Radio Friday’s – Lets Talk Anna on Sep 16

Introducing Anna from Turku, Finland. We talk about minority rights and where she has travelled.


Radio Friday’s – Let’s Talk Sabina and Asa on Jul 15

Our last painting we did at our residency in Finland was for Sabina and Asa who works at the Proartibus Foundation. As part of the program each visiting artist donates a work to the foundation which will be placed in their permanent collection in Finland. Senyol and I decided it would be nice to work together on a collaborative piece which I think turned out pretty cool.


We talk to them about their kids, true finns and politics and you can also see the final painting below.


Time Capsule “Broadcast Number 1″ on Jul 05

There was two gifts we gave to Finland before leaving for South Africa. The Time Capsule “Broadcast Number One” was finally installed in a secret hiding place in the town we were staying for our residency. Senyol had built a fort (but ended up being ruined by some local punks) and I recorded people in the community that left messages to their city. This was a nice way to end the first phase of my project in this beautiful place.

Our studio that we worked from had a beautiful old attic with wonderful objects from people who had used the house before us. It was once a school so there are all sorts of old books, maps and musical instruments to be found there which is like a treasure chest for someone like me. So the time capsule was a recording of peoples words of wisdom wrapped in an old map from the 1960′s of Finland that I found in the attic. I am pretty stoked on this artwork as it symbolizes the death of dreams, life, hope and loss but also the idea that there is hope for rebirth and change in all our hearts. Life is kinda like that – when you think you got it going on life throws you a curve ball – what you gotta do is get back up and enjoy the challenges! My hope is that someone finds this and is curious enough to take it home and listen to it and makes them laugh / stoked / amped for life!

Next up is our last gift to this beautiful town…


Last Week on Jun 25

So this is our last week in Finland at our artist residency before we head back to South Africa. It has been amazing. I thought that I would share some close up details of some of the individual artworks. If you are interested in buying any of these, some of them are still for sale.

I will be continuing this project in South Africa and if you would like to be interviewed and used as reference for a painting send me a mail at: hope.projects@gmail.com. You don’t have to live in South Africa either as I am hoping to document people from all over the globe. All the interviews will eventually be catalogued into a new website. I am currently planning dates for the final exhibition towards the end of the year but it could become a much bigger project. I would love to hear from you!


Lets Paint – Day 2 and 3 on Jun 20

Here are some pictures of the wall we completed on Saturday and Sunday here in Finland. It was really fun to paint a wall this size and in such a rad area. The alley that we painted in is right next to the main walkway to the city centre so we got lots of foot traffic coming by as we painted it. I will soon have a video uploaded of the project as well. Thanks to Mega for the filming and photo taking!


Lets Paint – Day 1 on Jun 17

We got permission to paint 3 walls here in Finland which we are real excited about. We will be doing this until Sunday. Here are some process picks. Day 2 is coming tomorrow.


6511 Exhibition Opening Night on Jun 16

Hope Project is more than just a design / illustration company. I really enjoying helping people out and doing as much as I can as a human being to help be a positive influence in the community I live in. Our project 6511 Miles is based on sharing stories of people in this little town of Ekenäs in Finland and then translating their ideas into paintings. On Tuesday evening we had our opening of the first stage of our exhibition and it was so awesome to do another show with my friend Senyol. A BIG thanks goes out to my lovely wife Mega(n) for making the lovely food. Also a big thank you goes out to our friend Hanna who has also really helped us out!

If anyone is interested in purchasing any of the works below feel free to drop me a mail (hope.projects@gmail.com) and I will send you a price list of the work. The exhibition included a sound recording of some of the people I interviewed which you can listen below, a small installation of paintings and a mural.

Recordings at exhibition:

Its really awesome to see people come round to the exhibition by bicycle. Here is our friend Eva who just arrived!

Here is Tom’s painting. His nickname is “Bull” as he is short and used his head to fight when he was a kid! He believes we should respect people from all cultures.

Here is Benita’s painting. She believes we should reach out to others and help them out.

Thank you Proartibus for selecting us to come do the residency!

Senyol’s fantastic work.

Today we have a radio interview and will be starting our mural at the city centre.


Exhibition opening in Ekenas… on Jun 13

The day has finally arrived. After two and a half months of hard work, fun and excitement, we are ready to show what we have done. Tonight marks the opening of our ’6511 Miles Exhibition’ here in Ekenas, Finland. We cannot believe how the time has passed us by so quickly, but it has been an adventure and we are excited about all that we have accomplished. The Exhibition runs from the 14th – 25th June, with numerous other exciting events that we have arranged, happening in between. You can see the flyer below for more details of what is to come… also some work in progress pics.

Hope to see everyone that is reading this from Finland, at the Exhibition! There will be awesome snacks and drinks available, as well as good company.


Time out… on Jun 07

This past weekend we had the opportunity to visit a friends house on an island called ‘Skolda’… She recently purchased this beautiful big old house, that used to actually be a school up until recently, and plans on renovating it and making it look fantastic. It is so great visiting old buildings with so much character and history, and hearing about that history, just makes it come alive. The house has a huge big old attic, and even a basement, very cool indeed!

The island itself is reached by a short ferry ride, which you drive your car onto, this was a really amazing experience for us, as it is totally new to our world. The island is green and lush and you can see cows and horses frolicking around, with no cares in the world… what a way to live!! Unfortunately we were not able to take our camera with us this time, so I do not have any photos to share right now, we will just have to visit again soon to get some.

We are so loving the nature here and the pure bliss of quiet life. Being in such an awesome environment is so inspiring and relaxing, and it really makes you think about what is important in life. The days are ticking away and soon we will be home, so we are making the most of every minute and loving it. It is so important in life, I believe, to have some time out and get a new perspective on life.


Radio Fridays – Lets Talk Kaido on Jun 03

Introducing Kaido. We talk about his punker days, getting saved and life in Estonia. We recorded this one inside the cabin of the mission boat that sails between Hango and Estonia.