Stormie - Graffiti Artist Interview

September 2008

Interview with Stormie, an Australian graffiti artist and painter who is a member of ADS Crew and AWR Crew.

How old are you?

38.

Where are you based?

Perth, West Australia.

How long have you been painting / writing?

I have been drawing since I can remember but painting in the street started in 1982.

How did you get into graffiti and what made you start painting?

I had always drawn ever since I could remember. Around 1982 a movie was on TV and in it a kid did a piece to impress a girl so I started emulating bubble letters and learned to paint - then of course graffiti started to appear on album covers, video backgrounds, etc, etc.

Where did you do your first piece?

On a water collection tank, in the hills overlooking the city.

How would you describe your style?

• Black = Dirt
• White = The attempt to remove dirt
• Grey = Surface
• Silver = Dreams

How did you choose the name Stormie?

It was a nickname that stuck.

Do you write under any other names?

No, not any more.

Do you write with any crews and if so which ones?

• ADS Crew
• AWR Crew

I know you have worked with UK graffiti artist Rough, how did the two of you meet up and begin working together?

We first met in 1989 in Worchester at a graffiti jam. System and I had been friends pretty much from the first week I moved to the UK and I'd travelled there to see him paint… he introduced me and now we've all been friends, like family, for years - painting walls together.

We've done some many walls together but been such important parts of others lives that we know how each of us works, ego's are long left behind and it's about the work about being better as a collective as well as individually, achieving higher standards as brothers. I had a commission to do a month or so ago, it was a no-brainer to fly Rough out to do the job with me… it's the third time I've done that.

You are well known for your characters, where do you get your inspiration for these from?

Mostly I am inspired by observation, looking for the superhero in the downtrodden, beauty in decay… they're my rendition of people all around us. Sometimes I produce illustrations of emotions that are auto-biographical or a visual dialogue for a saying or phrase, but they all have to come from observation.

Has graffiti become a full-time career for you now and if so was it a long journey to get to this stage?

I am painting everyday almost, producing work of one sort or another. I never began for it to become a career… I'm very lucky.

Is there any one point in your career you would class as 'your big break'?

I've had many 'breaks', I work hard at my craft and what I do but I still haven't felt like I've 'made' it.

What do you see as your greatest achievement to date?

I have a few but can narrow it down to two:

• Painting a freight train in 2000.
• Producing a body of work that was auto-biographical as my first solo show in 1999.

What are your thoughts on graffiti being just a likely to be found in a gallery as on the streets these days?

There are many galleries trying to show graffiti, it's something I don't make a broad generalisation on. Some do it better than others but it's like all art, it's a personal thing embodied with emotion that makes it good or bad at a personal level. My perspective on this is based on either my own knowledge of the artist and their history or research I do on them and if it's come from both those places and is true to the maker I am happy for all parties involved.

Have you had your work displayed in a galleries and if so is there any one exhibition that stands out from all the rest?

Yes, I'm represented by LK Galleries in West Australia and Richard Martin Art in New South Wales. These relationships are ongoing and evolving so each show builds on the next… a process of refinement for me is better than a standout, a standout would be a quantum leap and I prefer to evolve through process.

How often do you travel abroad for your art and where is the most exciting or interesting place you have painted?

I travel a fair bit so the most exciting place is the next one. Cities change continually, so it's sometimes just as exciting to go back to a place as it is to go to a new one.

There seems to have been a sudden surge of interest in graffiti and street art recently, why do you think this is?

I think it's a lot of reasons, the biggest one being it's the largest art movement in the world. Graffiti was created by kids that weren't given a voice or a say in their environment so they took it and now that it's grown those people that were into graffiti as kids are in roles where they get to work with the people they've always admired, others now writing or running magazines and creating books. For me the most important thing is that the generation that started this movement are now talking and writing about it. They've become statesmen for the movement in a positive way and what they have to say is weighted with a paternal care that is now wiser and considered… this can't not hold peoples interest.

For me the most important thing is that the generation that started this movement are now talking and writing about it. They've become statesmen for the movement in a positive way and what they have to say is weighted with a paternal care that is now wiser and considered… this can't not hold peoples interest.

Stormie

There seems to be a very fine line between those who view graffiti as art and those who see it as vandalism, what are your views on this?

I don't really care for that argument, it's pointless. For the Impressionists to paint outside was not considered art at the time, however for someone to do something stupid like shoot up on stage I've heard people call art. One wasn't art the other is, how ridiculous is that? That premise only serves to hurt the kid that is young, goes out, does a tag and gets caught… it's a manifesto for control. I feel it's more important to have a voice and use it wisely.

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

I prefer to create works that say something on an emotional level rather than respond to the constraints of a moral majority, I'd rather not contribute to a tally for or against for the rules of anarchy.

Have you ever 'felt the long arm of the law' because of your art?

I had a little trouble for liberating art materials once.

I've had people try to take me to court for deformation of character based on something I painted on a wall, but I've also had 'off the record' support from people in positions of authority for what I do.

Do you try to keep your identity anonymous where possible?

That's not possible for me in a small city.

Do you see yourself as an artist or a graffiti writer?

I see myself as a painter.

What are your feelings about the Australian graffiti scene at present?

I don't really know much about it as a scene I keep myself too busy with work, besides I live in the most isolated city in the world.

Which other artists work do you admire?

Many, the list is endless but some are:

• Amanda Shelsher
• Barry McGee
• Codeak
• Derek Hess
• Derek Weisberg
• Doze Green
• Eklips
• Evan Hecox
• Futura
• Goya
• Impe
• Jason System
• Jason Tanner (RIP)
• Jasper Knight
• Jenny Holzer
• Jeremy Fish
• John Fekner
• Kenton Parker
• Kid Acne
• Kel 1st
• Rembrandt
• Mare 139
• Maurice Sendak
• Mode 2
• Norm
• Os Gemeos
• Oscar the Punk
• Phil Frost
• Push
• Remi (Rough)
• Revok
• Ricky Swallow
• Rodney Dangerfield
• Saber
• Sever
• Slick
• Staff
• Stelios Faitakis
• West One
• Michael Delahaut
• Woozy

All for different reasons it goes on and on…

Which other graffiti artists would you most like to work with if given the chance?

Anyone from a first day out toy to all the above and more. I'd rather work with like minded people than anything.

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

Whatever is closest to had and will make a mark.

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

That's too hard. For other peoples pieces it'll be the ones that caused me to self reflect, to consider if what I was doing was good enough. For my own stuff no… no favourites… some I like better than others, some I was in a bad place at the time and I like them because they remind me not to go back to that place but that doesn't necessarily mean I like the piece itself.

What kind of music are you into?

It's really broad, anything almost but strong leanings towards heavy metal.

What is the last album you bought?

I buy songs of iTunes.

What are you working on currently and what plans do you have for the future?

I'm working on a few things, some commissions and a solo show in November.

For further information about Stormie please visit:

www.stormie.com.au