ABOUT ME:
Roots
My family are from London and the Southeast. They moved out to Essex
briefly, where I was born, then moved back. I spent much of my childhood
in Manchester - the people up north are different - friendlier than
London. School was difficult, I was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia.
I think I was very creative even at school, but because of the problems
my dyslexia causes nobody picked this up. Many dyslexics are strange
characters (but then so are many non-dyslexics), many are even genius-level
but tend to be rebellious and controversial and often anti establishment
in a society that is not geared for them.
We moved back to
London when I was 14. I left school early to work,
after becoming involved in a relationship, and
when I was 19 this broke up and I moved out of
the accommodation we shared. This was a difficult
time for my family as well, my folks had just split
up and by the time I was 20 I was homeless in London.
Streets
of London
This felt like the lowest point in my life with me sleeping in squats
in various degrees of squalor sometimes even roughing it and sleeping
out on the streets. I was there nearly 10 years, and it was not a good
time. When you think things can't get worse, sometimes they do.
The underbelly of
a city can be a very dirty place, where you are
surrounded by drugs and see too much violence and
killing. The philosophy of the streets controls
your life, and it's a code that breeds the Pits
of Hell.
William
Blake and the Holy Fool
I never really started learning until I was 24, and made up my mind that
I had to overcome my battle with learning. I decided to jump in at the
deep end when I discovered the work of William Blake, and read as much
as I could find. This was the start of a way of trying to understand
my experience of life and the exploration has never stopped. I follow
the path of the Holy Fool, of self-initiation into the arcane philosophy.
I eventually managed
to break the cycle of the streets when I was given
the use of a flat through one of those schemes..
You were given the keys to a place that was being
used by junkies - the scheme gave you the use of
the flat provided you could evict its illegal users.
It wasn't ideal but it was a break. It was when
I decided to start studying, first basic courses
to get me back into society, and then others in
art and design.
If I had to suggest
a method to help homeless people recover and get
off the street, a big part of it would involve
art therapy, being able to find a voice again and
getting in touch with who you really are.
Shamanic
Journey
At 34 my family moved down to Wales, deep into the country, a contrast
from London that made me feel like I had come home. It seemed very natural
to slip into a kind of Shamanic journey and start to explore the energies
of the trees and stones and magical places of the countryside.
I can feel the
energy frequencies of stones - they all have different
resonances, their own invisible energy textures.
Stones that have been in water have stronger energy,
a strength that stays with them long after they
have been out of the water.
I collect some of
the wood and stones etc that have a good energy
for me. The references in paintings and collages
to Stonehenge, for example echo a warmth and respect
for the "heart" of the living earth.
I see life as a
kind of journey of exploration of the unknown.
When I am learning something new, often I am on
the edge of something, not knowing it is there,
later, when I am inside and have the knowledge
or experience, I look back and see what led me
there and how many things influenced the journey
that I did not know I was on - at least I did not
understand the destination. My paintings are an
exploration of my journey.
I now live
in Lowestoft where I have my studio. I now do
a lot of photography - a camera is a wonderful
tool for capturing moments in time, another means
of exploring the path of the Holy Fool.
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To
see some of my Photography
Use the links below |
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CONTACT ME USING THE LINK BELOW
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