TBI Q&A: Otis Frizzell
Otis Frizzell answers The Big Idea community questions about everything from the story behind ‘Sarah’s Tomato’ (pictured) to his journey from the streets to the Beehive.
“Graffiti art, which is basically the visual representation of Hip Hop, was the first art form, besides comics, that really made me want to make art... to paint. I was bitten.”
Otis and his father Dick Frizzell are guest speakers at Semi-Permanent, the annual design symposium on from August 20-21 in Auckland.
In this QnA Otis also talks about growing up under the influence of a famous NZ artist and how this affected his personal artistic style.
“I never went to art school or received any institutional education after High School, and besides just opening my eyes to the world, Dad is by far my greatest influence. However, lot of that is work ethic and attitude rather than art 'style'...”
Read the comments below for more.
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Otis Frizzell is an artistic innovator, style leader, artist, hip-hop performer, radio personality, tattooist and graphic designer.
Otis entered public life in his late teens as half of popular hip-hop duo MC OJ and Rhythm Slave. He has performed as Joint Force and Stylee Crew.
Otis has more than 20 years of public graffiti art experience. His first solo exhibition Opto 2000 produced with pop culture manipulator Mike Weston, marked the beginning of an innovative art production and management collaboration that has produced a playful and challenging stream of works, repeatedly setting a benchmark in artistic and technical achievement in the chosen media.
His work can be found at the Parnell Gallery, Lethams Gallery (Herne Bay) the Saatchi and Saatchi offices, Robbie Williams’ London management office IE Music, on KFC packaging, Breast cancer T shirts, Grand Prix Racing Cars, Drag Strips, Playstation Ads, numerous walls and backdrops, TV2 promos, record sleeves of pop artists such as Che Fu and more recently Tiki Taane and Fat Freddys Drop.
His broadcasting partnership with Mark “Slave” Williams carried the duo into a long running Wednesday drive-time radio slot on 95bFM called The Wednesday Special and then to hosting the Base FM breakfast show. The duo’s radio celebrity transferred to television with the award winning Mo’ Show.
In early 2005, Otis abandoned TV celebrity and the offer of a fourth Mo Show series, to focus on art projects working out of The Area studio with Mike Weston as half of the Art Brand, Weston Frizzell.
As a solo artist and art collaborator, Otis is now enjoying life as a full time artist, print-maker and illustrator.
Comments
12 August 2010 - 16:33 PM
Thanks for your questions for Otis Frizzell - see the thread below! Simon Vine won the ticket to Semi-Permanent 2010.
Otis my man, is a tatoo a mark for the world to see, or a mark by the world on a single soul..The interface of the human skin to nature and the art that occurs there at this interface..My Uncle Louie was a tatt artist in the 1930s and covers his brothers arms in work..my grandad Frank and Uncle Jimmy. They all had lost fingers (maybe crap factories or maybe angry mobstas). We met a few year's ago when you made a music video at North Head where I manage the use of DOCspace..I'd love to come to this workshop..rapidly emerging from beauracracy into plentitude. Gimme a ticket!
Reply to williarrow:
Wow... Um... Tattoos are so many different things to so many different people. To be honest, they're all relevant in my opinion. It's rebellion, right of passage, decoration, mutilation... Gestures, as in R.I.P messages for the dead. Admissions of love (I have my fiances name in a scroll with a heart, a fantal and a kowhai flower on my arm) Tattoos can be a protest, a request, a joke.... Shit!!!! What a question!!
Most of my tattoos are simply a sort of graphic timeline of what I was in to at the time. I've always tried to include plenty of colour, because haevily tattood people can be quite intimidating to some people, and I never wanted to look like a heavy guy... I just wanted to decorate myself. Humans can look so droll.... But tigers and birds and snakes etc are beautiful... Maybe I wanted to be beautiful... I dunno.
Was it all an accident, or do you breathe it?
