The Train of Lights

This painting marks an important moment in my career, becoming the cover artwork for Hawkwind's 2026 album Psychedelic Selection. It also captures one of the recurring ideas that runs through my work: how artificial light can transform an everyday journey into something memorable.

A train moves through the night, its illuminated carriages dissolving into reflection across the water. Colour stretches and shifts across the surface, disrupting the stillness of the landscape and turning a familiar scene into something momentary and fluid. The painting captures this brief transformation, where movement and light combine to create something that exists only for a moment before passing.

Shortly after the painting was completed, it was shared on social media, where it caught the attention of a member of Hawkwind. That unexpected connection led to The Train of Lights being selected as the album cover artwork for the band's Psychedelic Selections compilation, allowing the painting to travel far beyond the gallery wall.

The original painting is now held in the private collection of a member of Hawkwind.

Following its first appearance on the stage screen at Morvala Festival, The Train of Lights has continued its journey as part of Hawkwind's live visuals, with the artwork subsequently spotted at shows in Morecambe and Southend.

Photo Credits - Left: Morecambe: Andy Ball, Right: Southend: Dave Barber