Keep Moving Forward (Rocky Balboa) by Mark Davies

“This is the third instalment of the Rocky series that I have created since I released ‘BALBOA’ back in 2016 which was the first time that I demonstrated a style that is now easily identifiable as my work with the figure being made from smoke. 2019 saw ‘One More Round’ released, a gritty scene piece that was driven by an underlying narrative. So, for 2021 I have changed it again and captured the dramatic, and much-loved fight scene between Rocky and Drago using a style that differs again.

If you look very closely, not ideal on a screen but you will spot that the figures are made from tiny dots that radiate outwards. It is an effect that was actually born way back from some earlier graphics work when creating a boxing equipment brand and its marketing imagery, so I love how I have been able to reignite and reintroduce here. It is all about the movement and the emotion as the two battle it out. These tiny dots amplify the drama, they represent the sweat from the muscles, the blood spraying from Drago’s mouth as Rocky lands a massive hit. Supporting this is my abstract ‘push and pull’ style that so many love, soft tones that are hardened by cracked textures and painted overlays.

It is such an incredible movie that represents so much positivity in general, what I love is that although the fight scene is so iconic, you don’t seem to see it depicted in art form. It is the perfect scene to showcase my way of working. It is so vibrant; I love how the gold works with the red against the deep blues. There are subtle references to other pieces that I have done previously, ‘BALBOA’ in its billboard form, there is another piece from the same movie that has been created in a similar style that is integrated into the background along with the brilliant ‘Clubber Lang’!

The closer you get to it, the more energy that radiates out from it, it is a style that I love and one that I feel that I have made my own. It is the call to keep moving forward no matter what and the sense of being unbreakable that radiates so strongly with so many people even outside of the boxing scene. It’s the underlying sentiment that people buy into, and I guess has played a big part in making the Rocky pieces that I have created so popular and so successful.

‘I must break you’ – no chance!”

– Mark Davies