News, analysis and comment - visual arts 

Stormie - Artist

ArtsHub | Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Stormie - Artist / photo by: Frances Andrijich  

What did you want to be when you grew up?
It’s not a question I can ever recall being asked as a child. I can remember there being plenty of conjecture about what people thought I should or could do but nobody seemed to want to know my opinion. I did however have a few - one was “world champion” much like Danny in the Ronald Dahl book.

Another was to escape sitting on top of a cupboard that sat under the carport, but which I knew was a flying cupboard. I also wanted to be able to use a screw driver as well as my Dad, other than that the general consensus seemed to be that I’d be an artist.

What did you become?
A painter, so far…

What's your official title?
As above.

What's your background - how did you end up here?
Mostly through being a wayward child. Strong, independent/naughty streaks lead me to spray cans & graffiti in 1982. In 1985 I set off to see the world and paint graffiti which brought me to here.

How would you describe your work to a complete stranger?
Contemporary, figurative.

What's the first thing career related you usually do each day?
Check emails.

Can you describe an "average" working day for you?
Computer related stuff in the morning, painting from lunch and drawing in the evening.

Who or what in the arts world most inspires you?
Plenty, anything. As Paul Smith said, “you can find inspiration in anything, if you didn’t, look harder”. A list of artists would be as long as your arms, but my true inspiration comes from the damaged sense of beauty you find in the world, despite the decay.

What's the toughest challenge you've dealt with on the job?
I’ve had many jobs & they all have tough challenges. I once worked as a SOCO [scenes of crime operative] and having to video murdered people was hard.

Last year I had to paint an 800m2 mural in 8 days, that was hard work. The biggest challenge, the hardest work is to keep going.

What's the best piece of advice you were ever given for your career?
That’s easy it came from Reg Bolton, a legend of the clown world, “love what you do, do what you love”.

What are the top three skills you need in your particular role?
To listen with your eyes, to always be adaptable to the circumstances in which you’re working and focus on what’s really important.

What's the best thing about your job?
What I do is an extension of who I am, I’ve been given an opportunity to use my hands to create images that speak to people, that resinate within people.

And the worst?
There is no worst.

And if you had to sum your working life in a word or phrase, what would it be?
To quote Albert Facey, “A fortunate life”.

Related news

Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea

Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea

Bianca Rohlje 25 Jan 2012

MIDSUMMA: American performance artist Martha McDonald hosts song tours of the Maribyrnong River aboard the HMS Blackbird, before transporting audience members to the associated exhibition.

Mary and Me

Mary and Me

Louise O'Neil 14 Jan 2012

QPAC: Corresponding with the current production of Mary Poppins, this Brisbane-ony exhibition on its creator is entertaining for fans and newbies alike.

Eugene Von Guérard: Nature Revealed

Eugene Von Guérard: Nature Revealed

Louise O'Neil 7 Jan 2012

QAC: Combining melancholy and mastery, Eugene von Guérard's colonial paintings on display at the Queensland Art Gallery show viewers the beauty of the Australian landscape.

The Collective

The Collective

ArtsHub 20 Dec 2011

OFF THE KERB: An eerily coherent group show exploring notions of the collective unconscious, The Collective is evocative and exactly hits its mark.

Bruno Taut

Bruno Taut

Sarah Braybrooke 17 Dec 2011

GOETHE INSTITUT: In association with Wilfried Brenne Architects, the Goethe-Institut Australien, Melbourne, is hosting this exhibition on little-known modernist architect Bruno Taut.

Henri Matisse: Drawing Life

Henri Matisse: Drawing Life

Louise O'Neil 10 Dec 2011

GOMA: Curated exclusively for GOMA, this exhibition brings together works from international, national and private collections to explore the range and depth of Matisse’s engagement with the graphic mark.

Echoes of Myself

Echoes of Myself

Lana Howe 3 Dec 2011

MRA GALLERY: Lynn Smith’s photographic exhibition Echoes of Myself is built on the desolate: urban landscapes, abandoned warehouses and beaten up shops, bathed in lamp and neon lights.

The James C. Sourris AM Collection

The James C. Sourris AM Collection

Louise O'Neil 26 Nov 2011

GOMA: A celebration of Australian art benefacted by James C. Sourris, this exhibition features exceptional works by Judy Watson, Vernon Ah Kee and Bill Henson, among others.

Yayoi Kusama: Look Now, See Forever

Yayoi Kusama: Look Now, See Forever

Louise O'Neil 25 Nov 2011

GOMA: Recalling the hallucinatory whimsy of Alice in Wonderland, 'Look Now, See Forever' showcases two years of polka dot-obsessed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's playful work.

Surface Tension: The Art of Euan Macleod

Surface Tension: The Art of Euan Macleod

Louise O'Neil 11 Nov 2011

UQ ART MUSEUM: Two decades of work by Archibald Prize-winning artist Euan Macleod is on display is this aptly named exhibition.

Daphne Mayo: Let There Be Sculpture

Daphne Mayo: Let There Be Sculpture

Louise O'Neil 11 Nov 2011

QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY: Let There Be Sculpture comprises over 50 works from Daphne Mayo (1895–1982) one of Queensland's most significant twentieth century artists.

MRA Gallery Opening: Rex Turnbull

MRA Gallery Opening: Rex Turnbull

Gareth Beal 31 Oct 2011

MRA GALLERY: Sydney's newest gallery hosts an exhibition of recent works by Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Rex Turnbull.

Five current exhibitions

Five current exhibitions

Gary Anderson 29 Oct 2011

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL: The 2011 festival may be over for another year, but many of the exhibitions in its visual arts program are still on show.

Recent works by Glenn Morgan and Caspar Zika

Recent works by Glenn Morgan and Caspar Zika

Zoe Rinkel 18 Oct 2011

PLACE GALLERY: Artworks by an established social commentator and a young video artist are paired together in this engaging exhibition.

Queensland's photographic feast

Queensland's photographic feast

Louise O'Neil 14 Oct 2011

QUEENSLAND CENTRE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY: Six separate exhibitions are currently on show at the QCP, featuring works by artists from Australia and Brazil.

Collect + Combine

Collect + Combine

Alyssa Becht 21 Sep 2011

NO NO GALLERY: Four young artists explore how, what and why people collect - touching on topics from hoarding to found images to collected memories.

Kieran Swann

Kieran Swann

ArtsHub 12 Sep 2011

Artist Kieran Swann is one of the three artists featured in the Made by Melbourne Fringe keynote project - Atlas.

Fleshed Out

Fleshed Out

Bernadette Burke 9 Sep 2011

Elena Knox's entrancing exhibition of video poetry at Ariel Books, Paddington, has been extended by popular demand.

Feast your eyes on the visual arts

Feast your eyes on the visual arts

ArtsHub 9 Sep 2011

From abstract to multi-media and photography, Melbourne Fringe invades high culture with an abundance of visual arts on offer.

The Man, The Image & The World

The Man, The Image & The World

Louise O'Neil 27 Aug 2011

QLD ART GALLERY: Henri Cartier-Bresson's skill for capturing ‘the decisive moment’, creating a fusion between photo-journalism and art, is revealed in this remarkable exhibition.