With the year already off to a remarkable start with several major solo and group exhibitions having come, and, successfully, gone, Per Square Metre is preparing for its next feature, the first solo exhibition from talented up and coming artist Jack Douglas.

Invurt caught up with Jack last weekend to discuss his coming show, as well as to get the low-down on his personal thoughts and philosophies behind his current body of work …

How were you first exposed to art, and how did you first find yourself wanting to be an artist?

I had an art teacher with a nasty moustache who was obsessed with pasting gumnuts to stuff, but she showed me a book on MC Escher that blew my mind. from there i became obsessed with Dali and at the same time would check out the local tattoo parlour, because i found the tattoo process fascinating and some of the flash they used to hang up on their walls were amazing. I really admired the things that skateboarders were doing when i was growing up in the 90s, but failing miserably at skating I poured over the board graphics and illustrations and photos in skate mags. Cartoons and books also took up a lot of my spare time. There was a giant mesh of inspiration there for me, it just took seeing the amazing things that people could create to push me towards art school and trying to work doing what i love doing.

You recently graduated, can you tell us a little about your art school experience? Do you believe that it helped you to develop as an artist or do you believe you’re creativity would be at the same level if you had not have studied in the subject?

I still have mixed feelings about my art school experience.

I was straight out of high school and very naive (i still am in many ways), so i didn’t really know what i was getting myself into. A lot of people were doing concept art and i didn’t really feel like i fitted in. There were some really cool kids there, some of which followed a similar line of work, so in the end it was great to be in and amongst such a great mix of artistic mediums and cultures. Art school isn’t for everyone however and i urge people to read Dan Clowes’ work before applying for fine arts as i could really relate to his comic Ghostworld and Art School Confidential, plus there were some hilarious parallels.

Have you in any way found it difficult, as an emerging artist, to find opportunities to advance your art, or have you found the various support mechanisms in place here in Melbourne have been sufficient for your needs?

There are some fantastic opportunities for young artists trying to find work in and around Melbourne. It can be really hard for people starting out also. Melbourne has a lot to offer in means of talented and skilful artists, but galleries are very picky and there are lots of gifted folk out there that are going unnoticed.

Your influences range from pop surrealism, to skateboard art and tattooing – can you explain how you believe all of these influences mesh together, and how you see a symbiosis between them?

In my mind they’re all linked in some way. My work is simply a regurgitation of all these things with my ideas and concepts thrown into the mix.

Explain your ideas behind Twenty One, from what you have said, it sounds to involve a narrative of sorts in light of coming to art within the art realm, you’ve stated “I seek to escape my own personal dilemmas through the image-making process” – have you found that working on this show has been somewhat of a  cathartic experience for you?

The line-work on it’s own is quite a relaxing experience, almost meditative. But painting is really the only thing that can help me deal with all the things that bother me in my day to day life. Watching people who quite clearly need to be in some sort of care system get drunk/high/other and hurt themselves or others is quite a disturbing experience, but sometimes it feels like I’m the only person that notices these things. People generally laugh it off or just ignore the issues.

Drug use, alcoholism and petty violence – three things that have circled artists for centuries – but in terms of your own experiences, how do you believe that each of these things has affected your work, and your own personal development?

I was attacked once by a drunk person outside my local train station, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. But knowing such things can happen close to home really hits you hard. Now there are lots of boarding houses in my local area packed full with very troubled people. They inflict a great deal of suffering upon themselves and others and it is very sad to watch. This recent body of work is one of my responses to such issues.

You obviously have some political leanings that you try to convey through both your work and your own statements, you say that you have “the urge to draw attention to the degradations in standards of living, the everyday Australian’s general contempt for each other and fearing things that are different.” – how do you try to present this ethos to someone who might be viewing your work, and why do you find it important to draw attention to this general contempt you believe is pervading Australian society?

Drawing attention to something is the first step towards trying to fix the problem, although I’m struggling to figure out how we as a society can get ourselves out of this one. What I’m interested in are the stories that people carry with them and displaying them to the public in my own unusual way.

What are the different aspects you enjoy between both working on public art and working on pieces that are to be displayed in an exhibition? Do you believe that the two are part of a whole, or do you employ very different mindsets and techniques to both?

They run along the same wavelength. I have a great deal of fun painting on a larger scale. Installing an exhibition comes with a bit of pressure, but it is incredibly satisfying to complete a body of work and display it. I’m still learning the ropes with the spray can and have a great respect for what others can do on a wall.

You’ve done a few collaborative wall pieces, what are some of the standout murals you’ve worked on, and who have you most enjoyed working on collaborations with?

The first mural I did was with Ethics and Poise – they taught me the basics, for that I am grateful.

Working with the 696 kids was always great fun. Also the recent work i did with Knox Council under the supervision of Rob Tickner (who’s done some great work in community arts, notably in the graffiti realm,  for the past 20 years).

For the last couple of years, the world has been undergoing an explosion in urban styled art – who are some of your picks of the bunch that are currently inspiring you, and why?

Kid Zoom, Dabs and Myla, Greg Simkins, Alex Pardee, Drew, Itch, Everfresh, the Ironlak Team, Alastair Mooney and Mr Gauky. There are too many to mention – each have their own personal styles and aesthetics, but their work really gets through to me and they are truly in a league of their own. They continue to surprise and amaze me with every development they make.

Rumour is that this will be your last showing of work in Australia – where are you heading to, and what are your plans for the future?

I plan to go abroad for a while. Basing myself in the UK is the current plan – I want to travel and get some more artistic experience under my belt. I’m hoping there will be some walls i can deform with my work and there are some drinks to be had with the friends and family that I have over there …

For more information on “Twenty One” check out the previous event post, as well as Jacks blog and the Facebook event page.