Hailing from the vibrant streets of Adelaide, Nish Cash is the epitomical writer – creative, energetic, and enthusiastically staunch in her artistic values.

Working by day in one of Adelaide’s coolest purveyors of artistic supplies, shows and accessories, Cold Krush, and with her spare moments filled with an outpouring of creative energy, Nish has, for many years, been on a veritable beautification mission. With her sensual, attitudinally demeanoured characters adorning urban spaces throughout the country, its a mission that Nish has been easily fulfilling, with great admiration from her fans and the community.

With her recent collaboration with Kara Gillet and the opening of their show, AlterEgo, this week, Nish is all geared up for a massive push of her work. With her first solo show lined up for later this year, and her continued passion for the culture that she lives and breaths, Nish Cash is definitely an artist on her way up, – and, invariably, we’re pretty sure that a whole slew of walls will continue to be beautified, alongside the progressive ascent of her gallery work …

From the moment you picked up a can, did you ever think that you would be painting on walls this many years down the track? How did you first become involved in it all?

Hell yes! A desire to progress and burn was the driving force in staying in the game for me. I’m a Capricorn so I guess I know it takes time to get where I want.  Starting out I just bombed – pretty much a product of my environment, reading scrawls on the wall before I really knew what it was. It was through photographing pieces in the early to mid 90s that I  got inspired and wanted to take it further.

I started painting with another female writer, hitting some mad spots, and trying to work out my style – it was the beginning of my creative career for sure.

You seem to have an affinity for female characters, as do a lot of other female artists – why do you believe that this is so?

I think the female form is the epitome of beauty, and I like to explore the idea of perfection.

A lot of my characters also represent the notions of good / evil, masculine / feminine, soft / hard, tough /innocent. Perhaps women often paint women as a subject in art as we are fascinating creatures, who can often be quite obsessive over image. Our history shows that we are all in the pursuit for beauty, and its been the subject of much debate –  including the medias portrayal of how we should look.

How do you find the cross over between street art and work for galleries? Do you adapt cross over techniques or do you have a specific way of creating work for both, independent of other except for style?

I seemed to be more like a natural progression from the street to canvas. Painting on canvases has made me acquire discipline, yet I still get impatient on a big wall. The size and surrounding space affects what I create, so I adapt to whatever it is I’m working on.

Lettering has it’s place on a wall, which is where I feel more comfortable flexing, whereas my characters really belong on canvas.

Tell us a little about your graff techniques – how do you approach a wall itself, and what are some of your favourite tools of the trade?

If I told you I’d have to kill you! My style is about bending colour, and creating a flow, or liquefying letters. I was never great at clean lines and hated the formulaic way that a piece must be done, so I just paint letters in my own style. My characters have a similar flow.
When hitting a wall I don’t usually use a sketch, I like to let spontaneity take over and see where it leads me!

Favorite tools of the trade? Belton Rals and Montana Black lines, no doubt. Skinny nozzles and NY fatcaps is the only ish I use. I adore Molotow paint pens, Copics, poscas and transparent paint – my canvas artillery.

In terms of your latest show with Kara Gillett, can you tell us a little about it, and your take on the “AlterEgo” theme? What is the background to the show itself?

the idea of collaborating with Kara was mutual, and since we’d exhibited in group shows together, we thought we should do our thang!

We both paint feminine characters, but Kara has a strong graphic style whilst mine is the exact opposite.  Alter Egos is about exploring exactly that – our other side. They could be extensions of our selves? I think I’ll let the viewers decide …

You also work at Cold Krush in Adelaide, can you tell me us about the store and what people in Adelaide can find there, as well as how the store provides support to the graff and street art community?

Cold Krush Store/ Gallery is my partners baby ( I’m the part time mum on this one) A hip hop boutique with the largest selection of aerosol hardware and artillery, there is a lot of heart and soul behind one of Adelaide’s best kept secrets.

Besides graffiti implements, we stock kicks, vinyl, clothing, accessories, books, DVDs and of course art work. We have exhibitions on the regular,having featured national and international artists but always supporting local cats!

Come check us out down at 109 Unley Rd, Unley.  Hit up our Facebook page for more info! We’re run by artists, we know our products, and are truly supportive to the community. With the gallery open to all for exhibiting, and a wall out the back for workshops and jamming productions – we keepin it real!

What have been some of the highlights in your graff and artistic career so far? … and, what have been some of the low-lights?

Highlights : being in HKC-all female crew, Ladie Killerz graffiti the jam/event, travelling, being able to live and breathe my art, watching my daughter grow up around this and the other opportunities that have come my way and the evolution of my style.

Lowlights :Goddamn politricks, phonies,  chauvinistic and archaic attitudes, and hoochie groupies …

How are things in Adelaide right now? What are some of the happening spots, who are some of the happening artists, and what do you believe is its greatest strength in terms of the amazing art coming out of there at the moment?

Adelaide is going through some interesting times right now. The city has become this hot spot for legal walls, which is creating a difference between graffiti writers and street artists. Grant money and walls are being eaten up by these new school /art school graduates who claiming street art as it is so tres chic right now! As for the real writers, they still holding it down. Some really nice productions have brought life to walls of late, thanks to the old crews who are still rocking it

At one point, Adelaide had the tightest styles, but only a few older heads really inspire me here now. Still, there must be something on our water, there’s always been a creative edge in all repertoires of the culture, which has put us on the map.

What are your plans for after the show, and the near future? Will we hopefully be seeing Nish Cash around the continent?

I’m looking forward to what the future may offer.

After being in arts admin for so long, I embrace each day being able to be a full time artist!  At this stage I’m already real busy. A few group shows in the pipeline … and there is my major show coming up on 11th August, for the South Australian Living Artist festival at Cold Krush. It’ll  be the launch of my first solo exhibition “Lush Science ” which has turned me into a mad scientist! I’m painting a whole range of subjects and stepping outside of my usual ! If its scientifically luscious, then I want to study it!

I’m going to also add my own thoughts and work to the world via my own blog and website – so between my family, facilitating workshops, exhibitions, commissions and Cold Krush – its alll gravy!

If you’re in Adelaide in the next week or two, heck out Nish Cash and Kara Giletts show, AlterEgo at the Deli – also check out the Cold Krush website for lots of Adelaidian cool … and stay tuned for details on Nishs future shows!