Artist Interview – Gipse aka Deo
Firstly who are you and where are you from?
Hi, I’m an artist by the names Gipse and Deo.
I grew up on the southside of Brisbane in an area that was considered rural 40 odd years ago, but has slowly been enveloped by suburbia since. Leaving the area a patchwork of acreage blocks and highly condensed suburbs. With choked roads at times and roadkill all over the place.
What was it like in that era compared to these days?
When I first started out in the graffiti scene in the 80’s. It was hard to find in the real world. In the early 80’s, you would come across it initially in the media and movies but nobody really knew what it was. It was secretive and mysterious. By around 1985, you would start to see some pieces around in various places but it was far from common.
I first really started seeing it in the Sunnybank area (south of Brisbane). With writers like Tez, Hams, Jafa etc doing the first pieces in highly public areas. I remember going to a school sports carnival that year at Beenleigh and around the school grounds was the first graffiti I had the chance to get close enough to have a proper look at. Never did find out who did it, and no one I have spoken to seems to have seen or known about it.
Then in 1986, at little athletics I met twin brothers who were writing the names Tooz and Wiz (or Faze I can’t remember which). Tooz brought in Subway Art to show me one afternoon. He did a character and a little piece in my exercise book. Showed me barcode 3d and explained that was a technique for doing shading in the 3d of the letters.
At the time they had done the very first painted pieces in my area. Which was exciting to me, knowing who had actually painted it.
I was enthralled by it I guess and began doing my dodgy bubble letter headings every chance I had. By 1987, I was in high school and met a few other kids who were into as well. But it wasn’t until the next year that I met Porns and Disne and we started painting as a crew.
How do you think this affected you on your journey towards being a graffiti artist?
Back then, I wasn’t all that interested in drawing much else, but my Dad, seeing what I was doing and being the reasonable man that he was. Suggested that if was going to start drawing graffiti than I should spend an equal amount of time drawing more traditional imagery as well.
Hoping that graffiti was just a stage I was going through and at least I’d learn some new skills while I was at it. So, I did and kept doing both as I grew older.
When/How did you know you wanted to be a graffiti writer?
I liked graffiti when I first saw it in the early 80’s Breakdance movies – Breakdance 1 and 2. Breakdancing was kind of popular in the 83/84 period and my older cousins were pretty good at it. They had some instructional books and I’m pretty sure even the breakfast cereal Weetbix came out with little brochures, showing you how to do some basic moves.
There was a group of older guys at my primary school who were breaking too, and they would walk around with a painted up radio, dancing near the tuckshop.
Personally, I tried breakdancing, but never got far. But it wasn’t until one of my older cousins showed me one of his sketches, that I realised that I could do graffiti . I might not be able to breakdance but I could draw letters.
What/Who are some of the inspirations for you and your art?
Early on I was most definitely inspired by the wave of album art cover painters and fantasy artists from the 70’s. People like Rodney Matthews, Patrick Woodrolfe, MC Escher, Roger Dean, Frazetta, Rick Griffin etc.
In the graffiti world, it was writers like Hams, Bribe, Nice, Merda, Duel, Puzle, Unique, Prins, Dmote etc
Though more locally, my childhood friend Porns was also a huge influence on me and is probably one of the best artists I’ve come across.
Did this help guide you to where you are today?
At first, I would try and paint like these guys, but they were obviously masters of their craft and attempts at emulating their work would always look second rate and sloppy.
I remember after spending time with Porns and looking at his artwork. I’d come home with the images of his work in my head and find it frustrating that mine didn’t compare. It took years to realise that everyone has their own story and things that interest them.
So, it’s self-defeating to try and do work that has already been done as anything other than an exercise.
Once I stopped trying to be like anyone else, it all became a lot easier to find my feet.
You have been a successful mural artist for a number of years now. So what led you to start painting murals commercially?
When I first left High school, after doing various courses in painting, I got a job doing a traineeship in Architectural rendering.
That lasted for about a year or so, and I spent my spare time painting canvases. A lot of my friends were artists also, and we taught each other painting techniques with various mediums.
I did my first couple of paid murals in 1995, when I lived at the gold coast. But it wasn’t until the year 2000 that I was offered a mural job in what was called the “snoozling room” of a respite centre, by a friend who worked in community care. The Councillor for that division of my local Council saw it and asked if I could do a job for her, and I’ve been painting murals fulltime ever since.
What direction do you feel your art is going?
That’s a hard question to answer. Probably a loose form of realism based around the native fauna and flora I see in my world.
Sometimes interspersed with cubist elements, and sometimes I like to take a more cartoonish approach?
Use of colour is a big component for me, colour and light.
Tell us a little about how you like to work?
It depends on what it is I’m working on. If it’s a private mural, with a definite brief attached I like to research the subject matter extensively before doing designs, but if I’m painting for myself then it’s a looser process of following the inspiration where it leads.
Typically, I paint by myself, with the radio on to distract that part of my brain that desires company while I watch my hands work.
I don’t mind painting with company, but it doesn’t always lead to a better result and sometimes makes it awkward if things aren’t going to plan and need to be changed/or fixed afterwards.
What music is on your playlist at the moment while you work?
I don’t have a current playlist. I used to like listening to Blues and Soul, but in more recent times I find I’m tilting towards Jazz and Classical music. Mostly though, I don’t even notice what is on and tend to let some ABC radio station drone on with whatever in the background.
If you could share a message with the next generation of graffiti artists, what would it be?
The only real advice I would suggest to someone looking at getting into painting Graffiti or Murals would be to study what it is about the work that you like. Then take those elements and use them in a new way that inspires you to go further. So that your work is uniquely yours.
Thank you very much for your time and we look forward to seeing more of your amazing work.
