(water-based spray paint and Posca paint pens, on skateboard) 

I created this as a resolved work for my degree, for the theme of Journeys, in 2020. It was for a collaborative exhibition with our year group of BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing and Printmaking students, but sadly did not go ahead due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

When considering the theme of the exhibition, some of the most memorable journeys in my mind have involved skateboarding. Having taken my board along with me anywhere I can for the last 30 years, one that stands out to me was around the summer of 1992 when I made a skate pilgrimage from Stoke-on-Trent down to the legendary Southsea Skatepark. (There weren’t as many parks around back then!) 

Being sixteen, skint, and pretty naive, I would use my deck as my hitching sign; marker-penning my destination on the bottom, then thumbing my way across the country. I remember starting this trip with the words “DOWN SOUTH” (please…) scrawled upon my deck.  On reaching my chosen location I would board-slide the words off, ready for the next (usually half-planned, half-random) hitch.

I met many fascinating characters on these adventures, and learnt a lot about life, people, and society, good and bad…

These memories inspired me to create a piece that represented two of my life long loves: skateboarding and graffiti art.  Both seem to go hand in hand and I find myself drawn to each subculture’s anti-establishment and rule-breaking forms of expression.