Meet Daz: The Power of Anonymity.

Some artworks arrive fully formed from the imagination, others wander out slowly over time. Daz the Bus Driver belongs to the second category. He was one of my earliest sculptures, first made on Wednesday 3rd September 2022, and he’s been part of my creative journey ever since.

Back then, Daz stood quietly as a reminder of where I’d started — rough edges, playful awkwardness, a figure with arms flung to the sky in a strange mix of triumph and vulnerability. I brought him out of retirement for the Leeds Arts University Postgraduate End of Year Show, where he earned unexpected admiration from Esme Young and Patrick Grant of The Great British Sewing Bee.

The story behind him is simple but joyful. Daz is a bus driver who has finally booked his very first foreign holiday to Spain. He’s got his driver’s tan, his full-bodied physique, and a sense of pride in who he is. When the chance arises to join the locals on the naturist beach, he wastes no time. Clothes off, socks abandoned, arms raised. Here I am.

For me, Daz captures something essential about art and about life: the courage to shed expectations and step into our own strangeness. He’s not sleek or idealised — but he is honest, funny, and full of life.

To celebrate the launch of my Creative Practice shop, I’ve decided it’s time for Daz to find a new home. He’s available to purchase, with all proceeds donated to Police Care UK, a charity close to my heart.

Art doesn’t have to be pretty to matter. Sometimes, it just needs to make you smile, brighten your day, or nudge you to see the human condition a little differently. That’s what Daz does. And if he doesn’t, well — you can always put him in the hallway and hang your keys on him.

👉 View Daz in the shop here: https://www.therubbishartist.co.uk/product-page/the-power-of-anonymity