Raw Ink Magazine – February 2013

art | design | music | writing | creative | culture

magazine

brisbane gold coast tweed coast Issue 17, February 2013

www.rawinkmagazine.com

THE RAW INK TEAM

ROXY COPPEN

Graphic designer and editor roxy@rawinkmagazine.com www.roxycoppen.com

RUTH DUNN

Journalist ruth@rawinkmagazine.com

LIANA TURNER

Journalist and photographer liana@rawinkmagazine.com www.liana-anitra.tumblr.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

EMILIE GUILLEMAIN

Journalist e.guillemain@hotmail.com www.thegatheringaus.wordpress.com

SARA PARKINSON

sparkinson100@gmail.com www.ostentatious-style.tumblr.com

REBEKAH DUNN

beskhetti@yahoo.com.au

GEORGIA RHODES

Journalist georgiahodes91@gmail.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cover illustration by

Thanks for holding tight with us while this edition was being preped!

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ROXY COPPEN

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Hello Readers,

From,

The Raw Ink Team xx

contents 4

‘Scott Hynd:Bright Pop Meets Bold Street’ Ruth Dunn

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‘Graveyard Train’ Liana Turner

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‘Beyond The Wanderlust’ Emilie Guillemain

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‘Hide’n’Seek with Blu Art Xinja’ Ruth Dunn

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‘Wendy Loefler: The Tale of an Arid Landscape Artist’ Sara Parkinson

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‘MODA Creative Fashion Festival’ Georgia Rhodes

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‘Helle Jorgensen’ Liana Turner

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‘Wes Carr - Buffalo Tales’ Liana Turner

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Scott Hynd: Bright Pop meets Bold Street Take a background in graphic design, add a generous helping of Pop and Street Art and a strong creative passion and you get the bold and bright style of Brisbane based artist Scott Hynd. Using mixed mediums ranging from spray paint to enamel on canvas, Hynd creates one-of-a-kind artworks designed to make a statement or simply tweak a smile.

Scott’s interest in art began when he was very young and over time he has experimented with various genres resulting in his current fusion of Pop and Street Art. He describes his art as ‘a mix of bold and bright pop and street art with a side of vintage superheros and heroines’.

Fuelled by ideas and creativity, Scott believes Pop and Street Art have something to say about our current culture. His artworks are eye catching and aesthetically pleasing, yet they also make you think and event reflect on our culture.

Has Scott’s art caught your eye? Check out more at www.scotthynd.com or www.facebook.com/scotthyndart

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BEYOND THE WANDERLUST EMILIE GUILLEMAIN Why is it that we travel? For many, the drive to take off somewhere new can stem from a need for change, a new job, a sense of boredom or restlessness, or simply a case of “while I’m still young”.

For others, the travel experience holds something much greater than a shift in surroundings. It’s about connecting; giving, receiving and opening your heart to strangers in a way that you wouldn’t necessarily in the quiet comforts of home.

Brisbane based artist Nabil Sabio Azadi has offered a portal to this sought out connection through travel via his debut book, ‘For You The Traveller’. Made to guide the traveller across the five continents, this phenomenal read features the names, stories and contact numbers of a series of strangers, each willing to share their world with those bearing the book.

Hand-bound and made from natural materials such as recycled paper, Tasmanian oak and rabbit fur, the book has been released worldwide in a limited edition of 200.

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For the true traveller at heart, or those seeking more than the standard getaway experience, ‘For You The Traveller’ offers a path to discovery that is profoundly unique and can’t be found in your average travel guide.

Made in the promotion of love and trust, the book is a stunning work of art and a refreshing take on travel where human connection is the primary destination.

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I caught up with Nabil to discuss ‘For You The Traveller’ in more depth.

WHO IS THE ARTIST NABIL SABIO AZADI? Well, I mean I’ve only really known him for a couple of years but he seems like a nice guy. (Laughs) I would say he probably works a little too hard and he’s got some wacky ideas. I think I’m pretty preoccupied with nature and now I think I have a good understanding of what I’m trying to do for other people emotionally.

But the journey between here and giving people that sense of solidarity that I talk about so much will take my lifetime.

THE BOOK CAME TO FRUITION IN QUITE A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME – CAN YOU SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE INITIAL INSPIRATION FOR CREATING IT? I spend a lot of time trying to find the right words to this question.

I do understand what happened. I was sitting outside, the sun was shining, I was in a kind of dream state and then I just…conceived of the whole thing in one go. I saw it and I felt it and I knew what would be in it. This was the 26th of June and I wrote down in my book ‘Traveller’s Guide to the World”. I think that’s how I first transcribed it and I started making it that evening. I started looking for people and then it all happened very quickly.

THE BOOK HAS A REALLY INTRICATE AND UNIQUE DESIGN ABOUT IT. HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT DEVELOPING THAT PARTICULAR LOOK? Most of it was already there. The only thing that I discovered along the way was text variation which I found so funny that I couldn’t not do it. The sizes of the text I mean, I don’t know if it’s just me but I find it spectacularly funny.

WHY IS THAT? Just the stress it gives certain words, I can feel it… it’s almost as though I would taste it or something. It’s such a cheap trick, a very cheap joke but I find it very funny. But [the text] being all capitalised was there from the start, as was the nature of the font. I would say that the only real process that I had to undertake intellectually to bring the book to life would be making sure that it was structurally sound with the rabbit fur as the cover, the binding etc. That didn’t just come to me I really had to sit there and work it out.