Reply to Michelle Bluck:
Excellent question. To tell the truth sometimes I just don't know. I'm lucky. I think I have natural talent... Not heaps, but it's there. I have to work bloody hard to get to where I want to be. There was literally a moment in my life about 10 years ago, after doing Tv and Radio, and tattoos, and graffiti, when I thought, "What the hell am I doing? What do I want to do? What am I best at?'
I think I'm best at what I'm doing now. Kinda like design based art and illustration. Dad calls me an image guy. I'm not an amazing artist...like a fine art, artist... I'm a pretty good drawer/illustrator who is learning to be an artist. I believe I have the potential to be amazing, but amazing only happens when natural talent is used and pushed.
Abstract baffles me... Fine art is beyond me... I love it. I love to look at it and I actually love not being able to grasp it, but I can't do it... Yet. Maybe as I get older and art becomes more intrinsic to my 'whole' it'll make sense... Maybe.
Part of it was an accident, and I'm learning to breath it.
How have you found growing up under the influence of a famous NZ artist and how has this affected your personal artistic style?
Reply to Zoe Sizemore:
Um... To be honest, it's been amazing. I think my father is a brilliant artist... At least, I think I think my father is a brilliant artist. It's kinda hard to remove myself from the picture. I can't tell if I'm being objective, but there's certainly stuff Dad has done that I don't like.
I never went to art school or recieved any institutional education after High School, and besides just opening my eyes to the world, Dad is by far my greatest influence. However, lot of that is work ethic and attitude rether than art 'style'... I mean he never sat me down and 'taught' me art, but I grew up in a house with plenty of paper and pencils, the smell of oil paint, comic books, art on the walls, amazing food (that's my Moms influence) other artists coming round and getting pissed with my folks... All that stimulation definately helped shape where my head's at these days.
I see a lot of commonality in our work, but I've always tried to put my stamp on my version. Dad did Tikis, and his influences were...say, Russian deconstructivism, or Dada, and the result was obvious. When I got all excited about Tikis I went down the path of American Low Rider and Custom car graphics, cause that's what turns me on. I did PinStripe Tikis...
I love that image of the big tomato behind you. Is there a story behind that piece?
Re; Rebecca Swans 'Big Tomato' question...
Hi Rebecca. Yes there is... My girlfriend had that photo as her desktop image and had printed it out and stuck it on her wall at work. She just loved that ol' tomato. She thought it was 'the perfect tomato'.(it was grown in my brothers garden)
We bought a house a couple of year ago, and just after we moved in, She (my girlfriend, soon to be wife) left town for a week for work. I had a big canvas, about 1.8 meters square, sitting on the wall of my studio... taunting me with it's blankness, and I had a great idea. I would paint Sarahs Tomato (title of the painting) and hang it in out living room as a housewarming/welcome home present.
I did. She loved it. Still does. I'm so romantic. Ha Ha
Sarah took the photo, too.
How long does it take you to complete a piece of art from concept through to finished product? for example your Pintura de Aerosol artwork... which is inspirational btw
Reply to Redminx:
MMMmmm... Kinda hard to answer that one. I had the image for years before I knew what to do with it. The original is a Mexican cigarette advertisement from the fifties. I've done a series of stencils putting my 'Tag' in there somewhere, and replacing a key part of the image with spray cans.
My tag from my graffiti days is OPTO, and I've done Opto the dolphin (taken from an Opo the dolphin kids book) Opto, Held up as the best (from an old Oxo cubes poster) and others.
The Pintura de Aerosol (Spray Paint in Spanish) piece was a biggie. It only really took a day to draw it up and replace the cigatettes with a spraycan, but the real times comes with breaking it down in to colours and layers for the stencils. There's about thirty stencils in that one, each hand cut. I never use photoshop to get my layers. I reckon you can tell when someones done that and it loses some of its funk.
