Spartacus Afterlife Part 2 - Coming February 2026
Sneak peak detail from Children of the Worm
oil on canvas 2025 300cm x 200cm
Paintings vs person size for scale: Black Cat Gallery September 2022. Andrew loves working big, and sometimes the simply put message done on a large scale can make a powerful statement. Pictured - His wife Jo with ‘I am not a Robot’ and ‘Another One Last Time’
Spartacus Afterlife Part One
A Glorious Death
I have been fascinated by the legend of Spartacus since I first saw the classic 1960’s movie starring Kirk Douglas when I was a young boy. The timeless story of the Thracian warrior who was forced into slavery, then became a gladiator, then a rebel, spoke to my soul. And in my middle years, and after decades of personal struggle, his legacy has called to me across the millennia to add my voice to the fight against slavery and oppression.
The aim of this body of work is to give life to the ideologies and philosophies that motivated Spartacus and his army, and to dispel the popular culture myths that overshadow some of the deeper truths behind the legend; particularly the important relationship he had with a very powerful wife.
Part one of this two-part series focused on the beautiful but brutal aspects of the glorious death, and touches on the timeless idea of rebirth.
The Thracians believed they were reborn on a higher level of consciousness, or they were simply brought back to the now, and A Glorious Death ended with a transition that saw Spartacus resurrected - works are well in progress for part two.
Anka May 2025
Image courtesy of SOL Gallery
From Andrew for Greenwater October 2023
In May 2022 I had the honour to be invited into the lands of the Yolngu in east Arnhem Land.
Gapuwiyak is where the people who work In paradise would go to for their annual holidays, if they knew it was there. You can keep your tourist centres of the Kimberly and Kakadu - all good; please enjoy. Not everyone is built to drive the Central Arnhem Road, then four wheel drive two hours further than one thinks they can go, swim in and camp beside a crocodile infested river, and be stalked by a bull buffalo along the banks of that river - only to excel in that environment.
spending time in the Australian armed forces helped prepare me for that experience and I took away a deep admiration for the history of the country and its people. I almost expected some great lost fauna to wander out of the bush, pass by our camp and head down a well-trodden game path for a drink. Such was my child-like wonder that I felt, and continue to have for the place.
Greenwater is the bye-product of that trip. I had been exploring the theme of survival in an hostile environment, which is what being alive on planet earth is, and which also includes very real physical and emotional dangers - which will become more evident in future exhibitions.
Exhibition images provided by SOL Gallery
The Birth and Death of Dawn at the Gates of Hell
Everyone has their stories. some are great epic novels, while others are simple footnotes on the pages of history. His mother asked him to share this small part of her story, one month before the cancerous tragedy of her death.
Late 1950’s;
Two weeks after the birth of the first son, the domestic violence began in their house.
His father - always insecure - was jealous of the mother’s love for the boy, and fuelled by the overconsumption of alcohol, began to create a personal hell for a family that would eventually grow to 5 children.
When the second child was born, his father declared her to be ‘his’ daughter. and at the age of six months, took her to the pub to “Show her of!”- was what his mother told him.
It was winter. the child was returned home wet and almost frozen. Within days caught pneumonia, and died.
He can only assume that it broke his parent’s souls, but it did not stop his father from being a tyrant. He would go on to physically, emotionally and financially abused them all. And he failed to protect some of them from sexual abuse.
He wishes this was all fiction.
In September 2022 Andrew had his first solo exhibition in Melbourne at the Black Cat gallery (now SOL Gallery) in Fitzroy.
The exhibition showcased a number of Andrew’s works, and highlighted that he is a versatile artist and is not locked into one genre.
Andrew’s fans come in all shapes and sizes and he was ecstatic to see how much these two munchkins liked his work. There may be a couple of young budding artists here! (images used with permission)
