Drew Funk!
Posted by Cleo on the 14th of May, 2012 , 0 comments
I met up with Drew Funk at The Beast, a new restaurant in East Brunswick that he was commissioned to do some painting at in Melbourne. We chatted over some beers on his paint break about where he is at, what he is up to and his plans for the future. Love this guys work and his attitude towards life so wanted to share with you all. Hope you enjoy!
Describe where your living at the moment.
Grew up in Malaysia but been in Melbourne for 7 years now. To me Melbourne is the most creative hub in Australia and has played a major role in where I am today as an artist. Melbourne is raw, true and honest.
Study or self taught?
I studied multimedia and design but have been painting grafitti since I was 15. I choose to become an artist. Or maybe it chose me? This is what I do and I'm not changing it for anyone. This is one of the main reasons I stopped doing graphic design for big companies, the whole having to constantly change your work for other people. My art is honest and I can't change it for anyone. When you're honest in what you do everything else fits into place.
If you had to describe your work to a stranger, what would you say?
My work is based on my utopia. My utopias. My own land. It started out with graffiti but my work has opened up and allowed me to discover my own cultural background. I study old school masters and channeling my knowledge through spray paint which is a modern day medium.
I have a name for my style. I call it Oriental Funk. My energy comes from guys I look up to like Bruce Lee which is in between worlds, Eastern and Western.
Describe your studio space?
It's a mess (laughs). Been there for 4 years now. It's a big part of my life. I'm being influenced by not just graff at Blender Studios but also fine artists. There's a good energy in the studio. Rather then just colleagues we are family.
Day in the shoes of Drew Funk?
Wake up. Coffee first. Its really important you know :) I start my day with drawings, some emails, Facebook and all those social network things. Then I sort out painting, buying paint and traveling around checking out locations. I'm painting a commission every 4 days or so at the moment.
This year I'm compiling a book of all my work since 2003, self publishing. It will track my evolution from egg to dragon (laughs).
Anywhere in the world that you particularly want to travel to and paint?
Next year I'm heading overseas particularly to show people my book. I want to use my book to go overseas...San Francisco, LA, New York then over to Europe, Berlin, Hamburg. I want to do a few shows overseas then have my debut show in Malaysia. This is really important to me.
Any other mediums you're itching to try?
Oil. I will one day but I'm just too scared (laughs). Most comfortable medium for me is spray paint. I can draw a straighter line with that then pencil. To me I want to paint surreal but also push limits past street art - illustration, stencils, painting all combined into one.
What are you up to at the moment?
Doing commissions, compiling work for my book & detoxing....kinda....eating healthy, getting healthy....but I don't mind if tonight's not healthy (laughs). It's all about the good vibes. Thats what gets me going.
Last question, favorite type of paint?
Molotow - Belton. That's my chosen medium.
wwww.drewfunk.com
wwww.theblenderstudios.com
