GRAFFITI

Fintan Magee – graffiti artist into rubbish

We met Fintan Scott-Magee originally from Brisbane and try to find out a bit more about his liking, it seems, for rubbish and bins in his art.

A-P: Tell us about yourself in a few words?
FINTAN MAGEE: My name is Fintan Magee, born in Brisbane Australia. I have been writing for 10 years now but I started to move away from traditional letterforms about 4 years ago and started to paint more canvas and street art. Really I’m just trying to have as much fun as possible with my art while I am still young and stupid enough not to know better.

A-P: What is your process/approach when making graffiti/streetart/art?
FM: I prefer to paint strait onto walls using oils, acrylic and of course spray paint. I like to paint in abandoned buildings a lot so I can relax and paint for as long as I want, the problem is my city is growing very quickly and becoming so developed that there is a shortage of empty and forgotten spaces. In my city almost everything painted on the streets is buffed within a week so I don’t really do many paste up’s or stickers any more, they say my city is clean but I just find it sterile.

A-P: Bin bags, rubbish seems to be an element that you like, why is this?
FM:The rubbish is just something thats developed over the last few months because I was painting still life images of things that have been forgotten or left behind on the streets, I guess I like to add depth to what may be considered bland or boring subject matter and not worth painting. I believe that we live in such a throw away and progressive society now that we overlook the beauty in many things that we consider expendable.

A-P: Where/what do you look for inspiration?
FM: I guess I look everywhere for inspiration, I think as an artist its important to take in the simple things around you, popular culture, nature, the city, your friends, etc. Keep looking and you will eventually find inspiration and influence where you least expect it.

A-P: Any upcoming shows/projects?
FM: I am travelling to Sydney and Melbourne in June for some group shows and to do some walls, I also have a Solo show at Jugglers gallery in Brisbane in August and another solo show in Melbourne’s Rtist gallery in November. After that I think another overseas trip is on the cards, possibly to the Americas. I have been back in Australia for two years now and I am starting to get pretty itchy feet.

Thank you to Fintan for taking time for this interview

Pictures below of some of Fintan’s works. More on this website: www.fintanmagee.com

BLOG, STREET ART

Meet Tristan Eaton, an artist from Los Angeles

Tristan Eaton | Art-PieTristan Eaton is an American artist from Los Angeles. He is a graffiti artist, illustrator, toy designer and also a street art muralist.

Eaton was born in 1978, in Los Angeles, California.

Going from places to places

When he was 8 years old, his family moved to London, England. At age 16, they moved back to the United States but this time to Detroit, Michigan. While Eaton loved the city of Detroit, he always wanted to live in a big city and thus, moved to New York when he was 20 years old.

During his teenage years, Eaton painted everything, from dumpsters to billboards, wherever he lived. He had a troubled childhood and was arrested many times for shoplifting and making graffiti.

He used art as an escape from reality and also to escape from legal authorities by providing artistic evidence to judges, principles and police officers.

Tristan Eaton | Art-Pie

“I am not a graffiti artist”

Eaton became interested in graffiti when he was in London and upon moving to Detroit he started doing a lot of graffiti, mainly due to lack of police regulation. He doesn’t consider himself a graffiti artist but more of a muralist.

His graffiti work does not consist of letters but mostly characters. For his graffiti work, he never focused on using just spray paint but painted with whatever he could get his hands on. According to him, good graffiti is painting something big and beautiful but illegally. Everything else is mural work for him.

Tristan Eaton | Art-Pie

A keen interest in comic books

His interest in comic books also peaked during his time in London. He was inspired by the 2000AD Magazine by British illustrators. He would draw characters from comic books, such as Jack Kirby, early X-Men, Silver Surfer and even the anime film, Akira. At 18, he made his first toy for Fisher Price, which was the beginning of many to come. His creativity led him to becoming a leader in advertising.

He was a regular consultant for many clients, such as Hasbro, Pepsi and Nike.

Tristan Eaton | Art-PieEaton was approached by Kidrobot designer, Paul Budnitz, who offered him to work as an art director on an animated film called Kidrobot. Kidrobot became so popular they stopped working on it and started producing designer toys, mainly action figures.

The action figures were made on a limited edition basis and were inspired by the work of famous graffiti artists and hip-hop culture. Eaton believed these toys allowed people to purchase something which tied fine art with consumerism, because fine art is extremely expensive while consumerism is affordable and available to the masses.

This idea gave birth to these limited edition designer toys that led Eaton to become internationally famous with a huge fan base.

Eaton wanted to showcase his art to the lower-class of the urban cities he visited. He believed everybody had the right to have access to fine art and they did not just had to see gray buildings and big billboards. With this intention, he created remarkable murals all over the country.

Inspirations and where to see Tristan’s works

Eaton claims his artwork is inspired from Os Gemeos, Mode 2, Takishi Murikami and many others. His creations can be viewed at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum and some of his collection at the Museum of Modern Art is permanent. On his website, Eaton states “outdoor, public art is the most important to me. Public art has the ability to inspire and transform our communities.” It is obvious how important it is for Eaton to share his art with the rest of the world.

