Bow Arts speaks to portrait and fashion photographer and artist Scallywag Fox on the motivation behind his work, and his experience as a creative business owner.
Can you please introduce yourself?
I am a photographer and digital artwork creator who goes by the name of Scallywag Fox. I’m a portrait artist and my work often celebrates the Queer Community. I work with actors, models, musicians, dancers…all types of performers.
What’s the drive and motivation behind your work?
I like to show my community in a positive light. There’s a lot of negativity right now towards LGBTQI+ folk so I like to uplift as much as possible. To be seen is a form of resistance.
Meeting new people and bringing visions to life is something that always excites me. There’s always a new portrait to capture and a moment in time to freeze forever. Sometimes it’s fulfilling a brief for a client, other times it’s following my own creative instinct.
How has having an affordable studio impacted your practice?
Having an affordable studio means I get to create without fear of time pressure due to hiring a space by the hour. I can create for fun or without much of an idea of where I’m going because I can stay in my space for as long as I need.
What is it like being a part of the community at the Bow Road studio site?
The best thing about being at the Bow Road studio site is my fellow artists. I’ve met many who I’ve had the chance to work with creatively on projects (fashion designers, makeup artists) as well as artists who’ve inspired me and I’ve been able to bounce around ideas with.
You’ve had experience working with Bow Arts’ Learning department, inviting school groups to visit your studio. Can you talk a little about that, and why it’s important for young people to visit creative workplaces?
Working with the school groups is immensely rewarding and seeing their joy and wonder sometimes helps remind me of how special it is to be able to do what I do. I sometimes run a workshop where I use coloured gels to create the light in the portraits, and when the results flash up on screen the students can hardly believe it. It’s a real buzz for them and me. I know I would have really appreciated a trip to an artist studio when I was in my early school life so I hope the visits can inspire future generations of artists.
What are some of the challenges you face as an artist & creative business owner?
My challenges are mostly budget related. A lot of cost cutting is happening right now and people are not spending what they used to on art or indeed more corporate portraits which I sometimes do. I need to earn enough money not only to survive but also to live a happy life. I don’t agree with the idea that artists need to be starving in order to be great. That is another reason why it’s so important now more than ever for affordable studios to exist.
Finally, what are you up to at the moment and where can we find your work?
I currently have a portrait on show at the V&A Museum in South Kensington, London in their Design and Disability Exhibition. The photo is of a member of Drag Syndrome, who are the world’s first group of Drag Queens and Kings who all have Downs Syndrome. The work is on display until February 2026.
Instagram: @scallywagfox
Website: Editorial – Scallywag Fox’s Portfolio
About Scallywag Fox
Scallywag Fox is a London based portrait and fashion photographer and artist. He attended Staffordshire University and received a BA(Hons) in Design: Photography. His work has recently been seen during the Photography In Berlin season at F3 Gallery, and one piece of work is currently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Scallywag Fox is also part of the Radical Beauty Project which challenges the opinions and understandings of beauty in contemporary culture. His photos have been published in Attitude Magazine, Gay Times, The Guardian, Posability Magazine, Kaltblut, Clash, and QX.