Works that didn’t go into Straight A’s

Straight A’s was a once in a lifetime exhibition – at least in terms of life so far. It’s only for this reason I am sharing work that didn’t make Straight A’s, because I feel it is interesting to speak about.

Canary in the Coal mine

If I had been succesful with funding this sculptural proposal would have been made.

But it required welding and equally a skill-set I didn’t have.

I have explained why I used to Canary in the coal-mine analogy, relating the history of my home town to my own specific struggles with eating disorders, but in the end I think it couldn’t be done.

“IT’S WAR, THEN!” (2020)

A friend suggested I show this work as he believed it’s one of my strongest – and to be honest I think he is correct. However, the aggression of work wouldn’t have worked with the rest of the works.

The Alpha Forest (2009)

The Alpha Forest is the largest framed drawing I have ever made (5x10ft). I am still immensly eager to show this work, at least one more time before I realise it can’t survive many more winters in my dad’s shed. It’s size was the problem, and if I’d had put this in the exhibition, it would have consumed the exhibition.

Scanning for threat (2022)

I really wanted to show the map-making that has been so crucial to my work, especially since the 2010s. However these maps just didn’t fit in, and in turned out that the large sketchbook ‘Best Amongst Ruins’ touched upon the maps – if you had the patience to look through it for them.

Central Bombardment (2009)

This work, owned by a kind gentleman in south Sheffield, was available for me to use for the exhibition. The only problem was I’d misjudged the size and it wouldn’t fit in my car, and I couldn’t afford to hire a van all the way down to Abbeydale Road for one work.

New Brutality (2024)