We hand-select individuals from our community to hear the stories behind their designs.
Hi Kyle, Welcome to the SurfPaints Interview Series!
1. Can you provide us with a brief background on your journey as a Traveling Artist and tell us what you're currently working on in the world of art?
I began my art "career" by refurbishing old surfboards and skateboards I found in local hard rubbish. Eventually, this turned into BrightSide, a business that now supports me full time. I ventured into mural painting because I loved working on large walls and sharing my art with a wider audience.
After the pandemic, I wanted my murals to have a deeper impact, so I launched Creative Sparks Projects, collaborating with youth organizations, schools, and businesses to create meaningful community murals. It has allowed my family to travel and experience the beauty of Australia.
2. We'd love to know how you came across SurfPaints. What aspects of SurfPaints do you find most appealing or inspiring for your art?
I discovered SurfPaints through Facebook Ads and had a great conversation with Danny about the brand and my art, including Creative Sparks Projects. Since then, I've been using SurfPaints in my commissions and workshops, receiving fantastic feedback from both kids and adults.
3. Every artist faces unique challenges in their projects. Could you share some specific challenges you've encountered in your mural projects and how SurfPaints have been a helpful resource in overcoming these challenges?
Working on large-scale murals presents unique challenges. Wall surfaces vary significantly, and I'm always learning new techniques to apply paint effectively. One memorable challenge occurred during an indoor swimming pool mural on a cold Melbourne day. After laying down the base colors, I took a lunch break and returned to find dripping, running paint due to condensation caused by the cold pool area. I managed to resolve it with exhaust fans and ultimately achieved a great result.
4. Your artwork, including the mural on a speaker, has captured our attention. Could you tell us how you came up with the idea to paint a speaker using SurfPaints and what message or concept you aimed to convey through this project?
Working with JBL and the NSW State of Origin team was a blast! JBL asked me to paint one of their speakers as a gift for the NSW Blues team. They loved the bold blue design with unique drips. The smaller size and challenging surface led me to use SurfPaints, which worked perfectly.
The design aimed to celebrate the entire state of NSW, not just the players. The drips added a distinctive touch and introduced a style uncommon in NRL.
5. As an artist experienced in working with SurfPaints, do you have any valuable tips or techniques that you could share with others who are interested in creating murals using SurfPaints?
Like every artist out there, I've got loads of tips and tricks! Some are great some not so much! The biggest tip I have for using Surfpaints would be:
- Shake the marker vigorously to get the paint flowing.
- Apply gentle pressure when painting to avoid streaks.
- Embrace mistakes, as they often lead to unique and creative solutions. Art is messy, but mistakes can lead to something unique.
Bonus Question:
As an experienced mural artist, what message or piece of advice would you like to impart to mural painters at all levels, from beginners to seasoned professionals, who are passionate about expressing themselves through this medium?
My advice to seasoned professionals is easy - keep crushing it! You are doing something awesome! Great job!
For people looking to get into art & painting murals as a career - you definitely got to think outside the box with it. It's a lot more work than simply liking to paint or being good at art, you need to be good at everything else that comes with it as well! So get ready for some hard work!
But, the effort counts! Every time you put in effort into your art, your business, each mural it pays off! So its about sticking at it, focus on what you do best, on your own path as a creative and just tune out others - sometimes its friends saying you can't make money as an artist, sometimes its tuning out other artists, just put the energy into your own path and don't let anything distract you from that!
At the end of the day, painting murals and running my Creative Sparks Projects is a rad way to make a living & I wouldn't change it for anything.
If you would like to be part of Surfpaints Interviewer Series, email us at support@surfpaints.com