YOU’VE SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR ENTIRE SPIRIT IN YOUR HANDS WHEN YOU’RE CREATING EACH BOOK; CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT? I suppose it’s a very poetic way of explaining what is actually a very frustrating feeling. There’s no way of zoning out with the books and it requires a lot of emotional investment or else they don’t turn out very well.

WHAT IS IT THAT YOU’RE HOPING BOTH THE TRAVELLER AND THOSE THAT THEY COME IN CONTACT WITH WILL GAIN THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE? Hopefully a sense of kinship with each other specifically but also in a broader sense with everyone. For those who are in the book I hope that their daily lives and their cities are excited by this outside presence, and for those that are travelling I hope that they can experience a kind of guidance. The people in For You The Traveller are very good souls; I think they would have a strong chance of making a profound and memorable difference in someone’s life. I chose them specifically for this purpose.

I think the book is conceived mostly as a travel book, which it is in some ways, but I also see the potential for much more emotional and personal exchanges beyond just seeing a city or having a place to 12

sleep. These people all offered me a kind of mentorship on my own travels when I encountered each of them.

AS A TRAVELLER, WHAT’S SOME OF THE BEST ADVICE THAT YOU’VE RECEIVED FOR VENTURING INTO THE UNKNOWN? (Laughs) I hate to quote the same line in the book but I really do think it’s the best answer to this question: “The winds of change tend to favour the sails of those who politely yell out to it, ‘Nice to meet you!’.”

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WENDY LOEFLER:

The Tale of an Arid Landscape Artist Sara Parkinson 14

Reliquary of the Australian Desert, 2005 Wendy is a South African born desert landscape artist. Enchanted by the outdoors, panoramic views and the wilderness, she brings landscapes that only exist in ones imagination out into the open through her charcoal drawings. Over the last 15 years, with a swag and equipped for camping, Wendy has travelled frequently across the vast arid lands of Australia. Each year she has deepened her fascination and interest in rendering the far horizon lines of arid environments. I caught up with her at the Gold Coast Art Centre giving a talk to enthused followers about the inspiration and drive behind her work.

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Wendy, poised but delicate and intriguing, began her talk by describing her earlier days studying Fine Art at Cape Town University, South Africa. Later she attended the National Art School in Sydney.

It was here that she began to see drawing as her “first language”. During these four years while encountering many new forms of contemporary art practice, she confirmed her position as a landscape based artist. However, Wendy really found her niche when travelling the rural, rugged, open expanses of some of world’s most hard to reach environments, believing that the infinite space and enrichment of arid landscapes is what truly inspired her. Travelling to the outback every year, she compiles her research by walking, sitting, painting, observing or taking notes and photos all on her own before heading back to the studio to transform her vision of the arid land into large breath-taking pieces of art.

Wendy was recently selected as a finalist for the Gold Coast Art Prize 2012, centring the stage with a dramatic black and white charcoal drawing of Antarctica. For an artist like Wendy, the tranquillity of Antarctica was a dream. She spent 19 days at sea admiring the “pinks, golds and violets that swept the skies as dusk”. Whilst such a picture perfect landscape can seem an artist’s inspirational dream, Wendy found her inspiration from the wild, dramatic and wonderful blisters of the Antarctic landscape, such as the storms and gloomy light rather than the chocolate box places. Combining pen, pencil and water colours, she sketched away day and night, rocking up and down at sea in a secret make shift studio.

Back on dry land at home she sieves through the rough sketches made during her expedition, pinning them all over her studio wall. It is here where her art work becomes very calculative. For Wendy it’s all about describing space; therefore, all the slopes and features are drawn to achieve a sense of space, timelessness and scale. She becomes obsessed with the power and grandeur of vast landscapes. Using geometric grids she enlarges numerous small drafts, transforming her work into a dramatic vision.

She states, “It’s almost as if I am haunted by my experiences out in the wilderness”. This is what ultimately drives her to get her vision down on paper.

“I start with an idea, then I ignore the details of the subject and think about the composition and format.

For instance, should it be long, narrow, tall or square?

This is where I begin and then I work from there”.

The result is a big powerful expression, one that is drawn on paper as an enchanting black and white image.

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Her recent Antarctic work is only just the beginning.

Wendy is never short of ideas when it comes to drawing. She plans to spend 2013 producing more drawings to describe her experience in the Antarctic, hoping to exhibit 10 large works in a show in 2014.

Wendy’s work was also selected for the 2012 Dobell Drawing Prize where it is on exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW until 10th February 2013.

To discover more about Wendy and view her latest art work see www.wendyloefler.com.au.

Wendy is represented by Australian Galleries in Sydney.

Wendy sketching the Australian landscape

Wendy’s Sydney studio 17

Georgia Rhodes

MODA

Creative Fashion Festival On the Friday before Australia Day, Brisbane’s dedicated fashion pack braved the rains of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald and headed to the Valley’s Oh Hello!, for MODA Creative’s first annual summer fashion festival.

The event was comprised of four shows styled by Fashion Society, set to an eclectic musical backdrop ranging from Notorious B.I.G mixes to James Brown bangers. Fashionistas and fashionmisters mingled between shows enjoying summery Ciroc cocktails and, as a newcomer to Brisbane’s fashion scene, I was excited by what I saw.

The first show came courtesy of Shakah, a womenswear label launched during last year’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival.

The young label’s founders, Shannon Jones and Katie Harrison describe La Reina, their first collection, as being inspired by Katie’s Papua New Guinea heritage and their shared time spent in the Caribbean. The result is a streetready mixture of tribal infused neons and pastels, with hand drawn prints adorning party perfect dresses, which Jones and Harrison hope will both inspire and empower the wearer.

