More insertions. These ones constructed from flood debris on the Yarra.

The Yarra River (Birrarung) flooded earlier this year reaching levels not seen for a really long time (due to years of drought). At the time I witnessed an incredible amount of debris moving downstream. As water levels subsided a spooky environment was created with plastic bag canopies high up in trees and large expanses of cracked mud.

I had been sifting through some of the debris for raw materials to create more insertions when I noticed a peculiar phenomenon. Amid the branches, soft drink bottles, and assorted rubbish were dozens of tennis balls! I recovered 68 in five minutes, all from that small patch of debris. Imagine how many there are in the whole 242 kms of river!

Mentor/employer/collaborator/friend Stephen Banham released a beautiful book in September. Characters tells the stories behind, and around, the signage of Melbourne. While working at Stephen’s Letterbox studio Friday arvo usually saw us nerding-out over a beer about vernacular signage and fonts.

Near my house there’s an amazing park that is basically an untamed strip of land running along the Yarra River with a few tracks through it. I ride and walk there a bit,  and a little while ago I created these ‘insertions’. Not sure where this is going yet. More coming soon.

Outpost on Cockatoo Island

Say Hi to Lister for me.

Painted one arvo with Twoone.

BlackArtsProjects are putting on a drawing show. Some AMAZING artists!

100 is a project that challenges the notion of ‘drawing’ by means of presenting an exhibition of works that engage the act of drawing in relation to facets of perception, process and the capacity for individual invention. It seeks to encourage discussion about the relevance and transformation of drawing in contemporary art practices today.

Artists are not limited by traditional conventions, media or size in realising artworks for exhibition.

Giles Alexander . Justin Andrews . Steven Asquith . Justin Balmain . Irene Barberis . Magda Cebokli . Mauro Ceolin . Tony Cran . Steve Danzig . Fernando do Campo . Ghostpatrol + Miso . Craig Gough . Sharon Green . Lucas Grogan . Brad Haylock + Kieran Stewart . Pernille Kløvedal Helweg . Sarah Hendy . Maria Ionico . Jasper Knight . Emma Langridge . Sam Leach . Littlewhitehead . Brendan Monroe . Yoshitomo Nara . Ka-chun Ng . Niels Oeltjen . Tom O’Hern . Nana Ohnesorge . Andre Piguet . Matthew Sleeth . Jeffrey Smart . Tai Snaith . Wendy Stavrianos . Kate Stevens . Nessie Stonebridge . Wilma Tabacco . Paul Alexander Thornton . Damon Tong . Daniel Truscott . Vexta . Peter Walsh . Mark Whalen . Sean Whelan . Oscar Yanez . Timothy Zauho

I was selected as a finalist of the RBS Emerging Artist Award. The exhibition will be open to the public till Friday 28th October during business hours at RBS Tower, 88 Phillip Street Sydney. Congratulations to the winners and to my boy Ghostpatrol (also a finalist)

I painted this with friends Al Stark and Twoone.

Here’s a preview of my piece for an art show to coincide with the Sugar Mountain festival. Look out for friends Twoone, Mark Whalen, Stefan Marx and Cody Hudson’s work as well as Qua performing.

From the University of Queensland website:

Playful, edgy, clever and satirical, the works in Space invaders have appeared in city streets around Australia. Street art has significantly altered Australian visual culture, especially over the past decade. It has announced the arrival of a new generation of contemporary artists.

This exciting exhibition looks at street art of the past 10 years by more than 40 of the most prolific and infamous street artists working in Australia today. The works are from the National Gallery of Australia’s growing collection of street art—the only one of its kind in an Australian public gallery.

I won’t be able to make it, but I’m hoping to be in Queensland soon!

Edwina Corlette is having a group show to coincide with the National Gallery of Australia’s touring Space Invaders exhibition at the University of Queensland Art Museum.

The Super Heroes.
Anthony Lister, HaHa, Vexta, Kill Pixie, Mini Graff, Ghostpatrol, Miso, Al Stark, Rone, Nails, Civil, Psalm, Makatron & Georg.

Shebeen … will sell exotic beers and wines from the developing world. 100% of the profit from each drink sale will then be donated to a development aid project in that drink’s country of origin. — PUYD website

I went a bit above and beyond the call of duty and submitted drawings made in the spirit of a doodle. There will be an auction this Wednesday at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art by Ben Clark of Sotheby’s Australia. It starts at 6pm so be prompt to make sure you don’t miss out.

So I went off to Canberra to install my piece for Space Invaders at the National Gallery of Australia. I wrote a quick post at Wooden Foundations about it.

Birds On Oak

My boy Scottie (aka Bonsai) has a show coming up.

Fit to Print

I’ll be submitting some prints to this fun project.

So I’m in Canberra right now installing my piece for Space Invaders at the National gallery of Australia. I’m involved in quite a few events so come and say hi.

Friday 29 Oct

Official opening — 7:30 pm to 10:30pm
Come check out the exhibition, meet the artists and curator. There’s and after party at New Acton.

Saturday 30 Oct

‘Street Studio’ book launch and signing — 11:30 am
With Ghostpatrol, Miso, Nails (me), Ash Keating, Alison Young, Twoone and the Everfresh crew in the Gallery Shop.

Curator and artists talk — 2:00 pm
Jaklyn Babington, curator of the exhibition, is joined in the Project Gallery by artists Vexta, who discusses her work, and Nails, who discusses his work in the exhibition.

Street|Studio

I’m featured in a new book published by Thames and Hudson called Street|Studio. The book’s authors Miso and Ghostpatrol interviewed some key artists from the Melbourne scene whose street art has bridged into a studio practice. Designed by Timba, and featuring text by Prof Alison Young the books are flying off the shelves. The other artists profiled are Tom Civil, Miso, Tai Snaith, Ash Keating, Al Stark, Everfresh, Ghostpatrol, Mic Porter, and Twoone.

Wooden Foundations

The Wooden Foundations collective of which I am a founding member recently exhibited at No Vacancy. Photos and more info here, here and here.

King Brown

King Brown issue 6 has an interview with me in it. Buy it here.

I have a couple of pieces in an upcoming show at the National Gallery of Australia in our nation’s capital in October. The show is called ‘Space Invaders‘ and showcases the NGA’s collection of works on paper by prominent Australian street artists. I will be there for the opening and will be giving an artist’s floor talk as well as doing some live painting. Subscribe to this blog via RSS feed or check the NGA’s website for more details.

I designed this wallet graphic for Poketo in 2008. The caterpillar’s stripes were then used on a bag for their mini-range developed for Target USA.

I mentioned the Tailfeather & Wooden Foundations collab in a previous post. Following on from that  I recently completed a leather fine art print via Tailfeather’s high-quality production. I’ve been holding onto this idea for a couple years now but it finally came together just recently for a show to launch Street|Studio at Black Rat Press in London. More about this piece at www.nails.net.au

Please contact me to buy one.