Blah blah... About ten days to design and cut and paint I suppose. I can only cut for so many hours before the blisters on my finger get too raw. Also, I have to wait about half an hour dry time between colours when I'm painting them, but I do a few at a time. The joy of stencils! I usually do an edition of 10 to make it worth while financially.
Blimey! 30 stencils!!! That's amazing! I totally understand about the blisters... ouch! I hand cut stencils too... out of sheets of acetate with a scalpel...
I emerged from the old school days of cut n paste, laying out pages for print by hand using a scalpel, cow gum and a great eye for precision... and still love the forgotten art of hand lettering, signwriting etc... However, I have to admit, after doing a graphic design course this year I do also want to master the art of Photoshop... but you're right about spotting a PS layer a mile away!
Have you tried using a hairdryer to speed up drying time?
I wish I had the moolah to buy Pintura de Aerosol, especially now, knowing how much time has gone into it!
I've been umming and arring about whether I should bite the bullet and start up my business venture but now I'm just gonna go for it... what the hell! you're an inspiration Otis!
Look out for the name "redminx" in the not too distant future I hope - a blend of hand painted wooden wall art, promotional backdrops, traditional signwriting and a bit of graphic design thrown in for good measure... that's me
Mini x
to Redminx:
You go...
It's funny. I went and did a photoshop for beginners course a couple of years ago, 'cause I had to keep calling on my mates whenever I needed to scan something or email a picture, or quickly colour something, or do some computerised thing to an illustration.
I'm still a beginner but really enjoy it. And am slowly coming to grips with it. I admire paople who are sooo computer savvy, but can't help noticing that some paople just cant draw... And sometimes it looks like that when you see the finished product. I love the combo of starting with a hand drawn illustration, and finishing it off with a computer... The best of both worlds.
It's like, if I can take a photoshop lesson at aged 36 to try and round out my skills, I reckon there's a few people out there that could benifit from taking dome drawing lessons...
Kia ora bro!
What's it been like moving from tatoos, graffiti and street art to exhibiting in high-brow galleries and having your work in the Beehive?
Reply to Tomek Bogdanowics:
Is that your real name? Awesome.
It's actually felt like a natural progression... An evolution, I suppose. I never realised it at the time, but tattoos and graffiti are true modern artforms (there are art-wankers who will disagree, I'm sure) and it isn't rare for artists to mix disciplines and evolve.
When I started doing graffiti art and tattoos my intention was always to just 'get up'. I never did graffiti to be a Bad-Ass. I honestly thought I was doing the world a favour by brightening up some plain walls.... Same as tattoos. Colour the WORLD!!!
So having my art in galleries (and the Beehive) still means I'm producing images that people are seeing. The biggest difference is now I'm gettin' PAID. And I can't be mad at that.
There is a school of Graffiti artists that consider it selling out, but that's bullshit. I'm nearly fourty and I'd feel like I'd wasted my life away if I couldn't put what I've learned to good use.
do you feel your hip hop has an influence on your art?
Reply to Karen:
Hip Hop has definately influenced my art. My life actually... in a way. Graffiti art, which is basically the visual representation of Hip Hop, was the first art form, besides comics, that really made me want to make art... to paint. I was bitten. I was stealing spray paint just so I could do it. I'd never stolen anything in my life before that. When I was 14 I was climbing out of my bedroom window with a backpack full of stolen paint just so I could make art...
Thats CRAZY! And now, 24 years later, I'm still using spray paint everyday in the art I do. I'm still utilising skills I started to learn back then...
These days, Hip Hop has kind of evolved into something different than it was in the 80s. I prefered it more then. The philosophies were more pure... It was about making do with what you had, healty competition and basically having a good time. Block parties, Bombing, breakdancing, rapping and DJing. Hip Hops modern obsession with bitches and bling is a tragic evolution of a beautiful thing. I'm not influenced by that shit.
Yes, Otis, I remember how absolutely exciting the early movie Wild Style was. It seemed so fresh and creative. Something new from the streets.
Karen.
