Behind Artist's ballpoint artwork.

Inspiration & Motivation

We observe and experience our lives through our minds, therefore our state of mind determines the quality of our lives. The mind is a facination of mine and in combination with understanding more about it, through learning Buddhism, it has bcome a renewable source of inspiration for me. Contemplating it gives me creative energy and spurs my imagination. Below is a rough breakdown of what inspires and motivates my artwork:

• Buddhism influences the way I think, therefore the type of artwork I choose to draw.
• Urnban Art, was the art I first enjoyed looking at. Today Banksy is well known. I really like Jean-Michel Basquiat, who first did "graffiti", (died: 1987), he helped me understand that if "real" creativity is at the heart of any artwork, then it is "real" artwork.
• Discovery for humans is vital, science and technology make me think about our futures, following NASA for instance influences my imagination and artwork.
• Pioneering creative music artists like Maga Bo and DJ Spooky merge cultural borders and break defined boundries, the principles that should motivate everyone.
• The dignity and humble, gentle nature that Tibetans have retained in light of their struggle under the Chinese has given me insight into human nature, and helped enforce the teachings of Buddhism to me, support the Free Tibet organization.

Behind the work

- (written by James Mylne).

Influenced by urban graffiti, underground music and ancient furniture housed in Tibetan monasteries. I draw people with photo realist accuracy and I draw abstract imagery from my imagination. Basically my drawings are a mix between imagination and reality.
So there are mixing and seemingly contrasting aspects to my personality and my artwork, which I naturally try to balance. My drawings are a result or are an extension from this, and my subject matter is in a way, experimentation with this balance.

Modern life is increasingly mixing things together, you can see this in the merging of cultures in small urban areas, cross-genre music, wi-fi in the houses of parliament, Starbucks cafe in Tianamen Square, etc etc. I have a passion for mixing what seems like contrasting ideas into a coherent work of imagination and inspiration. I try to express this with the mixed imagery and footege I collected and edited together in video on this page.
My belief (or hope) is that I am not a walking contradiction but a living example of the wisdom of joining the best parts from differing things to combine their strengths into a new identity. This can be seen happening in music currently, and I believe it is the future for all aspects of society and culture, it is inevitable.
In my drawings I mix old with new, East with West, peace with war, black with white etc.