Menswear label Wil Valor was the second to wow the audience. Championing bespoke suits and sharp tailoring, Mark Ferguson founded the label in 2005, making the move from professional basketball player to fashion designer, frustrated at being unable to find stylish clothes that actually fit. By appointment, fashion-focused men can create their own suit, with the possibilities limited only by their own imaginations. Wil Valor’s sharp pieces are created by a Saville Row trained master tailor and allow men to understand the power of wearing a suit that is created solely for them, an experience described on the label’s website as “an indescribable pleasure, a unique moment where the wearer confides their aspirations and desires.”

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A selection of looks from the Wil Valor Spring/Summer 2013 collection made their way down MODA Creative’s runway, with Ferguson having previously described the offering as “very bold, it’s bright, it might not be everyone’s style but it’s a bit more of a catwalk style and a little bit more flamboyant.”

A particular highlight of the collection for me was the hibiscus print jacket, for the more adventurous male fashion risk taker. Checks, ginghams and a very clever and subtle black-on-black paisley print gave an old-fashioned gentlemanly edge to proceedings, while a powder blue suit-and-jacket combination harking back to the classic 1970s prom look injected a shot of tongue-in-cheek humour. Classic meets contemporary with Wil Valor, and the label is definitely one to watch for 2013.

Vintage-inspired swimwear for the girly girl was up next from Saucy Rose, the brainchild of designer Sally Cook.

Proudly described as “fussy, frilly and pretty”, the label’s one pieces and bikinis are the perfect antidote to the massproduced surf brands that seem to be ever popular, not just in Brisbane but all over the world.

Produced on the Sunshine Coast with Italian lycra sourced from New York, this is a local label with international potential. Unique retro prints, including the “Pussy Parlour” and the chain print “Miss Versace” to name just two, are splashed on flattering ruffled bikinis and glamorous cut-out one pieces, as well as more demure options taking inspiration from arguably the classiest of all fashion icons, Audrey Hepburn.

Swimwear wasn’t the only thing offered up on Saucy Rose’s unique fashion menu. The label also creates cover ups, cute dresses and separates for beach or bar, all featuring Cook’s formula for femininity – ruffles, sweetheart necklines and vivid colour and a simple, flattering silhouette.

Illustrations by Rebekah Dunn 19

The pièce de résistance of the fashion festival, and the collection that the crowd had been waiting to see was that of Central St Martin’s graduate Begitta Stolk’s eponymous label, Begitta – ultrafeminine ready to wear and bridal couture based in Hamilton, Brisbane. Decadent and whimsical, Begitta’s lace and tulleheavy Ethereal Dreams collection floated down the runway greeted with applause and cheers from the delighted audience.

The collection reads like a fairytale told in fabric, with a seductive secret-gardenesque undertone. Hand-embellished silk and satin gave the elegant collection the touch of glamour that Begitta is swiftly becoming known for. The show stopping finalé dress was an enchanting bridal gown complete with full train and dramatic maxi-length skirt consisting of layers and layers of tulle. A mention must be made, too, of the impressive floral headbands provided by the award winning Flowers by Julia Rose which were the perfect addition to the otherworldly dreaminess of the Begitta collection.

Rapturous applause gripped the venue as the models graced the runway one last time, signalling the end of the show.

Then it was out into the lashing rain again, clutching my gift bag like a greedy child and feeling decidedly pleased with my first experience of what Brisbane’s fashion scene has to offer.

For more information about MODA Creative head on over to www.modacreative.com.au

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helle jorgensen liana turner

As far as Helle Jorgensen is concerned, crochet is about much more than granny squares and toilet-roll covers. Anyone harbouring doubts about this would be convinced by an hour spent in the her Murwillumbah studio. Accessible only by an unmarked side-street entrance, the studio is like an artists’ secret hideout, full of creative people, their masterpieces and their cups of tea. This place is where the magic happens, but it’s not the studio alone that’s most intriguing. It’s the ideas which are both spawned and brought to realisation within its walls.

Helle has almost always known how to crochet, but her passion for creativity was equalled by that for science. Trained in biology, she has worked in scientific research. While this took much of her time, it was never going to stand in the way of the her inherently creative nature. “I first started crocheting when I was a child,” says Helle, “My grandmother, Agnes, taught me - she did all her own linen and sheets and embroidery – she was from that generation where they used to make all their own stuff.”

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Having returned to crochet around ten years ago, Helle sees the realms of art and science not as distinct, but as deeply intertwined.

“I try to avoid the categorisation between science and art, craft etc.

Today, we have access to so much information that there’s this huge overlap and so I’m really trying to get rid of those boundaries and merge all the different kinds of knowledge.”

“I think it’s really important to have a broad knowledge base, because there’s so much you can learn from everything and once you have a birds-eye-view of broad areas you can start making really interesting connections.”

Whilst experimenting with many different techniques and beginning to work on sculptural crochet, Helle found she was able to apply her broad science-based knowledge to her artistic practice. “I think if you study science and if you work in science you get a very disciplined way of thinking,” says Helle, “It’s very rigorous, systematic – the way you think about things.

photos by liana turner

“I think after years and years of doing that your brain starts working like that so you start applying it to other things and other parts of your life… which has advantages and disadvantages! [Science] certainly has influenced my art because I do tend to group things and classify things and do multiples of things – and sort and arrange things. That’s very much a part of the way I work.

“I used to do a lot of classification and looked after collections of blue-green algae and propagated them. So there were libraries of a whole lot of different species of blue-green algae, so that kind of work is reflected in the Entropy Collection in the exhibition I just had.”

