Rush were a constant unconditional companion, lighting my way through the confusing labyrinth of early adulthood. Somehow they always knew the right path to take, and as I now venture into my second half of life, still their music matches my step and lights the way.

So, to put a value on such a guide... what do you give in return when you are this indebted? Surely such pathfinders are worth so much more than the cost of a few albums and concert tickets. A small part of ourselves at the very least, a sliver of soul perhaps. Certainly no less than that afforded to us in the first place.

This question recurred to me more and more frequently as the millenium settled into its stride, my job as a designer was dull and unrewarding and left me yearning for raw obsessive creativity - that self same ancient and ravenous beast that has undoubtedly gnawed at the bones of every creative since the dawn of mankind.

Through fate or coincidence, a spell of illness left me signed off work for almost a year, during which I decided a little art therapy might do me some good. As I worked on The Fountain of Lamneth, the answer became clear: this, and other works to follow, would be my sliver of soul, and I hoped, my debt settled in full.

Graham Whieldon - 2009
Fine Print
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Fine Print
In The Works
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In The Works
Why Rush?
Artists of a different brush: Why does their music inspire such depth of vision? Read More
Why Rush?
Artists of a different brush
Creative inspiration is often hard to come by, but Rush as a catalogue of reference is a strangely untapped motherlode. Songs are stories, they provoke images with their lyrics as any written or spoken story does. Stories have been illustrated for millenia, so why not songs?

Most of the classic stories of Rush are firmly based in fantasy, my favourite genre. As a teenager the band appealed to me straight away, not only because their attention to detail mirrored my own creative intricacy, but the imaginative themes and Peart's lyrics oozed imagery ripe for the picking.

This was a welcome change from the mundane, cliché themes of popular rock and pop, a departure I believe must have demanded great courage from the band, and commanded even greater respect from fans and critics alike - not least myself.

Over the coming months and years I hope to visualise and illuminate classic scenes inspired by songs including:
  • The Fountain of Lamneth
  • Red Barchetta
  • Hemispheres
  • 2112
  • The Necromancer
  • Xanadu