Inspiration

In 1986 I came across a book titled Posters: A Concise History by John Barnicoat. This book changed my life and for the next few years, I analysed every page. Originally published in 1972, it's still in print today. As the title suggests, it chronicles poster design from the 1800s right up to the early 70s (it may have been revised since). There are full-colour reproductions of posters from the 1960s psychedelic era, the Bauhaus movement and war propaganda posters. 

In 1990 I saw Twin Peaks and it changed my life. I didn't realise at the time that there hadn't been a TV show like it before. There haven't been many shows like it since but The OA comes close.

Also, a big inspiration is British comedy such as The League of Gentlemen.

Music inspires me to paint more than anything else, from certain artists, to lyrics, to genres. Scroll to the bottom to stream some great playlists.

There are a number of books that have provided inspiration for my work. It's a bit of a cliche to cite Catcher In The Rye as an inspiration when you're an underground artist but that book just makes so much sense and connects with me. All of the books below had the same effect. A Clockwork Orange, partially written in 'Nadsat' is unlike anything else I've ever read, closely followed by the surreal work of Kurt Vonnegut. Hubert Selby Jr's Last Exit To Brooklyn is downright filth and shows you can create art and shock.

I take a lot of inspiration from movies. I spent a lot of my teenage years bingeing on Horror movies. However, it's the movies that are a little mind-bending that really inspire. Donnie Darko is probably my all-time favourite. I very rarely watch a movie more than once but I can watch that on repeat.