Krumble interview

Written by Dowden

 
How would you personally describe your art and the underlining theme behind it and how did the street thing all begin for you?

I guess I would describe my art as varied and colourful with some graphic and graffiti influences.... it doesn't have any underlying theme or meaning, i just paint things that i like. i see an image or idea that would transfer well into a stencil or painting and it all starts from there... sometimes it starts with a wall that i see and think, 'i want to paint on that wall, what can i paint?' and i come up with something specific for that space. I'm not a graffiti artist, just sometimes i like to paint on the street to make it look prettier than it did before.

What lead you to stencil work?

Basically, I cant draw, and stencils came about because they are an easy, cheap and practical way of creating an image that looks good and is easily reproduced.

Do you feel the work you are doing is something that should be preserved?

Some of it yes, and some of it, I'm not really bothered. if I paint a piece in the street, I'm fully aware that somebody could come and clean it off or paint over it the next day. That's a risk you take when you paint on a wall that doesn't belong to you. I'd like to think people like what I paint and wont get rid of it, but I'm not offended if its gone the next time I walk past.  When I paint skateboards , I  always like to see them being used, but I make sure I have one of each design I do for my art archive on the wall. Does this question apply to canvas and guitars too?? coz if so, hell yeah I want them to be preserved, one day they're gonna be worth loads of money!!

Where did you spend your childhood and what was your upbringing like?

I'm German, and I moved to England when I was 3.I've lived in Glastonbury ever since, apart from a brief stint in London when I studied graphic design at university. I come from quite a posh German family but my mum was a bit of a hippy, so I had quite an alternative upbringing. I always did interesting things and went traveling a lot. My mum used to take me to raves and on long trips in a hippy van and we always went to the festival. She's is a huge influence in my life. She's always been quite creative, and encouraged me to do the same.  I have been brought up around a huge variety of different people and I think this has made me very open minded about the world. And I've learnt that the most important thing in life is to be happy, money and success and all the rest of it is just a bonus.

Who were some of your early skate influences?

Skate influences?? not really sure. I guess artistically evan hecox was an influence from the skate world. the guy who does graphics for chocolate, and a few Bristol based artists. also, I've always liked habitat and alien workshop graphics, and rasa libre were f***ing amazing! otherwise my skate influences were my friends, all the Glasto crew who I grew up with, there's always been a lot of creative people around me. The art I do now, I don't think skating is really a big part of it anymore. Obviously, its something I like but these days I'm influenced by the things I see in the world around me in my everyday life, people, pictures, places.... a skateboard is just another thing to paint on, like a car or a guitar.

Do you prefer your art in the street or gallery?

Depends on the art..... I love a good gallery when I'm in the mood, but I also love seeing art in the streets. that doesn't necessarily mean graffiti. I like it when people do weird, and wonderful things that make you look and think twice. I'm all for painting things that are unconventional.

What's inspiring to you?

Life, my friends, my mum, early morning sunshine, beautiful things, beautiful people, big smiles, beaches, trees, clean windows, fresh thinking, attention to detail, eccentricity, wisdom, adventure, memories, sketchbooks, birds, dancing, colours, cameras, fireworks, holidays, stickers, architecture, feelings, music, fashion, indulgence, cliche's,  traditions, repetition, anarchy, creative relationships, broken things, collections,  experiments, unique experiences, indulgence, learning, progress, city's, sunsets, unusual people, fun.

Describe your process of creating a new piece.

Quite often it comes from an image or photo that i see and then develop into a stencil, but recently I've started a masterpiece just by doing a random little doodle. most of my wall pieces just kind of happen, I come up with a basic theme and then just freestyle it. sometimes I find an object I want to paint or change or personalize and I just do whatever comes to mind, like cover it in sequins. Quite often I make it up as I go along.

What's an average weekday like for you?

An average weekday does not exist in my world. I do a lot of different things. I look after property for my mum, I'm a self-employed painter and decorator, I travel a lot, I'm a photographer, an artist, a stoner, a cook. I work for an event furniture hire company in the summer, lugging around heavy furniture, I've done labouring, teaching, filming.... in fact this is a bit of a nightmare question.

What do love most about living in Glastonbury?

The people! I have the most amazing friends in the world!

What's the deal with the penguins?

Ha. They're cute.  nah, I dunno. I saw a photo of these two cute little penguins and thought 'yes. stencil!! ' and that was that.

What are you really excited about right now?

Going to south America in 26hours.

Do you have any famous last words?

Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!
and happiness is my favourite feeling!

Check out more of Krumble's great art @www.myspace.com/thekrumbleempire &
www.galleryeight.com