Where once a Leagues Club Stood

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there used to be Rugby League teams that were known for their singularity, easily identifiable club colours, name and home ground.

These teams also had incredibly impressive "Clubs" where $5 got you an enormous plate of food, schooners were $2 (hence many a long night spent getting ever so slightly addled has been known to occur once or twice in the 2095'ers life) and the sound of poker machines "added" to the ambiance.

Somewhere along the line things got a little confused.  Money was nowhere to be found, clubs merged and became totally NOT what they used to be about and some their respective Leagues Clubs closed.

But for one it was a drawcard where some serious serious streetart was to be found.

It was a wet Saturday afternoon (seems most of the 2095'ers initial jaunts to new territories are somehow predicated with rain....must do something about that!) after work and the 2095'er thought just for a lark she would venture up towards Rozelle and meander around in the hope of finding something new and exciting.

Almost at the intersection of the busy highway, she turned left.  Something was telling her there was a building that needed investigating but damned if she could work out where it was.  A few more steps down this road she spied it.

A HUGE carpark from the rear, scaffolding everywhere but way up high on the top level she saw some colour.  Even more importantly that smell...that heavenly smell of fresh paint meant that there HAD to be something somewhere.

For once in the 2095'ers life she elected to walk around to the front entrance.  Bold as brass, on one the busiest highways in Sydney, car yards to one side, carpet worlds to the other, she walked in to the "helmets only" area, slid around the opening in the scaffolding and was rewarded with the singularly most spectacular piece that had not been tagged or capped.

A few more tentative steps and a slight turn to the left presented the 2095 with another amazing "partner" to her beloved Slug.

It was pure gold...and it was at that moment the 2095'er realised the camera battery was somewhat depleted so it was with stealth and diligence that she continued on this exploration.

There was something about this raw beauty that struck the 2095 chick who was determined to capture not only it, but its essence with very little editing (ie. cropping only).  

One thing the 2095 chick can state with absolute clarity is that she doesn't use any software to "touch up" or enhance.  Yes there is a time and place for "air brushing" and maybe HDR, but why ruin what already is beautiful with over processing to the point you can barely recognise it?  Also she doesn't know how...

As such here are a few frames of what may or may no longer be, in a place formerly known as the Tiger's Club.

While there are more to be seen, the 2095'er is always mindful of how many words and photos are appropriate per article.  So if you want to see more of this amazing place (keep in mind that it was pre sexy EOS110D days so tolerance and understanding is always wonderfully received) simply click "here".

The Unknown

Every so often (and at times most likely as the artist had originally intended) there are nameless works - or works that are actually tagged but not in a way that is easily readable or identifiable apart from those already in the "know" - that spring out of seemingly nowhere.

Conundrum therefore abounds.

Admittedly there are times when the 2095'er (and perhaps as with others, although maybe like the 2095'er they have difficulty admitting it to anyone other than themselves) might happen upon a paste up, sculpture or other form of art on the street that may, at the time, make absolutely no sense whatsoever and as such, you continue on your hunting expedition.

Such was the case with the nameless artist. Noticing an evolution or maturation even, of this particular artist's work and the frequency that their pieces "appeared" (or as has been noted in previous blogs once a piece has been spotted it somehow sticks with you and suddenly they appear "everywhere") it became within itself a little treasure hunt.

Despite valiant efforts by the 2095'er asking many of her street-artist friends/colleagues/comrades no one has been able to enlighten nor identify.

Therefore it is with delight that the 2095 chick presents to you an ode to an unknown and unnamed artist whose works she loves "a lot" (once again she cheekily makes a slight reference to her fave Aussie show "Rake"...you need to watch it, live it, learn it and then enjoy the ride!).

Is it Thoif?  Is it...well obviously the 2095'er has no idea so any feedback would be most welcome!

Feedback received!  It's Phool.  Huge thank you to a fellow street-art photographer for this info!  A girl can never have to many pieces of info, specially in the world of street art

A moon licht bricth tonicht

There are times for the 2095 chick where music and compilations of graff must be shared.  She is not quite sure from where this "urge" is derived.  

Is that she is a "frustrated" artist perhaps?

