For the last few weeks I have been playing host to a good friend of mine. Some of you know him as @geometric_fox already, or by his rockhounding handle as @rockhounding_fox if you follow the Instagram page. His other handle is Kev and he is a German spraypaint artist by trade... though there's a bit more to it than that.
What's so special about this particular German? He's not just a spraypaint artist, he's the OG rockhound. The one that first handed me a lump of quartz and asked me why I wasn't picking it up because it was "Lying around everywhere up there - and you can just take it!". Fox is the dude that first got me into rockhounding, sparking 3 years of adventures all over Scotland... hopefully with many more to come.
As you guys know, lockdown, quarantine, and random rules keep separating us and I live with Kai, who doesn't speak much. When we heard it was coming, Fox packed up his spraypaints, grabbed a six pack of opals (I'm not even kidding) and crossed the sea so we could spend it doing fun things like picking through farmer's fields, climbing hills and mountains, and getting stuck on top of piles of rocks in the dark.
It's been a blast so far, but we want it to continue. With the markets closed and no relief on the horizon, we have made the group decision to list some of his art and rocky goodness in the Katriona's Rocks Etsy store. Which is why we are here today, writing a blog to explain why I'm suddenly stocking spraypaint art and the occasional opal.
Introductions are out of the way, so let's dive straight in. I asked Fox some questions and here are his answers... Don't forget you can find information on all the rocks you get from me/us through this blog, so stay a while and have a look around.
What to ask a German Spraypaint Artist...?
You all know I do rocks and writing, it was genuinely difficult to do an interview! What do you ask a German rockhounding spraypain artist, anyway? It went a little something like this...
What Inspires you/what brought you to art?
I was always really creative and always very drawn to painting pictures when I was a kid. I grew up in an area where graffiti art was a big thing and you saw it everywhere. All these different graffiti’s on the trainline were super impressive, so I started to create some letters and graffiti for myself.
I got into spraypaint art when I was about 13 and my interest in it just kept going. I went to art school for a couple of years and met lots of other different types of artists, but I always knew spraypaint was my preferred method. I painted for years on walls, then I wanted to use the medium of spraypaint to get my ideas on canvas.
The planetary pictures are inspired by meditations. The pictures come to me when I am meditating.
You mentioned meditation, how did you come to create art by using such a spiritual method?
<he repeats the question a few times, English isn't his first language>
I lived in Australia for seven years and got really into lots of meditation practise. I decided I wanted to capture the pictures that I see in my meditations and transform them into something artistic. My artwork is super inspired by the universe. For me, art is just an expression of my feelings and emotions and it's really hard for me to put that into words.
Do you have a favourite artist?
My inspiration is life and what happens during it to create this connection between the 3D world and everything else. I'm inspired by nature, by people, but not really by other artists... I'm not that guy.
(My best friend is probably my favourite artist but he doesn't have an @.)
The reason I got back into painting was because of Covid. I was working markets selling rocks and the odd artistic piece, when everything shut down I had lots of time on my hands to pick up the spray cans again.
Your paintings seem to have two main themes. Some are geometric prints, and some are universe themed. Can you tell us a bit about that?
Yes, the space themed art and the geometric abstract art. Argh it all goes so deep. I can't explain it in a few words. The reason I do the geometric stuff is sacred geometry, which is something you can't explain without time. Sacred geometry is the source of everything, what we are all made of. I like to play with the patterns of sacred geometry, then as well play with the 3D forms.
How big an impact does colour have on your paintings?
I like to use natural colours. It's not something I'm thinking about that much while painting. It's just what is in my head at that time. I like a nice fade between dark to bright, but if you met me in person, you'd see I dress in greens and browns to tie in with the trees. I spend a lot of time in the forest.
What was your biggest exhibition?
I had one in an art gallery in Germany, but my favourite exhibit was one where we put art in all the empty buildings in my home town. I am always travelling around the world, so I usually do a lot of live painting when I am on the market circuit.
Got any videos we can share?
Yes, but it's super German. It's from the exhibit in the empty buildings of my home town.
<The video in question>
Last question… How did you come to be a rockhounding artist?
How did I become a rockhounder? Ooh that's hard. It has nothing to do with art. So…I was always obsessed with stones. Like when I was a kid, I found them really fascinating. When I moved to Australia, I felt like I had returned to my roots and as time passed, I got to know myself better. I discovered the magic of the different rocks around the area there.
Rocks are everything to me, I don’t know how to explain it. I am here to bring the rocks out of the earth and get them to where they’re meant to be, It’s as if they speak to me, talk to me, everything. It’s my purpose in this world. I hate to talk about myself like this and I hate that I can’t put into words what it is that drives me. It’s like I am part crystal myself… and you don’t have to tell me how crazy that sounds… but it’s just the truth.
You can find out more about @geometric_fox in a previous interview by We are Superheroes. Don't forget that you can catch some of his work on my Etsy page, or that you can drop him a follow and make an offer if you see something you like.
