It’s not everyday that Sauce is given permission to paint whatever he wants on a wall. In fact, most of his work is subject to a design brief and a rigorous consultation phase. So when his mate from Redland City suggested it was time to refresh an old piece, it was only a matter of time before the task was completed. Since it wasn’t a professional job, Sauce indulged in a few rums and kicked back with the boys in between painting. The results speak for themselves.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
On Wednesday (4/12/13) NBN News Gold Coast popped in for a quick interview about Murwillumbah becoming a cultural hub.
At The Sauce Studio, we’d love to get some boutique or gourmet markets and festival style events happening in Proudfoots Lane the CBD of Murwillumbah. If you’re local and have some ideas, drop by and have a chat. Let’s make this happen!
Last Sunday, I was part of an eight namer on the back of a factory wall in Capalaba. I really enjoyed painting some good old fashioned graff and it was great to see some many different lads from numerous crews all painting alongside each other.
A massive shout out to Kosie for doing all the hard yards with organising the gig and colour scheme. With so many walls being painted over and shut down, it’s a rare moment to have free range and paint something intrinsically motivated as opposed to a brief. It was even better to see all the lads out, as I’m sure that between us all there is a century of experience.
I can’t wait to do it all again soon.
For the first week back at school of term, four I was Artist in Residence for Calvary College at the Carbrook campus. This marked my fourth year at the school and as always, the school community was great to work with. I did several workshops with the art classes and completed a mural for the sports shed.
High Modernity, Post Modernity, Post Modernism, Post-Post Modernism, these are the times we live in. Pontificating about art and high culture will only go so far, it doesn’t address the bigger issues and is inaccessible to the wider population. Art is more than oils on canvas which are hung in well lit and over funded galleries. Graffiti embodies the notion of doing art as an act of expression as opposed to the more palatable and tamed visuals of the gallery market. Graffiti is more than just paint on walls from some young hoodlums. It’s a part of a culture and a way of life. Humans have been making their marks on walls from the beginning of history and the typography scrawled over the urban environment is just an extension of this.
This Hip Hop culture is evolving over time and is a part of the urban identity. It is this identity which creates a new history and a new narrative. Hip Hop grew out of the disquiet of New York and the American streets during the 1970s. It’s often associated with crime and violence, but true Hip Hop is anything but violent. It’s about battling to be the best and earning respect from your peers by honing your craft and perfecting your style. It’s peaceful, respectful and skillful. Flash-forward to now, and Australians have their own take on Hip Hop. It’s more about mates, larrikins and beer. The music talks more about politics and BBQs than bitches and homies, but there’s still a good dose of competition and testosterone. And graffiti is just one of the four elements which is celebrated and elevated by this competition. By eradicating graffiti and aerosol art from our streets, marginalizing it and calling it a crime is sheer ignorance.
The beginning of modernity saw immense change and the industrialization of the Western world. This industrial change is responsible for the creation of the aerosol can and the colours which are now accessible and neatly packaged. Modernity also reinforced the bureaucratic and hierarchical social structures which seek to marginalize and denigrate anything with unique thought, thus making graffiti the best weapon against this concrete and urbane landscape. Graffiti is as old as time itself, and now the tools are pre-packaged and readily available.
Did you hear the news? I’m famous in Central Queensland! During August and September I spent two and a half weeks traveling and painting my way through Central Queensland. During that time, I managed to complete ten murals and assist students to complete fifty-five canvasses which used twenty-two litres of acrylic paint, fifty-two spray cans and sixty nozzles.
After a stop over at Ink Addict in Tara I headed onto Emerald where I smashed an aerosol art demonstration at Central Highlands Multicultural Festival. I squeezed in an illusion style floor mural for the team at Anglicare CQ in the first few days, before running stencil workshops in Emerald, Rubyvale and Springsure. During the tour, I completed murals at Capella State High, Springsure State School, Blackwater State High, the Emerald Neighborhood Centre and the Emerald Kick Wall.
As usual, it was an absolute blast to work with the Anglicare CQ team. They always look after me and it’s great to see the young people enjoy different art forms. There is far too much to show for one blog post, so here is a taste of some of the completed works.
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Springsure State School requested a cafe themed mural and a Welcome sign.
Blackwater State High Students show Effort, Responsibility, Safety and Respect.
We paid tribute to the ANZACs with a mural at Capella State High School. Lest We Forget.
Handcrafted Artwork Since 94 - The Sauce Studio
We respect the Bundjalung People as traditional custodians acknowledging continued connection to country and culture.
