Clothing

I was staying at my uncle's place drinking on my own after work as one might do. This particular evening I had a lot of pent up anger, from all kinds of sources. Sometimes life just piles up on you and I can't recall anything in specific that angered me or pushed me over the edge, perhaps it was the drink which I had consumed for the purpose of taking off the edge, but perhaps with that line blurred I had unknowingly crossed it. Nonetheless, to get that energy out I grabbed what was close to me - a decorated baseball bat my uncle had bought on his trip in America.

I walked outside with the bat and started swinging it at the ground, and it was great. I had a blast, grass and dirt flying past me I kept swinging and swinging, the music pumping me up. I was quickly snapped out of my blind rage as the bat snapped in half. The feeling of guilt and shame washed over me and my anger was gone, my first instinct was like many times afore - hide the evidence of my wrongdoing and lie about it when confronted, but for some reason this time I decided against it. I instead owned up to it and told my uncle what had happened, I offered him some cash as an apology and said I was genuinely sorry, which I was.

However later on he came to me with the money in his hand and said that money doesn't replace memories, and instead gave me a pair of leather shoes and a leather vest, old remnants from his past. He told me that if I painted them for him that the debt would have been paid off, something which I happily accepted. The vest and the shoes were finished almost two years later, having sat on the backburner of my projects for some time.

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I was staying at my uncle's place drinking on my own after work as one might do. This particular evening I had a lot of pent up anger, from all kinds of sources. Sometimes life just piles up on you and I can't recall anything in specific that angered me or pushed me over the edge, perhaps it was the drink which I had consumed for the purpose of taking off the edge, but perhaps with that line blurred I had unknowingly crossed it. Nonetheless, to get that energy out I grabbed what was close to me - a decorated baseball bat my uncle had bought on his trip in America.

I walked outside with the bat and started swinging it at the ground, and it was great. I had a blast, grass and dirt flying past me I kept swinging and swinging, the music pumping me up. I was quickly snapped out of my blind rage as the bat snapped in half. The feeling of guilt and shame washed over me and my anger was gone, my first instinct was like many times afore - hide the evidence of my wrongdoing and lie about it when confronted, but for some reason this time I decided against it. I instead owned up to it and told my uncle what had happened, I offered him some cash as an apology and said I was genuinely sorry, which I was.

However later on he came to me with the money in his hand and said that money doesn't replace memories, and instead gave me a pair of leather shoes and a leather vest, old remnants from his past. He told me that if I painted them for him that the debt would have been paid off, something which I happily accepted. The vest and the shoes were finished almost two years later, having sat on the backburner of my projects for some time.

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An upcycled genuine leather jacket painted with leather acrylics. The patches sewn onto it are made by the fantastic artist Daniel Martin Diaz. Painting apparel proves a unique experience and challenge. Each article of clothing has a unique shape and form and adapting to it is part of the fun. Working within frames and limits can prove to be a good way to exercise creativity. I have worked on this jacket for well over a year as its conception proved more difficult to me than I initially thought. It is filled with air, water, and flames, and in the summer heat, it was finished.

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Some people have such a bright atmosphere around them the entire room seems to glow in their presence. They are rare and few in-between and auras are easily contaminated by the people around us. These shining minds then I seem to think often reside in solitude or in circumstances that allow them to truly cultivate their spirits and mind. Naturally bad things happen to them as well and the darkness constantly tries to extinguish this light within them, yet the ones that are burning bright enough can withstand these assaults, others just need sometime to recharge. I admire the light-bringers who face the darkness willingly and those who walk amongst people who will try to drag them down. If your belief and faith is strong enough in your own light you know that just as they can inflict their colours on you so can you on them; and you being a warrior of good fight back evil by your presence of good, by your compassion, your understanding and your patience.

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The first ever pair of boots I painted. A good friend of mine valiantly sacrificed these fine boots for me to paint on, it was a giant risk for him of course, I hadn't painted a lot of clothing and didn't really have a portfolio to show. Yet he trusted me and asked me to paint them. Shoes are a different beast to tackle, due to their peculiar form utilising the space they provide for paint is a challenge in its own right. I had some ideas immediately, and I used a lot of motifs which have become signature in my work - Latin, alchemical symbolism and bright colours contrasting against a dark background. There is a certain roughness of inexperience to them, nonetheless these boots were an important stepping stone for me and the Work. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to paint them.

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My sister offered up her old shoes for a new look, I used a mix of markers and textile paint for these ones. The small size and limited space made it a unique challenge. Working with the natural shape of the canvas is always a fun way to approach painting. Sometimes less is more and with this philosophy - the colour scheme and patterns are minimalistic.

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The first coat I painted, with the experience of painting a few jackets this one was a bigger project than all of them. Not only in physical size but also in regards to painting techniques. After years of waiting the project finally came to fruition. Meraki is Greek and is roughly translated to "to do something with soul, infusing the work with your essence". After the coat was sent to me it took about a year for it to be completely finished and then finally delivered. This piece was a milestone for me, it was the largest commission I had done and the trust given me was a sign that my art is valued beyond my own. In working on it I had several new artistic revelations to me, I particularly enjoyed the lettering, and stylising written words in such a way was unchartered territory for me.

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