The west has many great things. Beaches, wineries, Little Creatures Sunday sessions, mintox d’n’b gigs, rad friends, Northbridge at 1am on a Friday night (okay, not so great) but, mostly, it has a plethora of talented artists.
Perth has always had an extremely rich art scene, especially when it comes to the aerosol and street variety, yet for some reason many artists often struggle (along with all of those worthy people who attempted to get a small bar license in the past year) to truly be embraced by its own denizens. Even with such a rich and vibrant history of artistic merit, it can often be difficult for a Perth artist to break out – for whatever reason that may be (and please, feel free to disagree).
We spotted Perth artist Zach Freshwater some time ago – it was hard not to, with the colourful splays of paint that he produces, with its enthusiastic, zealous character. Bright, sun filled and, for us, containing ephemeral hints of home, we were immediately drawn to its abstract nature.
With his solo show “Alien Thoughtz” coming up later this month, we caught up with Zach for an insight into his work, his opinions on Perths artistic culture, and, most importantly, why he loves his colour …
You’ve been painting for some time now, tell us a bit about your background and where your art springs from – how long have you been at it for?
I have been creative since I can remember. I started painting on walls however when I was living London and surrounds. I then moved to Australia, when I was nineteen and I stopped for a while, as I was following a lot of music. Alas, that wasn’t doing me any good, so I decided to go back to school and get a degree in interior design.
Can you tell us about artistic life in Perth – where do you believe your work fits in there, and how has the city helped to shape your art today?
I work full-time so I have to squeeze in as much work as I can. I get home from work and go straight into the studio. In relation to the city being embracing, well I have had to be pretty pro-active when it comes to getting a wall I can paint.
The art-world here in Perth is either very elitist and cliquey, or terribly mismanaged and lazy. There is no in between – perhaps that’s the government’s fault, or maybe just the population numbers. If you want your art up you have to do the hard work like hire your own space, or approach businesses. In saying that, most businesses I have approached have been very encouraging.
Your work is vibrant, colourful and beautifully abstracted – where do you believe this abstract range of shapes and form fits into the overall graffiti and street art ethos – is there any basis for the abstractions, or is it all free form?
This abstract range of shapes had been a personal evolution. I think it’s the next level when it comes to street art, just like realism gave way to impressionism, and then to abstract. Abstract art is freedom to a disciplined artist. In other words: you need to be disciplined to pull off abstraction. I have worked back and forth in terms of discipline. At first I started with a can, then honed my fine-brush ink work and then moved on to can but with a fine-art dexterity. All of these have culminated in the abstract aerosol on canvas. When I do my canvases now, it’s all freeform, like a stream of consciousness, like when authors write spontaneous prose, then see what they can do with it.
They start with a sentence – I start with spraying a line or two.
What thoughts invigorate your painting? What are the wells of inspiration that you draw upon, and how do you implement new ideas into your work?
I love getting colour combinations bang-on. I enjoy the challenge of precision. I love it when I paint a straight line or the curve of an arc is just the right angle that sits right in my head. I love aesthetically pleasing things at the moment – this dark period is coming to an end. It’s time to stand up and shake-off the black cape and brighten up the streets – I’ve have been doing the opposite of what’s fashionable.
I like dark, but I am not morbidly attracted to it, which seemed to be the trend in the first decade of this century.
Your next show coming up is the solo show Alien Thoughtz, at Leedervilles HQ – what are the themes and motifs behind this show, and what will you be presenting with it?
Alien Thoughtz is just as it sounds. Abstract art can be somewhat of a paradox – an abstract piece is extremely alienating because the viewer knows it’s an individual’s abstract thought but; if the viewer feels something inside when they look at it, that isn’t alienating at all, it brings the viewer closer to the artist.
It’s all freeform aerosol on canvas, but with the exception of two pieces of fine-brush ink works on framed illustration board.
You’ve worked with a fair amount of illustration in the past as well – before your recent move back into street art and aerosol, you were doing a fair amount of it – tell us about this part of your artistic work, and what you produce within it?
