Brooklyn Bridge is now live!

Just in time for Christmas! To celebrate ten years of creating typewriter art, I'm excited to announce the release of 14 new artworks! Highlights include iconic pieces like the Brooklyn Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge, as well as the first piece I ever created back in 2014, The Woolworth Building. This piece, an early experiment in typewriter art, has never been available as a print until now.

Alongside these new releases, I'm thrilled to offer several works that have never been printed before, including Liverpool Skyline and St. Paul's Cathedral from The Shard. By popular demand, I’m also bringing back my London Panoramic Series, created on-location in 2021-2022 using four portable typewriters.

Celebrating 10 Years | The Story of How I Became an Artist | Part 3

In my previous newsletter, I touched on how this little hobby gained recognition almost overnight after being featured on BBC news. The beginning of 2020 was a strange time to say the least; my hobby was suddenly thrown into the spotlight turning into a piece of TV and a story for the newspapers. However, the invitations from journalists for interviews came at the most demanding and trying time for the entire world. Just as things were looking so bright, the world descended into chaos with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early 2020, as journalists began inviting me to TV studios to talk about my artwork, I was still studying architecture at UCL’s The Bartlett. I remember receiving phone calls 5-6 times a day from producers while sitting in important lectures. Each time, I quietly tiptoed out of class to take each call, noticing the disapproving eyes of my tutors as I left. One instance, in particular, stands out. I had just left university for the day and was walking down North Gower Street, heading toward Euston Station, when my phone rang. On the other end was a journalist from a popular daily newspaper (which shall remain nameless) urgently insisting that I stop in my tracks and avoid boarding the London Underground so the phone signal didn’t break up. He needed to write the story about my work, and it had to be finished by the end of that day. Whilst I insisted that I would call back when I got back to my student accommodation, he insisted that I stop and stay put. It was rush hour and millions of people were descending onto Euston Station. Meanwhile, I stayed put blocking the flow of this footfall.

In that moment, standing still in the bustling streets of London, I realized just how bizarre things were getting. As the weeks rolled into March, the virus became an unavoidable reality. I continued to give interviews about my artwork during this time, but by then, I’d often find myself following medical experts after an interview who were discussing the virus and whether we should be worried or not.

I vividly remember one moment in particular. I was in the green room at ITV’s Good Morning Britain, waiting for my interview with Ben Shepherd and Kate Garraway. Across from me sat Dr. Hilary Jones, the show’s resident medical expert. He smiled at me kindly, possibly noticing how nervous I was, trembling with anxiety and excitement. It was 6:30 in the morning, and I was about to speak to 5 million people live on air. I made a point of not telling my parents when I might pop up on TV after this occasion as the thought of having anyone you know watching you live on TV is a terrifying thought. Shortly after that interview, everything changed. When the lockdowns began, I packed up my desk and moved back to Essex one day before the lockdown announcement for the UK.

That period was incredibly difficult for me and many students on my course. Remote learning left us all feeling disconnected. In fact, my time at the Bartlett had its own challenges. Without going into too much detail, the working environment was tough. There was a culture that left many of us feeling unsettled to say the least. This ultimately led to an external investigation into the school’s practices.

During the lockdowns, like so many others, I took a hard look at my life and career. It became clear that while I loved drawing buildings, I wasn’t as passionate about designing them. After seven years of exploring typewriter art just as a side project, when I graduated in June 2021, I decided to take a leap of faith and pursue my art full-time. It was a daunting choice, but it felt right. I gave myself a cautious timeline: put on an exhibition by the end of the summer and, based on its success, decide whether to continue until Christmas. The plan was simple; if it worked, great; if not…well…I didn’t have a backup.

As much as I believed in what I was doing, the sceptics in my life didn’t make it easy. There were plenty of side comments and doubts from those around me. I was a regular at my local post office, sending commissioned pieces around the world, and I’ll never forget one postal worker’s snide remark: "Oh, it’s you again with your artwork. When are you going to get a proper job?" Neighbours and relatives had similar things to say. At a family gathering, an uncle quipped, "You should make the most of this while it lasts; it’ll fizzle out soon enough, and you’ll have to get your feet back on the ground."

Less than two months after graduating in July 2021, I proudly-hosted my first exhibition. To bring this vision to life, I partnered with a local gallery nestled in the picturesque village of Finchingfield, Essex. The arrangement was straightforward: the gallery generously offered me their space and took a commission on sales. We secured several notable locations to inspire new works, one of the most intriguing being Spains Hall—a stunning 15th-century manor house owned by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, set against 70 acres of lush parkland.

I found myself driving my little silver MINI onto Jamie Oliver’s estate, ready to create a piece of art depicting his house under the blazing summer sun. In addition to this, I produced drawings from the rooftop of Maldon’s Moot Hall, Horeham Hall near Thaxted, and The Roundhouse; a whimsical property in Finchingfield that seemed plucked straight from a J.R.R. Tolkien novel. With a pressing deadline looming, I faced the challenge of completing a collection of ten artworks in time for the preview evening, but somehow I managed to finish it all.

The exhibition coincided with social distancing measures, which limited venue capacity to just 15 people at a time. It was heart-warming to see my first primary school teacher, Mrs. Cassidy, attend. She kindly reminded me that I had loved drawing since the age of five and expressed how proud she was of my achievements.

In the final instalment of my journey to becoming an artist, which will be featured in my next newsletter, I will share the transition from working at home to establishing my studio at Trinity Buoy Wharf, where I now create all my projects. As a quick summary, I am celebrating a decade of creating typewriter art this year, and many of the featured artworks along this journey will be available for a limited time only from the 6th November with the online shop.

Until next week, bye for now!  

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