How would you describe what you do?
My painting processes weave creativity, storytelling and technology together to produce artworks that are at once abstract and figurative. I have a constant internal narrative interrogating ”What does it mean?”, which results in an exhausting (and fun) question-and-answer process of making art.
How were you first drawn to your current art form?
Not so long ago I challenged myself to “100 Things” — a project by, about, and for me — to shape 100 possible career, creative, project or business ideas. The process identified what makes me tick and reminded me that I’m curious and optimistic and love innovation, technology, creativity, architecture and a socially minded world. A major outcome was total clarity in prioritising my pursuit of painting.
Where are you and your studio based?
I work from Swan Street Studios, Richmond in a space which is conducive to creatively exploring and developing my artwork.
What does a typical day in the studio involve?
Every day must start with a cup of tea. My not-negotiable is time to think. Most afternoons are for painting which includes, almost always, a chat and a laugh with my friend, mentor and Swan St Studios neighbour David Milne.
What is your subject matter?
My artworks embody tact and reticence, celebrating the purity and vibrancy of mid-century modern and the austerity of brutalism — an amalgamation of the two contrasting built forms.
What materials do you use?
I use acrylics and aerosol to build colour, depth and form. A distinctive aspect of my process involves the use of flat-bed laser etching — a rudimentary process employing an inexpensive piece of Chinese hardware I assembled by watching a seven-hour YouTube video. Though prone to errors in early experiments, I’ve now gained control to yield exquisite and intricate details.
Is there anything you’re currently working on?
As part of my preparations for the Affordable Art Fair Brisbane in May, I’m continuing my ‘modernist-brutalist’ series in the form of larger artworks (Monolith vs. Monument). This series explores composition and displays details in etched linework and complexity in the richness of broken colour.
Pick three art-world players you’d invite to dinner.
Artist Rick Amor (his was the first artwork that I truly fell in love with). Art dealer David Zwirner (let’s surf together, then grab breakfast and talk art). Artist Julia Ciccarone (who I’ve had over for dinner — true!).
What one artwork would you add to your collection?
Impossible question…but I’d probably choose Rick Amor’s The Unfinished Span, 2005.
Above: Artist OriginalSmith (aka Brad Smith). Photo: THIRD GLANCE. Courtesy: the artist.
