Make the rockin' world go 'round

I have often described my taste in music as "eclectic", but honestly, "promiscuous" would be a better description... Over the years, I have had so many favourite bands, and I pick new favourites frequently, but my first favourite was Queen.

Queen is rather promiscuous in their musical tastes too, and that might be where I get it from... their style has always all over the place. One day they're inventing thrash metal with "Stone Cold Crazy", and the next they're doing doo-wop on "Pain Is So Close To Pleasure". They'll churn out rock anthems like "We Are The Champions" and plagiarise opera in "It's a Hard Life". There's pop, there's disco, there's funk, there's R&B, and whatever the hell "Bicycle Race" counts as!

This painting is an attempt to capture the experience I felt listening to Queen while growing up. The wild diversity of images that are permanently stamped on my brain from seeing their videos on my screen, and the scenes that fill my head while listening to their albums.

Aside from Queen, I drew inspiration for this painting from the movie posters that were so prevalent in my youth. With my background in illustration and graphic design, I have always been a big fan of the work of Drew Struzan, and in creating this piece, I found myself trying to channel his design sensibilities and approach. He was always very good at capturing the spirit and energy of the film that he was doing posters for, in a way that would evoke all the key moments in the viewer's mind. I wanted to achieve the same thing, and have this painting be something that I'd love to have hanging on my own wall... something that I'd look upon often, and with each look be reminded of highlights from the career of that band that I loved, and still love, so dearly."