Might it be that it is simply a desire to express using two of her passions: music and streetart photography?

Or is it that a theme simply presents itself and from there everything magically appears to fall in to place.

Who knows (one could debate the idiosyncratic nature of the 2095 until the end of time, and perhaps provide some head doctors with interesting fodder), but whichever way you choose to look at it, there is one constant in the 2095'ers world: passion and that passion needs an outlet and that outlet results in to the little vids below!

Once upon a time the 2095'er was a member of The Sydney Film Festival and went to a most intriguing talk on how music influences our perception of a visual, whether it be tv, film or even a streetart slide show/montage.

Enjoy and make of it what you will....but there is one thing to keep in mind: the theme. Are you able to work it out?

being a fan of a certain series involving a psychopathic serial killer is pretty obvious here

Take note: what the brain hears may influence the viewer's conclusion as to what the 2095'er had intended when creating...which for the hoi polloi might be the definition of "art".

Thanks for watching!

5 Questions with Scarlette Rose Fairy Rainbow Art

As with many accidental discoveries (or are they the 2095'er ponders...is anything really an accident or is it more of a case of "it was meant to be" or going down a "road to be travelled"....oh no!  STOP!!! Faaaaar too philosophical for this time of the day to write let alone read or debate!) the 2095 chick was meandering around May Lane early in the morning and with eye-swivel in full throttle she looked down and, as with many other "fatalistic" moments, it was not just breath taking but instant girly love.

There must be some admission made at this particular juncture: there are times when the sun is not exactly the best friend to a photographer of street art, let alone a rising one at that.  

While in summer the 2095 chick embraces the sun like a long lost friend and receives her blessing at every given moment thanks to a wonderful balcony, (and yes the sun is imperative to our overall well being of selves and planet) she can also be bloody annoying when trying to obtain "the" shot.  That magical moment where there is no shadow, no reflection, where every detail of the piece is shown to its maximum capacity!

But digression now occurs.  

Admittedly there are times when the 2095 chick becomes wholly obsessed in returning to said May Lane determined to discover each and every new addition whether it be a tag or a tin and it was on a return journey she discovered more from this amazingly talented paste up artist.

Success!  A STUNNER! No dratted shadows, no reflection: pure perfection

Image most satisfyingly captured, and one head swivel later (60 seconds if one wishes to be pedantic about things) with an audible gasp of delight.....

And now here are my 5 questions with Scarlette Rose Fairy

From incredibly beautiful intricate paste-ups or a rainbow on a window: what is it about the colour spectrum that intrigues and inspires creativity

Rainbows & bright colours have always made me feel really happy and positive since I can remember and I've always used incredibly vibrant colours in my work.  (I rarely used pastel or earthy tones which is something I feel I have to start incorporating into some of my work).

The intense bright blend of colour in other street art is always so inviting  in stark contrast to the dullness of city buildings, concrete etc, so rainbows and crazy bright colours are what feel right for me, so adding paste ups to Sydney in varying types of rainbows excites me!

I know so many people who feel the same so if seeing one of my paste-ups on your boring routine wall makes you smile then I've done my job!

I have started reading, learning and researching more about the use of colours and why we choose certain blends; it's almost like a colour therapy and I want to know the reasons behind the logic (of selective choice of blends).

My kids also go to a Rudolf Steiner school which is always full of rainbows and colours every day so it is literally part of our lifestyle, so feeling pretty luck about that really!

From Japanese women in komono to babushka to the most amazing koi.  Are these an indelible part of your lifestyle which are thus reflected in your pieces, or are they just random "love lines" in need for celebration by way of Rainbow Art's paste-up

I've always admired street-art and am a huge fan of seeing the work from the train carriage and going in to a dreamy world of my days at school & work, always hoping one day to be adding to those lovely walls.

I noticed there was a lack of feminine, floral, girly work on the streets; I've seen an awesome range of ladies doing their thing, but not locally.  There was so much writing and tags, I almost felt like converting to an anti-street-art person (not seeing the beauty).

At that time my art had no particular meaning behind it, just a collection of things that made me feel happy and content: art changed my life & attitude so I thought why not share it!  Bite the bullet and start adding some rainbow love to Sydney walls.