I saw Beat Street first. I saw it on Queen Street and that night I went out and did my first bomb. It's an amazing historical film. Beat Street, Style Wars and Wild Style truely changed my life.
How does your involvement in music effect your visual pieces – do you get in a flow/rhythm when creating artworks?
Reply to Meena Kadri:
My years as an MC in a Hip Hop group helped shape my style. Of course DLT and I would always rock Hip Hop when we painted... It all felt like the same thing.
As I got older tho, it all depends what I'm painting. How I'm feeling. Sometimes I like to draw or paint in silence. No distractions. I must be getting old... Sometimes I put on Jim Mora on National radio!
I've recently painted some large Hibiscus flowers... For some reason, I enjoyed painting them in the quiet... I definately get a flow on tho, just not always from music.
It's funny. If I only have an hour, I'll often not even start painting, because it sort of takes me that long to get in to the flow, and then I have to stop. When I'm doing a large canvas, if I dont have at least three hours clear, I just don't bother...
If you could say something to the politicians who do not fund the innovative people, what would you say?
Stay positive.
Reply to Luiza Turganova:
I dunno. Which innovative people are you talking about? Artists? Engineers? Weapons manufactures? That's a hard one, because it's kinda subjective. Some innovative people are morons...
I'd ask them to look really carefully at what innovations are happening and direct as much funding as they can to projects that would improve the country..?
I don't know how to answer... I'm not sure what I'd say. Would it matter? Do politicians even listen?
What would you say? I'm not being a dick... I'd like to know what you mean?
If you ever get 'artists block' and your just completely stuck for ideas, where do you go for inspiration? Me and my work mates seem to find alot of our ideas while having a few Steinlagers at Rakinos, do you have a partiucalar kind of drink for inspiration?
Also, what has been the most craziest, spontanious piece of art you have done?
Replt to Gepffrey Joe:
Classic. Heinekin is more my inspirational drink of choice, but any booze'l do!
I do get creative block. It's a bastard. I do a lot of collaborative work with a friend of mine, Mike Weston. The joy of collaboration is we can throw ideas around... If I'm feeling stuck, it's very common for Mike to mention some idea that he's been thinking about and then... We're off!
Sometimes when I'm feeling 'blocked' I just sit on the couch and watch shitty day time telly. It doesn't take long to realise that human civilisation is about to crumble to shit around our ears, so I'd better get painting if I want to save humanity from certain destruction.
How has being a graffiti artist shaped your career?
Reply to Marie Ockleford:
Hi Marie, to avoid repeating myself... Check my other posts. I think I've answerd that already.
Graffiti art is probably the most important part of my history as far as shaping my career...
I remember you Otis as a young child growing up in Grey Lynn and here you are a man and a successful artist in your own right! I can well understand the influence that brought you to where you are now, but I wonder if you hadn't had the influence to become an artist what career path you would otherwise have chosen?
Reply to Richard Howard:
That, my friend is impossible to answer. Who knows? I tried tattooing, TV presenting, Radio Dj, music... I was even a 'Driver to the Stars' for a while.
I think it was my destiny to become some sort of artist. It's all I was ever good at, and the only think that ever turned me on...
What do you think about the tradition of exclusivity in art? Have you ever been concerned about accessibility with your work?
Reply to Jaded:
I don't like exclusivity in Art. I hate Art wankery... There is a 'club' of hollier than thou artists, and thats cool... but it's a 'conversation' that doesn't concern me. I don't long to be accepted into their gang. However, I don't want to exclude myself from that world. If I find myself there, I suppose I just need to make sure of who I am and why I'm doing what I'm doing. I consider myself to exist quite happily in the 'low art' scene.
I like the idea of people liking my work. In one of my other posts I mentioned I'm not a 'high art' artist. I do appreciate it, but I don't fully understand it.
I don't require people to be challenged into a hole when they see my work. I quite like the idea of someone seeing my work and saying, "Thats a cool picture. I like it."
