Moving up a decade and into the late 90s, what a film Guy Ritchie’s ‘Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels’ is. A classic example of an incredibly complex and clever plot that leaves your head all over the place even after you’ve watched it again. It’s genius! 

I was drawn to creating a piece based on this film in the same way I was towards ‘Trainspotting’ because of it’s grittiness, quality cast with legendary quotes and also a stunning soundtrack. It has everything and again like I have found myself repeating over and over again to my daughter recently, what a truly great decade the 90s were for music as well as everything else!

Music always plays a big part in my artworks and consumes me whilst I am creating each piece - without doubt the bands from the 90s’ were just endless and listening to them all at full pelt almost meant me rupturing my tendon in my foot again but I came out of it unscathed! It is definitely one of those pieces with the intensity of the detail that makes the process all a bit of a blur! 

The general consensus when hinting to others that I planned to take on this movie was for a decision not to be taken lightly, it’s an absolute beast of a film and one that consistently generated a twinkle in the eye before blurting out an often X-rated line from the film! 

I took on this piece with the view of achieving the qualities of my ‘The Memory Remains’ piece where a street scene was completely littered with references with the backdrop displaying a mash up of iconic music albums from the era, to create something that you spend an absolute age seeking out all of the details, some blatant, some much more disguised. 

Another quality was that there were so many great motors within the film, and I do love my cars! So, the question was which one would feature, being a football man and a Leeds United fan it had to be Vinnie Jones AKA Big Chris’s Rover, what a car and what a complete nutter!

This was a piece that had to be cool, gritty, naughty and a break from the whimsical and beautiful for sure. Without a doubt this was the film that I took the most notes from whilst re-watching, pages of quotes and random objects - I’m pretty sure that they all made it into the final cut, oh and yes I did dare to include it ;) 

I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I do, it’s a deal, it’s a steal, it’s the sale of the... well you know the rest!

I wanted to go in a different direction, creating an intriguing scenario that is full of detail that is open to interpretation that allows you to decide what has happened or in the midst of happening. I wanted to create a landscape that was beautiful, really beautiful, one of scale and wonder yet one that has a darkened quality where you’re afraid to look into the shadows in case you stumble upon something that is waiting, watching!

The contrast between mother nature and man is clear as day here, a beautiful forest with a majestic waterfall and meandering stream are impacted by a jeep that is trampling over all things bright and beautiful. Although I have left so much open to interpretation I have suggested however that the scene shown is set further on after the dramatic events within the park where the good plan had imploded into carnage. Look through the trees and you can’t not see the glow from a huge explosion - is that the park imploding or an eruption? The warmth from the fires that rage not only bring fear but comfort. Is nature taking back control? 

The branded experience set up by the parks owners was left in tatters and most probably should have been left well alone, to be reclaimed by nature. However, an opportunist with an eye for a fortune looks to have exploited how exposed the venture was and has taken it on, whether it is being driven by good or bad hands is up to you. Is the past the past or is it the future? Who ultimately is the creator and who is actually the creature?

Greed breeds monsters but life will always find a way.

A sequel to BALBOA was always on the cards but it had to be a scene piece to tell the story and allow me to inject my signature style of touching on the darker side of the character and the world that he resided within. The more I researched the concept it grew stronger and stronger and an absolute must.

Set within Micky’s Gym (or my interpretation of it!) an imposing boxing ring dominates the room, bloodied and stark it pulls no punches as to the harshness of the pursuit to a means to an end, a way out from the shadows. 

This piece casts light onto Rocky’s dark side and into the world that he resides, through circumstance rather than choice. Key details are positioned that combine to cast shade onto the light at the end of the tunnel. There are references to the thoughts and demons that go toe-to-toe with him daily, where he is fighting against his self-doubt as well as the doubters. 

The composition shows the closeness that darkness and light reside and how failure is merely an arm’s length away from victory, when you choose to pick up the bottle or bat. When you’re down and out and on the ropes trading blows with life it’s all about drawing on that inner strength to get back out there.

Whether you’re driven by hate or consumed by fear, draw strength in the key quality that you have, that talent and bloody well go for it. ‘One More Round’ personifies the following quote: “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place... and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain’t about how hard you hit... It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying: You ain´t what you wanna be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain´t you! You´re better than that.”

Keep fighting!

The difference with this piece is that it isn’t a scene that is driven by the detail in the foreground but instead focuses on the car in full view and full motion - just as it about to hit that critical 88MPH. With the lightning kicking off in the distance over the city there is something quite special about the car leaving everything behind. The composition is set so that you could quite easily simply be a bystander on the footpath just lucky enough to capture this dramatic sight. A few seconds later you’re stood there with just a spinning number plate and fire trails wondering if you really saw that.

Whilst creating this piece an earlier study involved focusing much more on the car and where the background became a subtle backdrop. I chose to rework it so it fitted better with the collection as a whole but what this meant is that the level of detail in and around the Delorean is insane as that was the challenge that I set myself. Even though the car is now reduced down in composition you can still clearly see the detail and that sense of drama and movement - something different for me as the cars tend to be static. 

This was a technically challenging piece to put it politely, piecing together the tunnel with a new opening and cliff that framed it whilst also softening the scene. I always seek to inject a dramatic light source where possible and the detailing within the tunnel was the perfect platform for this. Personally, I am really pleased with the sky and the drama within it, but something was missing, spotted it?!