My style of work is influenced from when I was as a tattoo artist.  Before becoming a mum, I completed my tattoo apprenticeship in 2005 with an old friend of mine, who took me under his wing for which I feel incredibly blessed.  A lot of my work is inspired and influenced by the "feminine" and the "pretty" tattoo designs that I was surrounded by all day.

I noticed after a while in the tattoo studio the boys I worked with were encouraging me to do colourful tattoos while they did the grey-shade/black work and as I was getting more female clients it suited us all.

I was living the dream!

Can you outline the steps (including the origin of concept) from start to finish on the methodology, design, print with the finale being deciding which wall shall be the new "gallery"

I had a folio with a collection of work that didn't have any meaning behind them...just art that made me feel warm and fuzzy, so I started to colour photocopy them.

The original work was created using pencils, water colours, inks, paint and posca's so to photocopy them was the cheapest way to add them to walls.  No strict format or ground plan as such.  I'd just stick/paste them to suit the area I found while wandering around. I have a collection I'd cut out at home which were ready to use and then paste them up!

It's just fun for me to kind of go with the flow and see where each day and night takes me, so if there's a nice plain un-used gap on a wall, I just pop each design up and use whatever fit that appeals to my eye.  That's why I love street-art: working with what is there, the constant change, the fading pictures, and the beauty of its constant change.

....AND if I get caught, paste-ups are easier to scrape off a wall!  I do think about people who may not like street-art....how considerate am I!

Do you find your two worlds of artist and mum collide or are you one of those amazing women who can multi-task with such apparent ease, it's like breathing

Hahahaaaa...not it's not easy all the time, I promise!

My kids always come first, but I'm also a better Mum when I'm creating, so it's a Catch-22.

I gave up my full time tattoo career to raise my kiddies so I needed a creative outlet that was my "sanity" and personal time and I realised that street-art/paste-up was perfect!

I simply organise myself so that work time doesn't interfere with "kids time" (eg: when they are in bed asleep).  I stay up a little later than planned so I can have my time to play with colour!

Sometimes we all go out together as a family and check out Sydney streets, add to it (my little girl always says "wow!  you're doing a great job mum"!) and my husband is so supportive of our creative adventures.  He is creative too so understands: we help each other.

There are day which are fantastic and get loads done and can multi-task everything and everyone.  Then there are days that turn to poo from the moment you wake up but hey, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

I work with what I've got!

In 5 words, how would you describe the world known as Scarlette Rose Fairy Rainbow Art

"Rainbow" "explosion" of "feminine" "positive" "girly" art!

**********

And thank goodness for that: there can never be too many of these beautiful pieces of these adorning walls around the streets.

An ENORMOUS thank you to Scarlette Rose Fairy Rainbow Art for sharing time, insight and some girly time with the 2095 chick and of course for allowing images to be reproduced for this beautifully colourful blog!

5 Questions with Simone Sheridan

The 2095 first came to be in touch with Simone by way of the wonderful world of social media.  Being a former Novocastrian the 2095 felt duty-bound to make a "connection" immediately!  After all we (ie. Novocastrians) are famed for jumping on the bandwagon of friendship, even more so when that particular someone has a passion for street art and all its composites.

The initial "introduction" came as a result of .....(does she need to state the obvious the 2095'er wonders aloud....oh go on then....just do it!) The Outpost in 2011 where photos/documentation/capturing streetart moments were duly shared, admired and talked about, albeit via the fibreoptic world.

A little further down the track, having keenly watched street art promotion and development grow in the 2095'ers old home town, it was time for a jaunt up north. Fortunately, having grown up in the area, the 2095 had absolutely no issue with geographical navigation as for once she was on top of things and then some!

AND it wasn't raining (see previous 2095 street art entries if not already done so in order to make sense of this rather obscure sentence).

Before the self-indulgent street art discovery tour, the 2095'er wanted to go back to her old school chapel and simply enjoy just "being".

