Gallery

Collage

The Singing Wires - 2025.

Collage, cut-and-paste and digital media.

The name for this piece is derived from the character of Nicholas in Brian Catlings book The Cloven, which is part three in the Vorrh trilogy. Nicholas, who is a kind of eccentric angel, engages himself in listening to his crystal-set radio and finds delight in hearing the voices inside it. He refers to the signals as the “singing wires”.

I wanted to work on something that conveyed the imagery of transmissions portrayed as a totem. Before the piece’s creation, I viewed and listened to music and dramas in which wave and static noise was used to invoke moods and to add a dramatic feeling - namely David Lynch’s works, with regards to his use of sampling from experimental ambient and post rock bands.

Static is the sound of old analogue TV or radio. It contains 1% of what is called cosmic microwave background - the leftover radiation and thermal afterglow of the big bang.

Atomic Lophophora - 2025

Collage, cut-and-paste and digital media.

In my early twenties, I, like many other people I knew at the time, read Carlos Castenada’s The Teachings of Don Juan, A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. This Peruvian American author wrote of meetings that developed into Castenada becoming apprentice to Don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian sorcerer. In this apprenticeship, Castenada gathered data about his experiences using spiritually and medicinal plants, with peyote being one of these. It has been debated and argued that Castenada’s world was largely fictional, but never-the-less, it would seem that the experiences of using peyote to gain guidance as a balance for spirituality are very real.

I had also read the book Crow Dog: Four Generations of Sioux Medicine Men by Leonard Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes. For Crow Dog, peyote stood for unity for all people despite varying religions or ceremonies, “different tribes have peyote” in Crow Dog’s words “it makes them one”. It is known that it elevates the mind in such a way as to lift it into new dimensions. Whilst I’m not advocating its use, it is a sacred sacrament to the Native Americans who lived within the natural world and honoured, feared and respected it.

Atomic explosions happen with an uncontrolled release of energy which occurs through nuclear fission. I wanted to make an image that showed power that had the impact of what an explosion would be like if invoked by the ingestion of the cactus on a persons psyche. To put a face to a name Atomic Lophophora.

I wanted to make an image that compared the power of that explosion to the effect on a persons psyche as invoked by the ingestion of the cactus.

Full Assault - 2025‍ ‍

Collage, cut-and-paste and digital media.

John Cipollina played guitar for sixties band “The Quicksilver Messenger Service”. He developed a one-of-a-kind Amplifier stack which consisted of two Standel amplifiers equipped with fifteen inch speaker cabinets. Treble pick ups fed into fender duel showman speakers which drove the sound through Wurlitzer horns.

This system is now in the American rock n roll hall of fame. The design was  one of the main influences for putting this collage together.

To show a system levitating on feathered wings like a sound ship was my vision for its construction.

To uplift with “ Full Assault”.

Remote Viewer - 2024

Collage, cut-and-paste and digital media.

The definition of a “remote viewer” or “remote viewing” is that it is an alleged psychic ability to see or sense a hidden target, place or person that is far away. Mainstream science views this as pseudo science because it doesn’t give sold proof, yet meditation encourages deep visual thought by the use of yantra symbology as guides for transcendence.

What interested me was the assumption that a remote viewer would be human, so I wanted to create an image that viewed humanity as the target - seen from an alien mindset.

The Harvester Collage- cut and paste 2024.

Since the 14th century, European art connected the physical features of death to the character of the Grim Reaper.

‍The scythe had deliberate agricultural associations. The tool symbolised the removal of human souls from their bodies, with the analogy being the farmer (Reaper) cutting through swaths of grain crops during harvest. The Grim Reaper as a soul collector has been used countless times in Storytelling, folklore, and film, but my interpretation was partly influenced by the Welsh customs of “the Mari Lwyd”. I also loved the late author Terry Pratchett’s interpretation of the character as '“just a guy who has a job to do”, kind of like Woody Allen’s take on the reaper in his film, Love and Death. For some reason, he plays a flailing banjo lament before the big chop, who knows?

Assemblage

Nordri’s Sister, Little Mermaid & Junk-Yard-Fat Suit Glen Tomney - 2022

Framed prints of collage and digital media. £40.00 each.

Unmounted prints also available. £25.00 each.

In the book Into the Mylar Chamber by Ira Cohen www.fulgur.press Cohen uses reflective “mylar” mirrors which he built into walls in his apartment. The reflections created by these specialist flexible mirrors created visual distortion. He would sometimes use scatter cushions for comfort, costumes and props and photograph human subjects in a visual interesting way.

The characters I have created owe a debut to Cohen’s study, as the face I used was that of a Japanese geisha with her features distorted by the mylar effect. I copied the image and created this trio of supernatural beings, using the same face in all three images. Eyes and lips were changed to match the quirks of each character’s individual eccentricity.

The designs are somewhere between New Orleans Mardi-Gras costumes and Ken Dod’s Dicky Mint puppet. They are stunted, quirky and psychedelic in their own way and this was the aim. Nordri’s Sister, the Little Mermaid and Junk-Yard-Fat Suit will all appear in the book of Nordri which will be my project in 2027.

Dagda Rock “n” roll - 2007

Assemblage, collage and multimedia’

Dagda is the principal chief and father-figure in the Irish Celtic mythology of the supernatural Tuatha de Dannan (Ruad Rofhessa) and is associated with immense wisdom and druidry.

