Off The Wall

Lady Rinth... Lock and Load!

On the graff circuit right now there are numerous up and coming artists, Lady Rinth is one of them.

Heavy on the Hammersmith scene- her dreams consist of moustaches, flesh off the bone and much more...


RD:Were did you get that wicked name Lady Rinth from, and has it got a
meaning?

Lady Rinth, comes from the word labyrinth. Labyrinths are often mistaken for a type of maze, however labyrinths don't have dead ends. I liken my style of thought process to the labyrinth, it may take a little time, I can go round in circles, but I get to a logical conclusion in the end hehe. Also 'labyrinth' is derived from the word 'labrys' which was a ancient Greek term for a double headed axe. The symbol of a double headed axe is used, amongst other things, in female power. Also 'Labrys' is a Lydian phrase, Lydian was spoken in Ancient Turkey, previously known as Lydia.



RD: How did you and graffiti meet?

I grew up in a rural area that didn't see much graffiti, the occasional tag in a bus stop was as spicy as it got. I started playing around with my name and styles of writing it in primary school, I'd doodle all over my books, desks, legs, walls at home. At senior school I found a couple of books on graffiti in the library and was instantly in love. A couple of mates and I used to take car spray paints from our Dad's garages and go and paint random characters in various places we were not meant to be. We got older, got better paint, got a bit better with how to use it, and found bigger walls. My job now is extremely responsible and requires a very clean record, so I of course never put a lick of paint on something I am not supposed to...... I mean what would be the fun in that?! :)


RD:What mediums do you prefer?

Totally depends on my mood, the subject matter, the effect I want to achieve. I am most comfortable using pens and acrylic, I am not very patient and love bright colours so these fast drying materials are perfect. But then I love simple pencil sketches and subtle watercolours and inks too. This summer one of my goals is to have a good stab at developing my can skills. I am in awe of anyone that can produce a clean piece with a spray can. I am not what you would call a natural with those babies!

RD:Last time we spoke you were living in Wakefield, you are know residing
in Hammersmith.
Do you feel there is more opportunity for a budding artist in the
smoke?

He he well I think either you or I might have been a wee bit tipsy then as I have never lived in Wakefield. My last name is Wakefield however, it's probable that's where confusion has occurred. I was living in Manchester at the time, but painting in Derby. I am a bit of a wanderer, and have managed to live in 6 cities in England so far and 2 in France. As for whether there is more opportunity in London for an aspiring artist, well I would say Yes and No. There appears to be more opportunity to network and get your name out there through a variety of events and shows, but then there is also a lot of competition down here. I would say the internet has brought opportunity to your own room that negates the geographical competition for opportunity somewhat. I'd advocate any keen art type to get some photos of their works online, join art fan pages, chat to other artists, make a website (this I have yet to get anywhere near!)

RD: Shit- probably me that was pissed, Sorry.


RD:What music floats your boat?

Again depends on my mood: Dub/Dubstep/Reggae/Rock/Metal/Hardcore/Punk/Rockabilly/Psychobilly/DnB/Rap/Epic/Hip Hop/Death/Doom/Hair Metal/Breaks/Motown/Rhythm & Blues (not a fan of the generic RnB that bastardises this genre title these days!)/Ambient/meh lots!

RD: I can't help seeing various artists influences in your style- French
for instance with the skulls.
Do you find other artists stimulate your productivity?

Totally. I am far more productive when around other artists. I am extremely lucky to have quite a few brilliant friends, who are also brilliant artists.


RD: Can you describe the different character in your drawings, and what
would they be saying do you think?

They would probably all be telling me to stop drinking whilst I draw them as their bottom halves can end up 'intoxicated skewiff'. As for their characters, I suppose an underlying theme would be 'cheekiness' I'd hope they wouldn't take themselves seriously. I like mischief, nonsense and a bit of rude, I try to put these qualities in my works.


RD: Have you had any memorable negative criticism about your art?

I have been racking my brains on this one. To be honest I don't think anyone has ever said anything overly negative, to my face. A couple of people have said things along the line of "it's not really my thing", but you can't be, nor should you want to be 'everyone's thing'. I'd like to think I could one day invoke a passionate negative feedback. To be able to stir strong negativity in one person, there will always be there direct opposite who'd love it. Oh in writing that, I just recalled a bunch of female students who once told me "she was fit until you made her skin look like it is falling off, it's minging now", I was real happy with that one.

RD: And memories of positive feed back from your work?

The fact people have paid their own money for my pieces! Also for someone to see you drawing love then commission a piece off of that is always a huge compliment.


RD: If you could bomb anywhere you wanted were would it be?

The Playboy Mansion. I'd love to throw up a green zombie hottie in the grotto (sounds like a bad euphemism actually).


RD: Do you have any unusual habits(you can get personal if you want)?

