I may not have achieved a great deal as an artist yet, but I still want to give a shout out to all the people who have helped me along the way. This list will likely grow if I have had a beer and become very sentimental.
Parents and high-achievers
Mum & Dad
Brought me up to think independently, took me to fabulous places, rescued me when I was in trouble and once left an attention seeking 4 year old me, crying and alone in a supermarket to teach me not to be a selfish dipshit. I think it worked
Sister
Hayley Nelson
Always a positive influence, kind, sociable, generous and supportive, despite me not always being the same back.
Close friend and trusted advisor
Emma Seddon
Always gave me constructive feedback on paintings and helped me decide whether or not a piece was finished or not. Great eye for composition too, takes some excellent photographs; as well as being a brilliant friend. Hope she takes up painting again!
American Hip Hop Collective
The Wu Tang Clan
Got me interested in Chinese culture and mythology as a young person, which I think led to my desire to move to Asia. Also entertained me with their many dope beats and wu-bangaz.
Art teachers and top blokes
Mr Paul Baxter (RIP) and Mr Geoff Dickson
Put up with my steadfast refusal to listen to anything they tried to teach me, and allowed me to spend countless hours in the art room being creative. Also once kept me in detention for allegedly stabbing a plastic bottle with a scalpel, which definitely wasn't me. It was definitely Joseph Stevenson.
English teacher
Mr Brian Green
Gave me intellectual confidence in the left-field way I would interpret texts and books. Also a unusually perceptive person who was the first person to make me think deeply about my own thought processes
Scanners and printers
Artscape Shanghai
Cool company in Shanghai that has helped me preserve my pictures and allowed me to create prints. It was surprisingly difficult to find a company that does this!
CEO
Kirsten Johnson
Great person. Organises 'Gallery takeovers' and is the first person to get me working towards holding an exhibition in Shanghai.
British luxury car manufacturer
Jaguar Land Rover
Gave me a job, allowed me to go to Africa and then to work in China.
People who were in the paintings
The subjects
Agreed to be in a painting (or at least posed for a photo), sent me content, gave me inspiration.
Good friend and translator
Sun Suqing
Helped me hugely by translating the whole of this site into Chinese. Helping to confirm the translation made me realise how weird some of my writing is!
Suqing is also in one of my paintings