93 Creator Crescent. The Moon

Mr. Squiggle and his motley crew from the moon made a huge impact on Sauce during the folly of his youth. In fact, I think Mr Squiggle and his friends inspired a whole generation of art lovers. 

I can still remember watching in awe and wonderment as Mr. Squiggle created a masterpiece from a few lines provided by a lucky viewer.

 It blew my five year old mind when he did the artwork upside down. I mean, can you imagine drawing with a pencil as your nose AND creating something recognisable AND doing it UPSIDE-DOWN!? Crazy!

In the current political climate, it is important to pay tribute and recognise the impact the ABC programming has on our lives and give thanks for the ABC’s contribution to leaning, education and the arts. #saveourabc

The Sauce Studio gets a Workout

Lately we’ve had to juggle numerous projects around and do the project shuffle to try and keep all of our lovely and patient clients happy. 

This left Sauce with some unexpected downtime in the studio, so he made the most of it by getting stuck into some new canvas work. He even finished a commission for a friend’s anniversary. 

If you’re interested in picking up a canvas before the Christmas rush, then get into the studio now and grab yourself an original handmade piece of aerosol art.

Snail Racer V2

The Snail Racing Van received a re-vamp when a Sydney mate Jugs, said he needed some time out to get away from the city and breathe some fresh air. Sauce had plenty of paperwork and designs to keep him busy, but he still managed to get out for a paint or two while Jugs was in town.

Moorooka Jam

For a professional artist, finding the time to go for a paint can be a real challenge. Especially when there are many clients waiting for their works to be completed, but Sauce managed to squeeze a sneaky join up with Kosie1 last week. Sauce and Kosie1 have a ritual of painting on or around their collective birthdays in January, and they always plan to get together during the year and paint more, but with both lads juggling numerous jobs, it’s tricky to get them both to have time off! 

For this wall, Kosie1 had some overseas guests who were studying photography, so they sharpened their camera skills while Sauce and Kosie1 painted.

Sauce is currently working on the chrome effect with his pieces, and Kosie1 is sharpening his can control and colour combos.

Exit 75

When I said Sauce was busy, I wan’t exaggerating! He managed to smash out this Stomper on the Gold Coast over two days. It was in the pipeline for a while, as Sauce know it would be a mission to finalize. During this time, we received word that another Writer, Polka passed away, so it was fitting this wall would be a tribute to the young man who died too soon. 

There were heaps of different challenges to negotiate, from lining up paints to having enough space on site. The wall which is visible from the motorway, doesn’t have many neighboring buildings, so the ‘nature strip’ was more of an overgrown tangle of weeds with a large and steep drop. The lack of buildings also meant Sauce was unable to source power for his airless spraygun so the background was done with rollers. He was definitely stinky when he came home, so I can assure you plenty of sweat went into this wall.

This wasn’t the first time Sauce had painted here. Previously, an old friend Roms had organised permissions for the wall, but over time Roms had other things to manage and he graciously handed it over to Sauce to maintain.

Increase the Peace

This project in Murwiilumbah took several days of pre-production, 112 hours to paint, used 35 litres of acrylic paint and 120 aerosol cans, 114 nozzles, and the artists traveled from Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast and had 87 years experience between them. In short, the lads put in a mammoth effort over the Easter long weekend to finish this mural. For a full background visit the blog, where I explain the finer details of the wall.  

Name: Sauce

From: Northern NSW

Trade: Mural and Aerosol Artist

Painting Since: 1994

Theme: Increase the Peace

Website: Instagram  & Facebook 

Sauce

Sauce

Skonz

Name: Skons

From: Brisbane

Painting Since: 1999

Trade: Tattoo Artist

Theme: Increase the Peace

Jae Theartist

Name: Jae Theartist

From: Wherever he lays his head

Trade: Sign writing and aerosol art

Painting Since: 1989

Theme: Finding what creates a resonance with light

Website: Flickr 

Jae Theartist 

Ksino

Name: Ksino

From: Sydney, now lives in Brisbane

Trade: Owner of Butter Beats Record Store

Painting Since: 1986

Theme: It’s more likely that we landed a monkey on the moon than a man. 

Website: Butter Beats & Kasino 

Ksino

New Workshop Dates

We’ve released a new series of dates for our ridiculously popular stencil art workshops. Now is the time to book in for a workshop (or three!) in the studio in Murwillumbah since they book out fast. See you in the studio.

