William Fawkes

Inspired by mid-twentieth century monochrome photography and found objects, William seeks to create bold visual stories which hold a strong sense of ambiguous narrative and intrigue, ranging in theme from the socially historic to the surreal. William produces original paintings and drawings, as well as scaled-down high quality framed art prints of his work - all of which can be purchased directly from this website. As well as continuously producing original works, it is also possible to request a private commission. Previously working as a graphic designer under his birth name (James), his work has unconsciously been seen by millions across many diverse industries, but you’d never know. At one time, James was designing record sleeve artwork for clients including Blur, Sigur Rós, Trojan Records, EMI, and Universal music. As well as creative projects, James aka William also established Gateshead Open Studios in 2018 - the very first open studios event in the area. Following a similar model to Ouseburn’s Open Studios, this event differed slightly in that it also included historical & cultural venues - as Gateshead has a rich history of grand churches & Quaker houses well worth exploring. The event successfully ran as a single-day pilot in 2018, then again for a full weekend in 2019, before pausing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are currently no plans to restart the event as William Fawkes has since left Gateshead and relocated to County Durham. County Durham