I have a moustache obsession. I know tashs are quite 'in' these days, a bit kitsch and all. But I am talking life long passion for them. My first TV crush was Hercule Poirot. I still have lust for the character and have a tattoo of his art deco tash symbol scheduled. I have all the books ever written about him, the DVDs, merchandise, and even the comics. My room is full of moustaches I have made, had made for me, bought for me, , photos of ones I have drawn on people. Friends have commented I have some sort of moustache tourettes. At Download the other weekend I managed to draw 32 tashs on strangers. I am double jointed and have a bad habit of running at people with my feet turned completely backwards, or various bendy unattractive poses. Oh and I have vinegar on almost everything including pancakes and drinking shots. Cheap kicks!

RD: English mustard or Hellmann's mayo?

Mayo for sure.......with vinegar

RD: Time to say thanks to anyone you want out there!

Thanks must go to the fantastic artists I have had the privilage of painting with including Clumsy, Colby, Elfin, Philth, Linz, N4T4, Roots, Fon, Miss Led, Jenism, Zip, Stu, 8bit, Fauna, Starvin artist, Durta Thurta, Lucy, Newso, Adam Gray, Goon, James Yeah, Tiny, Ben, Luce, Lenzie, Candie, Sri, Brodie, Neil 158, arghhhh so many, many more I hope to doodle with too.

Thanks Mister Wayne :)

Its been an absolute treat Lady, we'll go for Fish and Chips(+vinegar) the next time we meet up... Cheers

Julie West Quadin

Mural in Derby

If your in Derby head to the Quad and the cinema on the top floor.

Julie West, Mr Penfold and Deus have been up their usual antics.

Class Act.

... And Relax

All the way from Sydney Contemporary Arts Museum

On this gorgeous summers day sit back relax and watch this chilled out little edit, with a twist in the tale.

Scratching the Surface from [weAREtheIMAGEmakers] on Vimeo.

Seeing is deceiving.

State of the Art in Derby

Check out the State of the Art Tattoo Convention.

All sorts a shit goin down;

Meet the Artists.

Trade fair

Bands

✞

Sounds like a good vibe- 17th and 18th of July(were hittin Roll with Us on Saturday in Chad) hopefully see you there on the Sunday!

Hit up the site at- Ohh crap that stings!

Off The Wall

Meet Marcus Lee- recent graduate from an arts degree, majoring in textiles, but designing skateboards-wwhat... be a fly on the wall and find out more↷

Cafeteria stylie.

New napkins just in... nah.

R D: Hey Marc you been workin on some hot stuff just recently, what made you decide on an art degree

I have always loved designing and drawing, and grew up with two older brothers that spent most there time also doodling, plus drawing is only thing i'm fairly good at.

R D:You did skateboard design for your final degress show were did you get the idea?

I have always liked the whole skateboard culture and specially the clothing part of it. I love clothes and always in skating shops like Rollersnakes. Seeing the skateboard decks hanging on the wall gave me the idea to do skateboards, plus I thought it would be something new and exciting.

Tintalizing.

Class act!

Finger boards, all so cleva.

R D:Do you skate?

The closest I got to skateboarding is playing Tony Hawk on Playstation. I don’t skate but I have always been fascinated by skateboarding. Since doing this project people assume I skateboard and when I reply that I don’t I always seem to get smirked at but you don’t have to be a black belt to like Bruce Lee movies.

R D: To right dude... shit did I just smirk?

R D: What mediums do you prefer?

My preferred mediums would be a pencil, a few scraps of paper, a scanner and a Mac computer. I normally use a pencil to draw and design, then scan that design into the computer and use Adobe illustrator to make my image come to life.

Can I have these for the collection?... nice!

R D: Where does the inspiration for you designs comes from?

I am inspired by everything; I create my characters from looking at everyday objects, ether that’s a crack in the pavement or a shadow of a tree. An easy way to explain this method is that it’s the same principle as seeing images in clouds, which many people have done. I apply this process to everything.

Sketch book extracts.

R D: Was Derby you first choice and would you recommend the course to others?

Derby was my first choice and I would recommend the course to others if they were interested in textiles and working with different fabrics. If someone was into designing skateboards then I would not recommend this course. Even though I enjoyed the course, and was aloud to do skateboards. I think a graphic or illustration course would be best.

Idea in progress 1.

2.

3.

4?... well I tried.

R D: Chopped onions or diced carrots?

Depends how the onions are cooked but I am going to have to say diced carrots, help me see in the dark.

R D:Now you’ve done your degree what plans have you got for the future?

I would like to work for a major skateboard or clothing company. Then maybe one day make my own clothing label.

R D:Would you like to big up anyone.?

My family, friends Wongage, my girl friend, Manny Paqciouo for being a sick boxer and Jackie Chan, just for being Jackie Chan.

R D: Nice one Marc, thanks for your time, and keep us up to date on how things are goin.

Close Contacts

Big up goes out to local artist Jenny Schofield for contributing to the blog.

After a fine arts degree, her final show was a tortured look at her old self- someone who lived in the old ideal of women being seen but not heard, and now, her new self is trying to do everything out of her comfort zone.

The pic of the mountain and the chair on a rope perfectly illustrates what she goes through on a daily basis, wanting to get out and do adreneline stuff but dragging around comfortable memories of her past lifestyle!

From the words of a multi-national company,

"Just go out and Do it"... good on ya Jenny.