Rock ‘n’ roll, used to describe the fusion of blues and gospel music termed rock n roll

Dagda Rock ‘n’ roll.

DJ ALL Assemblage/ Collage/multimedia 2009

The lord of the dance shall make you see a beat reclining cosmic sea

the syrinx pipes will clear the ways

if this is to be the end of daze

lets dance the dance of old arcaydee ,

so of the earth approach me lady

take my hand and with the bliss of rhythm

natures gift that keeps on giving.

Quickill,s Quest Collage/Assemblage 2009

In Koryak mythology, Big Raven also known as Quickill or Kutkinnaku is a supernatural shaman, creator deity, and is the protector of the Koryak people.

He is created by the supreme being as the first man, a culture hero rather than an all powerful god.

He shapes the world, establishes moral codes, teachers the people essential survival skills. Hunting eating and making fire.

He is depicted as a complex figure with both noble qualities and human like flaws and weaknesses.

He is guided by the Creator god to the sacred fly-agaric mushroom which gives him great strength in carrying a whale back to his home.

Similer Raven creator figures appear across many indigenous groups in the Russian far east there are also Raven myths of the Pacific Northwest Coast Native Americans.

The piece uses Clay, Antler, cut-outs ,beads leather, buckskin, suede , crystals , earrings,skulls and leaves.

Steampickin, punk Assemblage/Collage 2010

The gramophone auto-ship steams on ahead controlled by Albert’s flailing and hammer on cred

where in the world in space he some how, finds the funk

for he is the eccentric steam pickin’ punk

Paintings

The All- Father pen and ink

‍ Hugin and Munin fly each day over the spacious earth,                                                                                                 I fear for Hugin that he may not come back, yet more anxious am I for Munin.

Odin’s two ravens represented thought and memory. He sent them out every morning flying throughout the world and anxiously look out for there return at nightfall. At his feet, where the wolves Geri and Freki - animals sacred to himself and to all who met them.

Odin, Wotan or Woden was the highest and holiest god of the northern races. The all pervading spirit of the universe, the personification of Air, the god of universal wisdom and victory, and it was from him that all other gods were said to descend.

He was pseudonymed the Allfather because he occupied the highest seat in Asgard. Hlidskialf was his watchtower from which he overlooked the whole world. He carried the infallible spear Gungnir, which was so sacred that an oath sworn on its point could never be broken.

Odin was worshipped in numerous temples, but especially in the great fane at Uppsala, where the most solemn festivals where held and where sacrifices where offered.

There in the temple, carved in wood,                                                                            The image of great Odin stood. (Saga of King Olaf  H W Longfellow - 1863)

The Folk from under the hill pen and ink

Fairy hills refer to mounds, barrows, and circular elevations in Celtic mythology that are believed to be dwellings or gateways to the realm of fae.

“The good people”, “The Gentry” dwellers of the hollow hills, worlds that aren’t accessible to the living , without paying a price the wise would not.

Captain Pitteye. pen and ink

Drawn many years ago and still awaiting his graphic novel debut.

He battles shade-droids with his “crystal set-blunder thrust” with his faithful bulldog Algernon.

Eastern Zoanthropy pen and ink 2014

Zoanthropy in which a person firmly believes they have turned into a non human animal deriving from the greek words Zoion (“ Animal”) and (Anthropos”) (“Man”).

Kitsune in japanese folklore literally means ‘Fox’ these are fox spirits and are said to possess the ability to shapeshift or bewitch other life forms.

Kitsune became associated with Inari a Shinto deity (seen to the far right of the picture and again depicted, to the bottom left) is said to grant abundance, foxes serve as his messengers.

In Japaneses folklore foxes have nine tails, generally a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful Kitsune.

Inari’s kitsune are white the colour of a good omen. They posses the power to ward of evil, and they sometimes serve as guardian spirits.

The legend of the swordsmith Sanjo Munechika, Inari is described as transforming into the spirit of a fox to aid him. Which is why the finished blade was named, Kogitsune-maru (“Little-fox”) inscribed with both Munechika’s smithing name and the word “Kogitsune” commemorating the fox spirit’s assistance.

The Cold light of day Acrylic painting. It is autumnal but it is not autumnal , It is a fused season .

Bees pollinate but it is cold and sparse, the stream runs past animals and their ancestors. a lord of the wood meditates on old bones, and honey drips from the wheel arch of a long dead ford.

The sister carries a holy bowl, an alien ventures to discover a new, old world.

Potential for the self spreads out her wings.

The candle is lit for love that breaks boundaries ,to the one sound behind all the sounds.

just as every man and every women is a star as the Sun gives light.

Ingwaz Oil painting

Associated with earth calling, 22nd rune of the elder futhark seed, inner fire and new beginning gestation before breakthrough and patience, an isolation breaker.

Ganesha the obstacle remover.

The Robin Ancestor as visitor.

The Bee the hard worker, the team worker , fertility and prosperity, free thought and transformation and hidden wisdom.

As the drum beat gets stronger, the sun re’energises and fashions the crafting its makers. Courted by messengers.

Rhythms of fierce self reliance and determination surround them.

Intuitive guides bridge the physical and unseen worlds.

The Birth of free thought.