Helle recently held an exhibition at the Tweed River Art Gallery, which included her vast work, The Entropy Collection. This work refers to ‘entropy’ – a word she first came across during her university studies – as “the state of chaos when effort is not made to keep things in order”. For Helle, this statement rings true beyond her work. “I always found the concept of entropy really intriguing,” she says, “because you can actually apply it to everyday life.”

“If my studio gets completely chaotic, if I don’t tidy it up – it sounds really obvious, but I always think that’s a case of entropy – if you don’t tidy it up it tends towards chaos. I’ve found that as I’m collecting a whole lot of things and making multiple items of things that I like to arrange them. It’s sort of self-analysis I guess, you try to work out why you’re doing what you’re doing and I find that I arrange things so I’m actually putting energy into the things that I’m making by arranging them in various ways.

“I use waste material, so I use tapestry wools that have been discarded, I’ll find them in the opshops and stuff so I’ve got boxes full of stuff. People throw out these tapestry kits – they have these beautiful wools in them. I also use plastic bags and I collect lots of plastic rubbish and stuff. To me, entropy refers to that as well – the mass consumerism and all the waste associated with it. My contribution is to use the waste and make something out of it.”

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Helle’s work as a nod to environmentalism – but she’d never force this view upon the audience, preferring that people come to their own conclusions.“I’m not trying to shout it from the rooftops,” she says, “But it’s very much a part of my philosophy of life. I mean, I don’t always succeed – I’m as bad as anybody else – but I’m very conscious of not wasting too much, to not overly consume. It’s more an embedded message in my work so people can usually make the connection. It just makes people think a little bit about it.”

You wouldn’t call it the Midnight Oil of crochet, but the way Helle takes the mess and wastefulness that’s left as a by-product of consumerism and from it creates something so uniquely beautiful is astonishing. “My work is very spontaneous,” says Helle, “I don’t actually use patterns or anything like that. I’m just experimenting with stitches and whatever and that way I’m sort of learning new techniques and I go off on tangents, so I don’t have any systematic way of working.”

While she deems thrift an inherent part of her work, Helle is not one to shun trial-and-error. Experimentation – as any good scientist would know – is the first step towards discovering new things. It was experimentation with crochet that brought her to The Entropy Collection. Having collected a bowl of “mistakes”, Helle realised they did, in fact, look really good together. “I thought there was a bit of potential there,” she says, “So really, it was a bit of an accident that happened with the Entropy Collection. I do describe it as a collection of beautiful mistakes.”

“It’s a little bit like mutations – living organisms’ response to the environment – to changes in the environment. If I change a stitch, it can be like a mutation in a way,” she says.

Helle’s work injects a refreshing image into the art of crochet, while offering a unique look into her subject matter. “I’ve found that I always try to break boundaries,” she says, “That’s just my personality.

You know, if someone says “Oh, you can’t do that”, I’m like “Well, yes I can”. That’s just part of the way I work. For some reason I always try to do things that people haven’t done before. I don’t know why that is. I try to use crochet in an unusual way, using unusual materials.

It’s a bit of an evolution, really. It didn’t just all happen at once. First I started crocheting, then I was a beach person, then with my biology background it all just overlapped.

Some might view Helle’s use of recycled materials from discarded twine to plastic bags as a challenging process, but she couldn’t disagree more. Crocheting plastic strips, she says, isn’t any more difficult than using wool – just a whole lot more economical. “It’s a technique that was around already, it’s been around for decades,” she says, “I think women use it to make sunhats now – utilitarian objects.

I was actually really poor and I was looking for some sort of art material I could use that wasn’t expensive.”

As if by chance, Helle pulls out an experimental piece of crocheted carrot – proving that the possibilities are indeed endless. “I think the material is really important. I’m always hunting for different kinds of materials – it’s really interesting when you find something new. I’m always experimenting with crazy materials,” she says.

For any artist, the thing which can be most challenging is deciding how to display their work. With three-dimensional work so intricate, this can lead to many complications. “A lot of people immediately think “Oh my God, that’s going to get so dusty!” so I think the most challenging thing is working out a way to display things in a way that people can do it in their own home,” she says.

“In terms of putting a collection together, it’s very difficult to make it look cohesive, so you have to put a lot of thought into that. It has to 24

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have some underlying theme that makes it cohesive so that can be difficult. Most of my stuff is really through experimentation.”

“Quite often I’ll make something, and it’s not until after that I’ll start thinking about why I made it. I do that – just allow myself to do what I want to do and try not to be influenced by what people say I should be doing. Having the confidence to do that is really hard, but the more I’ve realised that’s how I work I’ve started noticing [with] artists from history, that’s quite often how they worked as well. So I think hey, it’s alright to be working that way. You feel more confident about how you’re working, because anything goes – to not listen to anyone else but just do what feels right.”

Much of the work Helle recently displayed at the Tweed Regional Art Gallery sold before the exhibition had finished – but it’s not the commercial side of it that’s most rewarding, says Helle. “The best thing is actually just making. Having the freedom to be able to make stuff constantly and to have the luxury to be able to do whatever I want to do, to go in whatever direction I feel like going in,” she says”.

“That’s the most rewarding thing for me. There’s some innate feeling inside that I just need to be making stuff. I guess it goes right back to when we were hunters and gatherers and we had to make stuff like baskets and wood-carvings and that kind of stuff. It’s probably a hard-wired genetic thing.”

“The process is the most rewarding thing to me, but then you see the end result and it’s all up there as a group and other people look at it and have a response to it, that’s really rewarding as well.”

