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Bring On The Yams (Friends) – Premium Canvas by Mark Davies

OH MY GAWD! Who would have thought it, me doing a second ‘Friends’ piece when I used to despise the episodes way back! My narrative from my 2021 ‘I’ll Be There for You’ explained my reasons. It was always bloody on, most often than not when I was stressed as hell and trying to enjoy my dinner, not a candied yam feast either – burnt pasta probably! It’s when you look back with a calmer head on that you realise that yes, it wound you up, but it was a source of normality, if that makes sense.

I loved creating that initial piece and have been blown away by the reaction to it ever since. I always knew that ‘Friends’ has a huge fan base and to know that it hit the spot was so pleasing. I STILL find Monica annoying as hell though! As I always say, it is a case of timing and 2 years on it felt right to create a second piece to complement the first. So, it’s time to ‘Bring on the Yams!’

This time, I take you inside the iconic apartment of Rachel and Monica – the setting for so many hilarious moments. The colours from the first piece were such a big pull for collectors and I didn’t want this new scene to be a jolt so have mirrored those so that they can sit alongside each other if you choose to. It’s that magical, vivid styling that works so well with the utter randomness of the detail.

So, Thanksgiving has come early this year and it looks like it didn’t quite go to plan! Nice one Joey! I guess Turkey AND yams are off the menu this time, oh well at least the chicken got a good feed. Speaking of which, that detail was so difficult to pull off as there isn’t much reference material online of what I wanted to mimic, surprisingly enough! This was one of those moments when at the end of the day, most probably a long Sunday in the studio and people ask what I’ve done today, and you tell them that you’ve spent 12 hours retouching a kangaroo, aardvark, chicken, monkey, and duck! I love it!

Seriously, I bloody love what I do. I love that collectors and fans of ‘Friends’ have taken to my work with such affection and to see the excitement building with each teaser has been great. Any follow up is a tough act to follow and I am really hoping that you love what I have done, to combine this amount of detail is no easy task and I there’s definitely a few extra helpings of nostalgia in this one! I love how it has turned out; I really do! More dish drop moment than mic drop!

I’m not sure Brad Pitt has been upstaged too many times when he’s been a dinner guest but if you look a little closely you will see he might just have been this time! ‘Bring on the Yams’ was created immediately after a challenging piece, further reinforcing the concept of ‘Rainclouds and Rainbows’, it made a big difference. Oh, and here’s a piece of information shoehorned in to allow for me to finish with a line from the franchise. Did you know that ‘Lithium’ comprises of seven artworks. Yes, that’s Seven, SEVEN, SEVEN!!!!!!