Trippy, drippy art on show
‘‘I’ve been a skateboarder all my life so I think most, if not all of my creativity comes from the skateboarding world.’’
Josh Bradshaw is an artist. He goes by the name ‘‘Uncle Harold’’, the guy behind the trippy, drippy art.
‘‘I never studied art, I was never good at high school, but always liked pretty much everything about it,’’ the 27-year-old said.
Christchurch born-and-raised, Bradshaw’s second-ever solo exhibition Consequential launched on Friday at The Welder Collective, on Welles St in central Christchurch.
Framed himself and hung with help from other creatives at The Welder, his subjects were ‘‘mundane objects that you often overlook’’.
From coffee percolators to Game Boys, crayons to old Nokia cellphones, his paintings are layered with bold colours and shapes.
The objects hold sentimental value for Bradshaw, but he said they are ‘‘so standard’’, everyone will draw meaning from them.
‘‘One of the best qualities of a skateboarder is their ability to see potential in something that seems mundane, whether it be a bench or concrete banks or a set of stairs.
‘‘I apply that same thing, so I see every day objects and I think, ‘Oh, I wonder what that would look like in my style’.’’
His drippy style started about six years ago, he said. He was working on a piece depicting the demise of Love Park, an iconic skating spot in Philadelphia, and was drawing slime to represent the regulations and authorities that shut it down despite protestations from local skaters.
‘‘I liked the effect and wondered what it would look like if I could take just that small section and make something more out of it,’’ he said.
‘‘It was pure accident really.’’ Since becoming a fulltime artist, Bradshaw said he’d been ‘‘spending more time in the studio and less time on the skateboard’’.
At one stage he was sponsored and his skateboarding appeared in numerous magazines and videos.
‘‘I’ve been invited to a lot of exhibitions [and] a lot of businesses have seen my stuff and asked to work with them, which is really cool.’’
Bradshaw said he had a small studio space at home, but did most of his work at The Welder.
‘‘There is so much room and everyone else is working in here too, which is great to bounce ideas.
‘‘Especially for me not coming from an art background, these guys are really helpful.’’
Skateboarding culture was strong in Christchurch, Bradshaw said. The popular Washington Reserve skate park, at the corner of Moorhouse Ave and Waltham Rd, was upgraded in 2014.
‘‘That’s actually had some international skate teams come over, so it’s actually boosted the Christchurch scene quite a lot.
‘‘There is a lot of young talent coming up too, shooting videos, taking photos, getting in the magazines, which is cool.’’
Consequential runs until March 11 at The Welder Collective, 22 Welles St in central Christchurch. All pieces are for sale.
CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS
''... I see every day objects and I think, 'Oh, I wonder what that would look like in my style'." Josh Bradshaw