That done, a hunting we will go and boy did the 2095'er find some AMAZING pieces and joy of joys NO CARS!!!!  Truly! No cars to block the walls!  It is every photographer's dream to not only find amazing pieces that haven't been tagged or capped but in a car free zone????? Doesn't get better than that!

image included with kind permission of umpel

You are a person of many "hats" with a passion for promoting local artists and street artists alike.  When did this love come in to being

It started when I was in Mudgee studying Visual Arts for my HSC where I did a case study on a local graffiti artist who is now known as CHEMS.

CHEMS even took part in the first exhibition I organised as Founding Director of an artist-run initiative ARThive (which you can read more  "here").

I have always been fascinated by art collectives, and people who flock together based on an agreed idea/philosophy.  I have always loved graffiti too, so it's simply a natural cohesion of two interests.

After working at ARI, I learned a lot more about managing exhibitions and I found the "white cube" thing boring and am much more inspired by the outdoor spaces.  I have been documenting Newcastle streets since 2008 and I love how some spaces are hidden until someone makes that bold move to put something up.  Truly inspiring.

SAW is a major project of yours along with TiNA.  While being fun it's also a sensational marketing tool.  How many headaches and how many (dare I suggest....) meeting with "beverages" consumed did it take to not only come up with these concepts but more importantly their names

TiNA (This Is Not Art) Festival was founded many years ago by a bunch of Novocastrians. Funnily enough the name was inspired by a tag on an empty building called Latec House. Newcastle has its fair share of empty spaces which are HUGE sources of motivation for the work I do.

In 2010 I was Festival Director for TiNA (and  will be taking taking the role as Acting Director this year) and I wanted to create some visual signage on buildings to show people something new and happening.

I got a grant, found a curator and we organised a temporary art walk.  Interestingly once it was done ,property owners wanted more!  I noticed that the artworks were gaining more attention but people didn't know who was actually behind the project, which is why I felt it was important to create a "brand" so that the artists could gain online recognition at the very least.

Surprisingly for SAW, there were not many meetings to nut out the name.  I was working with an amazing colleague Angus Crowley (read more about Gus "here") who helped with the branding of ARThive (ARI).  Over a coffee I told him about my idea to create an outdoor gallery in the Hunter Street Mall with a view to have it expand/encompass the Newcastle region and he came up with "Street Art Walking" or SAW (we loved the acronym aspect of it as well).

I really have to throw a HUGE thank you to Gus who is an incredibly talented designer, collaborator, photographer, illustrator and an amazing person to work with.

The SAW brand & logo has been further supported by Brett Piva at Pocket Design (you can learn more about them "here") who is again another fantastic person to work with, and together we created a map, postcards and a new website over the last 12 months.

Street Art Walking

Pocket Design

I have been so incredibly lucky to find the right people who not only have an intrinsic understanding of SAW but have worked in such an easy collaborative way I can't thank them enough.

The locations of some of these insane walls are a particular fave (being a former Novocastrian) with the beauty being not much traffic so as to reduce the angst whereby a full appreciation can be achieved for both photographer and viewer.

image included with kind permission of umpel & street_moksha

Working and liaising with artists and council: how long did it take to implement from proposal to finished "product"

image included with kind permission of Ears

Great question!  It varies so much.  One job we are about to do with only one week to plan (three artist collaboration) took one day to approve.  We aim to paint it in a single day so for this particular project it there was about a fortnight turnaround time, and this particular project is with an existing SAW client.

We have now moved into the Placemaking realm, which involves more community and business consultations and therefore the process takes a little longer.  

Not forgetting that the weather has been known at times to throw a spanner into the works! 

The biggest challenge I have faced is paying my own bills on a regular income.  Often mural work is sporadic and not incredibly lucrative.  Much of my time is spent in sales mode, pitching artworks and advocating on behalf of the artists so they get justifiably paid.  As such, I have to find other work to keep myself afloat which at times means planning future street walls can at time fall by the wayside.

Fortunately SAW is starting to gain some real momentum and with my growth of understanding processes/requirements etc it's becoming more efficiently run.  The dream is to have walls rotating every 3 months in sync with the seasons.

What can we expect to see in the not too distant future for street art in and around Newcastle

Well I have been scheming up an event idea for a while now.  SAW came really close to working with The Opening Hours on an event last year, but the pieces unfortunately quite fall in to place.

