Skool's Out 3 by Mark Davies

Available as a fantastic Limited Edition Print.

All Artwork is signed by the artist and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.     

MARK SAYS: 

I bring you Sun, Sea, and Skool's Out! 3! So, grab your bathers and Bit-Bat and head to the seaside for a truly unique experience! 

It was 2018 when I first created 'Skool's Out!’ where I took you back to your childhood and the summer holidays spent messing about in the local park. That piece has proven so popular and really captured your imagination, setting up a bonkers sequel in 2022 with 'Skool's Out! 2'. 


Six weeks is a heck of a long time when you’re a kid so now where do you head off to to fill your days? Well, we do like to be beside the seaside don’t we! In an age where the classic British coastal holiday is often overlooked in favour of jumping on a plane and buggering off for guaranteed sunshine, it is great to look back to all that choosing to stay in ‘Blighty’ had to offer! I’m pretty sure that we all have our unique memories or interesting experiences as a kid clambering onto a donkey or dodging the gulls as you ran to the Helter Skelter after scoffing your own body weight in chips, Candy Floss, and ice cream!

There are so many examples of artists who have depicted the classic British seaside experience in so many different styles and levels of success, this is a first for me and I’ve been creating art with meaning for over ten years now! It is such a brilliant subject to take on, honestly the opportunities were endless! The aim was to combine a good number of iconic details into the scene that we all know and love and inject a hearty dollop of undiluted randomness that my collectors have come to love from my art. 

I set about wanting to create a warm and positive image that instantly pulled you in and made you feel happy. The general tones of the scene are so lovely and differ from the typical bright blue sky and vivid blue sea. This then allows for the vibrancy of the detail to really pop! I wanted the scene to be intense but not overwhelming as that would risk compromising the beautiful references that I have chosen to include.

The intention was for a classic ice cream van to take a lead role and I am buzzing with the end results! This quirky van serves all the favourites as well as wonderful Belgian ices and waffles! It is a beautiful link to my wonderful Grandparents, Mary, and Geoff who I miss dearly and who gave us so many amazing holidays both in the UK and Belgium.

An iconic ‘Punch and Judy’ show along with a striking Helter Skelter sit proudly in the background with both helping to stir up so many fond memories. Personally, I love the subtle details in the sky, the foam planes that lasted one or two throws were always a must to buy with our spending money. They are the easier details to spot and decipher!

Check out my fine ass! It’s quite something eh! At first glance it is authentic and cute, look a little closer please! This gives you an insight into how my mind works whilst engrossed in creating the art, I make no apologies for having a potty mouth and from meeting so many of you lot over the years, you love it! What I particularly enjoy is how the scene has some truly wonderful and poignant personal references that are visual ‘thank you’ to my memories, whilst also then having a naughty undercurrent that once you spot you simply can’t unsee!

After all, there was this hilarious British cheeky rudeness that existed with the old seaside postcards and comedy shows so I had to embrace that. What started off with just placing a ‘Sindy’ car into the scene evolved into a disgraceful scenario that only her and Action Man can explain! Anyway, it looks like they have been rumbled! This piece is another example where it is near impossible to explain to others what I have done that day! How do you clarify why I have spent an age writing ‘arsehole’ in ice-cream or making a ‘poopie cone’? I’ll never change!

‘Skool’s Out! 3’ is a wonderfully cute and authentic piece that blends all the qualities of the British seaside from years past, iconic rides, toys litter the promenade that continue the links to the previous scenes, along with supporting pieces such as ‘The Memory Remains’ series and ‘Bollocks to Bedtime/Growing Up!’. This image will make you laugh, scratch your head and feel great with happiness coming in waves.

That’s the way to do it!