Helle believes there’s little that’s more therapeutic than simply sitting down and making things. “It’s completely cathartic,” she says.

“If I’m not doing it, I feel uncomfortable. It makes me feel like there’s something seriously missing. It’s a bit like a drug. I think that some people would probably describe me as a bit obsessed about it.”

In a time where we’re said to have more conveniences, but less time than ever, Helle suggests taking a moment to unleash our creative side is one of the most important things we can do. “We all have the same amount of time, don’t we?” she says, “I actually have a feeling that all people are creative if they just sit down and take the time. I guess it’s a generalisation, but I think it’s more about confidence and allowing yourself the time to just sit down and make something.”

“I’ve noticed that shopping is a bit of a substitute for making things yourself. People go to shopping malls and things and buy stuff to take home. It doesn’t give you the right sort of satisfaction – I mean, it might for them, but not for me,” she says.

Previously from Sydney, Helle bought a property in North Tumbulgum ten years ago. Three years, ago, she moved there permanently. The country setting has done nothing but enhance her artistic practice, she says. “I went to an exhibition in the National Gallery in Canberra. It was a retrospective of William Robinson, the landscape painter. He used to live at Springbrook and Kingscliff. He had what was called the “Creation” series. They were these gigantic canvases, maybe about ten metres long by three metres – and they were all of the Caldera – just beautifully impressive landscapes. I saw them and thought I must have a look at the area. So I came up and I feel in love with the area. We’d been thinking about moving out of the city so this seemed to be a good choice.”

Compared to the dog-eat-dog world of the city, Helle feels the Northern Rivers has a rich creative culture – one that’s incredibly supportive. “This shire has the highest concentration of artists in the whole of Australia. I had no idea about that, it was just fortuitous.

I’ve met so many amazing people; having the studio in town – every day I meet the most extraordinary artistic people. That’s really been 26

beneficial. I’ve been able to have the exhibition at the Tweed River Art Gallery, I would never have been able to do that in Sydney. There isn’t that sense of community, so you don’t get the information.”

“Here, the art gallery is more a community facility. It has a specific gallery, set aside for local artists, which is brilliant. Up here, you have more access to those sort of things than you do in a big city. Also, where I live, I’m quite isolated and there’s an abundance of natural materials around me. It’s definitely been beneficial. There’s less distraction, as well. It’s really special, this area.”

To view more of Helle’s work, check out her blog ‘Gooseflesh’ at www.hellejorgensen.typepad.com

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wes carr -

buffalo ta

lian

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ales

na turner

When Wes Carr grew tired of playing puppet for record giant Sony, Buffalo Tales was born. The South Australian born singer-songwriter left the world of pop music for that of truthful, raw emotion. The heartfelt, genuine nature of his songs combined with striking melodies results in music so beautiful, you’ll be wondering where that voice has been all your life. Last year, Buffalo Tales’ debut single ‘Blood and Bone’ was met with a truly positive response. Shortly afterwards, his EP of the same name was released to the joy of music lovers far and wide.

“It was meant as an intro to Buffalo Tales, to who I am,” says Carr of the EP, which was released in August last year. “I’m really happy with it, with all the shows. I’ve been getting good crowds. People are starting to see me as Buffalo Tales”.

The EP’s release has so far been celebrated with shows in Adelaide and Sydney. Carr is set to hold a select number of shows in early February. The transition from Sony-signed-big-shot to independent musician has meant practically starting from scratch – which is a slow process, explains Carr. “It’s more exciting,” he says, “Building it up brick by brick.”

“It’s a more personal approach. It’s more grounded than the way I’d been doing it - when it was all sell sell sell, when everyone would know you in ten minutes and be sick of you in five. It was not akin to what I wanted to do as a musician. With Blood and Bone, I bring it all back to home ground, create from a truthful space rather than sell.

It’s more exciting and inspiring.”

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As daunting as it may be to ditch a seemingly successful career, true success for Carr was lurking in a place where he was true to himself.

Now, it seems, he has found this place. “I’m just grabbing the bull by the horns and doing things my way,” he says. “I’ve been playing these songs for about fifteen years, but now I’ve finally recorded them. I felt a bit like I was possessed for fifteen or so years.”

A perfect introduction to such earnest songwriting, Blood and Bone is a beautifully diverse EP. “A lot of people love how it’s so eclectic,” says Carr. “It wasn’t meant to be just one sound. Some of it is a bit experimental. I like to shake it up a bit. Especially from when I was doing pop – which is really about five per cent of who I am. I don’t find pop as easy, compared to this, which is more truthful to who I am. It’s intensely me.”

As varied as his new sounds can be, honesty and raw emotion reign supreme throughout Buffalo Tales’ music. Carr presents himself not only as a truly talented musician, but one who’s willing to open up to his audience. The end result is not just any old bunch of songs, but an intricate collection of deeply moving tunes. “I think being honest is the most natural you can be,” he says, “I started singing raw and honest material when I was quite young – but no one had really heard that side of me beyond a few bars.”

“Now I have the opportunity to speak to a wider audience about who I am – and also to right the wrongs of the songs that weren’t in line with who I am.”

Shortly after the release of his debut album, Simple Sum, Carr signed up for – and won – the sixth season of Australian Idol. While grateful for the opportunities this brought, he found that path to be far removed from where he aimed to be – as a musician and as a person.

“I’m grateful, but I didn’t really come out with what I wanted to say.