My illustrations are great to do, but very time consuming. The amount of layering of ink to produce a realistic glow of a person’s complexion can take a while, but the results are nice. I like nice, and I know it’s a big crowd-pleaser as I have done a lot of commission work with this style:mainly portraiture. I actually find it slightly boring but it has helped pay some bills in the past. I definitely don’t feel the freedom I feel when I do a wall or a canvas with the can.
Print has also played a part in your work – what are some of the books you’ve worked on? What was the Nikko Japan project?
My first book was inspired by the lovely children I taught English to in South Korea I painted the book over the year, and can be found in the Murdoch university collections library. The Nikko Japan book was inspired by a bunch of old photographs I found at a second hand shop. They were a discovery as they were photos relating back to The Tokugawa clan and showed temples and shrines to where the last of the shoguns are buried, so I went on a quest there, and spent the time drawing and painting some of the areas.
It became a monster book, I even painted some of the pages using traditional Sumi-E ink brush on rice paper years later it became a exhibition.
You seem, from previous conversations, to have a pretty healthy philosophical view as to street arts place in society and modern life – what are some of your thoughts on the emergence of the art form in recent years, and what would you like to see more of?
I would love to see more intelligent social commentary as one part, and another I would like to see typical street art evolve into something more stream-of- consciousness or abstract – and colour, bright colour and well thought out colour. I have to say, there is a lot more to explore, and inspiration is everywhere if your looking for it especially today. In recent years, I thought it was amazing and it’s probably had a big impact on me.
What are your plans for the future, and where would you like to see yourself taking your art?
I would like to be rich and famous and hide away in the south of France living with my partner as an infamous philanthropic eccentric couple – but that’s too far into the future.
I am a very social being, so I think I would like to live somewhere and soak up the art community in Melbourne or Sydney. I don’t like dismissing Perth as a dead-end, but to be honest it is. To experience culture here you have to go into a building, and somehow I think that’s a little perverse. Our government is so anally retentive that they don’t even let a person make money as a vendor on the street! The quality of buskers says it all!
Yeah, so, I think a move to a bigger population there will be a better chance of meeting like-minded people …
Interview – Zach Freshwater
The west has many great things. Beaches, wineries, Little Creatures Sunday sessions, mintox d’n’b gigs, rad friends, Northbridge at 1am on a Friday night (okay, not so great) but, mostly, it has a plethora of talented artists.
Perth has always had an extremely rich art scene, especially when it comes to the aerosol and street variety, yet for some reason many artists often struggle (along with all of those worthy people who attempted to get a small bar license in the past year) to truly be embraced by its own denizens. Even with such a rich and vibrant history of artistic merit, it can often be difficult for a Perth artist to break out – for whatever reason that may be (and please, feel free to disagree).
We spotted Perth artist Zach Freshwater some time ago – it was hard not to, with the colourful splays of paint that he produces, with its enthusiastic, zealous character. Bright, sun filled and, for us, containing ephemeral hints of home, we were immediately drawn to its abstract nature.
With his solo show “Alien Thoughtz” coming up later this month, we caught up with Zach for an insight into his work, his opinions on Perths artistic culture, and, most importantly, why he loves his colour …
You’ve been painting for some time now, tell us a bit about your background and where your art springs from – how long have you been at it for?
I have been creative since I can remember. I started painting on walls however when I was living London and surrounds. I then moved to Australia, when I was nineteen and I stopped for a while, as I was following a lot of music. Alas, that wasn’t doing me any good, so I decided to go back to school and get a degree in interior design.
Can you tell us about artistic life in Perth – where do you believe your work fits in there, and how has the city helped to shape your art today?
I work full-time so I have to squeeze in as much work as I can. I get home from work and go straight into the studio. In relation to the city being embracing, well I have had to be pretty pro-active when it comes to getting a wall I can paint.
The art-world here in Perth is either very elitist and cliquey, or terribly mismanaged and lazy. There is no in between – perhaps that’s the government’s fault, or maybe just the population numbers. If you want your art up you have to do the hard work like hire your own space, or approach businesses. In saying that, most businesses I have approached have been very encouraging.
Your work is vibrant, colourful and beautifully abstracted – where do you believe this abstract range of shapes and form fits into the overall graffiti and street art ethos – is there any basis for the abstractions, or is it all free form?
