The RP Roberts Interview

THE RP Roberts

INTERVIEW

by Amie Henderson

When did you start painting and what were your initial influences?

My father was an art teacher, so I was always into drawing and doodling. I started to really enjoy painting in my late teens when I started to paint graffiti; I loved the free nature of it, the scale and the styles. There were also influences from artists my father was friends with, like Kyffin Williams, and my tutor from college Peter Prendergast, who were both more traditional artists.

Then there were influences from getting in to graffiti, so people like Juice, System and Arcae. They are all graffiti artists from the UK who were pushing the style boundaries. Then there were the more international artists like Futura 2000, Loomit, Os Gemeos. I was very excited and inspired by the graffiti world as there were so many styles and avenues to explore with some amazing artists pushing the boundaries.

When did your art begin to blend with your passion for winter sports?

My best friend’s brother used to be a distributor for K2 and a now defunct snowboard clothing brand called Twist. This gave me an early introduction to snowboard culture before even stepping on a snowboard. We used to hang out at his office, and there were always loads of cool point of sale, posters and stickers for these brands. Twist used to use an artist called Evan Hecox, and his style was amazing. So really I got in to the visual aspect of snow and skate culture, alongside my love of graffiti. It was just very exciting seeing all these amazing styles from around the world and being inspired by them.

The mountains are always filled with colour, whatever the season. How do you decide on a colour pallet?

I work a lot to commission, some of which are for private clients and some commercial, so a lot of the time I work to people's colour schemes. That said, I am influenced a lot by my early years of spray painting, so I tend to use quite vibrant colours. I think a big influence on my love of colour and snowy mountains, was going on holiday to Wengen when I was very young. The Jungfrau mountain range has a tendency to go bright, bright pink at sunset, and it's one of my favourite memories, being there with my parents in the summer and enjoying these sunsets.

What’s your favourite medium to paint with?

I enjoy using spray paint on larger murals, but when it comes to smaller pieces, I like to use quite watery mediums, so ink or watered down acrylic. A lot of my paintings are very drippy, and I like building layers of wet paint, then going in for more detailed areas with acrylic.

How does the commission process work?

I usually begins with the size of the piece, and the medium. From small ink pieces on paper, to large paintings on wood, it's best to get the idea of size and medium figured out first, as this has a big impact on the timeframe and how much it will cost. I then look at the view the client wants and what colours they like and dislike. Once the mountain has been selected, depending on the shots provided, I look around for sunrise and sunset shots, as these tend to have better light contrast. Once a client has signed off on a digital sketch, I then go to work, and hope I produce something they like. >>

How did your Jones Snowboards commission come about? And what’s next for this collaboration?

At the time I was working for a small cultural events company, doing their marketing design, sponsorship and also the curation of the visual arts aspect of their events, but also painting graffiti whenever possible. I wanted to try and make a go of painting full time, but the street art/graffiti scene was very crowded and competitive. I'd painted a couple of landscapes as backgrounds of pieces when I was working over in Austria, so I started to paint these on canvas, I just made up mountain scapes.

I really enjoyed the fusion of graffiti and mountain painting, so I thought I'd set up a new persona, and start social media accounts only posting mountain paintings to see if it was viable as an avenue to explore, without the echo chamber of friends cheering me on. For about six months I painted and posted photos on my Instagram, without connecting with any friends or family, just trying to suss out if people liked it.

As I knew a bit about the snowboard industry, I started to put various hashtags on my photos, associated with these brands. I was amazed to have a couple of brands like my pictures, and even more amazed to get a direct message asking if I'd like to submit an idea for a snowboard graphic. I ended up doing three paintings for Jones Snowboards that winter.

They invited me over to the trade show ISPO in Munich for the launch, where I painted live on the stand and got to meet everyone in person. I've been fortunate that they've asked me to come up with designs for them for a while now, I still can't quite believe it.

As far as what's next, they have launched their own line of technical outerwear, so I have been doing a few bits and bobs of fabric design, so working on repeat patterns and short graphics. I really enjoy trying different styles and techniques in response to the where the illustration or painting will end up.

You’ve worked to support Protect our Winters over the years. Have you changed your own approach to environmental sustainability?

I think as I've got older, I've tried to buy less stuff I don't need, and when I do buy it, I try to buy it from a company with a more sustainable outlook, and also I try to buy with the outlook of quality over quantity. I also try and use sustainable packaging whenever possible, whilst also hoarding cardboard boxes, just incase I can use them again!

It's hard to be involved with an industry that is predominantly based on people buying new product each season, however. But with Jones Snowboards as a brand, it’s nice as they strive to make the best product, that will last a long time, while still keeping an eye on the sourcing and overall environmental impact of their product.

How much time to you get in the mountains these days? Any big trips planned for this winter?

I don't get to travel overseas anywhere near as much as I'd like to. I usually try and get away to Austria a couple of times each winter, and don't have anything lined up for this winter as of yet. Luckily I now live on the edge of Snowdonia, so I get my mountain fix on my doorstep. I just hope we get some snow this winter.

What’s your impression of the resorts in our valley?

I do have a strong affinity and fondness for the area, as I know a few people who have lived and worked in the valley. From the guys at Treeline Chalets, to various friends from my days working at the The Snowboard Asylum.

What advice would you give to other aspiring mountain artists?

I think with any type of artistic endeavour, try and do it every day and don't get put off by mistakes or difficult times. The more you work at something, the more you get out of it. When it comes to mountain artists, first and foremost, enjoy being in the mountains and enjoy painting.

Painting is such a great escape from everyday problems, struggling to make a painting work is a sure fire way of forgetting about every day stress, and hopefully at the end, you'll have a piece of work you love. If you're hoping to go down the route of making painting a job, try and find your own style and try to develop that and make it your own. It's easy to just copy someone, but harder to make mistakes trying new things, over and over until you've found your own style. I've spent hundreds of hours trying new things, where the work ends up in the bin, but eventually you will hit on a technique, or material that allows you to express yourself the way you want to.

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: Emmanuel Bour, Abbaye d’Aulps, X-Droits réservés. Grenoble. Photos New Deal ©

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