I didn’t get anything that really communicated what I wanted. I just fucking hated it,” he says. “I had so many interviews talking about just rubbish, about airy-fairy bullshit,” says Carr, “I’d started representing something I didn’t really like. It set me up on a whacky path. I thought “It seems like a good idea right now”. There’s a lot to be thankful for, but it’s designed to fill the pockets of other people more so than yourself. It’s a fast-paced thing, like a kind of monster.”

“I didn’t really know until I went touring – there was this public persona being sold. They knew a version of me that wasn’t really me at all. I was being heckled for the wrong reasons. I wanted people to listen to my music, not to Wes Carr the fanfare. Buffalo Tales is about starting afresh: making true, honest, real music.”

In 2010, Carr had just boarded a plane to Nashville when a sudden anxiety attack set inspired a change of direction in his musical career.

“Everything came to a head that day,” he says, “I see it as a fortuitous thing I had to go through. I had to go, appease everyone – like a walking, talking puppet. I had the biggest anxiety attack, and just stood up and asked the air hostess “How do I get off this plane?”. I ended up getting off and getting walked back through customs. I had some time out to re-evaluate who I was.”

“I felt like I’d ditched everything I wanted to do. Sony were like “We don’t know what to do with you”, so it was a bit of a thanks and seeyou-later. It took a while to get up the courage to do it on my own.

When you go so high, you also go low – it all balances out in the end.”

Carr’s new music is deeply relatable and poignant – but not only through his own emotions. By taking into account the feelings and experiences of others, he creates music that’s undeniably heartfelt.

“I’ve been told that’s what I do most of the time with songs,” he says, “It’s not just about me, but I tap into other people’s emotions as well.

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If you give people your heart, they’ll give you theirs back. It really is quite magical, that experience. I’m blessed to have people relate to my songs. It’s the dream of a songwriter, really. It’s really quite a cool thing. It’s like a universal language – I’ve had the same feedback from someone from France. It’s about the vibe; they couldn’t speak English but the sound of the music hit them.”

Regardless of whether or not you prefer Carr’s new project over his earlier work, it’s unquestionably respectable for him to be so honest and genuine. “The EP represents me, at this time,” says Carr, “Before, I didn’t feel as if I had control. This time I’d have no one to blame but myself. I have total control. It’s a very positive experience.”

Amidst recording Buffalo Tales’ first album, Carr is taking some time to showcase his work a bit further north. “I love Byron Bay. It’s one of my favourite places,” he says. “Seeing people come to my shows, come on a whim. I just want to see people who are music lovers, with no pre-conceived ideas of who I am. That’s what I’ve been getting.

I’m starting to mould and build my name with an audience who are loyal. Now with touring, my songs are more established. It’s really exciting. It’s what I want.”

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graveyard train liana turner How would you best describe “horror country”?

I can’t remember who said that first but it’s stuck. The whole idea for the band came from a Creedence song. We decided singing dark country songs about ghosts and werewolves would be the way to go, so we just did that. As the band has progressed, we’ve added bass, drums and electric guitar. So it’s not really that ‘country’ any more. But the songs are still pretty dark/stupid.

Your live shows are said to be something of a spectacle. Do you tend to go to great lengths to create a setting that’s sufficient for your performances?

We did go to a bit of effort for the Halloween gig at the Forum, where we had a massive corn field and scarecrow set up behind us. But that was a special event. For the most part it’s just us up on stage, playing as best we can. I think the ‘spectacle’ comes more from the fact that there’s 6 guys up there just really trying to belt it out. Not too many light shows yet.. But then, wouldn’t rule it out.

Do you think going that little bit further can turn a show into something a little bit spectacular?

Oh for sure, cause then the audience can get in to it and we feed off that. At the end of the day we’re a live band, so that’s where the fun is for us.

Your single “I’m Gone” was the most played song of 2012 on community radio stations RRR, PBS and 4ZZZ. Being the first single to be lifted from your third album, Hollow, how did it feel for it to receive such a great response?

Very thankful. It’s such a privilege for Melbourne to have 2 fantastic institutions like PBS and 3RRR. Same goes with Brisbane’s 4ZZZ. Without them, we’d be lost. These stations really are the gel that keep music scenes going.

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The film clip for “The Sermon” sort of resembles something out of The Muppets Movie, but a bit more badass and with the addition of zombie puppets. While tackling post-death philosophy, it sort of makes you want to get up and dance. Would you view this as a quirky approach to a sometimes touchy subject?

Yeah, quirky I suppose, I dunno.. I guess the ethos of the band is ‘nothing really matters anyway so let’s just have a good time’. We really liked Darcy Prendergast’s concept for the clip - and he really has captured the idea well, so we’re rapt.

What was the most interesting thing about making this film clip?

How hot it gets when two people stand under a sheet. Just so hot.

Hollow placed within the PBS top 10 and Mess+Noise top 20 albums of 2012; did you anticipate this success upon the album’s release?

That was great to hear that news when it came out. It just capped off a great year for the band. But to be honest, when we were making it and releasing it we were just thinking about the next tour, the next show. You don’t really think too much on how something is gonna be received.

You just try as best you can, and trust that people will respond to it.

Do you feel there’s a bit of a gap in the content of commercial radio – that they fail to support Australian musicians the way community radio does?

Well I guess that’s sort of always been the case. By their nature they tend to stick with what they know is going to work, rather than take any risks. But I think nowadays there’s probably more of a scramble than ever for commercial stations to keep audiences and to play ultra safe.

But the thing is there really are some world class bands in Australia right now… the likes of which we probably haven’t seen here before. It really would be great to see commercial stations really get behind these bands.