This abstract range of shapes had been a personal evolution. I think it’s the next level when it comes to street art, just like realism gave way to impressionism, and then to abstract. Abstract art is freedom to a disciplined artist. In other words: you need to be disciplined to pull off abstraction. I have worked back and forth in terms of discipline. At first I started with a can, then honed my fine-brush ink work and then moved on to can but with a fine-art dexterity. All of these have culminated in the abstract aerosol on canvas. When I do my canvases now, it’s all freeform, like a stream of consciousness, like when authors write spontaneous prose, then see what they can do with it.
They start with a sentence – I start with spraying a line or two.
What thoughts invigorate your painting? What are the wells of inspiration that you draw upon, and how do you implement new ideas into your work?
I love getting colour combinations bang-on. I enjoy the challenge of precision. I love it when I paint a straight line or the curve of an arc is just the right angle that sits right in my head. I love aesthetically pleasing things at the moment – this dark period is coming to an end. It’s time to stand up and shake-off the black cape and brighten up the streets – I’ve have been doing the opposite of what’s fashionable.
I like dark, but I am not morbidly attracted to it, which seemed to be the trend in the first decade of this century.
Your next show coming up is the solo show Alien Thoughtz, at Leedervilles HQ – what are the themes and motifs behind this show, and what will you be presenting with it?
Alien Thoughtz is just as it sounds. Abstract art can be somewhat of a paradox – an abstract piece is extremely alienating because the viewer knows it’s an individual’s abstract thought but; if the viewer feels something inside when they look at it, that isn’t alienating at all, it brings the viewer closer to the artist.
It’s all freeform aerosol on canvas, but with the exception of two pieces of fine-brush ink works on framed illustration board.
You’ve worked with a fair amount of illustration in the past as well – before your recent move back into street art and aerosol, you were doing a fair amount of it – tell us about this part of your artistic work, and what you produce within it?
My illustrations are great to do, but very time consuming. The amount of layering of ink to produce a realistic glow of a person’s complexion can take a while, but the results are nice. I like nice, and I know it’s a big crowd-pleaser as I have done a lot of commission work with this style:mainly portraiture. I actually find it slightly boring but it has helped pay some bills in the past. I definitely don’t feel the freedom I feel when I do a wall or a canvas with the can.
Print has also played a part in your work – what are some of the books you’ve worked on? What was the Nikko Japan project?
My first book was inspired by the lovely children I taught English to in South Korea I painted the book over the year, and can be found in the Murdoch university collections library. The Nikko Japan book was inspired by a bunch of old photographs I found at a second hand shop. They were a discovery as they were photos relating back to The Tokugawa clan and showed temples and shrines to where the last of the shoguns are buried, so I went on a quest there, and spent the time drawing and painting some of the areas.
It became a monster book, I even painted some of the pages using traditional Sumi-E ink brush on rice paper years later it became a exhibition.
You seem, from previous conversations, to have a pretty healthy philosophical view as to street arts place in society and modern life – what are some of your thoughts on the emergence of the art form in recent years, and what would you like to see more of?
I would love to see more intelligent social commentary as one part, and another I would like to see typical street art evolve into something more stream-of- consciousness or abstract – and colour, bright colour and well thought out colour. I have to say, there is a lot more to explore, and inspiration is everywhere if your looking for it especially today. In recent years, I thought it was amazing and it’s probably had a big impact on me.
What are your plans for the future, and where would you like to see yourself taking your art?
I would like to be rich and famous and hide away in the south of France living with my partner as an infamous philanthropic eccentric couple – but that’s too far into the future.
I am a very social being, so I think I would like to live somewhere and soak up the art community in Melbourne or Sydney. I don’t like dismissing Perth as a dead-end, but to be honest it is. To experience culture here you have to go into a building, and somehow I think that’s a little perverse. Our government is so anally retentive that they don’t even let a person make money as a vendor on the street! The quality of buskers says it all!
Yeah, so, I think a move to a bigger population there will be a better chance of meeting like-minded people …
Check out Zach Freshwaters blog, and check here for details on his upcoming show, Alien Thoughtz …
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