Postcard from Lille (and South Wales) - Arty days around the world #2

So, after leaving Roanoke we arrived in Lille, France. The country’s fourth largest city and home to a bizarre yearly tradition where restaurants chuck all the mussel shells from peoples plates into the street creating huge piles. Restaurants compete for the biggest pile thus demonstrating they’ve had the most orders for moules frites! Here’s a video of it. Anyway….

Unfortunately we didn’t have too much time to look around as goodonyourwall is moving home shortly (very exciting) so things are a bit busy, but there was plenty to see.

We came across The Dirty Cream, an online gallery and shop. Check them out. They’ve got a good range of stuff from prints to cushions.

It was at The Dirty Cream we came across the work of designer and illustrator Rhys Owen, transporting us from Lille to South Wales. Rhys’s work has been decribed as ‘urban’ however he says himself “I’m about as urban as caravan holilday at Butlins”.

Whatever you want to class it as it’s great. Above is a taster and you can check more of it out at his website (including cushions) Hidden Moves. Prints are available from £20, plus canvases, t-shirts and more.

Return to Roanoke - goodonyourwall interviews Toobz

So we were just about to leave Roanoke, and make our way to Lille, France when we managed to secure an interview with our featured artist Scott ‘Toobz’ Noel.

So read on to find out what makes Toobz tick…

GW: Tell us a bit about yourself, we understand you are completely self taught, did you not study at school or college?

TZ: Well I soon realised early in life that most things have a similar process. It starts raw then we add all of our influences and that little bit of ourselves into it then you are accomplished -whether it be the success of a goal or personal contentment. I am self taught. I like it that way but there are techniques I lack so one day I’d like to study for the interaction with teachers and other students. My life is completely backwards in the way things are patterned out. So I just float around till time makes a slot for me to fill the hunger.

GW: Tell us a bit about Roanoke - did you grow up there, what’s it pluses and minuses?

TZ: No. I was born in a town about an hour away and then left to explore the East and West Coast. I ended back over here near where I started and am growing to like the seasons and the quietness. Roanoke has its nature/beauty but lacks in the artists category. I can count on one hand the amount of artists I admire here. However there is a growing awareness of the arts and good heathy food so things are looking up!

GW: What’s the art and creative scene like?

TZ: Its desolate. But I’m slowly staring to educate and carve myself way a future here.

GW: From what we can see there doesn’t seem to be much urban or graphic art going on in the city. Your work really seems to stand out - any other local work you like?

No I am the only that I know of in town, doing what the rest of the world is doing so well. It’s kind of nice to own the city this way but I need company sometimes and friendly competition. I like my friend Calvert Lafollette… I would like to work with him more in the future…

GW: You’ve talked about moving away from graffiti in its traditional sense and hoping to develop your work for exhibitions, commissions and sales. How’s this going?

TZ: I just go back and forth. I get bored with a medium and then find something else to learn. I doubt I will ever stray away from anything that has led me awareness and the fulfillment of true happiness. Like skateboarding, I will always forever feel the love for that because I spent all of my younger years trying to master it but I don’t spend hardly any time on keeping up with it or doing it now. But when I do I never lose the feeling or skill that I earned. I’m always looking around for something and always will be doing graffiti. The galleries, exhibits, and commissions are a way to pay bills and soon hopefully lose the job. I just want to spend most of my time becoming a more accomplished artist.

GW: What are your future plans?

TZ: I see glimpses of things to come but the timing is too unpredictable. I can force options to happen but it just doesn’t feel as natural to me so I am just letting things happen on their own. I really want to do big projects that will make a difference to me and the handful of people that will appreciate it.

GW: What or who inspires you?

TZ: Everything. Moments in time that catch my attention.

GW: What’s the background with the animal hybrids - some seem quite serene while others slightly ‘dark’?

TZ: It has a lot to do with me trying not burrow to deep into the dark around here so I gradually bring an acceptance to the public then ease them into the understanding that darkness is part of us all and we need to accept this. Animals are perfect and humans have come to believe that they are not. We have chosen this attitude to form excuses when we fail. We are very similar to everything around us and shape ourselves into the resemblance of things that are perfect or things that don’t have to be perfect.

GW: Are you working full time as an artist, what pays the bills?!

TZ: No not yet it is hard living in a small town with minimal opportunities. But every year gets closer and better. I have a full time job, I work at nights and sleep during the day. I awake for a few hours to get things done. It is a struggle but hopefully it will payoff.

GW: Where can we buy your work?

TZ: Right now I am working on a website but time is an issue here as well so hopefully soon! But networking on Facebook and email. I also am building some fans so occasionally they buy.

GW: Do you produce any prints as well as originals?

TZ: I’m working on getting some prints made for things that I think are worthy to duplicate. But I’ve only really been driven within the last couple of years. I did graffiti for a while and sketched at life and now I am seeing things evolving before my eyes! It’s exciting!

GW:Have you ever worked in digital art - Illustrator etc or is it all about the spray can for you?

TZ: I love all mediums but spray is love of mine. Oil and acrylics are becoming one of my favorites too. These are new mediums are growing on me fast. I just need to acquire techniques to achieve the affects I’m looking for. Digital is fun and I think it has huge potential but I don’t like to sit completely still staring at a screen for hours. I split it up. I work for an hour then ride my bike for 45 mins then back to it till things are done.

GW: How can we stay up to date with your work?

TZ: By going to this blog and Facebook. Hopefully soon with my site if I ever get it done. Word on the street.

GW: Familiar with any UK artists?

TZ: I like Mode 2, that’s the first to pop in my head. There are others and I know there are ones doing incredible work that i don’t know about or will soon find out!

Toobz - thanks so much, stay in touch.

Postcard from Roanoke - Arty days around the world #1

Our first stop in our travels around the world feature took us to Roanoke, Virgina, USA. Before we get on to our find, here are a couple of facts about Roanoke:

  • It’s home to the world’s biggest freestanding man made illuminated star
  • It has an amazing architectural salvage place called Black Dog Salvage. If you fancy a pair of six foot tall sand cast glass wings you should visit them. The have a range of weird and wonderful salvaged items.
  • Roanoke is 3823 miles from goodonyourwalls home

We read that Roanoke had a cultural hub area and was informed there were lots of galleries in the downtown area, however we found them quite hard to find when searching the Internet highways. We are sure we missed some stuff (let us know) on our flying visit and late on we found Roanoke Revolution which seems to pull all things creative together for the city and also provided more info on our chosen artist.

But, we were very happy with our first find on our whistle stop tour of the globe.

Scott “Toobz” Noel is a talented graffiti artist who like a lot of other urban/street artists (however you want classify it) is moving in to galleries and producing work that people want on their walls. From what we can gather though he seems to be fairly unique to Roanoke.

Above is a video interview him and there more to see here. These videos were shot eight months ago and Scott talks abouts work and his plans. At the time of interview he said unless you know him or can essentially track him down apart from one small local framing store his work is hard to come by. Unfortunately this still seems to be the same, as we couldn’t find them available online. We’ve contacted Toobz to find out more and where you might be able to purchase his work. If we here back we will be sure to update you.

Below are a couple of our faves. Toobz produces striking images mainly from a spray can, which is quite remarkable given the clean lines he can produce, all from his spray nozzle. If your interested in finding out more check the videos out.

The day I understood

Special thanks to @soapdeli, @HireYourGuns and Roanoke Revolution. We’re now off to……

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