You may have unknowingly been drawn into JAMES EARLEY‘s unique street art in places as diverse as DEAN DUBLIN, Metropolis Festival, emblazoned across the Drury Buildings and on Jameson bottles. Here he talks Richard Gorman and MAKING ART ACCESSIBLE …
1. How do you feel the street art scene in Dublin has grown in the last number of years?
The street art scene in Dublin has really gathered pace in the last few years. There had always been an active scene in Ireland from the 90s onwards, but the last 5 years have really put the movement in the public eye due to the large volume of large scale works appearing all over the city. It’s an exciting time and it feels great to be part of it.
2. You have a lot of experience your family’s stained glass artworks, how has your experience with stained glass filtered into your approach to your art?
My artwork makes direct reference to my family’s artistic heritage. The tones, textures and manner in which the windows are fractured to create depth and form to create is echoed throughout my work.
3. Your work can be spotted in several spots around town, which of all of your pieces are you most proud of?
My favourites would probably be Wexford St., Hanover Quay, inside The Dean Hotel, the exterior of Blooms Hotel and most recently The Gibson Hotel. I’m probably most proud of my piece at the Gibson at the moment. All artists are the same really, they are usually happiest with their most recent artworks as they best represent where an artist is at at that particular time.
4. How did you get involved with creating art for Dean Dublin? Do you think that collaborations between brands like these (and others such as Jameson) will continue to grow?
I have a long standing working relationship with the owner of Dean Dublin and have worked together on many creative projects over the years. We had been talking about Dean Dublin for quite some time and had decided that this was a marvellous opportunity to showcase the diverse artistic talent we have in Ireland. There are over forty artists are within the collection. It’s well worth a look if you’re in town and looking for a unique cultural experience. It would be great if these collaborations with brands will continue. Its very humbling to be given the opportunity to work on large projects of this nature. For example, the Jameson Limited Edition Bottle Project allowed for my work to be experienced by many people on a global scale. It was a phenomenal experience.
5. Why do you feel that art is such a central concern for Dean Dublin and Blooms Hotel, which you also worked on?
Both of the owners have a strong passion for the arts and interest in supporting the arts. They understand the importance of art and how it can culturally enrich public environments.
6. What are some of the challenges street artists in Ireland currently face?
I don’t see there being any challenges that any street artists in Ireland face if I’m honest. Dublin is a great place to paint and create work. I think if you’re willing to work hard and have a large amount of passion and fervour for what you do, that’ll be recognised and things naturally fall into place off the back of that. My intention when I first started painting wasn’t to make a living from what I do, it was always for the love of it. I’ve been very lucky to work on many exciting projects over the years. My only bit of advice would be to make the most of every opportunity that is given to you, you never know what it will lead to down the road.
7. Your pieces are often very big in scale and beautifully detailed, what is it like actually painting them?
Out of all the projects I work on throughout the year, painting exterior pieces is what gives me the most satisfaction. I absolutely love the experience of spending time in a new environment for a week or two at a time and interacting with the people within the area. Feedback from the general public is one of the massive perks from these projects and something I always forget about before I start working on a piece. As well as that, the physical experience of painting outside in the elements and seeing a large scale piece come to life as you paint it is creatively fulfilling process on many levels.
8. Which artists are you most influenced by?
The artists that most influence my work are varied and very much influenced by my artistic background in graffiti and graphic design. From a street art and graffiti background such as Aryz, Satone, Momo, Roids, Kaws, Reyes, Delta as well as Irish artists such as Conor Harrington, Le Bas, Maser and Cian Walker. When it comes to fine art, Im inspired by graphic artists as well as more expressive artists, a few would be: Alexander Calder, Francis Bacon, Kate Banazi, Anthony Burrill, Frank Stella, Adam Neate and within Ireland: Richard Gorman, Peter Monaghan, Eleanor McGaughey, amongst many others.
9. What are you working on this year that we can look forward to?
I have a few large scale mural projects within Ireland and England. I can’t be too specific I’m afraid, but they will all be taking place over the next 3-4 months. As well as creating my own artwork, I run an online gallery Iverna.ie specialising in contemporary Irish art. Ill be working with a large amount of artists on print releases over the coming months as well as a few events later on in the year.
10. Why do you think street art is so important in a city like Dublin?
Street art is very important to Dublin and to all cities. It gives the wider public the opportunity to experience art. In many cases it can be the only manner in which they experience art, due to the stuffy and uninviting perception people have of galleries. Thankfully, this is something that is changing as time goes on, with many galleries in Dublin actively trying to change this idea and have more of an open door policy.
In conversation with Hannah Popham
www.jamesearleyart.com / www.instagram.com/james_earley
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