Joe Holbrook - work in progress

On Friday, Joe Holbrook – one of Britain’s finest and coolest painters is presenting his first Amsterdam exhibition at the cultural hot spot that is the Rooms of Red Bull. We sent one of our favourite local artists Scrmn to ask Joe about his style, Amsterdam night-life, “fucking hating oils” and deers eating out of chicken boxes.

Scrmn – Hi Joe, how are you today?

Joe Holbrook – Yeah, good.

S – What have you been up to today?

J – The studio I work at has been shut, so today I chilled. I went and bought some equipment that I use to finish off my canvases, it’s like a resin that a poor over my canvases, went and had a coffee and a beer.

S – So what’s brought you here in the first place? Cos you’ve been living here for a while now?

J - Yeah, I’ve been living here since July but before that I got contacted by Jeroen Smeets who came to my show in London in February. He managed to sort me a space at the Red Bull studios, they were really interested in my work, invited me out… said it would be on the 14th of August.

S – So you had like 6 weeks?

J - Yeah, 6 weeks. It usually takes me about a week to get a canvas done.

S – How big are the canvases?

J – They vary, when I do my portraits I usually do them 90 by 70 cm, but I’ve also done a couple of big ones here like 2m by… bigger, I’ve gone big. Having a lot of space in the Red Bull studio there’s a bit of variety but they’ve had a lot of lectures there so I had to miss a few days or find somewhere else. Luckily in the back room there’s a storage room; to be honest I preferred it cos you can be a lot more messy.

S - You made it your own.

J – Yeah, it was nice. The first week I got my materials together, got settled, went out and took some pictures to work from. Really enjoyed the first week basically, had a bit of a party… and then I got to work the second week.

S – So what do you when you’re back home, did you go to art school?

J – I went to art school for a year, did a foundation and then after that got in trouble with the police for doing graffiti so it kinda cut my option off going to the next (bit) of University.

One thing I didn’t like about Uni was people telling you how to draw, people telling you how to paint, I feel you should draw and paint how it suits you. I’m all open for advice, but for people to tell you how to draw… it’s a bit stupid. Because I really love the way a 6 year old draws and I wish that I could regenerate that and do it, but you can’t.

S – So in the UK, you can’t continue if you get in some sort of trouble?

J – Well you can, but financially you can’t. I had to do community service which meant working in the day at a charity shop and then had to take days off University. To honest, I’m a big believer in fate and things happened for a reason you know and if that didn’t happen then I wouldn’t be where I am know you know?

In the 2 years, or rather year, that I could’ve been at University, I’ve got further than I would’ve at Uni, I’ve been doing my own apprenticeship almost.

S – Don’t you think it’s the price of the artist to be an opportunist?

J – Definitely. Yeah, just take everything as it comes and make the most out of everything you get given.

Financially it’s pretty shit but you’ve got to do it for the love of it, you got to follow your dream I think.

S – So do you live in your studio, or is it located close to your home?

J – It’s at my home, in my back garden.. it’s like a stable almost, just renovated it into a studio.. cut a hole in the roof for a sky light. It’s nice, but being by yourself, you get a bit lonely.

S – Bit of a bi-polar situation you have there, with your own studio alone, far away from people and then draw your inspirations from somewhere else.

J – I like to record the life I’m living you know? I don’t like to paint from anything from staged things… I like to captured, like spur of the moment things; parts of an evening, like a memory. I enjoy painting them as well you know, cos it’s like a memory to me. I’m painting a fun time and every time I paint it, it reminds me of the evening, so I enjoy it even more.

S – Why do you think you have the interest in documented things? Something a lot of artists have is the urge to document certain days, moments, certain feelings

J – Since I’ve been young I’ve always liked to copy and just draw anything really, but I’ve always loved doing portraits. I liked doing portraits but I wanted to do it in a different way, have fun with it, I find it quite boring to do a standard portrait, I like to have fun with it because I’m a fun bloke, I like to enjoy life so you know my portraits, I want them to be from my life.

S – And it’s a great excuse to go out.

J – Yeah! It’s a great excuse.

S – So you’ve always been drawing?

J – Yeah, since I can remember.

S - Everyone who looks at your paintings can see you can paint. There’s a perfect amount of realism, you capture the moment and there is a spirit. When did you realize this is something you can actually make a living out of?

J – What happened, I’ve always been able to draw and draw well, so I tried painting. I was at school, about 18, one of my teachers forced me into painting, told me to try it, but I was against that, I didn’t want to be a painter. My first painting was of a tap, but I realized it looked good and I got a lot of compliments.

My first paints were kinda rough, I’ve been getting more and more realistic and to be honest I don’t like it as much. Right not I’m trying not to perfect it as much as I am because I think I’m starting to loose the whole kinda painting feel.

S – It’s a balance of exercise and product in a way.

J – That’s it! So instead of correcting the rough bits and being more exact, I’m emphasizing the rough bits ‘cos I like that, that rough thing. When you step back and look at it, it looks like a picture.. some people say, but then you get close to is you really see it’s rough and it’s a painting.

I work with acrylics and then I work with oils when I do fur on animals and stuff.

S – For texture and stuff?

J - Yeah, I fucking hate oils man, I think they’re horrible.

S - They never dry.

