My work has always been concerned with human emotions and interactions in the urban environment.
My working class background, and interest in street culture has informed the imagery I use and the way it is created.
Earlier work concentrated on people living outside comfortable “norms”, characters who I saw in the street and who affected me in ways ranging from joy to sorrow.
But paintings full of emotion and brush strokes were out of step with the prevailing ‘conceptual-intellecto-boredom” vibe, so one day, in a charity shop, I felt a soft toy looking at me and realised that it could convey human emotion in a less direct and challenging way than the previous energetic works. That was the beginning of the “Toys” series. And, yes, they did appeal to people who found my previous work a bit too strong for their delicate sensibilities. And they reined me in and made me paint with more control.
The next series of paintings moved organically along – I wanted the expressionism and the graffitti back, but I was feeling disenchanted with the human race generally. I found watching urban animals fed my soul, and I liked the way they were positioned alongside the crap and detritus of a big city. I did a Squirrel, and the rest of the Urban Animals followed. They are a bridge between the Toys and the Urban People.
Feeling increasingly alienated from mainstream society, and increasingly disturbed and crushed by human behaviour, I started to make paintings of more exotic animals, some endangered, surrounded and imprisoned by urban graffitti. Wild nature being forced into a small coorner by the burgeoning and uncaring human population of the planet. I felt that humans who are sensitive and thoughtful are in a similar position – being destroyed by the capitalist clamour to occupy and exploit. I fear for them, and for myself.
The new work will be trying to pull together my feelings about being human in the 21st Century – watch this space.
Mandy McCartin 
Dear mandy my name is stephen clarke and you may remember me I am a mixed raced gay man who had two paintings alongside yours at the September in the pink exhibition brixton circa 1984? Because of my experiences I have lost contact with friends and acquaintances not least due to the then aids crisis ,the eighties were such a vortex for us all in terms of the political climate . I am very glad you are still working
You all ways struck me as committed to your work and I will look out for your next exhibition The last time I saw you you were on your bike up rosebury avenue islington you told me that colin Markham De wick and Andrew Oliver had split up they had been good friends at Sunderland poly I presume the are dead unless you can enlighten me as to otherwise ( I don’t know if this fits but do you like Kirchner and this seem of expressionism have you ever had painters block and how (if so,did you get through this) also did you find love Anyway you keep going strong regards stephen clarke
Hi Mandy, great to see this evolving here, thanks for letting us know about Julian’s critique, powerful words matching powerful paintings. As you know – Our delicate sensibilities admire your earlier people paintings, and we are now greatly looking forward to the 21 century humans ;-). Next time you are next door, let us know please… Katja and Frank