This is Rone. He is a street artist and a really nice dude.
He started off lyf as a graphic designer, but was full naughty and would hit the streets at night running around with his mates painting kewl things on walls #90sTeen. He and da crew loved to paint and drink beers, so they started up the Everfresh Studios in Collingwood where they did stuff like paint and drink beers.
Rone got good at the painting – like real good – and is now one of Australia’s best street artists and doing murals as a full time gig. You would recognise his beautiful women portraits in black/white around Melbs, New York, Paris, Tokyo, London, Port Vila and wherever else people fly him to stroke.
He has done everything from painting wheat silos to being Uniqlo’s Australian ambassador to boldly choosing female spectators instead of brawny players as his subjects for an AFL-themed commission in Docklands. He is currently going through a phase of doing fully immersive exhibitions in decrepit buildings..
Most fun illegal painty thingo that you’ve done?
Barcelona 2008. Illegal street vendors would follow us and sell us beer. It was like having a bartender follow you – it was surreal.
What’s the coolest job you have ever landed?
I’ve worked for myself for 10 years now so that has been pretty cool but I guess working for the NGV, painting supermodels for the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition was a cool gig.
Weirdest job you’ve ever been offered?
To paint a portrait of Darryl Lyons for Darryl Lyons.
What are the worst conditions you’ve ever painted in?
I’ve painted in rain for 3 days, but the worst was an abandoned house filled with black mould, standing on a rotten wet mattress as a ladder with the overwhelming smell from the 20kg bag of refined naphthalene I found hidden in the cupboard.
Favourite street artists?
Lister, Blu, Sofles and many more
What bugs you about your job?
That people think street art and vandalism are the same thing. And just because we do it for free for ourselves doesn’t mean I want to do it for free for you. Also it’s not just about painting, half my work is interviews like this!
Rone’s new SECRET exhibition is on this weekend at an abandoned house and its gonna be freakin awesome – you can go if you are a Sprink, he said that’s kewl. You should go.
