Mark is a skater and painter based in Bristol

 

I moved back to Bristol after being in Sheffield for 8 years, I help out at Fifty Fity Store but I’m pursuing a career in Motion Graphics, Post Production and Editing. I’ve been painting for 9 years. It’s a medium for me to mess around with form and lines that never-ever seem to end.

 

When you’re younger, skateboarding introduces you to colour, type, composition and imagery. Even now, when we’re all submerged in such a vast visual world, popular culture is fixated on skateboarding.

 

Skating and making art can mix well together but I like to separate both interests. As a process, skating’ can contribute to your art. I try to make at the start of the day, because if I have a shit skate I can always look back and say “Aye, at least you made that piece earlier…Fuck yeah“.

 

Alexis Jemet and Flexi Alexi inspire me. Awesome colours and form, like a modern impressionist and he makes great animations.

 

Darryn Daggers tattoos are sick and my brother Stephen doesn’t skate but has great drawings and technique. I got some doodles of Richard Chung, Gordo & Gary I can’t wait to put up in my new place!

 

I was introduced to Seb Braun via Elliot and Rich Smith , his work is so fucking rad, the dark on light colours makes me want to get a print!

 

Fuck, Mike O’Shea’s illustration are on point and hilarious. I fell in love with Ray Barbee’s ‘Moment by Moment’ – the simple Xylophone tones…perfecto!

 

Closer to home, I’d say this band ‘Best Friends’, they play some heavy tunes, Ed from the group also runs a fucking radical DIY space the Delicious Clam Records so, if your ever in Sheffield ‘Go Support!’.

 

I also back Bry, Dave, Joe who play in Sievehead who always put on a sick show. Tucans, Riders; Gordo’s Freestyle just need to stop being ‘The Whitey Knighty’ at gigs?

 

Film-wise, 5050 vids – Mike Pearson ‘s filming and George Nevin and Gainers – Bristol In Bloom /Worriors vids if you know, chu kno!!

 

I enjoyed the old Skateboard Cafe days and jamming with Jason Lewer, Smiths, Tom Gibbs, Carter, JackTumTum and my G Ashton (RIP).

 

Ciaran O’ Connor and I have chatted for hours. Ciaran is a foundation of information and motivation about making art without a doubt!

 

The No Comply Network is a good mixture of different creatives talents, from big to small; great creative integration. There are so many amazing skilled people out there and it’s a good platform to find out about them No Comply and Vague Mag and a few others out there are doing exactly what should be done.

 

I have an exhibition in London of my most recent work at Forest Gate Brewery. Opening night is on the 31st of March and will be up for a month. There will be a Raffle, beats hosted by 30stax and beer

 

30 STAX *-* (Big John, Lefty Josh & Myself) play in Sheffield every Third weekend of the month, our next night will be the 17th of February where we play some big jams and put on skate videos.

 

I go up to Sheffield once a month to work on editing with my producer Ann-Marie, which is helpful because we work well as a team alongside having a lot of work to do. This means I can be productive and get some downtime with the crew’dem.

 

I’m also planning on finishing my latest full skate video,‘Pizzblaze: Da Movie’. featuring Chung, Gordo, Gary, John, Alexie, Josh/Ghost, Matlok Bennett-Jones Shaun Currie, Elis/Johnny 5, and more from Bristol, Sheffield and London.