Story Behind the Work:
“Reflections in the Rain”
I first wrote the words for Reflections in the Rain on the 12th of December 2016, as a post on my anonymous Instagram account @wordsmith.a.r
It read:
“I could see her pain, and I felt her pain…
So I wished for her to be happy, just so I could feel that too.”
It was written at a time when my emotions were raw and unresolved. I had recently cut ties with someone I deeply cared about, not because I stopped feeling anything, but because life had led me elsewhere. The vulnerability she showed, the way she moved through the world wearing her heart slightly exposed, allowed for a kind of connection that stayed with me. That post was my way of honouring that connection, even if she never saw it.
Later, I turned those words into a stencil. I shortened them slightly so they could fit a compact, portable format, one designed for street work. This stencil became the last one I ever made under the name Rebel Romeo. I had every intention of putting it out into the world, just like the others… but it never happened.
Time passed. Life changed. Memories faded. I found someone new. Things began to settle, and it felt like the right time to quietly retire Rebel Romeo and all the emotion-laden graffiti that came with him. That final stencil sat untouched for years, not forgotten, but waiting.
When the CTRL ALT CREATE exhibition came together, I knew the time had come. Reflections in the Rain would finally be brought to life, not on the streets, but as part of a complete story. This piece now serves as the final part of the trilogy: She Did Not Know (the first), Never Settle (the most visible), and Reflections in the Rain (the final, unseen until now).
Though it never appeared in public as street art, this piece carries the weight of everything Rebel Romeo was meant to express, quietly, honestly, and always from the heart.
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Materials & Process Overview:
“Reflections in the Rain”
Part of the Rebel Romeo Collector Edition series 🌹🗡️
This piece began, like others in the Rebel Romeo series, on a 1.2m x 1m triple-primed, acid-free cotton box canvas, the same high-quality base used for Never Settle. However, Reflections in the Rain diverged from the moment it began. It became a process of deliberate risk and restoration, a textured, weathered memory built in layers.
1. Base Foundation
The canvas was first coated with Venetian plaster, chosen for its ability to take on polish, crack, and fracture much like old street surfaces. This set the tone for the piece, something that feels discovered rather than displayed.
2. Weathered Wall Texture
Over the plaster base, a mix of matte wall paint and acrylic washes were applied to simulate urban decay. The effect resembled a wall long exposed to rain, sun, and time. Spray paint and stencil work came next, echoing the process and materials of Rebel Romeo’s original street pieces.
3. First Structural Layer
A thick mixture of poly filler and black acrylic paint was applied to form a raw grey surface, then sanded back to create distressed textures and expose earlier layers.
4. Color Conflict
At this stage, a bold move was made with peacock blue acrylic, applied over the filler. The decision was uncertain, the result initially jarring but became part of the layered story. Rather than remove it, the blue was buried and balanced with new tones.
5. Metallic Layering & Sanded Detail
A layer of gold Venetian plaster was applied over the surface, then hand-sanded and polished to reveal glimpses of the blue beneath. The gold introduced a richness to contrast the coldness of the base tones, a duality that reflected the emotional weight of the piece.
6. Color Wash Attempt
Another peacock blue wash was applied to unify the layers, but this proved unsatisfactory. Rather than strip it back, the wash was allowed to live in the background, another ghost layer beneath the final surface.
7. Extreme Distressing & Fragmentation
To push the piece further, galvanized steel mesh was embedded into parts of the canvas and concrete was poured over select areas. These layers were then cut, shattered, and peeled, with fragments re-secured using poured industrial glue. The result was a fractured, layered composition, like memory itself, bound together through force and preservation.
8. Final Details & Finish
The stencil text was re-applied over this complex base. The edge of the piece was built up using Venetian plaster to complete the physical depth. Finally, the entire canvas was sealed with archival varnish to preserve both texture and tone.
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This piece stands apart from the others in the Rebel Romeo series, not only as the final unreleased stencil, but as the most physically layered and materially complex. It holds within it the evolution of technique, a willingness to risk mistakes, and the refusal to erase them.
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