Tell us a little about yourself?
I am from England and when I’m not making art I work as a chef.
How and when did you start getting into Pokemon/vaporwave art?
I’ve been making Pokemon based artwork since early 2018. Before this I mainly made surreal landscape art in the form of collage art by cutting up vintage Nat Geo magazines for several years. At some point in 2017 I began incorporating my love of the vaporwave aesthetic into this art, adding digital effects to my traditional practice.
What inspires you?
Escapism. All of my art is about immersing myself in fictional worlds. Even as a small child I was making my own Pokemon cards and stories. I’d draw made up Pokemon maps, make pretend wanted posters for Star Wars characters, craft Lord of the Rings weapons like bows and arrows with elvish writing on them, make Harry Potter wands and pretend shopping lists for Diagon Alley and homework for Hogwarts. It was all about expanding the lore of these places I loved, blurring the boundaries between these imaginary worlds and our reality.
This caused problems when I was studying Fine Art at university, I despise conceptual art and most of the contemporary theory based art gallery world. I like simple beauty and craftsmanship. My tutors at art school were always pushing me to make political art and to try address social issues with it, which just isn’t something I ever felt comfortable doing. It was dragging the worst parts of our reality into that one sacred peaceful place I had, art.
A genuine quote from my art tutor “It’s just too nice. What do you hate? Try making art about that.” I couldn’t wait to leave, get my degree and go make the art that genuinely expresses myself. Which is what I’m doing now and surprisingly lots of other people love seeing what I make too which inspires me all the more.
What other