No one can mistake a piece of his work on a wall or in a gallery, and his unique characters and scenes are now somewhat ubiquitous with the rising urban art scene here in Australia. Kyle Hughes-Odgers, aka Creepy, is one of many artists turning the worlds eyes towards our shores.

Having just launched his latest solo exhibition,  “You Just Have Your Eyes Closed” at the Turner gallery in Perth, we figured it was a great time to grab a few words from the man himself and see what he’s been up to in the lead up to the show, and what he has in store for us in the future …

Can you give us a little bit about your background and how you came to find yourself working as an artist?

I was always drawing growing up. I’d spend weeks drawing one thing, just filling it with patterns, scribbles, characters, words etc. I don’t really know why I just really liked drawing all the time. I guess that never went away, and now I like building wooden things and painting all the time.

In terms of influence, what would you say your work sways towards? Who and what has been a driving force behind your creative journey?

Early on I think I was more interested in illustration but now I’m more interested in painting. I’ve always liked artwork with a story or history. I like patterns, folklore, and art with a sense of humor.  Then discovering street art and other like minded people really pushed me to keep making art.

Your latest exhibition, “You just have your eyes closed” is just the latest in a bunch of shows you’ve had or been involved with – can you tell us some of the background behind this one?

I painted for a year for this show, and it’s my first exhibition in a major commercial gallery. Even though it is actually my sixth solo show. I built 105 wooden boxes of various sizes and then painted them all, and also painted on 8 large canvases. I’m exploring ideas of journey and chaos in this show as well as continuing my interest in themes of life and survival.

Over a hundred works – that’s a hell of a lot, and it just goes to show how prolific you are – can you give us a general run down on your processes for creating your work, and how you managed such volume?

I have building days and painting days.

I try to paint for 8 hours every day but it usually only 6 or 7 because of time spent on emails and just general studio up keep stuff.  I made a rule for myself about a year ago that I have to make something new everyday, even if it’s only a tiny sketch on a napkin. If I miss a day I feel like I’ve wasted time I’ll never get back. That said I try not to work weekends unless there is a big wall production or something.

You recently did some work for Murdoch University – can you describe the project for us and what it entailed? What of the short film that came out of it, what did you find the most enjoyable part of having your work documented in that fashion?

I was approached by Murdoch Uni to create seven large scale murals for their art collection. This was a great opportunity in terms of scale, and to have work purchased for the collection. The short film was to document the process of painting the largest work , I was painting in an interesting location and it seemed like a good idea to get some footage. It’s nice to show the process, as usually people only ever see the end result.

Help is on the way – Creepy @ Murdoch University in WA from Chad Peacock on Vimeo.

Your work has been published in numerous magazine, and featured on a bunch of sites across the world, what’s the most interesting part behind the whole Creepy phenomenon, in terms of the exposure that you have received in the past few years?

Probably what it leads too, new projects and walls, opportunities, and other artists I get to meet.

Often Perth gets a bit of a cultural bad rap here and there, but there has always been a very healthy underground/urban/street art scene there which has gone against that assumption – what are your views on the whole argument in light of the artistic community there?

It’s a DIY community. Maybe because things used to be a bit closed a bit early on, and sometimes still is. A lot of people I grew up with, and am still friends with, now always made their own fun. Bands, street art, milk crate street basketball in the middle of the city at 1am … Maybe there’s just a bunch of people in Perth, that instead of complaining about mundane things actually don’t care, and make art and music instead.

Who else in Perth do you see as doing amazing work right now, and who are some names to look for in the future – and why?

Sean Morris, Daek One, Kid Zoom, Yok – because they’re just really good at art.

What does the immediate future hold for you, and, also, what projects would you love to tackle in the future if time and money were of no object?

I have a lot of traveling for projects in the next few months. I’m heading to Singapore, then Sydney /Melbourne with a Last Chance studio touring show. Adelaide after that with Daek One and a big install show in Sydney in December with  Beastman and Phibs.

I’d like to paint really big things in the future, as well as paint more overseas too, in the States and Europe.

Creepys solo exhibition “You Just Have Your Eyes Shut” runs at the Turner gallery in Perth until September 11th. Also, check out his blog for more news, info and awesome artwork.