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EP 153 – TAYLA BROEKMAN Aug 01, 2023

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“It all starts with a pencil, a piece of paper, and a feeling.” So it is said by Melbourne based artist Tayla Broekman about the creative process. By her account, all emotions fall somewhere between love and fear, and tapping into those emotions and being able to visualize the sensation of an emotion is what gives Tayla her super power as an artist. What starts as a pencil drawing, usually of a female figure or an animal, comes to life through her unique color combinations and illustrative flare. Whether on a wall with spray paint or on canvas with acrylic or gouache, her army of bad ass female warriors and felines is steadily growing as Tayla settles into her new creative space at the legendary Everfresh studios alongside an expanding group of talented Melbourne based artists leading the charge in the Australian art scene.

EP 152 – GEORGE ROSE Jul 01, 2023

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Is it the ‘sweet sweet fades’ that lure you in first, or the mesmerizing botanical patterns? Maybe it’s the explosion of color or catchy word play that she integrates into some of her work. Regardless of what gets you there, the world of Melbourne based artist George Rose will draw you in and offer you plenty to discover while you’re there. Her walls and immersive interior murals play with scale and space, dense with bold patterns and bright colors. At first the work can seem overbearing but her clean finishes and sharp edges pared with a playful quality give everything a sense of order and fun that puts the viewer right at ease. This push and pull of lighthearted drama is what makes Rose’s work so engaging and enjoyable. It’s no surprise therefore that Rose is one of the most prolific and sought after mural artists on the Australian scene and nothing seems to indicate that things will be slowing down any time soon.

EP 151 – RONE Jun 01, 2023

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It would be nearly impossible to overstate the level of thought, commitment and detail that goes into Rone’s work. The Australian artist has been ‘levelling up’ project by project the past 5-10 years at such a pace that he’s nearly morphed into a completely different artist. What started as wheat pasted and stencilled portraits around Melbourne gave way, not surprisingly, to brush painted murals and in the early 2010’s Rone had already cemented his place as a headliner in the early days of the traveling mural festival circuit. But somewhere around 2015 the artists began to take steps towards a massive shift in his work and general trajectory of his life. Rone’s focus these days is on the creation of some of the most complex and large-scale art installations one could imagine. From the activation of an abandoned 1920s art nouveau theatre for a solo show of his photography, to the total takeover and reimagining of a multilevel 1930s art deco mansion into a fictional time-capsule window to the life of some of Australia’s opulent elite… all completely made up out of the artist mind. As Rone wrapped up the final weeks of his current installation ‘Time’ in Melbourne’s city centre, where he’s converted an abandoned train station into an eerie glimpse of post WW2 Australian work life, JB and Tom had the pleasure to catch up with our old buddy for a chat which unfortunately only scratches the surface of what this amazing talent is all about.

EP 150 – TES ONE May 01, 2023

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For 30 years TesOne has been cultivating an impressive body of work that spans the worlds of graffiti, fine art, murals, and graphic design. His ability to seamlessly blend these different aesthetics is what makes his work sing. Dialing up the volume on one and down on another depending on what the project calls for, TesOne effortlessly and simultaneously creates work commercially for the likes of Nike and Architectural Digest as well as fine art pieces for galleries and collectors, all the while keeping a consistent visual voice that stays true to his roots. Born and raised in St. Petersburg Florida, TesOne has left his mark on his city in many ways, not the least of which is by being one of the original braintrust that started the highly respected and long running Shine Mural Festival which is where we were when we had the pleasure of sitting down with the man himself to discuss it all.

EP 149 – GRAFFITI EGYPT Apr 01, 2023

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Believing in oneself and fully committing to one’s own artistic impulses without regard to outside opinions is the unattainable goal of countless artists. Others however settle quite naturally into this paradigm of thinking. Such is the case for nomadic artist Graffiti Egypt. As she journeys through life relocating her homebase from city to city every few years she moves with a mature confidence that betrays her young age. The portraits she paints on city walls and canvases document her state of mind at any given time while also paying respect to her past and cultural heritage. Her stark black stencil like portraits contrast with the soft color palette and unique pattern work in the background giving each piece a dynamic boldness that is the trademark of Egypt’s work.

