Recent Illustrations
Portrush 2019
This Summer, we travelled as a family to Portrush, Northern Ireland, the place of My Grandfather, George Hamilton’s birth. I never met him, as he died when my mother was just a girl, but it was very special explore a part of my heritage which till now had been just a set of stories and ideas. This image was based on sketches and photographs taken on the headland to the west of the town. The colour scheme is a subtle nod to the Hamilton Family tartan, as well as reflecting the red and blue pencil leads that I use to sketch.
A Wave of Whales
An image create for the ‘Wave of Whales’ campaign, launched by author and illustrator Nichola Davies to protest the resumption of commercial whaling in Japan. I wanted to capture the sublime beauty of these immense creatures, but also hint at the dangers they face when they come into contact with people. The rendering of the sea’s surface and the boats that are visible but distorted through the waves was inspired by the amazing animated seascapes in Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo.
Nick Cave - Skeleton Trees
After seeing Nick Cave and the Bad seeds live at the 02 Arena, I was moved by the way in which they transformed a huge, soulless cavern into an intimate, involving experience. As the LCD banner adds faded to be replaced by the haunting strains of ‘Anthrocene’ it was clear it was going to be something special. In this tribute to the band, I have taken inspiration from the titular ‘Skeleton tree’, but also thought back to the opening track of their previous album, and the lyric ‘the trees all stand like pleading hands’. I always think of this lyric when seeing the bare, pollarded trees that line the streets of towns and cities.
The Highway Code for Cats
This illustration was born from the playful use of language that seems to flow more easily when interacting with young children. Since my son was born, he has grown to love our family cats, but they do not always receive his affection in the spirit in which it is intended… the indignant frown of a cat that has quite literally been rubbed up the wrong way inspired this slice of absurd surrealism.
Save Sheffield Trees
Though I have never visited Sheffield, I became aware through news coverage and social media of the controversial contract between the local council and Amey PLC, which has resulted in thousands of mature trees being felled against the wishes of many residents. This struck me as a senseless act of corporate vandalism in the name or profit, so I created this image in support of the tireless campaigners who have been trying to make the council see sense, and protestors who have done their best to defend the trees that bring so much value and pleasure to our lives. I was touched by the many warm and kind responses to this piece, which was shared extensively on Twitter.