This year however SAW has been given many walls to manage, so the dream of rotating on a regular basis is becoming a reality.

We have been very focussed on the Hunter Street Mall and hope to launch first event next year.  In the meantime, we want to start offering personalised walking tours, showing off Newcastle's hidden gems.

And as I have to maintain a regular income, often SAW "dream" projects have to tick over slowly.  BUT I have been contacted by locals to work on a street art event later this year....top secret stuff!

Stay tuned and keep your eye on Newcastle cause we are dreaming BIG time here!

How would you sump of the world of Simone, SAW and TiNA in 5 words

Busy, exciting, challenging and very worthwhile!

**********

So my friend Simone, thank you for sharing some time with the 2095 chick, can't wait to see what's in store for SAW & TiNA and hopefully the 2095'er will get back to the 2300 sooner rather than later!

And a massive thank you to Ears, Umpel and Street_Moksha for allowing the 2095'er to include her photos of their amazing walls for this article.

**********

and only cause she can....keep that street art a happening Newcastle cause it's gooood (it must be noted that this art is copyright to the artist, but the 2095'er simply could not NOT include it as a tribute to the amazing steel town talent)

5 Questions with Shannon Crees

The 2095 first "discovered" the artist known as Shannon Crees purely by what she (ie. the 2095'er) had deemed at the time to be complete misfortune.

Feeling hideously shivery and shaky, having caught the wrong bus due to watery eyes, the 2095'er fell asleep and awoke to find herself almost at Dawes Point.  Grumpy and annoyed, the 2095'er alighted said bus, bemoaning the fact she would have to walk that extra "mile" to the ferry and even worse, through the busy Rocks Markets.

Somewhere through the cotton-wool-headed haze and desperate for some sun to chill the bones, the 2095 noticed something above her which glistened with such intensity and intricacy she could not but help pull out the camera and capture the image.

Despite (or inspite perhaps) the feeling of blech, all photographers have a little voice within saying "if you don't get it now, it'll be gone", and as such the 2095'er then went on to capture the reverse side of this beauty.

Curiously the 2095'er did sense some folk watching her walking down, around and trying to get the perfect angle, but obviously not enough to prevent them from buying some disgustingly kitsch souvenirs  of which there are plenty, thus leaving the 2095'er blissfully enraptured enough to get two more perfect frames before literally falling on to a ferry seat, inching her way home,  crawling in to the beckoning bed and sleeping like a baby.

Fast track 2011 Outpost where on the 2095'ers maiden voyage, one of the first images she spotted was the singularly most beautiful wall she had laid eyes on. However, to be fair, it was literally within the first 2 minutes that the 2095  chick had stepped foot on soil and hardly any further discovery had been made at that particular stage.

Here are my 5 questions with Shannon Crees.

You have an incredibly distinctive style.  Has this evolved as you have grown both as a person and an artist or did it come in to "being" from doodles or scratchings along the way

I don't actually doodle at all.  I am quite impatient and like to see process.  I drew a lot when I was younger and it was my way of being able to sit still at my desk at school, but now I love the freedom of expression in painting large.

I went to fashion college so it all started from fashion sketches and my first job as a fashion illustrator and developed from there.

How do you choose what you are going to paint?  Is it an overt process (if given a brief) or does it present itself and you take it from there

It is mostly presented to me as a brief.  I do corporate work, private commissions and work to fit in group shows.

What has been your biggest installation to date

The mural for "Wall to Wall" competition at 80m sq.

But the temporary installation for "The Galleries Victoria" on Pitt Street (Sydney), I worked on for a whole lot longer and that was almost as big at 18m x 3m.

Although big can be impressive, I think 3x4m or a little larger is a great size to pain. Not too big, not too small.

For some a piece is never really "finished".  Is this the same for you where you have to draw a line in the sand, or do you meticulously plan and stick to point

Ha ha...sometimes it is just better to never come back and look at it again after completion as you can see bits you just want to add to.

That's why I need deadlines.  I work better that way.

How would you sum up the world of Shannon Crees in 5 words

That's the hardest question ever.....

