The Gym

This year, I’ve been super busy working all over Queensland, so when a local business in Murwillumbah requested my skills for their blank wall, I jumped at the chance. The management at The Gym were great to work with, as they wanted a design which was specifically graffiti art. The brief was to make it look like a real alleyway and to make it look dirty and grimy. This piece reinvigorated my enthusiasm for a simple and clean piece. I’m looking forward to the summer break so I can smash a few pieces just for fun.

Update on 2014-05-09 06:10 by sauce

The Gym has made several upgrades in recent months with the addition of the outdoor training area and a new side entrance. We created a feature of the new doorway, adding to the existing artwork.

Mr Tom Tate & His Lovely Opinions.

When Justin Bieber left his mark on the wall of QT Gold Coast it made headlines across the world. At the time, we posted a link to the story and made our opinions known on Facebook, which, is the standard thing to do. And then, we saw the video Mr Tom Tate made about his thoughts and opinions regarding the artwork in question. At The Sauce Studio, we’re not happy with Mr Tate’s approach to this issue, and, we believe, sometimes, you have to put your money where your mouth is.

Firstly, I want to point out that Justin Bieber’s art, (Both music and aerosol) is not to my taste. We are not advocating in his behalf, nor do we appreciate his abilities, but as Voltaire says “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” While Justin’s actions may be immature, he still has every right to express himself. I know I did plenty of dumb things when I was younger, so who am I to judge?

Secondly, the coverage of this story is what I think is a part of the bigger picture issue. Aerosol art, graffiti and the sub-culture of Hip Hop are all things which can be enjoyed and created in a safe and legal manner. In this instance, Justin sought permission to create his artworks, and therefore it is not vandalism. Mr Tate’s actions of sending a graffiti removal kit to the hotel are just down right rude and ignorant. These types of attention grabbing tactics vilify and demean the cultural structures of Hip Hop and Graffiti Art. If Mr Tate is unable to tell the difference, or act in a manner which is respectful to artistic expression, I question his ability to be a fair and thoughtful Mayor. 

I am also disappointed by Mr Tate’s response to Justin’s artwork, as I don’t believe these types of actions are conducive for creating a vibrant and culturally sustainable future. This year, the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct was unveiled and Mr. Tate has also made a video about this. The precinct will include an art gallery, production studios and showrooms for arts and creative industries, and a New Arts Museum and Living Arts Centre. All of these things sound great, but if the Mayor is unable to respect artwork in this instance, I doubt very much he has the ability showcase the city’s culture and creativity to the world. In fact, I assert in his video address, not only does he denigrate Hip Hop Culture, he is tarnishing the Gold Coast’s appearance too. 

In Sauce’s video, he touched on Mr Tate’s use of the word “Princess.” Gender stereotypes can be difficult to unpack in a two minute clip, but I want to expand on it here. By using the term “Princess” to refer to a male is rude to both men and women. Specifically, from Mr Tate’s position of power (with wealth and public leadership), it infers that a Princess is a negative position, and as girls are Princesses, they must be negative. It also emasculates the male and creates levels of good verses bad. I would like to invoke such a gender stereotype and suggest that a gentleman of Mr Tate’s position should know better than to use stereotypes as put-downs. I expect more from our leaders, and I believe we need to keep them to account.

So, in sum, Mr Tate has done nothing to cultivate creativity on the Gold Coast nor act as an ambassador for Gold Coast tourism. By acting in an immature and ignorant fashion he as added to Justin Bieber’s profile. Nice work, Mr Tate.

Peace, Ainslie Rose. 

Upper Mt Gravatt State School

I wanted to organise somewhere to paint on my down time during the summer break, so I contacted Upper Mount Gravatt State School, as I have an older mural which I would like to renew. The Principal agreed, but he also wanted to commission another mural for the school. The design process for the mural outside the library was different from usual, as it was already created by Bec who is a member of the P & C. While it deviated from my regular style, I am satisfied with the end result and it was an interesting process working with someone else’s concepts. 

How was your Monday?

How was your Monday? At The Sauce Studio, it was a regular, no nonsense Monday. The kind where a little bit of work gets done, some procrastination happens and then it’s lunchtime and the day is nearly done. Monday, was just the regular run of the mill Monday until Sauce made a follow up call to the Manger at Visible Ink. 

