One of the many things I have loved about graffiti and street art throughout my life has been that sense of discovering something, or someone, new – and not having the slightest fkn clue as to who did it. Though over the years I have had the pleasure of meeting many artists behind the veils of pseudonyms, tags, nicknames and monikers, there are still those that are elusive and that is as it should be. But, it is that moment when the penny drops and I finally work out who is who (and when  I’m sure everyone else already knew before me!) that makes me consistently smile – ah, the variety of artists found practicing upon our cities walls is wonder unto itself, and those epiphanies are the icing on the cake.

I had one of these moments when I realised that Takie (whose work I had seen appearing everywhere over the past year or two) turned out to be a friend I’d made amongst a bunch of gallery and party expeditions. It was a real “no shit” moment, and it really did get me excited – not only because I really enjoyed Takies artwork, but because it also pinpointed one of those integral facets of street art that make it great:  it can convey little hits of wonderment at moments when you think you may just be getting a grasp on the tendrils of its multifaceted, creative trip.

Once again, I digress. When Takie told me that she was in Sydney now, working on her first show at the brilliantly encouraging and exploratively cool venue that is the Tate, I figured it was a perfect time to talk to her about her art, and try to sate at least a small part of my curiosity.

That’s how it goes. Just when you think you know something about something, its artists like Takie that come along and make you realise there’s still so much you know fuck all about, and that fuel the fire of your curiosity – and for me, that’s what I take away from her work. Colourful, vibrant and speaking to the cultural surrounds of the modern day, hers is an emerging talent that not only already shows the hallmarks of a unique style, but also leads the mind to delve into the possible  directions in which her work will take in the future.

Read on for a glimpse into Takies world, and enjoy.

So tell us, when did you start drawing? Can you remember the first drawings you did, and what they were of? How did this progress through to today?

Funnily enough the first thing I remember drawing is probably my earliest memory too. It was self portrait using only blue paint – I had a circle for a torso and the capital letter E for hands.

It’s strange how things stick in your mind, a lot of the stuff I was doodling as a kid was replicating images I saw in cartoons or magazines, this idea of reacting to words & images that surround me daily form the basis of my art practice today.

What was the first piece you put up on the street, and do you remember that first experience? What made you want to take something out of your sketchbooks and place it up into the public space?

I was playing round with aerosol way before I discovered what a paste up was. Me and my mates would paint our parents garage for practice then head out into the night, this led to a track side piece where I first felt that rush of adrenaline, that feeling that keeps you coming back for more. Pasting was introduced to me by my good friend The Doctor. I was just getting back into the zone creatively when I started noticing this other side to street art that really interested me. The Doctor encouraged me to come along on a mission, I collaged together some old words and images I’d drawn and made three different posters. I think seeing my work along side the incredible talent of street artists in Melbourne is what got me so pysched about continuing.

The streets are an instant gallery – you don’t have to convince anyone your work is valid.

You have developed a fairly unique style over the past few years, and, even in the last year of seeing your work up on the streets, and now some looks at some of your studio work, it seems to be pushing into all kinds of new directions – where do you want to take your work, and where would you like to see it evolve to?

Evolving is the perfect way to describe my intentions, I don’t have all the answers yet, I’m just interested in releasing all the ideas inside my head and constantly pushing my work to new places. I think it also comes down to getting bored easily, I don’t like to focus on one subject matter or medium for very long, I work best when I can mix up the stimuli & the weapons. Hopes for the future? Keep doing what I’m doing right now, which is creating something new every day.

Every day I do a new piece it’s better than the last.

Just on that, your work primarily focuses on images of faces and portraiture, these morph in and out in various differing forms – are your figures representative of a character or individuals? What is the story behind the image itself?

Most of the time the really abstract portraits aren’t based on anyone in particular, I let the pen work out what the image will be. I draw the image using mostly continuous lines without lifting the pen from the page, this in turn gives me sections to divide up the ‘face’ & install the patterns. Lately I have been drawing directly from photographs of people around me & the outcome is very different, though still abstract in theory, you can sense a reflection of a human.

I’m working on a triptych of portraits of Keith Haring at the moment, these have become a little more realistic still and progressed a bit further in truly representing a person in the traditional sense of portraiture.

Eyes are the key theme in these pieces, and I think they act as the primary element that tell the story behind the subject. They also reveal the emotions I felt when I was creating it, I don’t hide my emotions well & neither do these characters I paint.

You also use a fair bit of word play in some of your works, tag lines and relevant phrases – tell us a bit more about there use of text within your work; though the works stands alone, the words themselves often take the meaning into a differing direction – is this your intention?

Words are linked so intrinsically with all my work, I don’t really see a time when I wouldn’t use them. I love that the words give the image another layer of meaning, my intention is to turn the audience in an opposing direction or let them in on the emotion that I want them to feel.

Writing has always been a passion for me, so stripping phrases and thoughts back to single words is a challenge, but incorporating these into my work has come quite naturally.

Colour – so much colour – is there any such thing as too much colour, in your eyes?

Haha, indeed! I guess the under current that binds all my work together in its various incarnations is my colour palette. I adore colour & lots of it; bold rich & bright! To me that’s what makes a black & white drawing sing. I think understanding what colours are friends and which colours should remain enemies is very important.

One of the greatest colour combos of all is old mate CMYK. You can probably have too much colour, but I think that’s where I’d feel most comfortable.

You spent the last two years down here in Melbourne – can you tell us about your experiences and impressions of the city, and its street art?

I love Melbourne, it feels like home, the art scene is so rich, street art is fostered & young artists are encouraged. It’s an incredible place to reconnect or reignite your creativity. That’s what my time there did for me, I soaked up the art scene like a sponge and found inspiration again, a gift like that is pretty precious. I’ll move back some day for sure.

You’ve been working out of the Tate studios since your move back up to Sydney to get ready for your solo show – how have you found this? Can you tell us a bit more about your experiences there, the other artists and a bit more about the Tate itself?

The guys who curate the Tate threw me a life raft when I needed it the most, they took a chance on some excitable chick from Melbourne and let me focus 100% on my art.

The Tate gallery acts as a spring board for young artists, it’s generously a commission-less space where the artists have free rein. An incredible thing on its own, but on top of that is a series of studios attached to the gallery which are rent free, I have fortunately found myself in one of these. It’s widely known how difficult the life of a creative can be financially so without these offerings I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing right now. There are four artists in residence at the moment, but this changes as people come and go.

I honestly could not have found myself in a more welcoming environment, I still get a kick out of walking into ‘my studio’ each day, as corny as that sounds. Marty and Chris are revitalizing the Sydney art scene & creating these incredible spaces for artists to show their work. They are very special dudes.

Can you tell us a bit more about this upcoming show, what it will involve and what people can expect to see from it?

It’s two weeks away and I’ve got a lot more to do! Haha. The space will be filled to the brim; it will be colourful, chaotic, full of faces, cars, words and possessions, works will find themselves on found objects, paper & wood, and there will be a corner of the room dedicated to an installation. I want the audience to feel like they are walking into my world, but also to have it feel familiar to them, as if ‘its all yours.’

What are your plans for after the exhibition? Will you be remaining in Sydney, or will you continue journeying? What other art projects do you have in mind?

I set out on this journey with one thing in mind, to focus 100% on my work & not think about anything else. I will figure out what comes next when my show is complete, until then I will keep seeing & creating every day. I’ll deal with everything else later ;)

Check out Takie on her fb page, as well as The Tate for more info on the show.