Today, Creed Gallery releases Without Fear (Sans Peur) — a new limited edition by Preston Paperboy. Thirty-three works across three editions, each one finished by hand, each one distinct. This is the full story behind the work, the artist, and why this edition is structured the way it is.
The Artist: Nathan Preston
Nathan Preston — known as Preston Paperboy — was born in Essex in 1992. He is self-taught. His practice sits between realism and expressionism, built on layered mark-making, negative space, and fragmented detail. The work is emotionally direct without being obvious — open-ended in a way that invites the viewer to complete it rather than having it explained to them.
Preston is one of the independent artists Creed Gallery represents directly. We have been working with him closely in the development of this edition, and Sans Peur represents the most considered body of work he has produced to date.
The Work: Reconstructing Napoleon
Sans Peur began as an original painting. The source image is Jacques-Louis David's Napoleon Crossing the Alps — one of the most recognised works in Western art history, painted in 1801 as an act of deliberate political mythmaking. David depicted Napoleon on a rearing horse, imperious and controlled, a figure of absolute authority. The reality, documented elsewhere, was rather different: Napoleon crossed the Alps on a mule.
Preston's engagement with this image is not straightforward homage. Working through his own visual language — layered mark-making, fragmented surface, the tension between presence and erasure — he reconstructs the image rather than reproduces it. The result is a work that carries the weight of the original while refusing its certainty. The heroism remains. The mythology is questioned.
From that original painting, Preston developed a series of hand-pulled silkscreen works. Each print was then returned to his studio and individually reworked by hand — paint applied directly to the surface, marks made, decisions taken in front of each specific work. The silkscreen provides the foundation. What happens next is unrepeatable.
The Edition: Three Tiers, Thirty-Three Works
Without Fear (Sans Peur) comprises thirty-three works across three distinct editions. There will be no reprint of this image in this form. Once these works are placed, the edition is closed.
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Standard Edition — Hand Finished Silkscreen — Edition of 20
The standard edition works are 16 × 24 inches, printed with archival silkscreen inks on heavyweight fine art paper. After each print is pulled and dried, Preston works directly on the surface in his studio — applying paint by hand, building marks, responding to the specific print in front of him. No two prints receive the same treatment. No two are identical. Each is hand-signed, numbered, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
XL Edition I — Diamond Dust Silkscreen — Edition of 3
Three works exist in the diamond dust edition. At 37 × 46 inches, these are the largest works in the series and the rarest — only three will ever exist. Diamond dust is applied across the background of each print, creating a surface that catches and holds light in a way that shifts as you move around the work. The effect is not decorative. It changes the relationship between the viewer and the image in a way that the standard edition, for all its qualities, does not replicate. These are the most significant works in the edition.
XL Edition II — Hand Embellished Silkscreen — Edition of 10
The ten XL hand-embellished works are pulled from the same silkscreen as the standard edition and finished individually by Preston at the larger 37 × 46 inch format. For this edition, collectors choose their principal colour — which Preston then incorporates into the hand-embellishment of their specific print. The result is a work that is both personally directed and individually made. No two will carry the same marks.
All editions are hand-signed, numbered, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Available framed in a hand-finished black frame with a deep white conservation mount and conservation-grade anti-reflective glass, or unframed for collectors who prefer to specify their own presentation.
Preston Paperboy Original Paintings — Also Available Now
For collectors interested in Preston Paperboy's original works, Creed Gallery holds three significant paintings in current inventory — each one unique, each accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
Preston Paperboy | MLISA2 | Original Painting — £5,500
MLISA2 is Preston's second engagement with the Mona Lisa — the most reproduced and most discussed image in the history of Western art. Where da Vinci placed his subject in the silence of the studio, Preston brings her into the visual language of street art and urban painting, surrounding her with the marks and textures of a practice rooted in the contemporary city. The work continues a lineage that runs from Duchamp through Warhol and into Banksy — artists for whom the canonical image is not untouchable but a starting point for a new argument. MLISA2 is a significant original work from one of the most interesting painters working in this territory in the UK.
Preston Paperboy | Fatale #21 | Original Portrait Painting — £2,750
Fatale #21 belongs to Preston's sustained female portrait series — works that combine the visual language of street art with the formal tradition of the portrait. The Fatale series draws on the femme fatale archetype of noir fiction and film, redrawn in the visual language of the contemporary city. The number 21 locates this work within a developing sequence — each portrait building on those before it, the meaning accumulating across the series. As a standalone work it is striking and immediate. As part of the wider Fatale series it carries additional weight for collectors who understand how Preston's practice develops.
