Having worked as an advertising art director, and more recently as a photographer - I had the idea of creating classic car art that was a little different. There were a lot of great car shots out there but I wanted to create something a little more unconventional and graphic. Something that was inspired by the non-conformist era when cars were a little more bonkers. Then merge this with the aesthetics of the time - movies, fashion, and art. Creating something similar to the sort of posters we’d put on our bedroom walls.

So, the ideas for my prints come from many influences - whether it’s an 80s album cover, a Pirelli calendar or a shot by one of my favourite photographers, like Guy Bourdin. ‘Pink Legs’ was a bit Guy Bourdin-ish. I love his use of colour and his shots of coloured tights so I paired this idea with the ultimate supercar. The Countach shape is unmistakably mad - often likened to a UFO. So I decided to portray this as just a shape with hardly any detail. 

I wanted Last Days of the Automobile to be part collaboration with some of the great people I had worked with over the years - and for ‘Pink Legs’ I asked photographer John Mac to shoot it. We have been friends since we met at the beginning of our respective careers. I love the simplicity and colours of this piece and was delighted it was chosen as a Winner in the recent Shutter Hub’s AUTO PHOTO Awards and subsequently featured in Issue 128 of Chicane alongside other award winners. I had recently joined Shutter Hub as I was doing more of my own photography and loved their ethos of helping and providing opportunities for creative photographers.

My new piece, ‘Norfolk Cowboy’ came about because, as a long-time Lotus fan, I wanted to create something Lotus themed. I owned one of my dream cars, a Lotus Turbo Esprit for a while and had planned to do something with this. But after lockdown, I decided to sell it (and have had buyer's remorse ever since!). 

I love the 70s as an era - the glam disco, Studio 54, cool fashion 70s, and have had this rust coloured 70s suit hanging in my wardrobe for a while that used to be my dad's. So I thought this would be great paired up with either a Lotus Elite or Eclat. The Lotus Drivers Club helped me reach out to owners and James Stripe got in touch with his sage green Elite. This car used to belong to his dad, Mike Stripe, who had been a long-standing member and Chairman of the Club; so for both of us, this was going to be a very special shot - James’ dad’s car and my dad’s suit! 

I shot this one myself, and you never really know what might come out of your shoot on the day. I had a few poses and angles planned in my head but when the model started messing around I caught something that I loved! The suit, the car, the irreverent and disco pose - the whole look (the model even grew a 70’s moustache specially for the job), worked just right.