The work of Silk Roy (aka Kid Silk) caught my eye a couple of years ago – and from that point onwards I was hooked on his work. As an artist whose first exposure to graffiti was, like many others, riding the train network of Melbourne back in the 90s, his passion ran a familiar course from bombing to piecing, and over the past decade or more he has consistently expanded his skills and outlook to further his craft.

There’s a lot of beautiful abstraction in the linework and colouring of Silks works – from his extruded lettering to some of his Miro-esque works on paper and canvas, he is an artist that doesn’t shy away from experimenting and pushing his style – which he acknowledges with his love for the Graffuturism movement. Vibrant colours interspersed with the familiar graffitied calligraphic signings, not only portrays his current skills as an artist, but also gives way-markers as to where his style may evolve to in the future. This is an aspect that isn’t always seen in an artist who already has a definable style. Often, these artists hone themselves further and become increasingly technical in their approach, whereas with Silk, you get the feeling that what he has already produced is just a brief stopover from where he is going – and that is a pretty fkn exciting element to see in an artists work.

This is one of the reasons why we love his work – and one of the reasons why we really wanted to interview him ahead of his duo show with Putos. Silk Roy is one of the definitive examples of a modern Melbourne artist – open to influence, mindful of the past, and always reaching towards the future.

Check out all the low down on him and his work below, and enjoy …

So where did you start creating artwork? Has it always been something that you’ve been interested in, or did it come to you at a definable moment in life?

Art became a driving force in my life after my introduction to Melbourne’s Graff scene. I moved here in 98′ and was instantly taken by the power and energy of it all.

It wasn’t too long before I was running around with a marker, but over the years that enthusiasm shifted to painting big walls, and now Graff really serves as my artistic foundation and influences everything else I do as an artist and person.

So, where did you get the moniker “Silk Roy from? Tell us a bit of the story behind the name :)

I used to write ‘Sure’, one day a friend was over and she asked if she could have a look at my book, she couldn’t read any of it so I asked her to look a little closer and try to decipher it, she was flicking through until she thought she had it and finally said … uhh Silky Fox?

After that, people started calling me Silk and later I added the ‘Roy’ which is part of my last name.

In terms of aerosol work and stuff you do out on the streets – what is it about painting walls that you love, and what parts of the graffiti and street art culture do you particularly identify with?

I can honestly say I love all of it. I love the entire process, starting from scratch and building yourself up, learning new techniques, constantly pushing your style, catching walls with other artists, being constantly inspired, it’s nice to have something you wake up thinking about!

How about style? What got you inspired at first, and what continues to inspire you, in terms of other artists, today?

At first just seeing graffiti from the train on the way to school inspired me, but now I draw inspiration from all over the place, my surroundings, people, travel, music, the list goes on.

I’m constantly inspired by anyone who pushes their style in their chosen art form, I know that’s a really boring answer, but guys like Barry McGee and Smash137 really do it for me at the moment.

You do a bit of graphic design work, how does the commercial side of design intersect with your artistic creativity?

Graphic design was the logical step as a career choice, of course its a bit different when your dealing with clients with particular requirements, but the way I design is heavily influenced by my artistic background. I’m also getting into digital illustration which is a particularly enjoyable avenue of design.

Melbourne is one of those cities that just oozes creativity and inspiration – in what ways does it influence you? What other locations have had an impact on your work?

Simply put, I wouldn’t be where I am or doing what I’m doing if I hadn’t moved to Melbourne.

There is a definite creative vibe here, obviously the graff scene here is a constant inspiration, there’s talent and competition everywhere which definitely keeps me working hard. I’ve also been lucky enough to paint in places like NYC and LA which were incredibly powerful experiences.

You’ve had a couple of group shows in the past, but how about solo endeavours? You have a show coming up with Putos, how does the work for this relate to the shows you’ve been a part of before? Tell us a bit more about it all.

As far as a solo show goes, that’s something I’ll be keen to do, but I’m not in a rush. Ill be taking my time on that front. Group shows with Studio 615 are a lot of fun, everyone in the group is accomplished in different media so coming together and being exposed to different thought processes are really beneficial to all of us. I use my involvement in the studio setting to develop work with a more experimental, abstracted vibe, more inline with Graff Futurism.

My Seasons Of Change show with Putos coming up lets me indulge in the graffiti side of things, and its a real honour to be involved with a series of shows that has showcased work by Melbournes best.

Tell us a bit about both the negative experiences you’ve had, as well as the positive experiences in pursuing your creative passion? what drives you every day to continue doing what you love – it isn’t easy out there these days to push yourself forward, in what ways do strive to better, and hone, your skills?

It can be frustrating, there’s definitely days where I question myself and my style, but its necessary if you want to move forward. Passion is what keeps me moving, especially after those bad days its what gets me to pick myself up and go hard. As long as it feels right, Ill continue to do it, theres nothing like producing work that your happy with.

Tell us a bit about your work with the 615 crew? where is everything with that at the moment, are you guys still doing collab work together?

615 is myself, Sam Octigan, Michael Danischewski, Marcus Dixon and Doug Aldridge, we are a collective of creatives involved in different areas of art and I think that’s what gives us our edge, we can come together and really create something different, something I think our Time Flies show last September really reflected. At this point we focus on collaborative projects, we are in the beginning stages of putting together another group show set for the latter part of this year.

So, after this next show, what do you have planned for the rest of the year? What other projects are you aspiring to get done during 2014?

After this show, as always I’ll remain open to anything really – if its a creative outlet inline with what I want to do, I’m in!

Shout outs to everyone who continues to support and follow their passions!

Peace!

Check out more from Silk Roy HERE!