Oil and unbleached beeswax on plywood

30 x 22 cm

2017

I knew I had to paint Theo the moment he burst through the door of his hipster tea shop at the top of Brick Lane, wrapped in a vintage flying jacket, long hair under a battered hat that looked like it had seen more adventures than Indiana Jones’s, eyes hidden by aviators. He was flanked by an exquisite blue-eyed husky, both back lit by the sun pouring in behind them. It was quite an entrance.

The tea shop was called The Hawkhurst Vault, after the Hawkhurst Gang, smugglers of the 18th Century who operated throughout Kent where Theo grew up. Local folklore and legends speak of vast networks of tunnels and gang members meeting at The Mermaid pub in Rye, their loaded arms on the table.

At the Vault, Theo took tea very seriously. They served over seventeen different varieties, and your pot came with a 3-minute timer to ensure the perfect brew.

When Theo sat for me I thought of Highwaymen, WANTED posters and Billy the Kid, and all this came out in the pieces I made of him.

Sadly the Hawkhurst Vault is no more, and last I heard Theo had skipped town to Edinburgh...