The Missouri-born twins, Franklyn and Brendan, were raised within a secretive Christian cult called ‘The Family’, running away at 16 and travelling across America on freight trains before settling in Brooklyn. Their art, they explained, came about as they tried to ‘make sense of the world’ they’d been deprived of.
All pretty compelling stuff. Except that, just like a Mills & Boon romance, the story was pure fiction. The pair, Mike Snelle and James Golding, are in fact childhood friends who both share troubled pasts: Liverpool-born Mike had suffered from bouts of severe depression since childhood, while James, who was raised in Cambridge, had battled with anxiety, resulting in heroine addiction and run-ins with the police. The fictional pseudonym, which they maintained for two years, was developed to shield them from the public glare.
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Living Etc Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Living Etc Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
modern extensions
WITH STRIKING USE OF COLOUR, MATERIALS AND SHAPE, THE LATEST DESIGNS ADD SO MUCH MORE THAN AN EXTRA ROOM
think like a pro
It's not just interior designers who are skilled at picking the perfect palette architects are in on the act, too, and Richard Parr knows just how to get the ideal shade
colour decoded
As with all successful schemes, there's much more going on beneath the surface of this space than first appears -Livingete's colour expert Amy Moorea Wong reveals all
enduring style
B&B Italia has pioneered modern Italian furniture design since 1966 - but its latest collection feels as fresh as ever
TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED
Seventeenth-century origins meet vibrant contemporary design in a cleverly reimagined Amsterdam canal house
ROCK OF AGES
The owners of a Menorcan home have made a stylish yet sustainable retreat using the island's signature stone
FORCE OF NATURE
An unexpected flood into what was already a dark basement flat prompted a new vision, full of light, natural materials and foliage
TOP OF THE WORLD
High above the busy streets of Bangkok, two talented designers have created a tranquil retreat that nods to chic 1970s style and makes the most of the views
A PLACE IN THE SUN
An apartment within a former luxury hotel celebrates - and updates - the style of France's Côte d'Azur
OUTSIDE IN
The design of this modernist bungalow in South Africa was dictated by the trees on the plot and the desire for an indoor-outdoor flow