Singapore Sling... Into The Cells

Subway bombing in Singapore is a no no, in fact so is:

Pigeon feeding: s$500o fine

Failing to flush a toilet: s$150 fine

Walking around the house nude s$2000 fine

Selling or importing chewing gum: up to s$10,000 or three months in jail.

But were not to concerned with that stuff, just the grafftin.

When McKoy and Banos sprayed a commuter train, they got abit more shit then they bargained for, this last one(they have been sprayin Singi locos for bout 17yrs) landed them in it head first.

Looks like there goin down for a few years and 8 lashings each with a 4ft rattan cane... eeeekkk!

Off The Wall

Elfin at Street Fest 10

When I first meet Elfin her work was predominately nouveau based female figures entwined round a straight razor or in a seductive position, but things are a foot.

With a sweet smile and a change of style, its time for a catch up.

R D: Hey Isy nice to see you, likin the tee. Lets kick off with the basics.

R D: When did you first think you would become an artist?

I've never looked it at it like that before. As a kid I loved colouring in, sticking and gluing. Then it get's all serious and people start talking about 'career options' so I figured I'd study graphic design, with creativity and job availability (at the time) it seemed like the sensible choice. Years later I had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that said I'd just graduated in the wrong subject. But it's all part of the process of fine tuning things and finding out what makes you happy. I don't regret it at all. That's when I realised i wanted to draw and paint and make stuff for the sake of making it.

Window

R D: Do you experiment with different mediums and which one are you most comfortable with?

Yes but more through necessity than experimentation. If I'm doing a live art event you might have to use nontoxic paint in enclosed spaces or even chunky chisel tip markers. If a venue wants a durable mural I'll use a vinyl silk house hold paint, (which is also great for the base of a marker wall; matt paint will suck your pens dry). In my own time I dabble with aerosols and acrylics, but not often enough to be any good at them! Predominantly I use Rotring Isograph pens, thick paper and my trusty light box.

R D: Do you have any hobbies, I know your mates skateboard, have you tried that for instance?

I can't skate, however that means I'm capable of making everybody else look amazing at it. Hobbies? Er, hanging out with friends and having a jam, preferably in the sun! Seeing exhibitions at the V&A, Royal Academy and British museum. I like to check out the private views around Bricklane on the first Thurs of each month. There's so much going on all of the time in london, I like going for walks and trying to get myself lost to see what i can find. This week I went to The Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square to see 'Machotaildrop', I didn't even know it was there, it's so cheap and central, check it out.

Board design along side Graham Mitchell, creator of the screaming fist graph for Lovenskate.

Snow Boards @ the Reebok lounge FFFB Exhibition.

Stolen Space Gallery "decked" show.


R D: Where did you get your passion for the stylized females form which is in most of your pictures?

I figured I needed to specialize in something. I got frustrated with how crap my drawings were coming out. I thought to myself; just concentrate on one thing, get good at that. I liked to draw people and loved art nouveau and manga so chose to focus on ladies. Years later i'm still trying to improve them, making adjustments with each one. I didn't realise at the time the mammoth task I'd set myself. Maybe I'll never quite catch the subtleties of beauty and grace but I feel like the girls are maturing with me.

R D: If you could pick a contemporary artist that you think most inspired the modern graffiti scene, who would it be?

I've got massive respect for writers but I don't look for inspiration in the 'modern graffiti scene'. One guy to check out is Roids; he's got techniques down which have gotten people scratching their heads. But personally I look to Graphic artists and illustrators for inspiration. I guess because I'm interested in figurative images. Check out James Jean, he's amazing, bridging the manga/comic and fine art gap to massive effect.

R D: What advise would you give a young or older artist just starting out?

Draw/paint/whatever everyday. Get involved, there's a community of artists wherever you are. It's great for inspiration and motivation to surround yourself by creative people. Check out exhibitions and events. Discover what it is that gets your attention, then you'll have a basis for the kind of thing you want to create. The more things inspire you the better. An original style comes from putting all the things you love into a big melting pot and creating something that means something to you. Also, stay positive and know that the more you draw the better you will get.

R D: Have you got anything exciting coming up in 2010?

Yes indeed! I've been having a cracking time already at events such as Street Fest. I'll be working with a lovely lot in Shangrila at Glastonbury this month and exhibiting a skate deck and Vans Chukkas at the 'Decked 2' exhibition in August.

R D: Sounds wicked, send us some pics of the deck and shoes when you get them sorted, we can preview them on the Blog.

Art Deco look.

Jenism bombs the ramps at The Street Fest 09.

R D: Where did the name Elfin come from?

I can't remember what context it was used but I liked it the first time I heard it. Not long after I signed it on a piece when painting with friends from college and never looked back. Since then I've come across the anime Elfen Lied and also the character Femlin, and think Elfin is more fitting for me than ever.

R D: Macaroni Cheese or Mars bar?

My sister makes some seriously gourmet macaroni cheese.

R D: Anyone you would like to say thanks to?

To anyone who's still reading this...

Check out her Flickr file. Click on Chezzy peas.

R D: You've been a star, and all the best for the future.

Cheers

Told ya things are a foot... sweeet!

Todger slap, leavin that to the qualified!