STREET ART EXHIBITION – COPYRIGHT INTERVIEW
Bristol is famous for its street art – you’ve probably walked past Park Street’s Banksy more times than you can count, and the Stokes Croft Donald/Boris mural quickly became the stuff of legend (or nightmare?!) But these works often pop up overnight and under cover of darkness – so even though it’s the most public art there is, most of us are left wondering how it was done, and who made it. This spring onwards at The Square, we’re hosting an exhibition of indoor street art – the works of Bristol-based artist Copyright. We caught up with him to find out more about how he creates his artwork, and what inspires him.
Square: How do you typically create one of your artworks?
Copyright: So it might start out as a small thumbnail doodle of an idea in a notebook, which I later work up through several stages into a design composition that I’m happy with on my computer. I then cut this design out as a stencil which is a very quick way of rendering a physical version of the design, that I spend typically 2-3 weeks painting back into, to develop it into something that looks more like a painting, [with] depth, colour, texture etc.
Sq: What inspires you whilst creating your art?
C: I’ll usually have music on, and try to think about getting into the mood of the music, in the same way that I want my paintings to evoke a feeling.
Sq: What’s your favourite artwork that you’ve created, and why?
C: I couldn’t just pick one. I prefer painting large scale works like these three, all 150cm tall canvases.
Sq: What’s your favourite artwork – ever? And why?
C: Again impossible to pick just one. I love the pop artists, Haring, Warhol, Basquiat. Obviously other street/urban artists, and equally the Pre-Raphaelites. I’m inspired by how they show both the strength and fragility of the female figures in the paintings. It’s pretty difficult not to love Ophelia by John Everett Millais.
Sq: You’ve worked on several high-profile projects and with prestigious magazines in the past – any favourites or stand-out moments?
C: Five years ago I was a featured artist on an episode of the Apprentice, that’s probably the biggest impact in terms of publicity for my work, as well as being one of the most interesting to be a part of.
Sq: What would your advice be for anyone looking to get into producing their own artworks?
C: There is nothing really to say other than to do it.
Copyright’s show at The Square will be running until September. If you’re not a Club member here and you’d like to come and see the works, or are interested in purchasing any of them, please just come to The Square front desk and ask to view them. See more of Copyright’s work and street art at cantcopyright.co.uk
