Rad Dad Collective: Off The Wall

Spray Hot Spot... A View at Faungraphic Studios

After a few missed meets and juggling of diaries, we finally managed to catch up with Fauna.

The sun was out, babbling brook, birds on the wing, it promised to be a wicked day, and as it turned out, it was. With camera set to ISO mode, we knocked on the door of the fabled Fauna, we'd met about a year before at a charity graff bash at the Quad Centre Derby, so we knew she was into pastel greens and saving the planet, but there is so much more behind the eco mask... read on!

RD: You sittin comfortably?

Fauna: This gonna hurt.

RD: Nah were gentle at Hooked...ha

RD: Did you used to draw as a kid?

Fauna: I drew all the time when I was young. It was the only subject I was good at, ha plus media studies. I used to get given other peoples papers to do their drawing for them at primary school.

RD: What got you started in graffiti?

Fauna: Being interested in graphic design and art for a long time and being influenced by artists like Neck CNS and 123 KLAN and how they mixed their graffiti and illustrations.

RD: What influences your style, is it mainly nature?

Fauna: I am inspired by nature, travel, wastelands and derelict buildings, I believe in recycling too. So that gives me idea's for illustrations which I would enjoy.

RD: Nice one. What mediums do you like working in the best?

Fauna: I like spray and ink the most and to work large scale. Although I like brushes and I am still practicing at getting those right- pen and spray is easier for me! There in my comfort zone.

RD:I know you do a bit of snowboarding, have you tried skateboarding?

Fauna: I've snowboarded since I was 11, and did it every week at the local dry slope till I was 15, then I took up skateboarding with a mate and we skated for 3 years, did a few Girl Skate Jams then I stopped. I still snowboard to this day which is why I have my house in Bulgaria, so we came hit the mountains as well as the beach- oh yeh, I surf to.

RD: Thats cool, its good how all board sport complement each other.

Do you find your graffiti style is being excepted more by the general Joe and Joanne, more than it was lets say a few years ago?

Fauna: I think my graffiti art is more interesting to the public because its not your old skool style that people expect to see, even though I love all types of graffs. A person 55 might buy my work, where they my not buy other styles. I do think my work is accessible to a new type of audience, who my not have been too into graff before.

Break

We then went for a coffee around the corner from the studio.

Conversation lead onto Faunas love of boarding- snow, surf, skate, and how(if she had the time) would like to practice more.

Her and Rockets goal is to move out to Bulgaria where her mum lives and they own a house. That would allow her to practice most of the board sports on the door step. And put pressure on Rocket to get more active.

This fired up discussions about lesbianism, unfit people, the Arctic Monkeys, and lack of loo rolls in toilets.

Then back to the studio after being accosted by two Rottweilers, but survived to tell the tail↩

Back ... Mountain.

Fauna won a board design comp by Head.

Just got it through the post.

That's defo goin on the wall!

RD: What exciting projects have you got coming up?

Fauna: There is a lot of projects I'm working on, I'm involving with 2 books, one for charity which is artwork created by cancer patients stories. I was asked to contribute a story and art work about my own experiences with cancer.

Also there is a clothing brand Im working with called Graffiti Kings, which will be created by the Ed Hardy Company.

There's more things but I'll stop there for now!

RD: Wicked, you busy person you- What pisses you off?

Fauna: Ha ha, not much actually, Im more anal about people who are cruel to animals or abusing people. I think there's more sadder things happening in the world for me to be pissed off.

However I do get pissed off at people driving up my backside in the car, specially when Im on country lanes. I usually slam my brakes on, then they back off... Muhahhah.

RD: What makes you smile?

Fauna: Birds and pretty things, painting on hot days, pear cider, cocktails, helping people, painting with friends, sight seeing, gardening and looking for new paint spots.

RD: If you blew out all your birthday candles and had to make a wish at this moment, what would it be?

Fauna: To stop all things wrong. and maybe make it so I have loads of money, were talking in the millions! So then I could help people and paint a lot more.