EP148 – PALEHORSE Mar 01, 2023

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Chris Parks, better known as ‘Palehorse’ has been producing personal and commercial art for nearly two decades with a level of output that is almost unbelievable. He has designed imagery for some of the biggest bands and corporations in the world, while conversely maintaining a deep intimacy in his personal work that reflects his individuality and spirituality on so many levels it’s hard to count. Parks’s work really began to solidify a number of years ago when his new found interest in psychedelics and meditation began to redefine his focus and intention in his art and life in general. Now singularly focused on spirituality and meditation Parks has combined his art practice with his quest for higher consciousness. Through his ‘Seekers of the Eternal’ podcast and guided meditations that he leads out of his Florida studio, combined with his ongoing and impressive output of paintings, installations, NFTs and murals, Parks has built a community of devoted followers and collectors. Together with his brother Matt who joined Palehorse a few years ago, the Parks brothers are blurring the lines between art, technology, spirituality and what it means to be a mindful seeker in todays society.

EP 147 – BEN JOHNSTON Feb 01, 2023

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Aside from his brilliance as a designer, Ben Johnston’s real talent lies in his ability to offer a creative, sometimes alternative meaning to a word or phrase simply based on it’s presentation on a page, canvas, or wall. The way he bends and twists letters and words gives life and story to the forms far beyond the meaning of the words themselves. Raised in Cape Town, Johnston left South Africa after a short stint at university studying industrial design for a new life in Toronto Canada as an independent artist straddling the worlds of commercial design and fine art. These days Johnston focuses his energies on public work and murals as well as paintings and sculptures destined for galleries and private collectors.

VantagePoint was lucky enough to share billing with Johnston at the Shine Mural Festival in St. Petersburg Florida where we sat down with him and and heard all about it straight from the man himself.

EP 146 – REGINALD O’NEAL Jan 01, 2023

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VantagePoint listeners first met Reginald O’Neal back in 2014 on episode 023 with artists Axel Void. At the time, Reginald (known then as L.E.O.) was as apprentice to Axel and traveling through Europe with his mentor. What may seem as a typical relationship throughout art history is undoubtedly unusual by today’s standards and what unfolded throughout the one hour interview was, and remains to be, one of the most touching and inspirational artist relationships we’ve come across over a decade of doing VantagePoint. Imagine our joy then, when 8 years later Reginald O’Neal is booked to the same mural festival as us and we have the opportunity to check back in with him as he now navigates through the contemporary art world as an independent artist making big moves and bringing his unique voice and point of view to walls, galleries, and art fares across the globe.

EP 145 – 123KLAN Dec 01, 2022

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Few could have predicted the enormous global ripple effects that the meeting of two young artists in the early 90’s would have on the world of graffiti, design, and branding, but 30 years later we should all be thankful that the world works in such mysterious ways. French husband and wife duo Klor and Scien formed 123Klan in 1992 as a way to focus their group of friends around their common interests in art and technology. Over the ensuing decades they established themselves as one of the most authentic voices bridging the gap between their hard-earned graffiti roots and aesthetics with the budding industries of web design, streetwear, branding, and video game design. Their greatest asset, aside from their impeccable taste and eye for design, could well be their ability to work not as a duo but as one unified artist, motivating and inspiring each other and always moving towards one common goal. In 2007 after developing countless designs for leading streetwear brands 123Klan launched their own label ‘Bandit1$m’ with huge success. Whether painting murals, graffiti, or canvas… or working on any one of their numerous digital outlets, Klor and Scien have built a career off of a simple philosophy that we should all try to follow, ‘Only do work that you dig and always have fun doing it’.

EP 144 – SHINE FESTIVAL Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

In it’s 8th year of operation, the Shine Mural Festival in St. Petersburg Florida continues to be one of the leaders in the pack of well respected, heavy hitting mural festivals around the globe. The roster of big name international and national artists that Shine has hosted over the past 8 years implies a huge organization with a massive backing. The reality however, is that with just a handful of intensely dedicated people and the support of a local arts counsel, Shine has managed to become a globally recognized powerhouse project while maintaining the small town intimate vibe that builds a sense of family among everyone involved, including artist (local and international), organizers, volunteers, and community members. A feat that most other mural festivals attempt to model themselves after with varying degrees of success.

Organizers Michelle Tannu and Jenee Priebe explain what it takes to start up a mural festival and keep it running for all these years with the continued support of the community while upholding a responsibility to represent a diversity of styles and backgrounds, both artistic and personal, of its participants and community members. They outline the qualities they look for in the artists they offer invitations to each year and we discuss the challenges a project of this kind faces to become and remain relevant in such a competitive landscape of mural festivals popping up in every city across the country.

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