filthy rotter
Art inspired by the original punk scene.
Growing up in the era of punk was an exciting time. Everything from the fashion and characters, to the flyers and playing the drums in punk bands (which I still do today!) completely shaped my life and still inspires me to this day.
I left school without many qualifications, which led me to get an apprenticeship at the local screen printing company. I worked in the studio preparing the artwork and cutting out the rubylith ready for the different prints which were mainly for electrical shops, Dixons and Lasky, but we did do the odd cool print. I was sent for my block release at the London College Of Printing in Elephant & Castle in London which completely opened up the world of printing to me, learning how to work with different materials and techniques. This unfortunately came to an abrupt end when my boss decided that I had ‘learnt enough for his company’ and he would not be sending me for my final year - so in true punk-fashion, I kindly told him to fuck off and left!
After spending many years in different lines of work, holding down a marriage, and having children, there have been only a couple of things in life that have stayed with me; the music, the fashion, the art and all of those great times that came with them.
The passing of my Dad in 2019 was the catalyst for me to seek out painting as a therapy tool - but what to paint? There could only be one thing - the good ol’ punk days. Having no official training, I didn’t really know what to expect but persevered and thought I would try my hand at screen printing once again. I bought a small set up for the shed and the love for it quickly came flooding back.
It’s a full circle moment. After 40+ years I’m still screen printing and making art, still playing the drums in a punk band (Knock Off), and still being inspired by those great punk tracks of the day.
