An original piece by contemporary London artist Ben Wakeling. Spray paint, oil and fire extinguisher acrylic on canvas.
‘Always a Fantasy with Fireworks’ - Ben Wakeling - 2025
An original painting by contemporary London artist Ben Wakeling.
"These new paintings celebrate bravery, champion love, and provide space for grief. The work sits within the circle of life, focusing on becoming a man—celebrating beginnings and honoring the past."
Spray paint, oil bar and fire extinguisher acrylic on hessian. Canvas backed.
Unframed.
Framing options are available - please enquire for more information.
Dimensions: 160cm x 120cm
Ben Wakeling is a painter with a background in graffiti and street art. His work exists in a space between figuration and abstraction. Figures often exist beneath semi-opaque layers of paint (reminiscent of ‘buffed’ or painted over graffiti) or entangled within webs of gestural marks.
His work is instinctive and deeply personal - rooted in his experience of mental health recovery, both his own and those with whom he works as an art therapist and artist in residence with the NHS.
He's a multifaceted talent who works across distinct but interconnected media. His approach to mark-making is expressive and immediate, and contains within it the expression of a sensitive and probing mind. Drawing upon his own past experiences with some of the lesser-discussed areas of the human psyche, Ben uses his work as a way of exploring trauma, vulnerability, and insecurity.
His paintings combine the delicacy of the brush with the aggression of the paint-filled fire extinguisher. The resulting work sits somewhere within a liminal space that contains the essence of either polarity and is more than the sum of its parts: a dichotomy of equals. It is this almost-contradiction that imbues these works with such power. They are conflicted, raw, and thus reflect the human condition.
The human figure present in the work is often trapped in a wild and frenetic mass of expressive gesture that threatens to tear the surface apart. Isolated upon a sparse and desolate plain, these writhing figures are almost lost, barely hanging on. Subject matter and content are perfectly entwined in this, struggling and enduring despite these destructive presences that pull from every direction.
McCully & Crane is proud to be a member of the Own Art scheme which provides finance options for the purchase of original works of art and craft.
You can also split any online purchase of up to £2,000 into three interest-free payments, with no sign-up fees or late fees, by choosing PayPal at checkout and paying with Pay in 3.
Visit our Finance Options page for more information.
Domestic Orders:
Shipping to the United Kingdom will be calculated at checkout and includes an insurance premium to the item's full value.
You can also collect your order free of charge from McCully & Crane, 27 Cinque Ports St, Rye, TN31 7AD, United Kingdom. Just select 'Pick-up in Rye' at check-out.
International Orders:
We ship our paintings to almost anywhere in the world, and shipping will be calculated automatically at checkout. If your region is not listed, please request an International Shipping Quote. Shipping rates include an insurance premium to the item's full value.
Objects, furniture and lighting require a more tailored service. In order to offer you the most accurate rate please request an International Shipping Quote and we'll be in touch soon.
Visit our Shipping & Returns page for more information.
Here at McCully & Crane our pieces range from contemporary artworks and one-off pieces to antiques that are presented with signs of age and wear intentionally.
We want you to be perfectly happy with your order, however we understand that sometimes you may wish to return your purchase.
Visit our Shipping & Returns page for more information.
