Southend City Jam

This character is called Pink Beard which plays on name Black Beard, one of the most famous pirates of all time who just happens to come from my home city of Bristol. I painted this piece for Southend City Jam 2023 on the side of the Pier Lift – another seaside city who I thought might enjoy this piece.

I designed this character because I’m fascinated with our fascination with pirates and mermaids, two things that felt right to combine and play with while also thinking about gender norms and stereotypes. I like to blur the lines between what’s considered ‘normal’ because I’ve never felt ‘normal’ myself so this big pink beardy mermaid felt like a fun way to do just that.