Out of my interest in the history of the British Pop Art scene (Richard Hamilton and Eduardo Paolozzi being key influences within my practice), I have recently been researching the work of Peter Phillips. I love his penchant for futuristic imagery and garish, neon graphics - a 70s/80s era projection of a 21st century that has never existed. I enjoy the contrast that this aesthetic presents - on the one hand it would have been fantastically modern and utopian when first produced by Phillips in the mid-70s, yet despite their futuristic quality they have now become antique, relics of a previous modern era, vintage in their imagery and futuristic predictions. I am interested in recycling imagery from a similar moment in history within my own work (although I tend to work more in the medium of collage rather than oil paint), exploring the ideals of 20th century popular culture - I like to think of such images as 'modern relics', presenting what are now historical artefacts from previous generations to a post-post-modern audience (such as my piece BOWIE below).