Born and raised in England, I moved to Glasgow to attend GSofA in 2004 to achieve my BA(Hons) in Visual Communication: Illustration.  Since graduating in 2008, I have monkeyed about in Australia, Japan, USA and Scandinavia.  Axel Handfolk is my Handpoke and tattoo pseudonym.

 

As you've probably already gleaned from my creations,  I am all about walking the untrodden path; fascinated by the unknown, consciousness, memory palaces, quantum physics, the macabre, and even indelibly inked skin stories, to name but a few interests.

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My spiritual development is very dear to me - I am a practicing Reiki Master, I attend Shamanic circles, and am also walking the ancient Egyptian Deity path with Isis School of Holistic Health. I have visited lava fields, lay lines and standing stones around the world.

 

I have tracked down (and continue to daydream about) my Icelandic/Danish family heritage, drawing the people in my life whom I adore, (albeit dead or alive - icons, friends, family).  I often use simply pencil and paper to do this, or work with my hands sculpturally to directly energise my creations.

 

All that being said, I have recently hauled my dinosaur self into the modern age by getting begrudgingly acquainted with an iPad.

 

I sketch heroines and idols from childhood movies/music/books. I watch every enriching or terrifying film I can bear, drag my two whippets around the landscape, adore singing my little heart out (only with no audience as ever since a difficult Opera exam at 8yrs old, I have crippling stage fright.) I'm enchanted by sea and wildlife. If there is any body of water nearby, I will be swimming in it.  (Unless it's the Clyde of course!)

 

I have lost days copywriting, proof-reading, arranging words.  I am a sub-culture hunter. The DIY ethos appeals; I cogitate on the Crimethinc ways and on Black Mirror- the trajectory of society, Artificial Intelligence, Sci Fi, perceptions of reality and parallel worlds. I am pan-sexual /Queer and have one sibling, who is Trans/Non-Binary.

 

I'm constantly working to fund my popcorn habit, and dally with appeasing the gods of rock 'n' roll with a healthy dose of hedonism. I am wrapped in deep and true love, and I like to go to gigs so I can cry when the band comes on and plays their first song.  It never gets old. Music is our insides outside, after all.  

 

I love hard, forgive as much as I can, plough ahead, reshape myself at each twist and turn, being as desirous of life as I can. I embrace all dark corners as skilfully as I am able, and just generally try to stay balanced up on a high flying disk until I fall off, get glum and have to start all over again..living a thousand emotions a day..

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To hire and enquire email me yourplacetospace@gmail.com

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©AG 2024