I'm not very deep.
Has the Public Relations side of your project ever, in your estimation, taken time away from the development of other aspects of your art practice? If so, do you have plans in other directions?
Reply to Simon Henry Vine:
Public Relations? I dunno. It's a big part of my work. It's all woven in together. I was the guy Te Papa got to paint a Mural to raise money for the Samoan Tsunami victims last year. It took a week. I painted it in the lobby at Te Papa. Hundreds of people came to see it... and me doing it. It was a public relations excercise, but was no less worthwhile.
I like working in public and relating to people. I've accepted that my exposure is an important part of my 'thing'. Painting in front of an audience is fun. I like talking to people and getting their reactions as I go.
Stuff like this Q&A. I like it.
But not to the detriment of my work. I always make sure I have time for me... For my work, and like you say, my development. I have BIG plans in other directions, I'm just not certain what they are yet.
I'n the last year I've done exhibitions of paintings, stencil works, murals, album covers, logos, merchandise for bands, commercial illustrations, screen prints, digital prints, wine lables, workshops with kids, subversive poster campaigns, TV, radio, tattoo designs... All these things somehow work together to shape what's happening, so other directions seem to happen by evolution...
I would say - it's time to pass the power over to people!!!
i think its cool that u r so active. May b u should b the CEO of the Community Project. i reckon u should start teaching other people your art. start a course or a school.
Stay positive.
Luisa. In the past I have done a lot of workshops with kids. Some of them have become amazing artists. Teaching is hard, but it is rewarding...
Otis, awesome! =) Much respect.
Stay positive.
Hi Otis, I really respect your work and am amazed how you embrace so many different genres and areas of activity. To me this demonstrates great talent and abundant energy - an awesome combo.
However, on the other side of the coin I wonder if there's not perhaps an inherent danger that you might spread yourself too thin and become a "jack of all trades ..." of sorts. You've got so many different hats that you wear; do you think that this modus operandi might potentially dilute your focus and perhaps hinder you from progressing deeper as an artist?
Would you ever consider channeling your creative energy more narrowly or do you want to remain open to pretty much anything that takes your fancy? Do you think there's any merit at all in adopting a more disciplined approach?
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Cheers S.
Reply to Sylvia Zlami:
You could be right... But I don't know. Although I do a lot of different things, they're all closley linked. They're all basically the same. Image making. Thought... Idea... Drafting... Drawing... Redrawing... Redrawing... Finessing... and sometimes, Painting.
Perhaps I've got a short attention span. I get bored easily. A product of the MTV generation, perhaps. I actually think, by doing a bunch of different stuff, it keeps me interested in all of them. Also, as far as making a living goes, it helps to be doing different disciplins 'cause it opens up oppertunities for jobs... and then there's collaborations... and projects...
I think I'd go nuts if I just Painted all day every day... or if I just sat at my drawing pad every day...
I avoid being a jack of all trades by being a computer retard!
What's your most memorable solo creation and why?
Reply to Hannah:
Um......... Probably the 'Hero Tiki' pictured above. It felt like an era difining moment. It's the result of all my styles and influences over the years coming into allignment. To me it looks like tattoos, graffiti art, Pop art, custom car graphics, comic illustration, maori art... All my influences are present in that one piece.
I have big plans for that style... I aint finished with that yet.
You ever get pulled up on the 'cultural misappropriation' shit and does that worry you ?
Reply to Robert Siataga/Kavanagh:
Funnily enough the only time I've been pulled up on that is by bleeding liberal pakeha, who seem to be suffering so much 'forefather' guilt that they can't understand how someone (me) can be influenced without stealing.
I've had many a talk with Maori of different generations, and it basically all comes down to my 'angel'... Or motivation. I honestly believe the Tikis I've done are borne out of a love and respect for an old and beautiful culture with amazing art, and hopefully that's evident.
