Each month we present an interview with one of our amazing artists. This month it’s Torquay based artist and graphic designer Luke Taaffe, sharing some of the things that make him tick...

Right now I am…

Starting a new job in graphic design for Roxy and working towards my next solo.

The person who has most influenced my art is….

Probably Reg Mombassa. Although he doesn’t influence what I do these days, it was Mambo artists like Reg and Richard Allen that got me interested in art as a young upstart in the late 80’s

My favourite artist is …

Alex Kopps from San Francisco. A multi-talented artist who’s work is precise and always inspiring.

I’m inspired to start a new work when….

Something visual and interesting comes my way. It could be complex, or simple as seeing a girl watching the waves in the morning light.

I am at my most creative/productive when…

I have a great idea to work with and all the elements come together.

I usually start my day by…

Going for a wave. It clears my head and has helped me get through tough times.

I am currently reading….

Nothing. Don’t have much time to read at the moment. Working and painting is taking up my life right now. Does emails count-

The book that changed my life is…

Storm Boy

My favourite album of all time is…

Led Zeppelin Self Titled.

My favourite film of all time is…

JAWS. I love sharks and it scared the shit out of me as a kid. R.I.P Roy Sneider

When I am working I like to listen to…

Anything…Bowie, Zeppelin. I always work to music.
 
It makes me smile when…

I’m having a family dinner. Around the table, we have the best feeds ever.

I get angry about…

The destruction to the environment and the world. We have really fucked it up!

My three most valued possessions are…

Art and reference books, Surfboards and photos.

The three things in life I could never give up are …

Breathing, love and laughter.

If I was stranded on a desert island I would want…

to be never found. As long as there was a fresh supply of waves, girls, fruit and vegetables.

If I could travel anywhere back and forth in time, I would go …

To the north coast of NSW in the early seventies.
 
If I was elected Prime Minister of Australia the first thing I would do is…

Invest in more renewable fuels.

My dream dinner party of six would include….

Dali, Sharon Tate, Jim Morrison, De-Vinci, Sofia Loren and Will Ferrell
 
If it were my party, I would serve…

Australian seafood, wine & coke.
 
The achievement I am most proud of is…

Making a living being creative and doing what I love.

My most embarrassing moment was…

Too many to recall. I have done some crazy things intoxicated.
 
The craziest thing I have ever done was…

Finding myself one morning in a slum with no wallet, phone and memory.

The most valuable lesson I have learned in life is…

Make the most of what you have and be nice to people.
 
When I die, I would like my gravestone to say…

He died doing what he loved.

If a young person told me they wanted to be like me when they grow up, I would tell them…

to come to the pub and drink some beer!

I wish I had listened when my parents told me…

To pace myself. My life has no balance and I run at a 100 Miles and hour.
 
I hope my art.….

Makes people notice and remember.
 
My legacy to the world will be…

A huge body of work and some good memories.

If I wasn’t an artist I would like to be….

A marine biologist.

View more of Luke's work

Sarah and Troy Archer, Fiona Kennedy-Altoft and Cornelia Burless

Gallery director Bree Delian and Rick Shearman

Stephen Phibbs, Hillary Hermann & Noel Hart

and more coming soon...

Coming soon...

Luke is an artist based in Victoria. He graduated with a Bachelor in Visual Arts in 1996. He has worked professionally as a Graphic, Motion and Web Designer for the past 13 years.

Luke creates work that contrasts abstract landscapes, with photorealistic figures. Incorporating loose brushwork, light washes, gravity induced runs and drips, with freehand airbrush techniques.

View Luke Hallam's profile

Andrew Hmelnitsky is the third generation of Russian artists and musicians who immigrated to Australia in the early 1940's. Hmelnitsky has exhibited extensively, around Australia and Asia, and has been involved in over 80 exhibitions. We are very excited to introduce him to the Retrospect Fold of artists.

View more of Andrew's work online

Simons works are rich in meaning and contain an outsider art quality of childlike drawing alongside elements of urban culture and graffiti. His illustrative works contain semiotic elements and communicate his thoughts and ideas. Images that dance on the canvas are like coded hieroglyphs with meanings that are only revealed after understanding the position of the artist.

His weaving of immediate childlike elements in adult themes of death and the uncanny create definite feelings of tension in the artwork. These struggles and tensions are what make Simons work interesting and always challenging.

View Simon's online work

We are very excited by the wild new direction that Jan's work is taking, once again it is a visual feast for the senses!

View other new work by Jan

Another fantastic cow from the stable of Cornelia Burless...

View more work by Cornelia

After the sell out of her french cars, we are excited to have some new work that focuses on ships. In this work Emma has painted the unicorn, a tall ship used to carry spices across the seas back in the last century.

View more of Emma's work

Local artist and graphic designer Rick Shearman continues to explore his interest in old cars. These cars have been recorded from various streets and neighbourhoods all around the world. "I was living in Hamburg when I encountered the BMW Isetta – I was sitting at an outdoor café when this immaculate red and tan 'thing' came and parked on the street beside me, the driver exiting from the door where any normal car … [show full description]would have a bonnet... I couldn't believe my eyes".

View more cars in this series

There’s a balance to be found between career, life, passion.  Somehow art survives and thrives in the inbetween….

Whimsical works on wood by artist designers Luke Taaffe and Mia Taninaka, including new solo pieces and some of their famous collaborations.

Friday February 12 to March 1.

In Retrospect 10 is a full colour 140-page publication introducing 34 diverse contemporary artists from around the globe, represented by Retrospect Galleries, Byron Bay.

Four pages are dedicated to each of the artist with an introductory bio, a light hearted Q&A style interview and three full pages of images of their recent works.  Many of the artworks represented in the book are now held in private or public collections in Australia or overseas.  From Doug Bartlett’s chaotic pop art canvases to the thick emotive lines of Jan Van Dijk’s oil paintings, to Luke Taaffe’s whimsical surf inspired drawings, these are just some of the Galleries’ favourite artworks from 2010, that have stopped people in the street and made them sing out loud with joy.

The book was curated, edited and published by Bree Delian, Director of Retrospect Galleries, with art design by Rick Shearman from Range.

Retail price, $20.

Featured artists:

Alberto Sanchez | Anna Nordstrom | Bennett | Cornelia Burless | Daniel Clemmett | Dave Bowers | Dennis Ropar | Dolores Cupcake | Doug Bartlett | Erika Mayer | Fawn Gehweiler (USA) | Fiona Kennedy-Altoft | Hilary Herrmann | James Looker | James McMillan | Jan Van Dijk | John Cottrell | Johnny Romeo | Kareem Rizk | Kareena Zerefos | Laura Skerlj | Luke Taaffe | Kelsey Brookes (USA) | Kevin Tran | Mia Taninaka | Michelle Dawson | Nic Plowman | Nick Morris | Nikky Morgan Smith | Noel Hart | Rick Shearman | Sarah Harvey | Simon DeGroot | Stephen Phibbs | Troy Archer

Award winning photographer Alberto Sanchez, teams up with David Young, Jeff Dawson and John McCormick in a wonderful photographic exhibition celebrating the diverse styles of Byron Bay's top photographers.