Lithium - Canvas Limited Edition

I have always made a big point of creating an intriguing teaser campaign ahead of my main releases, I want those who follow and support my art to be clued up as to what is coming as opposed to full on secrecy. However, it is a fine balance between giving away too much and too little. It seems to work, and work well but an element of surprise is always good!

So! ‘All Bets Are Off!’ is a dramatic piece that is my unique interpretation of that moment when the ‘Grays Sports Almanac’ (why does it seem so difficult to type that correctly each time?!) is torched in the movie ‘Back to the Future 2’. From my past collections, it is clear that I have a soft spot for the trilogy, and I wanted to do something different from a scene piece as I only released ‘OUTAREACH’ in 2022. 

The pre-requisite for curating ‘Lithium’ was to create a vastly varied body of work that epitomises darkness and light, intense meaning, and pure good nostalgic fun. What this piece does is showcase just that, a cracking contrast to the hauntingly powerful ‘Storyteller’ pieces; ‘Lithium’ and ‘The Power of Love’. Yet, this piece is just as powerful, powerful through the amount of drama and energy that has gone into creating the limited editions and the bonkers original itself. 

If you love the films, then you will love the Almanac and the impact that it brought. It’s iconic isn’t it. Imagine having access to that nowadays! I love the details that came with the book, the futuristic book receipt, and its holographic jacket. Both have been paid homage to with my version. This piece is a celebration of just how much effort I go to with my unique pieces to give the collector something truly special.

You know I love a double meaning in my concepts. At first glance, this piece is quite simply showing the book completely battered and burnt, picked up and framed like any worthy movie prop would be. However, look a little closer, think a little deeper and read between the scorch marks. ‘Greed Breeds Monsters’ has been stencilled onto the Perspex. This is a line that I have used since my formulative years in the industry and is tied to many narratives that shine a light on the implications of greed and the resulting mismanagement of money that follows. Could there be a better example of this than Mr Biff Tannen?!

This is a small detail within the piece that then links to the destructive power of the flames. I’ve melted Perspex before but not to this level! I wanted to create real drama and a tactile quality that could be lost by placing a barrier between you and the artwork through framing.

It was a cracking example of knowing that it could be great if it worked, but also that you could end up in A&E if it went wrong! No lie, it could have ended up like that! Filling a blow torch with gas when it was still on, flames that refused to give up that saw me run to the sink and throw the piece into the washing up bowl! There’s never a dull moment here! But just look at the results!

I have always made a big point of creating an intriguing teaser campaign ahead of my main releases, I want those who follow and support my art to be clued up as to what is coming as opposed to full on secrecy. However, it is a fine balance between giving away too much and too little. It seems to work, and work well but an element of surprise is always good!

So! ‘All Bets Are Off!’ is a dramatic piece that is my unique interpretation of that moment when the ‘Grays Sports Almanac’ (why does it seem so difficult to type that correctly each time?!) is torched in the movie ‘Back to the Future 2’. From my past collections, it is clear that I have a soft spot for the trilogy, and I wanted to do something different from a scene piece as I only released ‘OUTAREACH’ in 2022. 

The pre-requisite for curating ‘Lithium’ was to create a vastly varied body of work that epitomises darkness and light, intense meaning, and pure good nostalgic fun. What this piece does is showcase just that, a cracking contrast to the hauntingly powerful ‘Storyteller’ pieces; ‘Lithium’ and ‘The Power of Love’. Yet, this piece is just as powerful, powerful through the amount of drama and energy that has gone into creating the limited editions and the bonkers original itself. 

If you love the films, then you will love the Almanac and the impact that it brought. It’s iconic isn’t it. Imagine having access to that nowadays! I love the details that came with the book, the futuristic book receipt, and its holographic jacket. Both have been paid homage to with my version. This piece is a celebration of just how much effort I go to with my unique pieces to give the collector something truly special.

You know I love a double meaning in my concepts. At first glance, this piece is quite simply showing the book completely battered and burnt, picked up and framed like any worthy movie prop would be. However, look a little closer, think a little deeper and read between the scorch marks. ‘Greed Breeds Monsters’ has been stencilled onto the Perspex. This is a line that I have used since my formulative years in the industry and is tied to many narratives that shine a light on the implications of greed and the resulting mismanagement of money that follows. Could there be a better example of this than Mr Biff Tannen?!

This is a small detail within the piece that then links to the destructive power of the flames. I’ve melted Perspex before but not to this level! I wanted to create real drama and a tactile quality that could be lost by placing a barrier between you and the artwork through framing.

It was a cracking example of knowing that it could be great if it worked, but also that you could end up in A&E if it went wrong! No lie, it could have ended up like that! Filling a blow torch with gas when it was still on, flames that refused to give up that saw me run to the sink and throw the piece into the washing up bowl! There’s never a dull moment here! But just look at the results!

The idea was going to be that I took you inside the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, but the smaller format was proving to be restrictive given the fact that the image would need to work with various pieces of text, logos and an album ‘masthead’. This would have meant compromises and you can’t do that with ‘Star Wars’! There was also the fear that I wouldn’t be able to build a scene from those moments that differed enough from the original movie stills that allowed me to be authentic, respectful, and unique and not cross to the dark side. So that plan was put aside, however, the reason that it was shortlisted was because the format and film would go perfectly, so that can be for another day, not too far, far away though!

Past pieces such as ‘Join Me’ and ‘Attack on Echo Base’ have been all out-action scenes, where I have not wanted to deviate too far but to simply amplify everything to the level that we remember when looking back at that wonderful age of movies. I know you lot love my scene pieces so I chose to create ‘All Hope is Not Lost’ but differently to how it could easily have been offered. Several of my pieces within this collection are driven by the call to never give up, that help IS coming and good will overpower evil, even if it is right by your door. As there are no breaks when creating main collections, without a doubt this influenced my mindset for the narrative behind what you now see. I wanted to create something different, beautiful, and full of hope. I feel proud that I have achieved that in abundance, whilst not alienating those who love the drama and action.

Throughout my artist career, my works have never had to rely on characters to tell the story. It is written into the detail, the clues that are left behind. Art is wonderfully subjective and so it should be, there will be some who love the subtleness of ‘Shifting Sands’ and ‘Battles Passed’, whilst others will favour the no holds barred action pieces where characters roam freely. For me, this piece was taken over the moment I saw that beautiful image of Leia sat in her white dress, so calmy and with the look that immediately connected. From that point I was hell-bent on building this piece around her, and that look in her eyes.

Composition was a major part in this, and it is good to move away from any comfort zone. It is a strange feeling as you have this sense that you are doing something differently, but you can’t put your finger on it. It means you have this confidence and excitement that you are building something special and true to your intentions but where you also seek feedback and I guess, reassurance from those who either really know you or the target audience. It is so important to keep testing and questioning yourself and never being blind sighted.

So, the overriding concept of this piece is that her friends ARE coming, they may be one step behind, but they are on their way. Smoke plays tricks and clouds judgement and I know so many of you have thought that you have seen faces within backgrounds only to be told that it was a trick. Look at the Falcon, has it docked or in flight? Either way it is coming. Leia’s comrades have been depicted in a blackened silhouette style to suggest that are to play a key role in her rescue but not quite yet. Contrast that with the drama that is unfolding behind her as Vader, flanked by his Stormtroopers march into view.

‘All Hope is Not Lost’ is a shining example of the battle between darkness and light, good and evil and one that epitomises the impact of having people that you can always rely on, no matter what. After all, it’s not the size of the army but the power within an army.

Rest in peace Carrie x