Born in Croydon in 1953, Horace Panter graduated from Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University) with a BA in Fine Art in 1975. Whilst there, he met Jerry Dammers and, together with Lynval Golding, he was a founding member of The Specials. While known predominantly as a musician, he kept up his art practice while touring and became a professional artist in 2010 with his first exhibition at The Proud Gallery in London. Since that time, he has exhibited throughout the UK, as well as in Los Angeles, New York, and Singapore.

This tidy pile of coloured beer crates stacked outside of a bar caught my eye as I was wandering around Tokyo (on tour with The Specials in 2017). It appealed to my relationship with the  Pop Art ethic of ‘elevating the mundane’ and I loved the bold colours… it had to become a painting!