Gus Eagleton allows us to see everyday, seemingly familiar people and places in new light. Intertwining emotive and intriguing human faces with real and imagined scenes, Gus creates artworks that are both alive and dream-like. Powerful and intimate. Strong and sensitive.
Eagleton’s knack of interweaving his moving, romantic pieces with the surrounding environment adds further dimensions to his work that invite reflection on urban life. The more you look, the more you can see, feel and imagine.
With over a decade of painting experience, Gus has transformed spaces across Australia and beyond. Some of his recent public pieces on the Gold Coast include Amongst The Banksia at Westfield Coomera, and Sunflowers and Bees near the Runaway Bay skate park. A master in the studio too, Eagleton’s canvas works form part of private collections in Australia, France and England.
We sat down with Gus to chat about his creative practice, and what its like to create epic art in public space.
Can you share a bit about your journey to becoming an artist?
My artistic journey started when I took up painting in high school. Like most artists, I always dabbled with drawing from a young age and always had a feeling I would pursue an artistic career. However, growing up in a coastal town, I never really knew much about graffiti/street art, and my interest in the subcultures sparked when I moved to Brisbane to study Fine Art at university. The graffiti-filled train lines and the colourful trains I rode to uni sparked my interest. It blew my mind. I had no idea how someone could accomplish what they were doing. Lucky for me, I was studying alongside some great graffiti writers and mural painters, and they helped steer me in the right direction and encouraged me to learn everything I could about the art forms.
What motivates you to create art in public space?
Working in the public space is a great way to make art accessible to everyone. It takes it out of the gallery setting, which can sometimes feel exclusive, and places it into the community—allowing the work to reach a larger audience over a longer period of time. The constant challenge of working with different surfaces/sizes/locations also allows for constant innovation and new ideas.
What has been your most challenging project in public space to date?
Working in the public space has a lot of challenges that impact the outcome of the finished artwork. Large-scale painting can be predominantly logistics and problem-solving. My most challenging project so far has been a seven-story wall that could only be implemented with scaffolding - meaning there are 8-9 levels of scaffold with only a 1m space to work in. All Australian scaffold needs a mesh cover to prevent tools and people from falling, so I could not see the whole artwork from the ground - instead only able to see the painting in close courters on each scaffold level. This makes painting proportions and realism incredibly hard. You can’t see the artwork until the scaffold is taken down, and if something is wrong or out of proportion, it can’t be fixed after completion.
What inspires you?
I like to keep an open mind when it comes to inspiration. My work centres around everyday life and the people I meet - I explore social issues that I think are interesting and affect my generation. Most of my life revolves around painting, so I find myself continually thinking about it.
What is one thing more people should know about street art and public art?
All forms of creativity should be a part of everyday life. Public art is a great way to change an underutilised or unused space into something interesting with the potential to brighten your day.
What advice would you give to emerging artists creating work in public space?
An artist should always try to create the work that inspires them, but this isn't always easy when working in a public space. Wall owners may have alternate motives when funding a public artwork, making it challenging to execute the work you envision. Managing a client's expectations is a skill in itself - some clients might like your creative practice, but they find themselves wanting to achieve something completely different during the process. The advice I would give is that an essential part of the final product is the integrity of the artwork and the conceptual ideas being explored. Artists should always aim to produce the best art they can and foster the community they work in.
If, like us, you can’t get enough of Gus Eagleton, head to guseagleton.com or follow @instaguss
IMAGE (C) Luke Shirlaw