Millennium Mythos: Genesis & Provenance
Original Hand Drawn Exhibition Flier (2001)
Welcome to the Archival Genesis of the Millennium Mythos.
This gallery is a digital time capsule, documenting both the physical and psychological birth of a surrealist universe. The journey begins in the everyday reality of my Essex environment at the turn of the millennium, before diving deeper into the esoteric roots of my earliest 1980s juvenilia.
As you scroll, you will trace the evolution of the Y2K mythos: from the first foundational blueprints and the vulnerable, psychological toll of creation, to the original handwritten poetry and physical notebooks that formed the trilogy’s philosophical core.
Finally, transitioning from the private studio to the public eye, this archive concludes with original 2001 press clippings, exhibition records, and the bold peripheral artworks that orbited the era.
Genesis Drawings of The Millennium Mythos Trilogy. These drawings are the two left side panels that became `A Secret Genesis Cycle’
🏛️ Grounding the Mythos in Reality
While living in Burnham-on-Crouch during the creation of the Millennium Mythos, I was surrounded by a local art scene focused heavily on traditional river and boating scenes. I chose instead to document the everyday, lived reality of the town, the local pubs, playgrounds, and churches. These structural 1999 sketches grounded my daily practice, acting as the physical anchor while my mind explored the surrealist landscapes of the final trilogy.
`The Railway Pub Burnham-on-Crouch’.
`Children’s Playground Burnham-on-Crouch’.
`Saint Mary’s Church Burnham-on-Crouch’.
`My Living Room Burnham-on-Crouch’.
Featuring ’Why Sacrifice Rainbows’ hanging on the wall. To capture the magic of Christmastime, I reimagined the room’s standard radiator, drawing over it to create a warm red brick fireplace, complete with a glowing fire and a beautifully decorated tree.
👁️ The Awakening of the Mythos
Long before the Millennium Mythos was painted, its esoteric roots were taking hold. This subconscious self-portrait from 1989, drawn at age 15, does not capture my physical likeness, but rather my intuitive, creative soul. It represents the opening of the mind and the very first stirrings of the surrealist concepts that would eventually birth the year 2000 trilogy.
🏛️ The Blueprints of the Mythos
Every epic narrative needs its blueprints. These genesis drawings for ‘Here is my Temple’ and the epilogue ‘Unfinished Millennium 2001’ represent the moment the abstract ideas of the mythos solidified into concrete compositions. They are the raw, unpolished foundations upon which the final Y2K oil canvases were built.
💔 Raw Reality: The Psychological Provenance
’The Unfortunate Artist’
This emotional sketch captures the psychological weight of the era. It depicts me on the sofa during a thoughtful moment of questioning, feeling as though the floor was falling away. Surrounding me are early, sketched-out drafts of ’A Secret Genesis Cycle’, ’Unfinished Millennium 2001’, ’Odyssey’, and ’Musical Muse’ scattered across the walls and floor.
📜 The Poetic Soul of the Y2K Era
The Millennium Mythos was not just painted; it was written. These three sister poems, penned in the year 2000, serve as the philosophical foundation for the trilogy. I have rarely written full poetry since, making these illustrated verses a rare, unfiltered look into the exact mindset that birthed paintings like ‘Here is my Temple’ and ‘Why Sacrifice Rainbows’.
`My Life’
Written concurrently with the millennium mythos, this poem serves as the literary companion to the trilogy’s supporting `Self-Portrait 1’.
`I Am’
Penned during the defining year of the Mythos, this verse directly connects to the trilogy painting `Here is my Temple’.
`Art Is’
Written to accompany `Why Sacrifice Rainbows’, this piece encapsulates the overarching philosophy of the entire Millennium Universe.
📖 The Sacred Texts: Tangible Relics of the Era
Behind every sprawling visual universe is a notebook full of foundational thoughts. This physical ‘Poems & Odes’ book from the year 2000 housed the philosophical and esoteric writings that fed the Millennium Mythos. Featuring cosmic doodles, musings on Qi, and a handwritten index of my earliest concepts, this book, worn margins and all, is a genuine, surviving artefact of my creative process a quarter of a century ago.
’Qi Ode & Doodle’
A visual meditation exploring the esoteric roots of the mythos. The handwritten verse features a foundational quote from the ancient ‘Huangdi Neijing’ (The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic): “A human being results from the Qi of heaven and earth. The union of the Qi of heaven and earth is called Human Being.”
’Poems & Odes from Jen’ (2000)
The surviving, physical cover of the primary notebook. This unassuming artefact housed the earliest written concepts, philosophical research, and raw poetry that fed the Millennium universe.
The First Page & Index
Opening the book reveals a surrealist sketch alongside a meticulously handwritten index. This page organized the chaotic, early thoughts that would eventually solidify into the core narrative of the trilogy.
📰 The Ultimate Third-Party Provenance
Art is fully realized when it meets its audience. In 2001, the Millennium Mythos stepped out of my living room and into the public eye. Documented by the Essex Chronicle and anchored by an exhibition at the Maldon Library, these press clippings and handwritten guestbook extracts serve as the ultimate, third-party timestamp. They capture the exact moment this surrealist universe was officially unveiled to the world.
`Life, The Universe and Everything’
The official promotional hand-drawn flyer for the inaugural public showcase. Held at the Friary Gallery within the Maldon Public Library, this exhibition ran throughout March 2001.
Essex Chronicle Feature (2001)
Original press clippings and local coverage documenting the exhibition. This surviving media serves as the definitive, third-party timestamp for the public debut of the trilogy.
Exhibition Guestbook
Handwritten extracts from the exhibition’s comments book. These surviving notes capture the immediate, real-time public reaction as viewers explored the Millennium universe for the very first time.
🎉 The Grand Finale: Bridging the Mythos
The millennium era was a period of explosive creative output. Alongside the main trilogy, I explored adjacent surrealist concepts, from the architectural depths of ‘Financial Labyrinth’ to the bold, cosmic dualities of ‘Alien Yin & Yang’. These pieces form the wider constellation around the Millennium Mythos. Step from the archives and into the final universe below.
‘Alien Yin & Yang’
‘Musical Muse’
‘Financial Labyrinth’
‘Sock Dragon’