The film clip for “I’m Gone” scored a Silver medal for Cinematography at the ACS awards last year. Is there a close affinity between the thematic content of your songs and their film clips? What are the most important factors when you’re putting together a film clip?

The people we’ve had do our clips so far (TRUCE, OH YEAH WOW) - they’ve done really well to capture some of the themes of the song and the overall feel. They’re probably the guiding things.

Of your achievements in 2012, what has felt most rewarding?

Just getting an album out there and touring it solidly around the country was probably the most rewarding. It was another year of hard work for the band that we can look back on and be proud of. That’s what we’re here to do.

I understand that this year, you’ll be working on capturing some of the sadder, darker moments in Australia’s history. Many such stories are the kind people tend to sweep under the carpet – do you look forward to approaching the more sombre details of this country’s history through your unique musical style?

Yeah, we’ve already started work on a few of the songs for the new album. It’s always good to go in and start afresh. We’ve got a guiding idea that we’re working with for the new album, and we’re looking forward to making it take shape. www.facebook.com/graveyardtrain

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Sunday February 17thMarch 1st

BIRD GALLERY AND STUDIO

pomiscuity You are pleasantly invited to…

A new exhibition that pom-ises to delight!

From the whimsical mind of Rachel Burke.

Where: Bird Gallery and Studio The Laneway 181 George Street, Brisbane City

BIRD GALLERY AND STUDIO 34

HIDE ‘N ‘SEEK PROJECT Hide ‘n’ Seek Project is a writing project about Brisbane Street and Graffiti art. It includes interviews with some of Brisbane’s best Street and Graffiti artists and gives insight into these vibrant art movements. New material is published regularly, exploring the Brisbane street scene and the artists that work within it.

This month I interviewed Blu Art Xinja, read on to check it out!

If you’ve spied some street/graffiti art in Brisbane and want to publish some photos or let me know where it’s at email me! - ruth@rawinkmagazine. com

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HIDE ‘N ‘SEEK with

Blu Art

Xinja RUTH DUNN Blu Art Xinja is a Brisbane based Street Artist working with blue paint and wood to produce unique creatures, organic designs and eye-catching artworks. I met with the Blue Art Xinja to discuss his art practice, experiences and risky adventures.

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How did you first become interested in art?

I’ve always been interested in art. I’ve always liked drawing and making stuff, so I don’t know exactly when I first became interested in it. I guess I’ve become interested in different types of art, obviously Street Art most recently…in the last year or two. I always thought ‘oh I’m gonna be a cartoonist when I grow up’ or my parents thought I was going to be an art teacher.

So I always knew I would end up doing something to do with art.

Why blue?

It’s my favourite colour and I don’t have to sign anything because it’s my blue. I might branch out into green stuff or branch out into one off pieces…but I’m definitely obsessed with blue. It is a special blue—I used to body paint people at festivals and that was my blue. I gotta name it! Patent it (laughs). In twilight and especially on skin it kind of glows.

How did your art practice move towards Street Art? I have so many different interests in art, like sculpture, painting, printing and life drawing and I guess most recently I just moved towards Street Art. So it’s just happened really…I get a good idea and I just run with it. I’ve done public installations, not commissions I just did them, and that just led into Street Art. I guess that was a pretty natural progression. I just wanted to put art up because I think Brisbane needs it.

Melbourne has made some great progress with Street Art and Brisbane needs it too. So if it needs it, do it.

How long have you been doing the public art?

I’ve always done out door art using rocks and wood and things, so that’s sort of public, but it was usually when I’d go camping or go out drawing. People would find those ones inadvertently, but the ones I do in the city are more public and I’ve been doing those ones for a couple of years now.

How did the Blu Art Xinja develop?

I think I’d done one or two blue pieces, because blue is my favourite colour, and I also worked with a band called The Red Paintings and their thing was that they always had amazing costumes. They always let people paint things on stage and I’d known them for a while so I went on an Australian tour with them and painted at every gig. While I was doing that I thought I needed a costume, so it just came together—I did street art and worked for them at the same time. I hurriedly made the suit and then went on tour around Australia as the Blu Art Xinja and put artwork in every city I went to. I have street art in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and other smaller places in between that I can’t quite remember…hopefully some of them are still there. But yeah, that was how the Blu Art Xinja came about.

Your method of cutting out wood, painting

it, then sticking it up on the street is quite a unique form of Street Art. Why do you work with wood?

I wanted to do something different to paste ups and I’ve never picked up a spray can in my life. I’m into quality and I just like the fact that I can make it really nicely at home and then go put it up. I want people to see it and not want to take it down and not see it as graffiti but to see it as art.

Do they often get taken down?

It depends a lot on where you put them.

It’s just a matter of learning where they are likely to be pulled off. I had a rabbit on a building in a really good spot where a lot of people saw it but it got taken down eventually—which is fair enough. But then I thought ‘ah I’m gonna put two more up’ because rabbits multiply. Those two were there for a while but then they got taken down. So then I waited a while and then I put three up and they got taken down in a few days. But because they had so much glue on them they ripped a lot the wall off and I figured they really wouldn’t be happy with that so I stopped doing those ones…I might put up four soon though…

Have you found there are certain spots where people won’t rip them off?

Yeah, some of them have survived…

I saw one around the corner here the other day…

Yeah that one has been there for years and years, so obviously they have accepted that.

They either like it or they just don’t care.

