First dedicated space for the humorous doodle drawings.

Dready has finally found a home of his own, with the largest collection of his work in one place.

The Caribbean character created by artist Shane Aquart is now a permanent feature in Picture This photo studio, Camana Bay. Dozens of the doodlings adorn the walls of the studio’s specially created Dreadyworld Gallery.

“The gallery provides a condensed presence for Dready work,” says Bouke Maddock of Picture This. “In total we have over 75 of Shane’s pieces up on the walls.”

This means the gallery has the most Dreadys in one spot.

“Picture This had spare space,” says Shane. “One chat led to another and that led to a gallery in the space.”

While the studio regularly displays its own photographers’ work, this is the first time an entire area has been dedicated to a single artist.

“Having worked with Shane for a number of years through printing and stretching canvases, and framing his artwork, we built up a strong relationship,” says Bouke. “As his artwork collection grew, we saw a potential to assist Shane in displaying as many pieces as we could for him.”

Shane Aquart
Shane Aquart. Photos: Picture This.

Dready doodles

Dready artworks are instantly recognizable, featuring figures in a variety of colorful situations, from everyday Caribbean scenes, to humorous occurrences, to animals and portraits.

Shane has been doodling the original stick figure in the margins of work books since college.

In 2004, he started testing the character on postcards and T-shirts.

“(Then) 2008 was the first time somebody asked me to draw a piece of Dready for them,” he says.

By early 2013 he was bringing Dready to life full-time, and the name transformed from one character to all Shane’s works, and eventually encompassed the artist himself.

Shane begins each piece by drawing it digitally in Illustrator.

“More often than not, Picture This prints the art onto canvas, or watercolor paper, and then boom – a Dready (is born),” he explains.

According to Shane, inspiration for Dready is everywhere, listing travel, life, moments with people, and website images as examples. The many commissions he undertakes, and the client’s suggestions, also give him ideas.

“You know that thing where work begets work?” he says. “Commissions tend to take a life of their own in creating other ideas as you research and draw.”