J - That’s it. They don’t dry, with acrylics they dry in an instant. If you make a mistake, you’ve got to correct it in like a minute otherwise it’s on the canvas done. I remember doing a portrait with oils and I had a couple of beers after and I turned round and wiped out my whole painting, that was the final straw for me, fuck that.

S – When you look at your paintings I think a lot of people would think that your some what of a perfectionist but you don’t sound like a perfectionist, you seem to enjoy the accident.

J – And also when I cover it with this resin, it traps it, I can’t work back into it. The reason I do that is because I wanna capture the stage I am in the painting and I want that to be part of the painting, and then I notice like a finger mark..

S - Why do you think that is so important?

J – I just think that it’s part of it, it’s what makes the painting

S – In a way it’s a bit of urgency.

J - Yeah, mistakes are there to be made you know? And I think the mistakes in the thing are part of and they shouldn’t be taken away. Imperfection is a beautiful thing, I don’t think getting everything perfect is always the way forward. I don’t think anything should be perfect.

S – I think the same thing, that almost perfect is the most pretty thing. Perfect is boring, you can get it so many other places really, where everything is streamlined.

What other artists have really inspired you? Certain ones that sparked something in you?

J – Inspiration wise, I don’t really get inspired by any modern artist in the way they paint. I’m inspired by people like George Stubbs, Monet… people like this. A lot of traditional 17^th, 18^th century portrait painters.

I’m also inspired by totally different people like Dali. Not looking at them in the way they can paint, I don’t want to paint like that, just the thoughts behind it and they way work from pure imagination, really inspires me.

Scrmn

S – Do you think your portraits some how portray a link between street art and traditional fine art?

J – I paint in a traditional way but I can see how I’m linked to street art, I guess it’s because I paint from the street, the night life. The surroundings I’m in, a lot of my friends are street artists. In my first show, a lot of them are wearing t-shirts like ATG and have released a clothing range, so it’s mainly people I’m around.

S – Does it interest you to exhibit on the street like they do?

J – I’m more of a documenter. I’d like to maybe show some work on the street but ‘cos I used to be into graffiti, I got in trouble with it, I couldn’t really do street art because I don’t really want to get ‘nicked.

Graffiti wise I like to keep it totally separate, like I’m a graffiti writer as well but with my art, I’m serious about it. Graffiti I just find it fun, it’s a release. Go out with your friends tagging, whatever.

Maybe I will do some street art. I’d like to do some large prints of some of my work and get it out there.

S – Paste it up on the walls?

J - Yeah. I’m working on some real big pieces in England too, like a life size horse and a life size stag, eating out of a chicken box (down) in East London and everyone was out eating chicken straight out of the box chicken. So I’ve done this deer eating out of a chicken box and a life size horse with ATG, the graffiti crew who are going to tag it up the horse for me and we’re going to hang it down a dark alley.

I like to work in the night a lot. I think for me, the street, night time is what it’s about. I love seeing the city at night.

S - That’s what you take home and produce?

J – For me night life is a big part of life. As a young man or teenager it’s the part of my life that’s most exciting. Going out with your friends, drinking, getting in trouble, taking drugs; all these things, yes it’s something I like.

S – So what about the rest of 2009?

J – Going back after my show, finish up a few pieces in England, then I’m hoping to get more shows out here. I’m even looking to move out here for 6 months, a year.

S – Especially in the summer, it’s a cool city.

J - I’m so inspired here. The way of life is so nice and the people here are so nice. London is so stressy and busy, I’m not really into that. Here is chilled, I like it and you can bike everywhere!

S – Yeah, it’s pretty easy for a drunk person to get around…

J – That’s it! I’m often one of those people, who isn’t?

S - Especially in Amsterdam.

J – It’s a great place. I’m looking to do more shows, maybe to collaborate with people. The main thing is to keep enjoying what I’m doing, I might have to get a part-time job again just to get by. Hopefully I won’t have to but if I do, I will but I’m never going to stop painting. I don’t do it for money, I do it for the love of it.

S – What kind of music do you listen to? Do you listen while you paint?

J - Around Christmas time I was listening to modern folk music, it’s quite big in England at the moment, indie folk. Listening to Laura Marlin and Jessie Queen and The Metts. At the moment I listen to a band called the White Lies from England and Morrissey…

S - Good old Smiths.

J – Yeah, it gets me going. But also a lot of hip hop, UK mainly. A bloke called Skinnyman, Task Force and Jehst… American stuff too like Big Elf, Dead Prez though they’re kinda racist.

S – Maybe you could paint them?

J – Ha, I don’t think they’d like that.

I listen to all types of music when I paint. I went through a stage of listening to a lot of English dubstep, it got me painting really fast. I’ve painted to drum’n'bass before and I painted it in about a day!

J - Well thank you, thank you for the interview.

S – Thanks to Joe…

J – …and thank Jeroen Smith for coming out here and Red Bull for the studio an opportunity to come out here and that’s about it.

S – I think it was a good interview.

Joe Holbrook’s exhibition opening party takes place Friday night from 20.00 and is FREE, don’t miss it.

Scrmn is opening a new gallery/shop in September with fellow artist Noelson. Their band The Stutters are also back together and are playing as part of Subba Cultcha’s magazine launch party so be sure to be there for both!