Uncle Stubble

The backbone of Uncle Stubble’s art comes from growing up just as Hip Hop hit the UK in the early 80’s. This new wave of music was the perfect match for the endless creativity inside him as a young & budding artist.

Tim (Uncle Stubble), B-boy’d, D.J’d, M.C’d and graffitied constantly throughout the late 80’s and early 90’s. However, his graffiti career ended at just 16 years of age, after a couple of arrests made him see the grief he was giving his poor mum. Tim left school early to become a sign maker, a logical progression really, putting up “large letters” all over the country.

Whilst continuing to channel his creative juices into music, fronting funk bands, DJing, releasing his own white-label 12″ records and learning production, eventually, on suggestion by his future wife, Tim took up painting again.

As an artist, he rapidly retained his old techniques and realised that everyone who grew up within the culture was now a business owner or group leader of some kind. With this in mind, Tim made his own connections & collaborations I the industry and began painting youth clubs, Y.M.C.A’s, and drab areas. Just trying to inspire the kids the same way that he was inspired, when his mind was blown – seeing huge walls of colour and style as a child all over London.

In a grey painted world, this focused and artistic injection of colour used to uplift its surrounds seemed more important than ever. These early projects led to working with charities and redevelopment projects up and down the country on a regular basis and most rewardingly, doing large scale murals in both primary & high schools. This allowed Tim the privileged position of using his art to reach the very kids that he wanted to inspire on a daily basis. Contemporary marketing & advertising seems to be the only area really using art to influence & construct, and not necessarily always in a good way, so why not use it to inspire an interest in education, creativity and learning?

Initially, Tim didn’t want the fabrication of his artworks to predetermine his day to day living, in case It killed his own passion, but eventually, it evolved into a full time career due to many years of positive word of mouth recommendations that have reached far and wide.