5 minute read
OLD SCHOOL
By Andrea Louise Thomas Photos Yanni & supplied
WhenDromana artist Inigo Chiquirrin was a boy growing up in Pamplona, Spain, school drove him crazy. He was too fidgety to sit all day so he filled his schoolbooks with drawings. It was his antidote to ADHD. While his teachers were not pleased with his inattentiveness, all that drawing practice paid off later in life. Now he’s a bespoke sign writer, specialist painter, portrait, mural and lettering artist. His perfectionist attention to detail keeps him in high demand.
Inigo’s initial attraction to artwork and lettering fonts came from his childhood interest in comic books. He loved Marvel comics and Conan the Barbarian. They were his first inspiration. Though it would have seemed a natural choice, Inigo didn’t go to art school. He came to art in a roundabout way.
Working in Pamplona as a motorcycle mechanic, Inigo was inspired by the custom cars and motorcycles coming into the shop sporting dazzling custom paint jobs or precision pinstriping. He knew then that’s what he wanted to do, but it still took him some time and two more countries to get there.
In his twenties, Inigo and a friend went to Edinburgh to learn English and stayed for two and a half years. They met other likeminded travellers working in hospitality. The pair decided to embark on a new adventure and moved to Australia. Inigo got professional sponsorship and he’s been here for 15 years.
While living in Melbourne, working in the solar energy sector, Inigo met a wonderful youth worker named Kate. She was a gamechanger. Kate saw Inigo’s talent and pushed him to pursue art. He’s been working as a professional artist for nearly seven years now under his brand name, The Everyday Dude.
Three years ago, the couple returned to Kate’s hometown, Dromana, where they have a home and Inigo has his studio. Kate loves horse riding and Inigo loves surfing so the Peninsula is a perfect fit. He also finds living on the Peninsula has a calming effect which is beneficial to his work.
Inigo has done some workshops with a kindred cohort called Letterheads - a group of sign makers and related artists dedicated to passing down traditional sign writing and typography skills. They meet once a year to share hints, tricks, ideas and camaraderie. Artists come to the event from all around the globe.
Though he’s taken some workshops over the years, Inigo is largely a self-taught artist. He’s put in the 10,000 hours of practice required to master his skills. In fact, when he took a workshop with Ryan Ford, an Australian illustrator/ typographer, Ryan was surprised how quickly Inigo picked up on what he was teaching.
In the studio, Inigo is always busy because he has a large specialist skill set. He’s a master of old school lettering, sign writing, gilding, decorative glass art, metal flake, candy paint, gold leaf and pinstriping. He also has exceptional airbrushing skills. Very few artists offer all of these services. He also paints breathtaking photo realistic portraits and eye-catching murals.
Inigo particularly enjoys travelling to country towns on a mission to preserve cultural heritage and old town character by restoring historic signage. This exacting work can only be achieved by hand. “I would like to be known as someone who creates things made to last and someone people can rely on for quality,” he says.
“If you’ve got a really cool business and you want to stand out, go with a beautiful hand painted sign. It’s got character. Handmade lettering creates an effect that just can’t be duplicated by machine. I think it tells customers that you really care about your business and that you are offering something special,” he says.
Inigo collaborates carefully with his customers on what they want before he applies the artwork because it takes so many hours to create. Often, he is approached by motorcyclists who want to have custom artwork applied to their helmet and/or motorcycle. They always end up with a one-of-a-kind design.
Inigo and Kate recently completed a project in Mornington’s Tanti Estate engaging local youth to create a mural for Home Ground Community House in collaboration with support organisation, Fusion. Inigo loved getting students from Mornington Secondary School fired up about painting and lettering arts. Students were involved in the entire process from planning to painting.
Inigo and Kate would like to do more projects like this, but it was a predominantly self-funded labour of love. If there are any organisations out there willing to donate materials, such as paint or scaffolding, please contact Inigo so he can continue to share his unique skill set, keep old school arts alive, beautify neighborhoods and engage local youth.
When they aren’t working their day jobs, Inigo and Kate can be found in front of historic Moorooduc Hall serving delicious coffee out of their little coffee van, Two Ducks Coffee from 6:30 am to 10:30 am Monday to Friday. Of course, it sports some Inigo art!