Tristan Eaton | Art-Pie

Currently, Eaton is the President and Creative Director at Thunderdog Studios Inc. Thunderdog is a prominent brand for designer toys and a creative agency based in New York. Thunderdog is the backbone of all of Eaton’s work. His team at Thunderdog helps him put together big projects, such as toys and video collaborations. Tristan Eaton happily resides in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

More on Tristan Eaton’s website

BLOG, GIVEAWAYS

Dale Grimshaw at WellHung gallery – win a signed poster

Dale Grimshaw's Pride & Prejudice at WellHung gallery | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

We are looking forward to Pride & Prejudice, the new show from Dale Grimshaw at WellHung gallery and guess what? We have two signed posters of the flyer show (see left) to give away to two of our readers so get involved and refer to panel on the right.

_____
23 MARCH – 29 APRIL

Private View: Thursday 23 MARCH 6-9pm

Well Hung are delighted to announce Dale Grimshaw’s first solo show at Well Hung Gallery. Pride and Prejudice brings together a body of work based on a ‘two worlds’ theme that Dale has been developing over the last few years. The work contains a strong political message, depicting portraits of threatened indigenous people, mostly from Papua New Guinea, which collide with familiar symbols of the privileged western world, producing a jarring effect that emphasises their powerlessness.

More recently, Dale has become involved with the political struggle to free West Papua from Indonesian occupation. This bitter and hard fought struggle is rarely reported in the West and through his work, Dale has been supporting Benny Wenda, the campaigns leader and long term champion Peter Tatchell, in raising awareness in the UK.

Due to Dale’s involvement with this Campaign his latest work is moving towards a subtler and more emotively lead approach to painting. Contrasting with the earlier, more graphic representations of Western culture, Dale has begun to incorporate softer references to his cultural identity, for example graffiti interspersed with decorative wallpaper motifs. This makes the figures themselves more personal and touching, reflecting his increased interest in the plight of individuals and the intensity of their cultural identity, which is so at risk.     

Dale’s work has always been boldly figurative and has been inspired by his strongly held humanitarian beliefs. However, this political message is always achieved by an emphasis on powerful direct emotions and a deep empathy for his subjects. 

Dale Grimshaw street art | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

Background

Dale Grimshaw was born in Lancashire, in the North of England. During a difficult childhood, his drawing and painting became extremely important to him. He developed his skills at college, firstly with an Art Foundation course at Blackburn College and later to Degree Level, studying Fine Art at Middlesex University.

Dale Grimshaw has a successful gallery career, having exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally, including five solo exhibitions with Signal Gallery, London. His exhibitions have been widely recognised in the press and online, articles have been published in The Independent, Juztapoz, Art of England Magazine and Widewalls. His works are collected internationally, alongside celebrities including Adam Ant and The Prodigy. 

Dale Grimshaw street art on Chalk Farm London | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

More recently Dale has been invited to festivals nationally and internationally as well as painting many iconic walls across London, where he lives.

Private view from 6pm until 9.30pm is on Thursday 23rd March. Music and refreshments will be provided, the event is open to all but please do email info@wellhung.co.uk to confirm attendance.  Admission is, as always, free.

Uncategorized

The nuclear bunker project by 3Dot gallery

The Secret Bunker project | Art-PieWe recently met up with the 3Dot gallery team to find out about the Nuclear Bunker project. The gallery is located in Edinburgh.

Art-Pie: “So guys, what is the Nuclear Bunker project all about“?
3Dot: We have graff, illustrator, stencil, projection and lighting artists coming in over the next few days to create some exceptional pieces of art that will completely transform Scotland’s “Secret Bunker”.

A-P: “Scotland Secret Bunker?”
3Dot: ???

A-P: “What the greater idea behind this project?”
3Dot: We believe the projects we do are quite special due to their nature with the hope that this one will be the turning point in the grander scheme of things.

Great artists have come together at our studio within the four weeks we have had to put this project together.  They have come along to do what they are passionate about even though no-one is making any money, the budget is extremely tight in respect to the space we have to cover – everyone has been pitching in as much as they possibly can with materials and countless hours spent working and helping out

We are doing this to provide artists a platform to showcase their pieces and throw an awesome party to celebrate all the hard work from everyone involved,  something that I don’t believe is actually happening at the moment in Edinburgh and all the artists we work with agree with us too.

A-P: “Where do you see this initiative take you?”
3Dot: We want to keep doing these events so that we can establish ourselves and gain a reputation that we can use to gain a credible charity status that will develop our ability to provide extremely talented artists with materials, studio space and a venue to showcase their work – All of which would be costly and could deter these creative individuals from doing what they do best.

The first event of the Nuclear Bunker project will take place this Saturday 2nd Februrary 2013 at ???. We will report back on it and show you some of the creations that came out of it. We have included below a teaser of the artwork that have already been produced by some of the artists involved.

To get further information and to get involved, please get in touch with ??? or take a look at the 3Dot website (although your website guys does not mention the event! Why??!!)