Preston Paperboy | Wall Friend #28 | Unique Original — £1,870
Wall Friend #28 connects directly to the street art tradition — the recurring character or figure that appears on walls, that becomes a presence in the urban landscape, that people come to recognise without necessarily knowing why. The Wall Friend series builds its meaning through repetition and accumulation: each numbered work is entirely unrepeatable, a singular object within a series that grows through individual decisions rather than identical reproduction. For collectors entering the Preston Paperboy market for the first time, this is a considered and accessible starting point.
Why This Edition
Editions of 33 are rare in the contemporary print market. Most commercially successful artists produce editions of 150, 250, or more — numbers that support revenue but compress scarcity. Sans Peur is structured differently. Twenty standard works, three diamond dust, ten hand-embellished. The total is fixed and the edition is closed at that number.
The hand-finishing model compounds this. In a standard limited edition print, every work in the edition is identical — the scarcity is numerical. In Sans Peur, the scarcity is both numerical and material. Each work is genuinely different from every other. The collector is not acquiring one of twenty identical objects. They are acquiring a specific work — one that no one else holds.
For collectors building a position in independent contemporary art, this structure is worth understanding. Preston Paperboy is an artist Creed Gallery has believed in from the beginning. Sans Peur is the work that makes that case most clearly.
For collectors new to the independent contemporary art market, our guide to art as an investment in 2026 covers the broader case for building a considered collection.
Acquire
The full edition of thirty-three works is available now at the Without Fear (Sans Peur) collection page. Works are available framed or unframed. We ship internationally, with all works carefully packed and fully insured. For collectors who would like to discuss the edition or the original paintings in person or by telephone, our team is available at the gallery in Ascot or by appointment.
For collectors researching authenticated secondary market works alongside new releases, our Banksy investment guide covers the current market in detail.
View the full Sans Peur edition →
Our gallery is open Tuesday to Friday 9:30am–5pm and Saturday 10am–5pm. Located at 4 Hermitage Parade, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7HE.
What is Preston Paperboy's Without Fear (Sans Peur)? Without Fear (Sans Peur) is a limited edition series of 33 hand-finished silkscreen works by Preston Paperboy, released exclusively through Creed Gallery on 10th June 2026. The edition comprises 20 standard hand-finished works at 16 × 24 inches, 3 XL diamond dust works and 10 XL hand-embellished works both at 37 × 46 inches. Every work is individually finished by hand by the artist, signed, numbered, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. There will be no reprint of this image in this form.
What does hand-finished mean? After each silkscreen print is pulled and dried, Preston works directly on the surface in his studio — applying paint by hand, making marks, responding to the specific print in front of him. These additions are unplanned and unrepeatable. No two prints receive the same treatment, which means no two prints in the edition are identical. The collector is acquiring a specific, singular work rather than one of a number of identical objects.
What is the diamond dust edition? The diamond dust edition consists of three XL works at 37 × 46 inches. Diamond dust is applied across the background of each print, creating a surface that catches and holds light in a way that shifts as you move around the work. Only three exist across the entire edition — these are the rarest works in the series. The use of diamond dust connects this edition to a broader tradition in contemporary art, most associated with Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol's diamond dust series from the 1980s.
Will there be more prints after this edition closes? No. The edition is closed at 33 works — 20 standard hand-finished, 3 XL diamond dust, and 10 XL hand-embellished. There will be no reprint of this image in this form. Once these works are placed, that is the end of the edition.
What original paintings by Preston Paperboy are available? Creed Gallery currently holds three original paintings by Preston Paperboy. MLISA2 is his second engagement with the Mona Lisa, combining the visual language of street art with da Vinci's iconic subject — available at £5,500. Fatale #21 is part of his sustained female portrait series — available at £2,750. Wall Friend #28 is a unique original from his recurring street character series — available at £1,870. All three are unique works accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
Can I choose my print from the edition? Yes. The full collection of thirty-three works is visible on the Sans Peur collection page. For the XL hand-embellished edition, collectors also choose their principal colour, which Preston incorporates into the hand-finishing of their specific work. We encourage collectors to view the works in gallery before purchasing where possible — private viewings are available at 4 Hermitage Parade, Ascot, by appointment.
How is the work delivered? All works are carefully packed flat and shipped in protective specialist packaging, fully insured. We ship internationally. Framing is available in a hand-finished black frame with a deep white conservation mount and conservation-grade anti-reflective glass. Framing preferences and delivery timelines are confirmed at the point of purchase.
Where can I buy Preston Paperboy prints and original paintings in the UK? Creed Gallery in Ascot, Berkshire is the primary gallery for Preston Paperboy's work in the UK. The full Sans Peur edition and all original paintings are available online and in gallery at 4 Hermitage Parade, Ascot, SL5 7HE. We are open Tuesday to Friday 9:30am–5pm and Saturday 10am–5pm. Remote consultations are available for collectors outside Berkshire.