For the past six months, at The Sauce Studio we’ve been following the Walls and Colours project. You might have seen the post where we expressed frustration about the project delivery, and, you’re probably wondering why we’re bothering to continue to whinge and whine about a project. Our complaints, might even sound like sour grapes, but…

At The Sauce Studio, we stand up for what we believe in, and we believe aerosol art is a legitimate art form which deserves more recognition than it currently receives. Aerosol and graffiti art is a part of the bigger sub-culture of Hip Hop and has been exploited by marking gurus for too long. We value transparent processes and practices when delivering projects to the public. Paperwork, the necessary evil, provides accountability and ensures agencies and organizations have a tangible justification for service provision.

Which takes me back to the original complaint. This Walls and Colours project, well it’s a pile of shit. The $150,000 project which is funded from the Proceeds of Crime has zero accountability. At no point has The Sauce Studio received or found an Expressions of interest. Even when we specifically requested one. But really, the bigger problem and the most disappointing fact is that young people, aerosol artists and the greater community is missing out when it comes to great public art and activities for aerosol artist enthusiasts. The proof is in the pudding. You can see the artwork and judge it yourself for quality and talent. 

As a business, The Sauce Studio doesn’t require to maintain or hold a monopoly on aerosol art projects or murals, but here’s the thing; out of ten walls, and $150,000 worth of funding, we find it difficult to swallow that The Sauce Studio and Sauce would be so systematically excluded from this project. Here in the studio, we can’t join the dots to find out why this is the case. Sauce has worked with countless other councils and community agencies, all over the East Coast of Australia and we find it hard to believe that his years of experience and artistic talent could not be utilised in come fashion for this ten wall project.

So, our Monday, was a bit overrated. And that phone call with the Manger from Visible Ink, well, it was an hour of talking in circles. In fact, it would have made more sense to play chess with a pigeon.

Why are we ‘airing our dirty linen’ on the blog post? Because traditional media outlets don’t care. We want something positive to come out this mayhem. It it truly disappointing to think this type of mismanagement, incompetence and nepotism is allowed to continue while the community misses out on something which could be the benchmark for public art and community engagement. These types of tokenistic projects do little more than alienate the target audience and they certainly don’t effect cultural change. 

Moreton Bay Boys College

Fresh from my week long residency at Calvary Christian College, I headed back to Brisbane and guided the young men at Moreton Bay Boys College through the finer points of aerosol art. This was my second visit to the school and my Senior’s mural was still looking fresh.

I was invited to their Art Show on Friday, the 25th of October, which should have some interesting and exciting works. I also had the pleasure of meeting Christian from CJ Sprayart. Apparently, he was so inspired from last year’s visit, he created his own business. It doesn’t get any better than that!

The Benefits of a Mural (Part Three)

Welcome to the final installment of the Benefits of a Mural posts. In this post, I want to talk about the versatility of aerosol art. 

 

Aerosol art is not limited to walls, graffiti styles or large murals. The skills and knowledge associated with mural art and aerosol art can be utilized to create innovative stage backdrops, set design and feature walls for the home. By using detailed cutouts, large canvases and some illusionary details, the ‘almost mural’ can provide a feature which is unmatched by stickers or cardboard-cutouts. 

 

Event signage and temporary instillations are another great way to incorporate aerosol and mural art at your event or venue. The process of aerosol art is one based on speed, making it an ideal concept for works or projects which have short timeframes. 

 

Finally, the aerosol art is a quick and cost effective method of adding colour and difference to your home, your event or business. Contact us today to organize a commission or consultation. 

 

 

BCC Wipes Out Another Mural

At Aerograffix, we were contacted recently by a Community Worker for a new graffiti prevention project. Initially, I (Ainslie) was excited, as I thought the project sounded exciting, exactly what Brisbane needed, BUT….after three scheduled meeting attempts, and waiting for over an hour for a ‘catch up over coffee’ I realized my meeting with the Community Worker was overrated.

The worker wouldn’t tell me what was required or expected of Aerograffix. There was no mention of where any of the projects would happen, or even if a mural would be created. When I specifically asked what services we would be required to deliver, I wasn’t given a straight answer. I was told, we would have to go to community meetings. Fair enough, given that it is a community project, it’s only fair that the community decides on what would be most suitable. I told the Community Worker that myself and Christian would be willing to go to meetings, but, since we operate as a business, we would have to act as one and therefore, charge for any further services provided. I said we were more than willing to come to the table, we just needed something on the table to come for, so to speak. It was clear, the Community Worker wanted someone to work for free. Again, fair enough if someone is starting their career or when budgets are tight, but I did a little digging. It turns out this is a part of a $150,000 project in Brisbane, which was given out of a 3 million dollar fund from the Federal Government. If a project is to attract industry professionals, then it is necessary to have the right funding to do so. 

