45RPM interview

HUCK: Birds feature quite a lot in your work. What is it you like about them?
45RPM: I like the fact that old people collect ornaments of them. Old people then die, give there whole collections to charity shops where I get them for a quarter of the price. Give me a ceramic owl money box any day over the real thing, you cant put money in the real ones, it makes them clingy. Also, my lass brought me some real Jay's feet from a taxidermists for my birthday this year, I've mostly enjoyed leaving them sticking out of things, the top three things would be:
1. My nose
2. A mate's sandwich
3. An egg
So yeah birds rock...

What is your favourite type of commission, a big installation or project, or something that will go viral like a screenprint or a t-shirt design?
As an artist, when you draw a picture on an A4 page it looks good. Draw it on an A3 page and it looks better. Big is better, fact! There is nothing better then staring at a massive wall that makes you feel tiny and insignificant like an ant and then painting a beaut of a piece on it. 45rpm 1 - wall 0. As much as t-shirts, etc are great, painting a wall that makes you feel emotionally and physically drained. That it probably cost you 40 quid and that you did for free, and knowing it could get painted over a hour later is a great feeling, so give me a great big wall any day.

How does your approach differ with these?
Depending on who I paint with changes my approach. If I'm painting with Richt, then I'll paint some WHAT crew font freak madness, usually two colours and very 2D. If I'm painting with Oath and Gumbo, it will be more of a eye-burning space funk graffiti madness, loads of colours and not 2D. You have to mix it up to keep everything fresh. After hitting a wall, I love to sit down and have a sketch as I feel inspired and happy. So then I can have a doodle or get designing on the computer machine. Fingers in lots of pies keeps things fresh.

What's the art scene in Bristol like?
Hot to trot. We all like cider and hugging each other and more cider and more hugging each other. As graffiti goes, there is a lump of about 30 of us in Bristol that drink together from all styles of the scene, it's pretty tight.  This leads to great nights out and big walls. I'm not moving anywhere, I want to be old and grey with a purple face and still hanging around with the same idiots.

What is it you like about collage?
It gives me something to do with all the crap I bring home with me that I find in the streets or in charity shops. It was either collage or make a giant nest but chicks don't dig nests! Plus, there's something great about grotty old stained paper with a clean painting on top. It's why I love painting on wood over canvas, the contrast is amazing. Plus, a canvas covered in collage means you can stare at it loads of times and still keep spotting things.

Do you feel camaraderie with the other artists in the Avalaan Familia?
Avalaan to me means popping in on my day off, and having a brew with my mates. That's more important than most things, right?. They're the sort of company where I get to do a clean, fresh design then head to the Prince of Wales pub and talk rubbish over some cider. There needs to be more companies like this. Props to Logan and Windy!

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