Artist Interview – Matty Bro
Firstly who are you and where & how did you grow up?
I grew up in Hastings New Zealand. It was a rough neighbourhood with a lot of gang activity but all in all my childhood was good there. Got up to mischief as all kids do, moved to Aussie when I was 13. Which was probably a good thing as all my mates I grew up with moved away from the gang life or got locked up or worse.
How do you think this affected you on your journey towards being a mural artist?
I’d say it affected me a little bit, but when I lived in Hastings it was all about tagging nothing else. I just liked all the video games and cartoons in my era, at that time, and that inspired to start collecting cards and comics and from there I would try draw those characters. Then when I discovered New York graffiti around 14-15 my whole world changed.
When/How did you know you wanted to be mural artist?
I didn’t even know if I wanted to be an artist until I was in my 30’s, it was just something I enjoyed doing when I was young, wasn’t to pursue being an artist in anyway didn’t go art school I hated art as a subject at school was boring as. I didn’t pursue becoming a mural artist or even selling any work. Just enjoyed graffiti and art so continued to do it. Got better over the years picked up and airbrush gun in my 20’s and started airbrushing tees and caps plus other things for money. Then I started to pursue what an artist even was.
How did you learn to do what you do?
I learnt like anything else, trial and error. I was never afraid to try things and make mistakes. a lot of artists hold back there true potential cos they scared they might make something look “wack” and I get it no artist wants that, but at the same time becoming an artist is constantly searching what you want to do by trying things out and learning from them.
Are there any particular challenges or limitations you face as a mural artist, and how do you work around them?
There’s a lot of challenges as a mural artist as every job has its own challenges no one mural is the same as another. How much to charge, different surfaces, weather elements, difficult clients, small budgets, big budgets, what equipment to use etc.
How you work around them is again trial and error. Try something and find out find what works best for you in each scenario. Continuously look to being an efficiency master. Time is money after all. When working for a client you want to achieve the result as best and efficient as possible.
Can you tell us about a particularly challenging project you undertook and how you overcame any obstacles during the process?
So many challenges. But I’d say the biggest challenge was a 5m high x 15m long 360 deg circular wall with a skinny walkway that could only fit a small ladder in there. It was on a second story in a foyer of a mansion so at its highest point if you were at the peak height of the ladder behind you was a 7-8m fall to the ground floor (no harness lol). With a huge chandelier in the middle of it no way of getting a scissor lift in there. The mural covered every square inch of the space and took me a solid month. The whole thing was done on a little ladder. The biggest lesson I learnt from that, is still probably my most valuable lesson learnt now is “patience is a skill that can be built over time “. Like any other skill.
Could you share any memorable interactions or experiences you’ve had with community members or observers during the creation of your murals?
There’s been a few memorable moments. One in particular would be getting flown to LA for a very wealthy businessman. Meeting a lot of celebs going to a Lakers game with courtside seats, staying in Calabasas. Getting a pretty good insight of how the successful people in LA live. Another memory was dropping a tag in some prestigious places in Europe, colosseum and Milan cathedral just to name a couple lol. Meeting celebs through your art is always cool too.
What are some of the inspirations for you and your art?
I’m very easily inspired. I’m inspired by everything, from people to places to culture to movies to video games to history, all of the above.
Can you share any specific artistic techniques or tools that are integral to your mural-making process?
My technique which I’ve developed over time unintentionally. Is merging aerosol cans and airbrush gun together. I picked up both tools roughly around the same time (cans was a few years prior). So, I was experimenting with both and then when doing big projects, I used cans for the big areas and airbrush for the small detail, but I’ve honed it in where it’s very hard to tell what’s airbrush and what’s aerosol.
Can you discuss any specific challenges or advantages you encounter when working with spray paint and airbrush in large-scale mural projects?
Challenges are the same as any artist.
But the advantages are I have a much bigger range of what I can and do because I use both tools. I can do 40m length walls all the way to a bike tank or a pair of shoes and everything in between. To which I love it all. I really enjoy massive scale and also small canvases size jobs.
What advice would you give to aspiring mural artists who are looking to establish themselves in the field?
I give this advice often. That’s have a go, we all start at rookie level. No one picks up a brush or can or airbrush and nails portraits right away. It takes time to understand your craft and knowing what you can and can’t do. Always look to increase your skill and eventually you will. Be authentic to yourself. Too many copycats out there copying the next artist on IG or TikTok because it got views. That to me is stupid. Be unapologetically yourself not an imitation of someone else.
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