It’s impossible to buy ant powder on Oxford Street (a British Transport Dystopia) - 2025
This is the latest in my British Transport Dystopias series - this time featuring a classic Routemaster London Bus being picked up by a swarm of ants on Oxford Street.
This is actually based on a true story (well the title is anyway). Last year me and my daughter went to Penge Fete and she insisted on buying a rainbow dummy sweet, a pure block of sugar. She couldn’t manage it one go so we took it home, then the next day we mysteriously had a line of ants coming in from outside into our kitchen, only time we’ve ever seen ants in the house really. The dummy went in the bin and at lunchtime I looked on Oxford Street to find some ant powder… but I couldn’t find any in all the shops I looked in. I don’t know why, maybe its not touristy enough, or maybe ant powder is unethical nowadays? Maybe ants need all the help they can get (like most wildlife in 21st century Britain to be honest) and in fact we should be buying rainbow dummy’s to help feed them, I don’t know.
Anyway it was the seed of an idea, and it turned into this. The rainbow dummy sweet inspired the sweet shops in the background, of which Oxford Street was notorious for at the time. It’s taken so long to finish this drawing that happily a lot of them have closed down already, hopefully thats the only premonition from this drawing! And the advert on the bus is a film poster for the 1950’s B-movie Them about a nuclear incident that causes some giant ants to attack the US. I’ve never seen the film but I must hunt it out now.
Specifications:
- Printed with the Ultrachrome HDR archival ink system of the Epson 7890 LFP on Hahnemuehle Giclee German Etching Paper (Matt FineArt – textured paper, 310 gsm, 100% a-Cellulose, white, mould-made)
- Print ships rolled in a cardboard tube
- Frame is not included (just for illustration purposes)
All UK orders are sent with tracking information that will be supplied with shipping confirmation. All artwork designed in London, and all UK products manufactured and printed throughout the UK (rest of the world produced locally).
GPSR Information
Product name: Please mind the worm
Materials: Fine art paper
Age restriction: This product is made for adults
EU warranty: 2-year warranty in EEA and UK, established by Directive 1999/44/EC.
Eco properties: Water-based inks. Sustainably sourced paper or wood. Local fulfilment. Plastic-free.
GPSR manufacturer: James Nicholls Illustration
It’s impossible to buy ant powder on Oxford Street (a British Transport Dystopia) - 2025
This is the latest in my British Transport Dystopias series - this time featuring a classic Routemaster London Bus being picked up by a swarm of ants on Oxford Street.
This is actually based on a true story (well the title is anyway). Last year me and my daughter went to Penge Fete and she insisted on buying a rainbow dummy sweet, a pure block of sugar. She couldn’t manage it one go so we took it home, then the next day we mysteriously had a line of ants coming in from outside into our kitchen, only time we’ve ever seen ants in the house really. The dummy went in the bin and at lunchtime I looked on Oxford Street to find some ant powder… but I couldn’t find any in all the shops I looked in. I don’t know why, maybe its not touristy enough, or maybe ant powder is unethical nowadays? Maybe ants need all the help they can get (like most wildlife in 21st century Britain to be honest) and in fact we should be buying rainbow dummy’s to help feed them, I don’t know.
Anyway it was the seed of an idea, and it turned into this. The rainbow dummy sweet inspired the sweet shops in the background, of which Oxford Street was notorious for at the time. It’s taken so long to finish this drawing that happily a lot of them have closed down already, hopefully thats the only premonition from this drawing! And the advert on the bus is a film poster for the 1950’s B-movie Them about a nuclear incident that causes some giant ants to attack the US. I’ve never seen the film but I must hunt it out now.
Specifications:
- Printed with the Ultrachrome HDR archival ink system of the Epson 7890 LFP on Hahnemuehle Giclee German Etching Paper (Matt FineArt – textured paper, 310 gsm, 100% a-Cellulose, white, mould-made)
- Print ships rolled in a cardboard tube
- Frame is not included (just for illustration purposes)
All UK orders are sent with tracking information that will be supplied with shipping confirmation. All artwork designed in London, and all UK products manufactured and printed throughout the UK (rest of the world produced locally).
GPSR Information
Product name: Please mind the worm
Materials: Fine art paper
Age restriction: This product is made for adults
EU warranty: 2-year warranty in EEA and UK, established by Directive 1999/44/EC.
Eco properties: Water-based inks. Sustainably sourced paper or wood. Local fulfilment. Plastic-free.
GPSR manufacturer: James Nicholls Illustration
