Four&Sons

Animal spirit

BY Urchin, July 31, 2011

Sam Smith is a young man who wears many hats. He’s a surfer, designer, street artist, SNOW impersonator, Aphex Twin video model, Benny Hill torch bearer, the list goes on. He’s good with a can of krylon, and paints self portraits of his spirit animal — the bull terrier. He once had a show titled Mad Dogs at a coolio gallery in Brisbane called Nine Lives, but that was a while ago. These days he’s sniffing around the lane ways of Melbourne looking for a few choice tapas leftovers.

So why do they call you mad dog?

Raised by dingos.

Is it true that at school, kids used to call you Spuds McKenzie?

‘He’s the guru of good times’ they would say.

When did you start painting?

Around 2003 or 2005.

Do you miss the tropics?

Miss Tropics? I never liked her from the start.

Have you ever had monkey butt?

Is that like swamp ass? Yeah, I’ve had that.

Do you know where I could get a good meat pie in Fitzroy?

The French place on Brunswick St — charges $7.50 for a meat pie.

I hear you spit venom on the mic, kick me a German shepherd freestyle.

Yeah thats true, I don’t give it out for free though.

How did your show at Nine Lives come about?

Some friends had shows there, I met some Nine Lives guys at those openings. I asked if I could have a show, they are very supportive of the local scene and agreed to have me.

Did you intent for the show to be so full of self portraits?

Someone said that in these paintings you see what you want to see. So that’s kind of weird if you just saw portraits of me.

Any art shows planned for the future?

The last show didn’t go very well, I think I was the only person at the opening that didn’t work at the gallery.

Is it true that you are an ‘Informer’?

No comment.

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Images by of Sam Smith
To see more work by Sam Smith visit his website.

Tags Art, Freestyle, Graff, Street