A few days later, I received an email, informing us at Aerograffix that the Durack Guides Hall was going to be re-painted as a part of the Walls and Colours project, as it required rebranding. This is the same Durack Guides Hall which Christian painted in March 2007 which required very little maintenance and was a successful project. In the same email, I was informed that Christian could not be paid if he wanted to be involved in the rebranding and repainting process. 

Sure, I understand budgets are tight, and I completely understand that Aerograffix doesn’t need to be involved with every mural project in Brisbane, but…

How is it ‘in the sprit of community’ to paint over one mural with another? And why call us out to a meeting, not telling us any information about some ephemeral community project for which there apparently is no budget for? 

Long story short, this is another example of BCC completely missing the mark with graffiti prevention and working with industry professionals. 

We’re not happy with this, and we’ve voiced our concerns. Feel free to voice your concerns too. 

Below are pictures of the existing murals which were completed in 2007.

Update on 2013-10-02 06:15 by sauce

So, there has been no response from BCC, Visible Ink or any other community agency associated with the Walls and Colours project. Thus far two sites have been ‘vandalised’. 

We’ve had plenty of personal support, and kind words from mates, family and friends, but that doesn’t stop the mismanagement of funds. We’ve also had a few quiet words with other people and nothing seems to be balancing.

Aerograffix has since been contacted by IYS (Inala Youth Service) as they wish to use Aerograffix for the ‘rebranding’ of the Durack Guides hut. We’ve followed this up and offered to paint this wall for free, however this has been rejected as the site is reserved for the Walls and Colours project. We were informed by the Community Worker from Visible Ink, the only way Aerograffix could be involved with this site would be as a participant in the workshops. Which, as a professional artist, is nothing short of insulting.

At one stage, Visible Ink, had pictures of the existing mural on their website which were uncredited, which is just a blatent breach of copywright. They have since removed all but one image, which still goes uncredited.

Most importantly, we find it bizarre that out of ten murals (Specifically, one site which Christian has painted previously) which were suposedly a part of a $150,000 project, Aerograffix would be systematically excluded.   

In light of recent events, we thought a follow up including email correspondences.

Hi Ainslie,

Thanks for meeting me last week. Throughout the meeting it seemed like we work differently and have different requirements which at this stage makes me inclined to continue working with the Brisbane artists who have a similar approach to my own.   

I would also like to inform you that the project aerograffix did with the Durack Guides in DJ Sherrington park in Inala will need to be replaced. The Hut has changed lease owners and therefore it can no longer be called “Durack Guides.” Unfortunately, we will be painting over that mural.

I wish you all the best with your future endeavours!

Thanks

Community Worker

Dear Community Worker,

 

                      This is just to re-cap what we discussed at our Wednesday meeting this week. Christian is a professional aerosol artist and has over a decade of professional experience in creating murals all over the East Coast of Australia. He has a well established profile in Brisbane and you can view his website for examples of his work.

 

At the Sauce Studio we can provide workshops for aerosol art enthusiasts (aged 12+ for safety reasons) either on-site or in-house. Christian can also act as a consultant and provide advice and information regarding the sub-culture of hip hop, aerosol art and young people.  The Sauce Studio is a professional art business and must act as one, and therefore, we must charge for services delivered. I appreciate that working in the community development industry funding is tight and there are many other requirements with project delivery, however, neither Christian or myself are in the position to be able to attend further meetings in Brisbane without a fee. There are only so many projects we can be involved in without economic return. I would also expect that a Brisbane City Council initiative which is funded federally should have the funds to deliver a project in it’s entirety. If this is not the case, then I suggest any such project requires further funding and planning if it is to attract industry professionals.  

 

I am also concerned about the existing mural at the Durack Guides Hall. Aerograffix has not been informed that the site requires any maintenance from the buildings owner/user and I would like to question the need for another artist to repaint this site. As Aerograffix is the original artist, it wouldn’t be in the spirit of working with the community to paint over this mural for the sake of spending funding associated with your project. If I was informed during our meeting this was the case, then I would have raised my concerns with your methodology at the time. 

