Birthday Bash 2014

/

My good mate Kosie1 and I started a tradition a few years back, where we start the year with a join-up. Both of us celebrate birthdays in January, so it’s a great excuse to take some time out and catch up for a paint and a beer (although, this time it was a coffee, as we started painting at 7 am and we both had to work in the afternoon!). Style wise, we did difference pieces with a shared colour scheme. It was cool to paint with a mate and not have to think about anything except for the piece.


Local Artist Applies Colour to Cultural Complex.

/

The finished aerosl art mural.


On Monday, local Aerosol Artist, Sauce added colour to the Byron Regional Sport and Cultural Complex by completing a 2.6 by 12 metre mural on the kick wall of the facility.

The initial process began in July of last year with an Expressions of Interest from Byron Bay Shire Council seeking a professional aerosol artist to create a mural for the complex.

Sauce was excited to be chosen for the local project. He said “It was great to be involved with this project in Byron because it has been a challenge to find work locally. The paperwork for this gig was lengthy, but in the end, I’m stoked this design was chosen which allowed me to create some quality aerosol art”.

Sauce has over a decade of professional experience in creating murals and his studio in the CBD of Murwillumbah is open to the public. 

 

This was covered in the Echo, and in the Northern Star

Byron Bay Kickwall.

/

 

This mural at the Byron Regional Sport and Cultural Complex is one of the many different projects and plans lined up for January. Sauce was keen to finish this wall as it was a long time in the pipeline with loads more paperwork than the usual job. 

 

The initial Expressions of Interest was in July of last year, and I put together three separate proposals for the gig. At one stage, we received a phone call requesting more information about the proposals, which was strange, as I thought I had all of the bases covered, but I worked out that the team hadn’t read any of the information I had sent. *Sigh* I just love bureaucracy. 

 

Once we put application was accepted, there was a delay between the signing of the contract and the design phase. There were more hoops to jump through, but in the end we met a lovely contractor from the council who was fantastic to work with. She listened to our concerns and was the most organised council worker I have ever met. Our biggest challenge was the paperwork and the design approval process. It is literally easier for Sauce to paint the mural than to organise all of the different bureaucratic processes, but you have to take the good with the bad.

 

The best bits: working locally and creating some solid three dimensional graff. Sauce didn’t have to deal with traffic or scramble to find parking and all the other hassles of working in the Big Smoke. Once the initial design phase was finalised, the concept and colour scheme for the piece really stood out. Sauce was able to use some of the MTN 94 Transparents and experiment with different stencil techniques. We hope this is one of many different local projects in the Northern Rivers area. There are loads of walls in Byron and the surrounding areas which would be perfect for a good old fashioned graff piece. As a commercial artist Sauce doesn’t always choose the theme for every job. Opportunities like this are few and far between.

 

 

 

Stencil Art Workshops in The Sauce Studio.

/

Yesterday, we held our first stencil art workshops in our studio in Murwillumbah. The turnout was great and the participants were an interesting collection of young and old. The seven participants watched Sauce paint a quick demo and spent the rest of the afternoon creating their own canvas with various stencil forms and patterns. It was fantastic to have some older participants step outside their comfort zones and explore a new medium. We can’t wait for the next workshop so we can meet some new faces!

 

The next workshop will be held on the 26th of January from 2-5 pm. For all enquires and bookings email admin@thesaucestudio.com.au 

 

 

 

 


Back to the Future

/

 

 

Ok, so it’s 2014 and we still don’t have hoverboards, but we do have a Time Machine! Over the Christmas and New Year break, Sauce whipped up a Time Machine in Newell Park, Murwillumbah. The project was many months in the making, as there were numerous official documents to fill out, and Sauce was juggling several different murals at once. The delay was a blessing in disguise as once Sauce had completed the steampunk themed mural at Ground Control, he was full of ideas for the electrical box. The box is literally across the road from the studio, so next time you’re in town you can see both!

 

 

 

Goodbye 2013!

/

Wowzers! 2013 has been one rollercoaster of a year. Sauce painted more murals than we care to count and the studio has been out biggest adventure yet! 

The year started with a bang, as Sauce spent five days at Brisbane Pop Culture with Turtle and Em Undead. With all the rain and storms for the summer of 2012-13 Sauce was definitely battling the elements. But it was finished in time and luckily Em and Turtle escaped any flooding. We however, were not so fortunate. Country living has it’s downside, and while we were planning and scheming to open The Sauce Studio in Murwillumbah, we were flooded in at home for four and a half days, without power. But, we survived, and managed to open the studio, so Lady Luck must have been looking after us.

Buddah watching over us in the studio.

The Studio opening in March was definitively the scariest and most exciting thing we have ever done. In the lead up to opening night, it was utter chaos. We were busily organising shirts, logos, merchandise, advertising and all the paperwork that comes with running and expanding a business. We also had to re-fit the shop ourselves which saw Sauce and myself covered in paint and sweat from head to toe. A massive thanks goes out to all the people who visited for opening night (and throughout the year!). It’s heartening to know people are interested in the artwork and want to support an independent artist.

