what they will do in the name of love. I love how popular that series has become, for so many reasons.
So, what we see now is completely different to both, yet still represents the spirit of the two. This time, the image is delivered in my hugely successful VHS format, this is perfect as the subtle, neutral tones of the background draw you in and immerses you within scene. In complete contrast to hiding in the shadows or being a small part of the scene, this time E.T. is oversized and in your face as much as in your heart. The reason for this and if you look closely is that it conveys the sense that it is his spirit that remains, beautifully conveying the previous two titles whilst clarifying the new one.
The strapline, ‘In every sunrise and each time the wind blows’ symbolises how the bond between two that grew to be so strong whilst together is unbreakable when apart and that that person has never truly left and will remain there for the other, always. This was so important for me to embrace for this movie and beyond because there is such a widespread affiliation for the film and it’s narrative for this reason, yes it’s a brilliant 80’s feast but it’s the sentiment that resonates with so many of us. Be Good.
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- Released: 2023
- Collection: KIDULTS
- Edition Size: 20 + 5AP
- Specification:
- Hand embellished
- Floated VHS and double mount
- Custom spray-painted frame
- Sticker decals
- Hand signed by artist
- Image Size: 8.3” x 11.7"
- Framed Size (Approx): 13.5” x 16.75”
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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.