I am careful to not take too directly. I'm not copying a moko directly and embroidering it on to a car seat.(I've seen that done in America.) (turkeys) I try and always put enough of my own twist to my versions so it's never just a rip off.
I designed TikiTaanes Tiki logo. Some people gave him shit for "getting a pakeha to design a Tiki for a maori", but he was like, "I didn't gat a Pakeha to design it. I got my friend whos illustrations I like, to design it". To him it wasn't about Maori and Pakeha... Honkeys doing Hori art... And nor should it be.
People need to get over that shit. Art helps keep art alive. Don't matter whos doing it.... Unless it crappily done.
True say bro! That's the way it should be (and really is) - not Maori artist / Pacific artist / Pakeha artist/ etc. Just 'artist' - like any other work, trade, profession.
You don't hear people talking bout he's a 'Pakeha builder' or she's a 'Maori nurse' or a 'Pacific teacher'...
shot bro :)
it's a fine line between homage and theft eh ?
Like an image, once it's in the public domain is fair game for re-interpretation, but by how many degrees does it have to be removed before it qualifies as a stand alone art piece ?...not much eh ?... and i suppose i'm thinking of what Banksy does more than anything.
So how accepting are you of someone infringing your copyright...taking something you've done and twisting it a little then throwing it back out there ?
You sweet if their motive isn't for profit and what if it were, rather than just being out for fame?... and is a line then crossed between remixed and reproduced on-line and printed in hard copy ?
Reply Robert Siataga/Kavanagh:
Honestly, I like the idea of someone re-mixing stuff I've done. I'd be stoked to have inspired someone to have a hoon! But again, it needs to be changed enough to look like something new... Otherwise why bother? A copy that's slightly changed just doesn't really exist as anything... Maybe an evolutionary step towards something else... But like I was saying, I try and make sure I bring something new and personal to my 'homages'.
If they took it and did it better... and made heaps of money off it, I'd probably feel gutted, but then, as an artist you just gotta be brave and put your stuff out there. You cant worry about stuff like that. If there was a blatent case of 'rip-offery' I'd be on them like a rash, tho. Get my cut!
on the graffiti tip. Do you ever paint (illegally) these days? do you miss the rush? Whats your closest call while painting?
and on another note do you think that politics affects your art? does your art come with a message?
I like your story about the tomato above. that type of story behind a piece makes it so much more than a work of art.
Reply to Teko:
I haven't painted illegally for... about ten years. I kinda miss it, but to tell the truth, I'm just a bit of an old square these days! I've got a mortgage! I don't want to be running from the cops with a backpack full of Krylons thru the streets of auckland at three in the morning... I've happily accepted getting older and I got bills to pay. With the paint it would take to do a decent piece, I could do a canvas and pay my rates!
Know what I mean?
I got busted proper when I was about fourteen... Well not proper. They'd never send a fourteen year old to prison, but it was a classic situation. I was painting an anti Spring Bok/anti arpartide mural and got chassed... And caught. That was politics and art all bundled in to a pain in the ass.
Over the last few years Mike Weston (a friend who I collaborate with quite often as Weston Frizzell) and I have done a series of painting and prints kinda based on Tame Iti and his...er... exploits. And our Behave piece has a loose kind of socio political angle... But with a good dose of humour. I really don't feel inspired to do heavy 'message' art. I'm all about the image...
So how many music videos have you actually been in?
Apparently you have the NZ record : )
Reply to Chris Chetland:
Ha! Classic. The New Zealand record... Followed closley by Rhythm Slave, probably. You might be right... I dunno. I lost count in the nineties.
Hello question askers and interested parties... Thanks for showing interest, and for all your questions. It's always interesting to hear what people want to know... I hope I managed to quench your thirst for info about me. Quite frankly it's always a shock that people are interested at all!
Congratulations to Simon Vine. He won the Semi tickets. (I'm not sure how they drew that, but good on ya mate)
I'm going to my studio right now to stare at a blank canvas and see what happens.
Ka Pai
Otis