Three Sixty Five

Three Sixty Five explores the highs and lows of an aerosol artist over a one year period. During the Wet Season of 2012/13 Sauce and Ainslie Rose spent too many days cooped up inside and spent long mornings talking over coffee about ‘what would be really cool’. It was from these heartfelt conversations the pair decided they needed to be the change and not the problem, and thus, The Sauce Studio was created. The Sauce Studio was meant to be the catalyst Murwillumbah and the Northern Rivers needed in regards to aerosol and contemporary art.

 

Still Lifeless, oil on canvas, 122cm x 91.5cm. Sauce, 2014.

Since opening last March, Sauce and Ainslie Rose have used the workshop and showcase to meet new friends and create new artworks, but it hasn’t been all beer and skittles for the creative couple. A large part of the challenge has been navigating through the bureaucracy associated with public art and murals. Sauce has worked with over eighty schools and has over a decade of professional experience, but he is still dictated to by public servants who know little if anything about public art. The bureaucracy isn’t usually site specific, that is, most large scale organizations and councils have the same level of paperwork and inane demands, however recent experiences with councils have taken the bureaucracy and flagrant stupidity to a new level.

#exhibitionthreesixtyfive, aerosol on found object. Sauce 2014.

This paper-trail full of maintenance schedules, risk management plans, design briefs, and selection criteria may be a part of everyday life for the myriad of Cultural Development Officers, but it doesn’t denote high quality art, nor extrapolate cultural innovation; except when this is used as inspiration for an exhibition. It is these experiences of tribulation and encumbrance which has fueled this creative output. This exhibition serves as a metaphor for the challenges faced by a professional aerosol artist. The Sauce Studio arose out of dissatisfaction for the hegemonic demands of traditional gallery expectations and tokenistic public art projects and this celebration one year of operations in Murwillumbah exemplifies the positivity and success.  

Retrospective Self-portrait, acrylic on canvas, 76cm x 30cm. Sauce 2014.

From the Wreck, acrylic on canvas, 183cm x 91.5cm. Sauce, 2014.

Overcast Enlightenment, oil on canvas, 70cm x 50cm. Sauce 2014.

Elevation

Positive Energy Activates Constant Elevation - Gravediggaz

In the current political climate it is challenging to find suitable walls for aerosol artists, so when the principal from Upper Mt Gravatt gave Sauce the all clear, he jumped at the chance to smash out some 3D work. This wall was completed over two days, as the first day was spent at the school rejuvinating some old work and looking at another site for a new mural. On the second day, Sauce worked on the details of the 3D elements. 

Sauce was pleased with his efforts, and when he made it home, we discussed the need to just paint. How sometimes, it is difficult to balance painting murals with koalas and painting a good solid graff piece. Sometimes, just finding a wall to paint is a mammoth task in itself! I really like the colour scheme in this one and Sauce is already itching for another paint. If you’ve got a wall that needs a good old fashioned graff piece, let us know!   

Bang on Trend

Are you a Blockhead? Sauce and I have to admit, we were sucked in hook, line and sinker when it came to The Block Sky High (and past series!). Maybe it’s because our house is in desperate need of renovation, or that as a public artist Sauce is always looking at new visual ideas and trends. Maybe it’s the scripted drama and the (non)reality t.v. Who knows why we’re glued to our set; Sauce and I watch The Block, like there is no tomorrow. So, when last night’s episode aired, of course we watched it.

The excitement was high and drama was promised, but Sauce and I noticed in the background of the factory, something which was distracting from the chaos of renovating. There was ‘graffiti’ in the background which looked prescribed. We couldn’t help but noticing it looked more of a mock up of what graffiti might look like if producers had commissioned a few kids to paint a wall. Which essentially, isn’t the biggest crime of the century. It even makes for exciting t.v. but… As the episode continued it was clear, the artwork was going to be exploited, and was used as another trendy statement piece. 

Again, the exploitation of graffiti art is not the end of the world, however when you make a living from the industry, it can be frustrating at the very least to have major corporations and brands taking over a subculture for their own financial gain. If graffiti art was required for the styling of the room, there are plenty of aerosol artists who could have painted the couple’s walls. How much more interesting would the room look if the artwork was seamlessly blended throughout the entire room?

On Facebook, we have stared an album, where we have images of graffiti gone wrong. We’ve called it #bangontrend since it is all about looking good and not about the art, not about the artists. Next time you see a pretty girl modeling the latest fashions in front of a graff piece, send us a flick! Not only are we standing up for the graffiti culture, it’s about the moral rights of an artist.