The Good Die Young was born from the loss of eight members of his close family during a period of mere months, exacerbated by the death of his beloved grandfather, who used to encourage the artist to draw and sketch in his early years, often on discarded cigarette packets.Whilst his career has gone from strength to strength, earning him collaborations with some of the world’s biggest corporations, commissions from the rich and famous, and acknowledged relationships with icons such as Banksy,Temper’s successes belie the trauma that he has weathered behind the scenes. It’s important to remember. It’s natural to mourn. Having the gift to combine those keystones of humanity into the poignant and evocative collection we see in Timeless is nothing short of gifted. From the depths of loss and adversity, he channelled personal bereavement into a collection of work to which everyone could relate, by marking the passing of cultural icons who touched generations. Lost for the words to exorcise his grief, he painted through the pain and now supports a charitable trust that uses art therapy to help children process and recover from bereavement, recognising that, for him, The Good Die Young was exactly that. Never could he have foreseen that it would later be picked up by a commercial art gallery and achieve global reach, both because it pioneered a new concept of fine art and because the raw emotion within the compositions was universally relatable. As he says:“ It changed everything. ” Proud of his roots, he is quick to credit the city of Wolverhampton’s motto “ Out of darkness cometh light ” – a phrase that he has tattooed on his arm – as one that he carries within him to this day as a mantra. Whilst celebrity portraiture is now a firm fixture on many artists’ CVs, the concept of amalgamating fine art and graffiti in a body of commemorative work had never been seen before The Good Die Young . All the more credible for its authenticity, unabashed sincerity and lack of contrivance, it was the most natural way for Temper to heal himself and bring some purpose back into his days.The choice of subjects holds true to his cultural influences and evidences his lack of commercial intent when creating the collection.Whilst some were more popular figures, at the time no one would have thought to include the likes of Kurt Cobain, Biggie Smalls and Brandon Lee.
Each public figure he chose holds a link to one of the family members he lost; be it their complexion, a family dynamic or the circumstances of their passing.Temper feels there is much significance in his Gandhi work from The Good Die Young gaining the lion’s share of feedback. He believes its success lies within its title:“When Peace Makes You Smile”, that line conveying hope to all for better times to come. Viewing The Good Die Young against Timeless , the progression is notable. The Good Die Young leaves the viewer with the first raw feelings of grief, where the hurt is palpable and there is a physical reaction to every memory of the loved one lost. Timeless is more of a celebration; it’s looking back and remembering the good; it’s realising how much you are left with instead of what you have lost. Temper will always say that “ As an artist, I prefer to see a painting that captures the soul of the subject, rather than something that’s just picture perfect .” For him, it’s not about what you see when viewing artwork, rather it’s the feeling that the artwork evokes.The keen eye may also remark that these pieces have been worked on a smaller scale than their predecessors, which is testament toTemper’s growth within his chosen medium. His ability to achieve detail and precision using spray paint, that leaves the aerosol can at circa 130mph, is remarkable. In short, the smaller the scale of the canvas, the less margin for error and the greater the talent required in the world of graffiti art.The ultimate taskmaster,Temper insists that “ You need these challenges to keep evolving as an artist ”. In his relentless pursuit of excellence, and through working with the restoration team at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery,Temper has also honed his method of applying paint in such a way that guarantees longevity for the canvas. Another victory for Temper against Father Time. Whilst Timeless may well be the final chapter in this concept, it serves as a sensitive homage to The Good Die Young , and shows Temper in an epoch of change and evolution, no more a bystander in his own life but the master of it. Age, experience and hindsight have gifted him with a sense of acceptance that is driving fresh creative output and heralds the dawn of a new age in his career. For this drive, he has another city motto to cite, this one for Birmingham which is simply “Forward”, and we in turn look forward to being taken along on that journey.
FOREWORD
Fifteen years ago,Temper first released his ground-breaking collection The Good DieYoung to the art world, generating unprecedented acclaim for ar twork that touched the heart of all who viewed it. Fifteen years later,Temper, in collaboration withWashington Green, has marked this anniversary by making available a fur ther fifteen original ar tworks that continue the concept of commemorative por traiture to celebrate the lives of people taken too soon.
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