Have you got a list of the artists involved???

The Secret Bunker project | Art-Pie

The Secret Bunker project | Art-Pie

CONTEMPORARY ART, PREVIEW

Woozy at the outsiders

The Outsiders is proud to present I Dont Care About My Face, the first UK solo exhibition by the artist Woozy. Downstairs in The Dungeon, Woozy will exhibit a colourful showcase of his most recent canvases, works on metal and paper.

Originating from Athens Greece, Woozy is renowned for his large-scale murals and outdoor wall paintings that have graced the international urban landscape. Collaborating with a wide network of street artists most notably Os Gemeos, he has travelled his utopian vision across Europe into China and down to Brazil. Whilst maintaining his passion for painting the outdoors, Woozy has now after 20 years turned his focus inside to brightening gallery walls.

Woozys latest series of work retains his signature minimal, yet colorful forms interweaving
an array of diverse materials, styles and techniques. Transcending the limitations of a specific setting or known face, the characters in his paintings are those who journey through space and time embracing a sense of universal beauty found in the abstract.

Texture, light and colour are the Woozys means for the collective expression of freedom.
From the artist on the subject of his forthcoming show: There is a moment, an instant, an incident, a point of contact where the mind pauses. Painting is an action and the action of a painter is a scream. Society has no face. Its the echo of voices, the scent of life. Colors are the expression of movements in the light. When one looks behind his shoulder, everything will fade away, flames will burn out and the bombs will take away the veil from the eyes of those who have lost their freedom.

When: 18th March – 9th April 2011
Where: The Outsiders, 8 Greek Street, W1D 4DG | Monday – Saturday 11am – 7pm, free entry

IN THE NEWS, STREET ART

Banksy new street art in London

Banksy has finally dropped again in London and this time, he has put a strong emphasis on different signs of pop culture which suits so well street art and especially stencils.

Some says that that one of his new work is a clear reference to The Clash London Calling album cover, another one refers to Futurama’s Bender and in the last one, Keith Harringâ’s Dog can be clearly recognized.

Locations of these new works:
The Clash London Calling album cover – Thomas More Square (E1)
Futurama’s Bender – Not know (yet)
Keith Harring’s dog – located on Grange Road (SE1)

On another note, ART-PIE has learnt that Banksy story boarded and directed the opening of the latest Simpsons episode. View it below.

PS: photos taken from the slamxhype.com website

Related link
> Interview of Al Jean, one of the executive producer for the Simpson’s opening-credit sequence, on the New York Times

banksy-futurama-bender

banksky-the-clash-london-calling

banksy-keith-harrings-dog

STREET ART

Valencia, full of police, full of beautiful walls

1 Comment

Miss Kaliansky, a keen street art shooter, has been around the spanish city of Valencia and has sent us back this mighty set of street art

Featured artists: Blu | Cere | Deih | Dong | Eric il Cane | Escif | Hyuro Only Ateme | Ro | Pez | Radghe | Sam3 & STN

STN and Dong pieces are our favorites, what are yours?

Blu
Blu
STN
STN

Sam3 (left) and PEZ (right)
Sam3PEZ

RADHGE
RADHGE
Only Ateme & Ro
Only Ateme & Ro
ESCIF
ESCIF

DEIH (left) & DONG (right)
DEIHDONG

BLOG, BOOK

Stickerbomb 3 out today, grab your copy!

Stickers fans out there have been waiting for this one – yes Stickers Bomb 3 is out today!

We published a similar post last time round when Stickers Bomb Skulls came out and gave you the opportunity to grab a free copy.

We are reiterating this again and have 2 copies of latest Sticker Bomb 3 up for grabs! Look to your right to find out how you can win a copy –>

We were delighted to receive again in the post this collection of over 240 peelable stickers from our favourite publisher Laurence King.

This book is part of the ever growing Stickerbomb series which includes other similar books such as  Stickerbomb, Stickerbomb 2, Stickerbomb XL, Stickerbomb Letters and Stickerbomb Monsters.

D*Face foreword

As D*FACE warns us in his foreword for this edition of Sticker Bomb, “Stickers are seriously addictive, self indulgent, egotistical, and can be life altering – and thank fuck they are. They rescued me from a life of punching hours in the 9-to-5 grind, working for the man”

Artists in this edition includes –

  • Bisser (Belgium)
  • BareOne (UK)
  • Dres13 (US)
  • FatGomez (Italy)
  • Killer Acid (US)
  • Luis Pinto (Mexico)
  • Mr Four Fingers (UK)
  • Space MCK (Australia)
  • Train Of Thoughts (Switzerland)

About Studio Rarekwai, the studio behind the StickerBomb book series –

Ryo Sanada and Suridh Hassan of Studio Rarekind (SRK) specialise in the promotion of international culture and music through documentary production and film. Their documentary film on Japanese Hip-Hop culture – “Scratching the surface: Japan” – has been broadcast Europe. This was followed by successful screenings at the 12th Raindance Film Festival in London and Vancouver International Hip-Hop Film Festival.

STREET ART ENCOUNTERS