A NEW CHAPTER

As I start the engine of my trusty van and head down the well-worn route towards London, it’s hard to believe that this chapter is really coming to an end.

Returning to Sheffield twelve years ago marked the beginning of one of the biggest chapters of my life. I arrived with a studio and a growing art practice; I leave with a ten-year-old daughter. As the city fades into the distance, I'll always carry a piece of my origin story with me, wherever life takes us next.

Looking back, I realise just how much of my work was shaped by the city of steel. Sheffield gave me the space to grow - not just as an artist, but as a person. Many of the buildings I found myself drawn to weren't grand landmarks, but the ordinary places that quietly wove themselves into everyday life.

Sheffield has shaped not only my signature cityscape style, but the way I think about place itself. It's a city that taught me how our surroundings quietly shape our identity, often in ways that only make sense in the rear-view mirror.

Soon after returning to my hometown from London, I was selected to take part in Pete McKee's immersive Pub Scrawl exhibition. Given free rein to transform a city-centre pub into anything I wanted, I created a greasy spoon café complete with handmade curtains and tablecloths, cups of tea, bacon butties and, naturally, a bottle of Henderson's Relish.

I'm not going to pretend I was the first person to memorialise Henderson's in ink. I know that over the years it's become something of a Sheffield cliché. But from the first time I drew that little factory on Leavygreave Road, it held a special place in my heart.

Detail of Henderson’s Relish drawing

Because for a bottle of relish to become a cultural emblem is both endearingly funny.

And very Sheffield.

How did a blend of tamarind, vinegar and cloves wrapped in a bright orange label become something people pack in their suitcases to take across the world?

Sheffielders look at Lea & Perrins (sorry for actually writing that) with a sideways glance and will casually explain that Henderson's is vegan and gluten-free, therefore making it unquestionably superior to Worcestershire sauce, regardless of anyone's dietary requirements.

Saying anything bad about Sheffield - or South Yorkshire - is practically a crime. Having the wrong bottle on the table is tantamount to treason. You have been warned.

Returning to the place of my birth from London and Cornwall, I saw Sheffield with fresh eyes. I fell in love all over again with that little factory perched on the dual carriageway, tramlines criss-crossing in front of its weathered brickwork and the bold orange sign proudly declaring that Henderson's Relish had been made in Sheffield for over a 100 years.

The famous sign has since had its grammar corrected, and the factory itself has moved to a premises better suited to modern production. 

As I prepare to leave Sheffield, this building represents far more than a bottle of sauce. It represents the warmth, humour and quiet pride of a city that welcomed me home and became part of my own story. I’ve created a new drawing to reflect another phase in the factory’s life, complete with fixed sign.

Henderson’s Relish - Click the image to view the print edition in the studio shop.

I'm endlessly grateful to the people of Sheffield - and, of course, to Henderson's Relish. From painting murals and filming inside the factory to decorating the limited-edition bottle for the Save Sheffield Trees campaign, Hendo's has been a constant thread running through my work.

Thank you to every independent shop and gallery that has stocked my work, and to every person who has stopped for a chat, collaborated with me, supported me or believed in what I do. You've made me feel like part of the fabric of this city.

Sheffield will always be part of me, and this isn't a permanently closed door. The journey up and down the M1 has become a familiar one over the years, and I know I'll be back - for future collaborations, creative projects and, no doubt, another bottle of Henderson's.

For now, though, I'm heading south.

But I'd always relish the opportunity to return.

Project Case Studies

Steel City  - Millennium Gallery, Sheffield

Kid in a sweet shop/ Grown up in the Henderson’s factory

In 2015 I was lucky enough to travel to the USA on an Arts Council grant to make a series of films contrasting the twin cities of Pittsburgh and Sheffield. Both “Steel Cities” the purpose of the exhibition was to see how a shared heritage two thousand miles apart could shape the city’s sense of identity today.

Watch the film here - https://vimeo.com/147933333

Save Sheffield Trees

Limited Edition Henderson’s bottle

During the fight to save Sheffield’s street trees - another defining feature of Sheffield - almost as important as the sauce! I was honoured to be asked to design a special edition label for the bottle that sold out in the blink of an eye. And equally delighted that the street trees of Sheffield were eventually saved!

Factory Mural 

During the renovation of the old building, I was delighted to be asked to cover the builder’s hoarding with my artwork