What an absolute monster of a film and franchise Ghostbusters is, made even more so by the era that the first film was set within - I love how terribly bad but wonderfully brilliant the special effects are. It’s interesting also what you learn about the background to the movie and the battle to get it going that I never knew before.

I love how just a few guys and a converted ambulance can take on the apocalyptic chaos that is unravelling above their cherished city, and win! That is the key thing that I wanted to convey in this piece, the enormity of what lies ahead, or above! As quirky and vibrant as the scene is there is something special in that, seeing ECTO 1 turning out of HQ and heading off out to save the day.

There is so much to see in this piece, some blatant by me not holding back, shackles well and truly removed and others much more subtle - have you spotted him yet? This piece just grew and grew the more time went on and I am so pleased with the result, incredibly challenging technically to piece together but so worthwhile. One of the last details to go in and a big decision for me was whether to include Mr Stay Puft and if so to what extent. Originally it was just going to be a tiny section to hint that he is there but in line with this piece being a no holds barred exercise and that fact that he is my Mum’s favourite character he is there in all of his glory. I tried so hard not to set him on fire, I really did!

I will never get bored of watching this film and I’m really intrigued as to the 2020 film that is coming, hopefully more authentic than the last one! I think on reflection, from thinking back to watching the film as a kid and remembering all of the toys that I and my brothers had that this really does come close to being my favourite of all past films. When I am asked what is my favourite film I have always said that it is impossible to choose but after being so engrossed in creating ‘Saving The Day’ I think... WE GOT ONE!

The colour palette is soft and subtle, beautifully depicting the memories that so many have of the earlier films. I wanted to not hold back and feature key details that draw in so many fans whilst staying true to my style of working.

The subject is so well saturated within the commercial art world and I have wanted to do something a little different, to do the films justice and not to portray characters that are different to how they were envisaged and conceived.

The aim was not just to create a scene that was really strong visually but one where you could start to spot subtle yet massive details that would hint at something deeper. An unbreakable bond maybe?

A key aspiration was to create a sense of movement and time passing yet within an arid and stark environment where the winds blow the sand across like waves, exposing objects previously hidden. The question is, are the winds caused by mother nature or from something about to land?

I wanted to create a scene that was moving, where those return from battles passed. By leaving so much to the imagination I hope that yours runs away with you, to re-engage with your childhood memories from a cracking era.

So much has been left open to interpretation here, it has been great fun to be a part of and a long time coming and I hope that I have done justice to such an incredible cinematic masterpiece.

Just as an aside, the song that inspired the overriding concept of objects being revealed and picked up by a strong wind that blew in was actually ‘Vermilion Part 2’ by Slipknot! Random yes, watch the video and you’ll see where I am coming from, possibly!

I chose to focus on a scene of utter devastation in front of the iconic Grand Central Terminal in New York City with a collapsing bridge adding drama as well as composition. This is shown in almost silhouette form as contrast to the warmth of the explosion behind it, the perfect opportunity to add the dramatic light source that features in so much of my work regardless of subject. Colours are massive for me, I obsess over them! To get the overriding palette from the Avengers to feature in such a striking yet beautiful way is particularly pleasing, as is the contrast between darkness and light, it was easily one of those pieces that just gets bigger and bigger with each hour that passes.  

The biggest difference in this image compared to what I am known for to date is the inclusion of key characters, I have featured subtle silhouettes to date but this was very different for me and the result is even more dramatic, it really does amplify the sense of movement and each super hero bring their own quality to the scene. I love to leave details to seek out and try and piece together the narrative, these are here and in abundance, there is so much to spot within the image as well as a poignant reference to the passing of the hero without a cape, Stan Lee.

I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I have loved creating it, Avengers assemble!”

What an absolutely brilliant film The Lost Boys is! The ultimate vampire movie? Yeah I think so! It is the same as horror movies, I prefer those that aren’t all about gouging eyeballs out but instead have a multi-layered plot that you can imagine actually exists - that is ultimately more terrifying and believable.

That’s why The Lost Boys captured the imagination whilst instilling fear, it is one of those movies that you forget just how much you loved it and how scared it made you in parts. The point where the car roof was torn off and the occupants dragged out is one that haunted me as a kid and was no way going to ever find a place in this interpretation! 

What I love is that it is another cracking example of how darkness resides so closely with normal life, where evil walks the same streets as those that will become prey. Under the bright glows of the board-walk and the iconic fair that dominates, the screams of excitement mask those of terror. That giddiness from the buzz and intensity of the rides and the crowds blur the lines between what you think you saw and what you actually just did. It has an almost drug-like quality to it and that is what I wanted to portray within my take on this amazing movie.  

The rich glows of the fairground and the pier, the warm glow of the fire that burns on the beach and the beautiful sky all mask the much more sinister plot. Key details are placed within the scene, some subtle, others more disguised but all combine to not just pay homage to the film but to allow you to decipher what is happening. Where are the key characters? 

By placing the fire close to you in the foreground you could imagine that Michael and Star are stood just behind you staring into the flames, possibly. That is what I love about not showing the characters within my work and by positioning the details in the way that I do, it means they are there, just out of sight but you’re part of it, you’re amongst them, right amongst them.

Another quality of the film and link to my work is that it makes you look at what is actually genuinely evil, and who if anyone is actually born evil or simply put under a spell, either by an individual or by life itself. It’s the battle to be set free, either yourself or a loved one, to win out and beat the curse and not to succumb to the demons even if you are bitten by life, or love.