Word
to Mother paints on found wood, sourced from the beaches of Hastings
where he grew up, and discarded materials scavenged from the streets of
East London. One of my personal favourites from his new show at the StolenSpace Gallery
is "Signed, Sealed, Considered" - painted over an old shop sign
advertising 'Adult Magazines', the weathered wood makes for an
innovative canvas and the original sign lettering gleams through the
paint as a testament to its former purpose. Word to Mother gives
beautiful new life to unwanted materials.
Much serious thought clearly goes into Word to Mother's paintings,
which seem both masculine and delicate at the same time, a welcome
break from the "smash and grab" sensibility of a lot of current urban
art. It's also unusual to see a "street" artist actually painting
intricately by hand rather than using spray paints or screen printing,
and he has even painstakingly applied gold leaf detail to some of the
work in the show. A wall dedicated to sketches (sadly not for sale)
highlights Word to Mother's raw ability, with intricate illustrations
hanging alongside pieces of driftwood and street signs. The more
observant viewer will also find humourous insights into the artist's
personal life, as doodled rent reminders and to-do lists also dot the
walls.
The evening also offered up an unexpected treat, as StolenSpace
released a limited edition screen-print collaboration between Word to
Mother and legendary street artist D*Face.
Dazed Digital: You are an obsessive sketcher and also paint
onto found objects. Do you prefer the process of putting pencil to
paper or paint to wood?Word to Mother: I love drawing. For
me it is the most effective way to express an idea in its purest form -
it's a black and white snapshot from your mind. Previously, I've tried
to replicate a sketch in a painting and haven't been able to capture
the line quality of my sketches. I'm trying not to get hung up on that
anymore and, as a result of experimenting with tone, light sources and
other mediums, my paintings are starting to look looser and feel more
natural to me. I still feel I'm finding my feet with painting, it's an
ongoing learning curve.
DD: What has been your most exciting find to date?WTM: It's
never-ending! You find cool shit all the time. I was recently in San
Francisco and was so frustrated that I was finding all this amazing
stuff with no means of getting it home! Since moving to the city, the
types of things I find vary. Instead of drift wood it tends to be more
industrial stuff - more metal and old shop signs. I do have a piece of
oak that I'm particularly fond of, I found that back home on the beach.
I'll never paint on it though, it's too beautiful already.
DD: Your artwork seems to be exclusively of male figures. Why is this? WTM: I
guess, in some way they're all self-portraits. I don't necessarily mean
an anatomically accurate portrait of myself, but a figurative
representation of a mood or idea I'm trying to convey.
DD: Are you comfortable being part of the exploding urban art scene?WTM: No,
it scares the shit out of me. I think it's both an exciting and fragile
time. The recent, almost overnight success of "urban art" has allowed
young artists such as myself to show alongside more established artists
and get introduced into the art world very quickly. The danger is that
artists don't properly establish a fan-base or group of collectors that
genuinely like their work. I'm all too aware of the state of the scene
and I'm not in any rush. I'm a firm believer in retaining integrity and
paying your dues. You got to take your time with this shit or you'll
just be another forgotten name.
Til The Hot Runs Cold at StolenSpace Gallery 22nd May–15th June
