Lets talk about your art career. You started airbrushing surfboards in the ’70s. What transformations have you and your art undergone between then and now?
So many. I originally did screen printing on clothes, that led to me doing rock posters, which in turn led to me doing paintings. My first ever exhibitions were around Brunswick Street in the early-‘90s. I’ve never stopped painting and hopefully improving since then.
Your art is reminiscent of pop art from the ‘90s and early-‘00s. What iconic brands have you worked with?
I worked for Mambo for most of the ‘90s. This had huge affect on my work. In fact it took me most of the ‘00s to shake it off.
You’ve said you tend not to concern yourself with genre. What’s the reasoning behind this?
Musically I think if you play strictly blues and roots or rockabilly or whatever, it’s almost like being in a covers band except the songs are all old. Likewise with art. I’ve been called lowbrow, but what’s that? Tiki art? Hotrod art? Tattoo art? Surf art? Occasionally I dip into all those areas, but I’d hate to be stuck there. I’d describe my style as abstract cartoon or just pop.
You toured in 2014 with your partner Vicki Philipp as the musical project Victoriana Gaye, inspecting art galleries along the way. What did you soak up during that time?
Highlights were The Tate Modern in London, The Brighton Museum, The Tate in Liverpool, The Huntington Collection in Glasgow, a haunted graveyard in Edinburgh, the complete collection of Latino street art belonging to Cheech Marin in Bordeaux and an amazing photo exhibition in the Basque Museum in Bayonne.