Colour

Surprises

Inspiration

Freedom

Hardwork (that's one word!)

I mean everything except hard work :)

**********

From one Northern Beaches chick to another I thank you.  Most especially as Shannon is currently o/s and somehow managed to fit in answering questions for the 2095'er from afar (the wonders of the fibre optics!)

5 Questions with John Forno

It would be nigh on impossible to NOT refer to PM3 for this particular article for that is when, dear readers, the 2095 met said artist John Forno, albeit by way of a pasteup!

And given that this was also the impetus to forge the connection (thanks to the wonderous delight of social media), the 2095 chick has followed the art of said Forno both with delight and complete frustration in that she simply could NOT jump through the fibre optics to capture some works digitally.

We first "met" via PM3 as it were.  Can you give a little bit of insight into the world of Forno the artist

Hmmmmmmmm....before doing my Undergrad in Fine Arts, my work was an exploration into the pitfalls of Consumerism.  This idea of stripping away the ego that mass media target and continually cascade in front of us.  The usual "you need this, want this and are not whole without it".

Inspired by the likes of Ben Frost, Fairey, Banksy & Ron English, I firmly believe that there is a therapy in art, so I gradually flogged myself through Undergrad, shifted more to my own personal history, my childhood, exploring psychology, ego, memory, Gestalt Principles, items of nostalgia and of course POP Culture.  I'm a POP culture kid through and through.

I believe if I have experienced something in my life, then someone else has more than likely experienced something similar.  Through the medium of art I hope to raise questions for the viewer and encourage self exploration.  But sometimes it just looks aesthetically pleasing.

If art is deemed as "representative of our inner self", which of your styles would "fit" this description and why (or not as the case may be)

POP art!!!!!!  Growing up with Atari, Commodore 54, the first Mac (dare I say it), Amstrad, 8-Bit arcades, anaglyph 3D, Transformers, Speed Racer, Scooby-Doo, Nintendo hand helds, Sega, BMX, skateboarding, Star Wars, Buck Rogers, Batman, Wonder Woman etc etc...

These all had a lasting effect on me and were my escape as a child.  As an adult these items remind me of simpler times: times of fun, exploration, no fear and no boundaries.

Being somewhat of a collector of Pop culture as well as an artist enables me to re-live that simpler life and embrace my inner child.

Are there times when you become completely frustrated with time restrictions for production OR is it a case of "stuff it, it'll be ready when it's ready"

hahahahahhaha!  Every show generally!  It's usually a case of both but at the end of the day I wig out, frustrated, riddled with self doubt, saying "F#&IT", get an attack of the guilts, madly trying to complete the work and, usually an hour before the show I'm putting the finishing touch on.

I formally studied as a graphic designer 10 years ago and it wasn't until I was under complete pressure (generally 2 days before the job was to be presented) that I would get it done.

Procrastination can be my demon!

My art practice is a little different as it is fuelled by the theory, so I get a bit of a heads up.  At the end of the day I'm putting myself on show to be critiqued so there's always pressure.  

After my first solo show 2 years ago the "come down" the following day was on a par with my worse self-induced imbibed hangover.

Festivals vs Live Art vs Solo vs Collab.  Which (if any) do you really find yourself being extended and pushed out of your comfort zone

They all have their advantages.  Each presents their own particular scrutinies.  Festivals and live art: there's the pressure of creating in front of a crowd...that's always a tough one.

Solo's and collabs present a different set of parameters: following gallery conventions, but also trying to break them and being critiqued and scrutinised by critics as well as the public. 

They all push me out of my comfort zone.

When can we expect to see world domination by Forno

Well I've just been invited to a show at the 2 High Festival at The Powerhouse Museum in November so the road to world domination is moving like a bus from the movie "Speed".

In all honesty, it's all been pretty fast paced considering it was only four years ago I started to seriously consider art as a career.

I've just deferred my Honours Research until next year and wish to complete a PhD, so there's another four years of study.

Hopefully world domination will occur before I die

**********

Hell to the yeah on that score and a MAAAASIVE thank you to the man known as Forno for sharing some time, flicks and more with the 2095 chick.