MrGauky you have had quite a traumatic tale that surpasses all the usual questions, and from what I have read has made you into the artist you are today. So when you disappeared at the age of four in the Yorkshire Dales, do you think your parents deliberately left you there and why?

Well it started out like any other trip to the dales, I couldn't wait to get there and discover all its treasure. I remember it was quite a windy day, not too cold, but I'd been made to wrap up anyway. My mother kept shouting at me "be careful !" as I clambered other the rocks in search of caves and treasures that they held.

I'd lost track of time and managed to wander far from my parents, so I headed back to the place where we'd originally parked, but they were nowhere to be seen. At first I wasn't too worried, but as evening slowly crept up and it got darker, I realised they weren't coming back. I'd like to think they didn't leave me there on purpose, but I guess I'll never know.

How long were you alone for, before the Slouches found you and took you in?

I remember wandering around the dales for what seemed like days and I kept getting the feeling I was being followed, but every time I turned around there was nothing there. I was getting quite hungry by this point and all I had were a couple of 10p chew-bars, which weren't going to last very long, no matter how long I chewed them. I decided to look for something to eat, but all I could find were some mushrooms and berries. After eating these I started to feel a little weird and shortly after that passed out.

I awoke to find several hairy creatures standing over me, they were trying to make me eat some sort of foul tasting paste (which I later found out was a mixture of grubs and nettles) apparently I'd eaten poisonous mushrooms and this is why I blacked out. The Slouches had been following me for sometime and found me unconscious and covered in my own vomit, they took me in and nursed me back to health.

Can you describe what the Slouches are like?

I suppose you could compare a Slouche to a Sloth, the difference is that they are a lot bigger and hairier. The males are larger than the females and the biggest is the leader, he's at least 7 foot tall and has a slight grey tinge to his fur, unlike the golden fur of the others.

He was the most apprehensive to welcome me into the tribe, as he wasn't very accustomed to visitors. Over time I got to know the whole tribe and counted around about 30, although I was told that other Slouche tribes existed in other countries.

I can't tell you where they live, as they're quite elusive creatures and prefer to keep it that way.

However, I can tell you about their eating habits, their diet consists of nuts, berries and mushrooms, but if there's one thing slouches love, it's PINECONES. It's like a delicacy to them and they get a little overprotective of them. This didn't bother me much, as I wasn't too keen of them anyway, they get stuck in your teeth and taste rather bland, but then I'm not a Slouche and they love them.

Were the Slouches good role models as guardian/parents in raising you?

I can't really remember much of the first four years of my life, so there's not much to make a comparison with. They're not so different to humans really, family means a lot to them. I was mothered and pruned a lot by the females and taught the manly stuff by the males.

You mentioned that they taught you the way of the dales can you elaborate on what that means?

Basic survival stuff really, what not to eat, how to blend in with the surroundings so that I wouldn't be seen and most importantly, where the best pinecones were (which I was often sent to gather). People were always leaving or losing stuff on the dales and we found a lot of it. Also on the odd occasion, we'd sometimes sneak up and take things when backs were turned.

You mentioned that they introduced you to art; did they introduce you to skateboarding as well?

When I was about sixteen, I was on my usual food gathering trip and I noticed a bunch people at one of the reservoirs, they were skating one the embankments and I was amazed by them. Making sure I couldn't be seen, I stayed, watched them until they went on their way, one of them left their board behind and I swiped it. I'd often go back and watch them and when no one was around, I'd practice what I'd observed.

My hairy guardians did dabble in the primitive arts and it's from this that I learnt the basics, but you can only get so far with dirt and berries. Whenever I spotted a landscape painter, I'd steal as much of their equipment as I could. You'd be surprised how many people come to the dales to paint the rad view.

How long did you live with the Slouches, and why did you leave them?

I lived with them for about 17 years and when I turned 21, I decided to try make it in the world of man and enroll at art school. When I told them that I was leaving, they were very supportive, but also said that if I leave I could never live with them again. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but I couldn't spend the rest of my life wandering the dales.

What was your fondest memory that you can remember living with them, and your worst?

I don't really have a worst memory; it was quite an idyllic lifestyle.

You mentioned that when you left them you went to art school; did they support your career and pay the fees at your foundation course at Highfields and Cambridge?

Surprisingly the government was eager to help me, I was classed as estranged from parents and they happily paid for everything.

Do you still keep up with any of them?

I often go to dales to see if I can spot them, but as I said before their quite elusive and they probably wouldn't recognize me anyway. I still think about them and I'd like to think that my story will be passed down through each generation of Slouche.

For more information
www.myspace.com/mrgauky