The lower ones in Burnett Lane get taken down, but there’s one about head height that’s been there for ages and I assume they have accepted that one too. It’s a humming bird, so it’s nice, but I can’t read their minds so I don’t know if they just haven’t gotten around to taking it down or whether they actually like it.

of how I make my art; it’s usually completely original designs and shapes. I’ll see a place and then I will come up with a piece of art for that spot that suits the environment.

Do you have any artists that inspire you?

Yeah I do have particular artists that inspire me…like M. C. Escher. He does really precise intricate, mathematical drawings that are really beautiful—like mosaics and perspective tricks. His artworks are really clean and really nice on the eye…just brilliant. So many artists inspire me…I just see singular paintings and ideas where I don’t know who did them but I really like and that gets filed in my brain and I might use it later. Shaun Tan also inspires me; he’s a young adult illustrator. He does really quirky, other worldly, but beautiful things, like creatures and animals. I like that. I’m tending towards animals now because people like animals and so do I. If people like something they are more likely to leave it up…there’s also a bit of a story there—it’s a city environment and these things are living on the corner of your vision in cracks and alley ways.

What are the aims and motivations of your Street Art? I’m trying to do my bit to bring a bit of culture to the Brisbane streets. I like people to see it; I always take good photos and stick them straight up on Facebook. But there is always the urge to do it because I love doing it and I think that’s the main reason.

I just want to brighten up the place and do art…get a bit of notoriety I guess (laughs).

I like pushing the limits… I do a lot of high stuff now mainly because all the low stuff gets taken down so I just kind of go ‘well… okay I’m a ninja. Let’s get some really crazy places where I can put them up’.

Bar a few exceptions, if I put something up and it gets taken down I go ‘ahh okay they don’t want anything there, I’ll move on.’ I do like going in the middle of the city but they are pretty strict about keeping it clean.

There’s one right above us that was taken down which I was really surprised by. I had put some hieroglyphs on top of the Myer centre on an obelisk. I put a bird, an eye and a spiral and then some wavy lines and that was up for months and months but then one day it wasn’t there and was painted over. I was really surprised they went to the effort of getting up there to get rid of it.

I heard you climbed a 66 story construction site?

Yeah 43 Herschel Street, I got up to level 66. I went up with another mate of mine who’s a street artist and we got up the crane and then he pointed out that we could go further because there’s another tiny ladder that took you right to the top…it was probably the highest point in Brisbane not counting all the hills. It was so high, it was great. There’s a thing called urban exploring or Urbex where you just explore buildings and some people do art, some people just leave in undisturbed and take pictures. So I like that part of it too; just exploring and not spoiling it.

I noticed you have used hieroglyphs and some of your other designs are kind of reminiscent of tribal patterns and designs. Are you influenced by these things or is that just my perception?

I like natural shapes and curls. I started off doing curly, organic forms but whatever seems like influences are usually just accidental. I don’t copy anything at all; if I do I reference it. I guess that’s a defining quality

So I take it you have no fear of heights…

I actually had a bit of a revelation when I was up on the crane the other night. I’ve climbed up so many buildings now and up really high and it used to be scary but now it’s not scary at all. So when I was up on the crane I stepped out onto the boom gate and I had no fear at all, no anxiety whatsoever. I was still hanging on but there was no fear. I think mountain climbers get this too—they 39

know their limits and they know what their hands and feet are capable of. It was quite the revelation realising I have no fear of heights whatsoever. Basically if you can do it at ground level you can do it up high as well, it’s just mindset really.

Do you push your limits?

Actually yeah that’s another thing; I actually like to push limits. I like going where no one has ever been before… that’s a bit Star Trek isn’t it (laughs). It’s cool seeing that some areas have been graffitied but you go to other areas and they are completely untouched. So I definitely like pushing boundaries as a ninja!

Where are some of the trickiest places you have put art?

Ohhh… I mean, I might go back to that crane and put something at the top…that would be high but not tricky as such. The hardest place…the bird I put in the alley the other night was only one and a half storeys up but I really had to stretch, it was raining and a bit fell down and I had to go down and pick it up again. If I’d fallen off I would have broken something, so it was tricky… like if you see it you will look at it and think ‘how’d he do that!’ so I’m proud of that. The butterfly on the Wintergarden in Queen Street is probably the most ‘how the hell did he do that?!’. That one was the biggest project I have done and I’m going to do a big dragon fly soon too.

What are the essential ingredients for creating a great piece of street art?

The location is important; I feel it should fit the location. That’s the main one for me.

I like doing places just out of the corner of your eye where you kind of wouldn’t expect it but its there. Key ingredients… yeah I don’t know. I don’t really think about it much because I have so many ideas shooting around in my head.

What are some of your ambitions for the near future?

The dragon fly is going to be a big one. I’m going to do that one as big as I can. With the butterfly I pieced it together on the roof because it was too big to carry. The dragon fly will probably be on one of the buildings in the mall somewhere.

Other ambitions…well I haven’t done an exhibition yet so I think I might like to do that. A lot of street artists aren’t into that at all, and then some are…but if people see my art and wouldn’t mind having it in their house then that’s fine and I’d be happy to sell it in an exhibition. I certainly want to get my name out there and hopefully more opportunities will open up. I’m never short of ideas; it’s just a matter of doing it.

Shout out to Brisbane artistsAll of them (laughs). I’m sort of new to the game but all the people I have met are wonderful. To name a few: Lincoln who runs Lost Movements, Barek, Skull Cap, 40

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Kitty, Anthony Jigalin is a good mate of mine.

I’m forgetting a lot of wonderful people‌but I appreciate them all!

To check out more Blu Art Xinja artworks and keep up with his latest happenings head to www.facebook.com/blu.artxinja

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