Ainslie Rose hard at work!

Once we opened the studio, Sauce was off to Tassie, and then Julia Creek, which was the first of three trips to Central Queensland this year. The Anglicare CQ team are without a doubt the most professional and dedicated team we have worked with. Every time Sauce visits Emerald, he’s treated like a superstar and the Anglicare CQ team have every detail organised. The kids are appreciative and enthusiastic. Sauce has even made friends up there who take him motorbike riding. Rough life hey?

The studio is keeping us both busy, with Sauce using the space as a workshop and I’m busy with all of the admin and paperwork. In September of this year, we held out first curated showcase, which was another adventure. I had the exciting role of Senior Curator, which meant I was developing and analysing the theme, while also advertising and vacuuming. For the week before Stains of Modernity opened, we had a young lad on work-experience who was dedicated and energetic. We almost couldn’t keep up with him!  Again, a massive thanks to all who came to the opening night and gave us a hand behind the scenes. It’s always scary throwing that type of party. We can never tell if it is going to be epic or, and epic failure, so thanks for making it a success.

Digital Interference. One of the pieces from Stains of Modernity.

It hasn’t been all beer and skittles, with Sauce facing some challenging bureaucracy and professional hurdles. We blogged about the many different experiences, and on a personal level it is disappointing to see the legal walls shut down, commissioned walls painted over and the zero tolerance approach taken by numerous organisations. I am conscious when we’re putting together blog posts as it is easy to moan about these issues, but we believe in standing up for what we believe in. Which is why we also write countless emails to officials and bureaucrats and make this information public. Just like Max Cavalera reminds us, “I’d rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees.” Too true Mr Cavalera.

 

One more exciting piece of information before we go. We are finally running stencil and aerosol workshops from the studio. Book it in your diary!

January 12th & 26th and February 9th.
$40 per head which includes a small canvas and paint supplied. 
Strictly 13 years or older.
Bookings essential. 
Wear appropriate clothing. All care taken, no responsibility for leaving paint on your new Nikes.

 

What ever you are doing this festive season, stay safe, look after your mates and enjoy yourself.

Peace,
Sauce and Ainslie Rose.

Sauce takes some time out with his new favourite book.


 


The Sauce Studio says NO to the Pop-Up Paradigm

/

We’ve all heard of them, and probably even been to one. You might haven even spoken about it with your friends and organised a night out at the latest and trendiest pop-up restaurant/gallery. The premise sounds fine, and all of those who visit usually have a rad time. BUT…

 

What does the ‘pop-up’ say about the state of business for the creative industries?  Our main contention with this temporary concept, it the lack of longevity given to dedicated professional artists. As makers and creators of quality art, it is disheartening to think artwork is popularly accepted as nothing more than a space filler and light entertainment. Art has a tangible effect on those who consume and enjoy it and for professional artists, art is more than pretty and palatable pictures at some trendy warehouse, it’s an income and a culture. By making art fit into the paradigm of the pop-up shop, it limits and constrains artists and art.

 

“But wait a minute.” I hear you say. “What about the flexibility and providing a platform for emerging artists?” Sure, there are some positives about the pop-up, otherwise it wouldn’t be popular. What we don’t appreciate at The Sauce Studio is how these pop-ups usually come together. In our experience, it is less about curating quality and more about who is friends with whom and who is cooler than whom. And, if an artist does get the opportunity to showcase their talent, more often than not they’re exploited and expected to work for free, which is not cool. Not cool at all. Just ask any mirco-business owner or emerging artist how many hours they put into their work, and how much profit they actually make. For sustainability and longevity, emerging artists need a hand up, not a hand out.  As far as flexibility is concerned, this is a false assumption. Again, in our experience at The Sauce Studio this has not been the case, especially in relation to the types of art shown in the pop-up environment. The pop-up paradigm is really more about the cool kids wanting to label and control their own expectations of what art is and can be. Trust us, the number of times we’ve been rejected or excluded from these types of events is ridiculous.  

 

Long story short, pop-up shops and galleries are devaluing art, reinforcing mainstream trends and are based on high school clique. Which is why we decided to open The Sauce Studio. At The Sauce Studio, we don’t rely on grants, funding or donations from the public, we’re an established business with overheads and mortgage payments, just like evey other business owner.  


Ground Control Coffee

/

The owner at Ground Control Coffee recently put the call out to find an artist to blend in an existing feature for their new warehouse and showroom. Since the warehouse was at Tweed Heads, Sauce jumped at the chance to work locally. The steampunk theme for the mural allowed Sauce to experiment with his latest batch of MTN 94s, Aliens and Transparents. The owner, Glen, was also getting into the spirit of things and was busy making brass chandeliers in the background, to match in with the theme. Sauce managed to finish the mural in one day, which was a massive achievement considering his brush with a Gympie Gympie plant. Ground Control opens early next year, so keep your eyes pealed if you’re serious about quality coffee.