 

You specify that you wish to continue to work with artists who have a similar approach to your own, and I appreciate that you have every right to do so. However, as Christian is a professional mural artist and has over a decade of experience in working with councils and community organisations, I find it remarkable that your working style would be so dissimilar that Christian would not be suitable for this project. Since your initial enquiry took three appointments and I was left waiting for over an hour, I suggest your enquiry was not genuine, and you were seeking information on behalf of your organisation. Again, I appreciate you have every right to seek further information about community projects, but since you were unable to tell me what was required of Christian, when I specifically asked about what you would expect of our organisation to provide for your project, I assert this meeting was a tokenistic box-ticking exercise. 

 

I understand completely that there are other aerosol artists and I do not seek to undermine their work or capabilities. However, I don’t think it is appropriate to paint over another mural as a part of a graffiti prevention project. This type of action is not working with the community, and as I discussed in our face-to-face meeting, this type of action does not foster a culture of support, nor appreciation for legitimate aerosol artists. I also assert that by not divulging any information about the requirements for this project you are organising or not providing an ‘Expressions of Interest’ (or any other specific form of application) your are not acting in a manner that is fair, transparent or in the interests of the wider community and the existing stake holders. 

 

 

 

Thank you for your time, 

 

Ainslie Rose

Hi Ainslie and Christian

Thanks for your email. I acknowledge from our conversations that Christian is a professional artists with extensive experience in painting murals.

Because of the objectives and outcomes of the project, I do require a community development approach to the work. This means that I do not know what the project would look like or what my requirements or expectations from Christian would be. From a community development approach the local community partners would make the decisions around the structure and approach taken towards the project. Therefore I do not know what my expectations from Christian would be. This is decided in partnership with everyone.  The artist is viewed as 1 of these partners and would need to understand that “working together” approach, which require extensive flexibility and respect.

The Durack Guide Hut belongs to Brisbane City Council and like I explained the lease arrangements has changed with Inala Youth Service and the local youth service network GYPSES taking over the lease. Repainting and re-branding the hut is part of the process for the local young people to create ownership over the space. I plan to work with local artists, local young people and the local community to develop the process and outcome for this.  If Christian is interested to be part of the conversation he is welcome, however it is a community development approach and I would want to ensure enough conversations take place to create a shared value base to ensure we work in unity with the community. Unfortunately I can’t pay Christian for this time.

Again, thanks for your time and I would like to apologise for the accident on the Pacific Highway that made me run late.

Thanks

Community Worker

The Benefits of a Mural (Part two)

Welcome back to part two of ‘The Benefits of a Mural’. In the previous post we explained how a mural can be a cost effective method of graffiti prevention and how it differs from digital printing. In this post, we will explain the human elements of a mural.

A mural can be a cost effective method of creating a sense of pride and ownership for schools, community organisations and sporting clubs. The design elements of the creative process can provide your organisation with effective tools to make your space your own. The use of a mural creates a brand alignment with the handcrafted, bespoke and artisan elements of sign-writing. This type of visual communication speaks above the convoluted clip-art images we are all familiar with. By commissioning a professional mural artist to create a mural for your organisation, you are immediately communicating differently with your client base. 

 

Murals are also a great way to enliven a usually dull or dead space that would be usually ignored or avoided. Through the use of colour, you can make a feature of a normally wasted space. The human element of the design process provides a platform of realness to your organisation. The application process alone allows a level of flexibility which is unmatched with other sign-writing or visual advertising methods.

Feel free to contact us at Aerograffix to discuss your creative needs. We’d love to have a chat about your mural project.   

Day Off

In late December 2012, Kosie and I had a pre-birthday bash at the legal wall in my home town, Murwillumbah. It was great to spend some time with a mate and just head out for a good old fashioned paint. As you can see in the pictures, the sun was shining and the paint was flowing, and later in the afternoon the beer was flowing too. I can’t wait to do it all again.

Arts Fest Week

It was fantastic to return as Artist in residence for Calvary Christian College’s Arts Fest Week. I demonstrated aerosol art and stenciling during mural production and on canvas. Students in upper level art classes participated in workshops throughout the productive week, completing amazing works on canvas to display at the Arts Fest exhibition. Once again I had a top time…thanks to all involved in the Arts at Calvary.